Home Growers Corner
Making Homemade Hash
My Simple , Inexpensive Technique by Jay Richardson , contributing writer
Some of the most popular cannabis products available today are concentrates . Much like concentrated orange juice , as the name would imply , concentrates are stronger versions of marijuana . Substances like wax and shatter are made using a solvent that separates the trichomes and rosin from the cannabis flower to create a very potent compound that contains a high percentage of THC . These methods are relatively new and innovative , but as it turns out , there is nothing new under the sun . People have been using marijuana concentrates for over a thousand years .
If you are as old as I am and were smoking pot in the 1970s , you probably remember having access to a lot of hash . Hash , or hashish , was widely available until distant wars cut off our supply lines . The Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979 and wars in the Middle East pretty much ended hash smoking in our part of the world . It wasn ’ t until domestic marijuana production replaced imported weed and we started making our own product that hashish began to make a comeback .
Before we go any further , I should probably explain to you what hashish is and give you a brief history . In my opinion , the best people to explain hash are those friendly folks at the Drug Enforcement Administration ( DEA ). According to DEA . gov , “ Hashish ( hash ) consists of the THC-rich resinous material of the cannabis plant , which is collected , dried , and then compressed into a variety of forms , such as balls , cakes , or cookie like sheets . Pieces are then broken off , placed in pipes or mixed with tobacco and placed in pipes or cigarettes , and smoked .”
They go on to inform us “ the main sources of hashish are the Middle East , North Africa , Pakistan , and Afghanistan .” As I mentioned , these regions have been consumed by armed conflict for several decades . Because of geography and closer proximity to the source , hash has remained popular in Europe . Still , limited supplies and tougher smuggling routes have made imported hashish all but non-existent in America .
The first recorded references to hash use go back to around 900 A . D . in Arabia . One of the stories in The Arabian Nights tells of hashish . In the 1100s and 1200s , tales of hash use among assassins in Persia are common . Marco Polo told of encountering assassins using hashish on his journey to Asia in the 1300s . One popular theory asserts that the word hashish is derived from the word assassin . I ’ ve smoked a lot of killer hash but have never had the urge to become an assassin . The closest I ever came was killing a box of Hostess Ding Dongs .
Now that we know what hash is and the DEA gave us a good idea of how to make it , we should make some . People complain about the federal government , but I found them to be very helpful , and I gave them five stars on their Yelp review .
There are many different ways to make hashish , and it obviously doesn ’ t require advanced technology . The ancient Persians managed to get by without expensive extraction equipment , and their product was so good that it turned them into assassins . If you have been following my previous articles , you know that I like to grow quality buds and make top-notch edibles without a lot of expense or hassle . I find methods and materials that you can afford and are simple enough that a person with little or no experience can follow along and complete the project . Hashish production is no different .
Many people making hash use of a method called dry sift . Contributing writer Danielle Buntyon profiled a really cool method that uses static electricity to pull the hash out of the weed . You can find her article online in our June 2023 edition . Unfortunately for me , the cost of the equipment is prohibitive . A person can also make dry sift by hand . You simply use fine-meshed screens to extract the kief or trichomes . The disadvantage is that it can be time-consuming , and unlike the static method , it is somewhat inefficient .
My simple , inexpensive technique uses a solvent to extract the goodies and separate our concentrate . A solvent is a liquid that causes solids to dissolve . A common example would be using water to make a pitcher of Kool-Aid or a cup of instant coffee . Kool-Aid and instant coffee seem as though they would be classified as liquids , but they are actually dissolved solids . If you allow the water to evaporate , then the powder from the Kool-Aid or coffee will reappear .
If you are a marijuana cultivator , you have probably already discovered that alcohol is a good way to clean sticky scissors that have been trimming buds and works great to clean hands covered with pot resin . It is also a must when cleaning your pipes and bongs . That is because marijuana resin is not water-soluble , but it does dissolve in alcohol or fat . That is why butter works so well to make edible weed products . The THC and rosin are soluble in fat . They also break down very well in alcohol , both isopropyl and grain or ethyl alcohol . For consumption purposes , always use grain alcohol because isopropyl is toxic , but rubbing alcohol is a much cheaper choice for cleaning a bong .
To make hash using the Jay method , you only need a few things , most of which you already have . The first thing you need is 750
36 August 2023