A great perk of growing weed is all of the other things you can make with it and your trim, like edibles! Making edibles is an easy way to make great use of your entire harvest by creating a wealth of oil, butter, and treats for not only yourself but your friends and family, too! Let’s explore how you can make your own infused oil and butter to DIY your own edibles ASAP!
Making cannabis edibles like brownies, gummies, and other assorted treats from the leftover trim from your harvest is one of the most resourceful ways to repurpose all of the plant. The massive amount of trim leftover from the trimming process, along with kief, larf, and some popcorn buds, aren’t always the most palatable things to smoke. That’s why making it all into butter or oil to create your edibles makes the most sense.
This is especially helpful if you’ve purchased cannabis seeds online and grown your own plants at home. Why let all that extra biomass go to waste?
Chances are, if you were able to grow weed successfully, your harvest also yielded a lot of extra big buds that can also be thrown into the mix for edibles, too, if desired. One bountiful harvest can give a home grower enough leftover plant material to make DIY edibles with trim and buds that last for months—even up to a year!
Most states that have a medical and recreational program offer cannabis edibles on their menu. While prices vary state-to-state, the cost of a package of edibles can run anywhere from $10-$60 on average, depending on the dosage and product. For anyone who enjoys edibles, those costs can certainly add up. Save yourself a considerable amount of money by simply turning all of your leftover and extra plant material into edibles.
You’ll want to limit the biomass you use for edibles to bud (any size), trim, sugar leaves, kief, and larf. Try to exclude utilizing a significant amount of stems as they don’t add much cannabinoid content to the mix and can get in the way. Fan leaves also contain a limited amount of cannabinoids and can take up a lot of space, so excluding them is also a good practice when creating homemade edibles from cannabis trim.
Edibles have come a long way since brownies were the main delivery system for edibles popularized by the Alice B. Toklas cookbook. Nowadays, any type of baked goods can be made with cannabutter–butter infused with activated cannabinoids. Meanwhile, cannabis gummies have become the norm and standard bearer as one of the most popular ways to ingest cannabis these days. A wide variety of each type of treat awaits; however, before you get that far, you must first activate, or decarboxylate, the cannabis.
Cannabinoids like THC and CBD exist in their acidic forms before they are consumed. These cannabinoids are activated by heat–smoking, vaping, or by what’s known as decarboxylation [1]. If you don’t decarboxylate–essentially roast your plant matter at a low, even temperature–it won’t activate, and you won’t feel a thing other than a tummy ache from all of the chlorophyll!
The MVB Guide to Decarboxylation is the definitive source on everything you need to know when activating your THC and/or CBD before making edibles. Once you’ve settled on your device or cookware to decarb your weed, maintain the following scientifically studied times and temperatures to maximize the process and activate as many cannabinoids as possible [2]. Once decarbed, the next step is to infuse your weed with oil or butter to create edibles.
Cannabutter–butter infused with activated cannabis–is typically used to make edibles like cookies, brownies, cakes, and other baked goods. It can be used in any recipe that calls for actual butter. Cannabutter needs to be refrigerated or frozen to stay fresh and be preserved properly if not being used in a recipe right away. Clarifying your butter before infusing it removes the milk solids from the butter, which is great for several reasons:
Add the sticks of butter you wish to use into a pot on low heat until they melt. While melting, scoop the creamy froth and extra water off the top of the low-simmering butter and discard until no more white froth or water is left, leaving only the warm golden glow of a pot of clarified butter to infuse with!
Cannabis-infused oil–aka cannaoil–can be used in a wider variety of recipes or even as a tincture. The biggest use for canna oil these days is for making DIY cannabis gummies at home. You can also put a few drops of oil into a smoothie, salad dressing, or even a cocktail! Here are just a few great reasons why cannaoil is awesome:
Equipment to infuse your decarbed weed into butter or oil can be as simple and affordable as you want it to be. It’s up to you whether you want to use something like a saucepan, sauté pan, or a high-tech gadget that automatically heats your mixture to a perfect temperature for several hours to get the most out of it.
Take the decarboxylated cannabis you just activated, and use at least a ¼ to a full ounce, depending on how much you wish to infuse. To create an even balance, use as much butter or oil as decarbed cannabis. The more weed you use, the stronger the result will be.
Congrats, you now have cannabutter or cannabis-infused oil to make edibles with! Be sure to refrigerate or freeze cannabutter.
All of that standing over a hot stovetop and stirring, stirring, stirring can get annoying sometimes, so that’s why some humanoid genius came up with the automatic infusion machine.
This dynamic device can infuse oil, butter, and decarbed weed automatically according to a digital program it runs on. These devices are great because they can hold at an exact temperature and automatically stir the mixture, while you go about your day away from the stovetop. The alien in me loves advanced technology, so I highly recommend these devices to make your edibles. There are also some models that not only infuse, they decarb first, too–highly recommended!
Some humanoids use vacuum-sealed sous-vide bags or mason jars to do a water infusion of decarbed weed and a carrier like butter or oil. Essentially, a large pot of water is boiled to a range of about 160-185ºF anywhere from 4-8 hours (again, longer means stronger). Once complete, the cooled-down jar or bag gets strained through a cheesecloth or mesh strainer to make your desired edibles!
Using two pots to infuse a carrier and decarbed weed is known as a double boiler. Stack two pots that fit into one another and fill the bottom pot with enough water to slightly fill the gap between the two pots. This simmer will keep your carrier and decarbed weed that gets put into the top pot from burning, and will regulate the temperature.
Now that the hard stuff is out of the way, have some fun coming up with your recipes or trying your hand at some new and old classics.
Gummies are one of the most popular and portable edibles. Instead of overpaying at the dispensary, use your cannaoil to make your own stash. Many kits online include sugar, molds, and all the essentials—just add your homemade cannabis oil.
Always wanted to take your Grandma’s delicious brownie recipe to a whole other level? Well, anything is possible with baked goods and cannabutter! Choose from your favorite cookie, cake, brownie, Rice Krispies treats, or even cake icing recipe to make them true edibles! You can even just add cannabutter to anything that calls for butter–or doesn’t–like a cup of coffee or dessert! No matter what recipe you choose to use, share your treats and make new friends everywhere you go!’
Have questions about growing your own cannabis, decarboxylation, or how to make edibles with your trim? Reach out to the experts at Multiverse Beans. We’re here to help you grow, harvest, and create magic with your plants—from seed to treat.
Ready to buy cannabis seeds online and start your own grow? Check out our seed bank and start planning your next batch of homemade cannabis edibles.
