Enjoy Your Harvest
Home Growers Corner
How to Make Edibles at Home
Enjoy Your Harvest
Part 5 of Series
by Gerry Donovan, contributing writer
This is the conclusion of my micro-series on Life Stages of the Cannabis Plant. In case you missed any of the four past issues, we covered everything from starting seeds to harvesting and even hash-making.( Check out my past articles at www. TheEvolutionmag. com and see the Issues page). A huge benefit to growing your own cannabis is having a surplus of buds and bud material that allows you to get creative in the kitchen. If you don’ t use all your excess material making hash, you can also use it to make edibles at home.
This month, I am going to outline a more traditional cooking process for making infused butter and oils that requires no special equipment. Then I will get into one of my favorite products and how to make it using an infusion machine.
THCa, not Delta-9-THC. Normally, we smoke buds in a pipe or joint, etc. When we do that, we are lighting and burning the cannabis; this immediately converts the THCa into Delta-9-THC for our bodies to use for the intended effect. This conversion process is called“ Decarboxylation,” or simply“ Decarbing” or the“ Activation” process.
When we make edibles, since we don’ t light, burn, and smoke cookies, the first step in the process is activation, because you actually want to find your unique level of euphoria from your magic muffins.
The Process and Materials:
First and foremost: Be careful when experimenting with edible cannabis. It affects everyone differently, with respect to onset time, strength, and duration. As we always say,“ Start low, and go slow.”
Before we get into cooking, one should have a basic understanding of how THC transforms and the way the body interacts with it. I must note that I am not a scientist nor a chemical professional— my breakdown of the compounds and processes is based on years of experience and self-education. Everyone’ s body will have a different experience when they eat cannabis-infused foods( aka, edibles). Each human body processes the THC into its more psychoactive form in varying levels. Just think of two people at a party, and they both eat infused brownies; one person is curled up on the floor wondering when it will stop, and the other person can barely tell they ingested anything at all. I have a high tolerance for edibles and do not get the“ trippy” high feeling that I see others experiencing. If you are similar, do not try to chase a crazy high. I really enjoy edibles because I have realized that when I notice my back is relaxed and I’ m a bit looser, that truly is my great“ high,” and I’ m not all messed up.
Step 1: Activation
When we ingest cannabis, our bodies get“ high” from Delta-9- Tetrahydrocannabinol( THC). When the plant grows, it is rich in
Baking Sheet: Spread broken-up bud material or sugar leaves and trimmings onto a baking sheet. Place in oven at around 190-210 degrees for 60 minutes— many folks will say hotter for thirty, but I have found that lower temperatures for longer result in a bit better THC conversion.
That’ s it! You now have activated cannabis, which theoretically can be eaten as is!
22 September 2026