Today we are going to infuse some CannaBudder for making edibles. For this process you will need: 1/2 oz. Buds, 1lb. Butter, parchment paper, sheet pan, crock pot, 20 oz. Water, strainer, container with lid. ~ 1) Grind and de-seed buds, keep the stems in and any kief you are using. First we decarb the bud to activate the THC. To do this spread the ground bud on parchment lined baking sheet and bake at 240° for 60 mins, stirring occasionally to prevent burning. Cool and add to crockpot. 2) Next you will add the half the water and all of the butter to the crockpot and switch on to low or warm. You want to try to stay below 210° to avoid excess CBN production. Simmer for 4-10 hours, stirring every hour or so. Add water as needed to avoid scorching. 3) Strain well, removing plant matter, into the container. Allow to cool for approx 30-45 mins, cover tightly, then refrigerate for 3-5 hours. 4) Once the butter has solidified carefully separate the solid butter from the water underneath. Discard the water, it's mostly chlorophyll and contains no THC.

You now have CannaBudder! Now all you need to do is sub in 1/4 - 1/2 of the butter in your recipe with CannaBudder, depending on the THC content of buds. Recommended recipes are cookies/brownies/rice krispy treats, grilled cheese/garlic bread, caramels, etc.

Marijuana Edibles have become popular for a number of reasons. Some people want the therapeutic and healing effects of marijuana but don’t/can’t smoke. Some people just love the dining experience combined with THC, so if you fall anywhere along those lines or in between, this blog will go over three different recipes you can use to extract and start cooking with cannabis.

In most recipes, cooking with cannabis calls for a certain amount of Canna Butter or Canna Oil which replaces the average household butter or oil. Psychoactive effects happen when Canna Oil is heated - just simply munching down on a nug of weed will not get you high. To release the psychoactive effects, you must first go through a process called decarboxylation which is essentially a fancy term for heating up the cannabis. The heat will activate and release the THC into the fatty ingredients such as oil, butter, milk, etc.

Three Ways to Extract Cannabis

Canna Butter

Cannabis-infused butter is one of the most versatile and easy to use extractions. You can find tons of recipes online for baked goods to go with your morning coffee, delicious dinners that will have you sleeping like a baby, and more. Canna Butter can be made at home easily and mess-free with the help of a MagicalButter machine which you can buy online, but you can also make it from scratch. For best results, the long-time simmer method is recommended.

Cook Time: 6.7 Hours

Ingredients: 448g (1lb) unsalted butter 500ml (2cups) water Either: 28g (1oz) ground cannabis, 

56g (2oz) leaf, stem or trim, OR

112g (4oz) Already Vaped Cannabis (AVC)

Equipment: Large saucepan/pot Whisk Large glass bowl Strainer or sieve that fits in the glass bowl Cheesecloth Spatula Plastic wrap Butter knife Lidded glass jar (to store the finished Canna Butter) 1. In a large saucepan, bring the butter and water to a rapid simmer (just below a boil—the liquid will be active, with small bubbles consistently rising to the surface) over medium heat until the butter melts.

2. Whisk in the cannabis/AVC

3. Reduce the heat to low and bring the mixture to a slow simmer (there will be very little movement in the liquid, with small bubbles occasionally rising to the surface). Do not let the mixture boil.

4. Cook for 5 hours, stirring every 90 minutes or so. Add additional warm water if needed (you don't want all the water to boil off).

5. While the butter cooks, line a strainer or sieve with cheesecloth and place it over a large glass bowl.

6. After 5 hours, pour the butter slowly through the cheesecloth into the bowl. Press down on the cannabis with a spatula to extract all the butter. Fold the cheesecloth, and use the spatula to push any remaining Canna Butter into the bowl. Discard the cheesecloth.

7. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate it for at least 3 hours (overnight is better). The mixture will separate into solid butter and liquid water.

8. Remove the butter from the fridge, discard the water, and slide a butter knife around the edges to remove the Cannabutter from the bowl.

9. Transfer the butter to a glass jar with a lid and store it in the fridge or freezer.

Canna Oil 

Canna Oil compliments oils such as Olive Oil, Coconut Oil & Salad Dressing. If your looking to make the tastiest salad for your next lunch or maybe change up things at dinner tonight, Canna Oil is a food lover’s best friend.

Cook Time: 45 mins

Ingredients 6 cups olive oil or canola oil 1 ounce AVC cannabis or finely ground, OR 

2 ounces trimmed leaf, dried and ground 1. In a heavy saucepan (or a double boiler), slowly heat oil on low heat for a few minutes. You should begin to smell the oil's aroma. 

2. Add a little bit of cannabis/AVC to the oil and then stir until it is fully coated with oil. Keep adding more cannabis/AVC until the entire amount of is mixed into the oil. 

3. Simmer on low heat for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.

4. Remove the mixture from the heat and allow it to cool before straining. 

5. Press the cannabis against a metal strainer with the back of a spoon to wring all the oil out of it. The oil is best stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 months. 

6. Throw the leftover cannabis in the compost.

Cannabis Coconut Oil

Cook Time: 12-18 hours

Ingredients WARNING: Prepare to monitor this recipe for 12-18 hours.

1LB (16oz) Coconut Oil (organic/unrefined is recommended) 1-3 oz of AVC (depending on how potent you want it, some people use up to 4 ounces per pound of coconut oil.

Water Crock pot (most have 3 heat settings and will work fine; an adjustable dial is recommended) Fine Metal Strainer Cheese Cloth Thermometer NOTE: For less of a cannabis taste, soak your buds overnight in water, and dry them before grinding. This removes much of the chlorophyll that is responsible for the herbal taste. 1: Grind the cannabis/AVC extremely fine. A coffee grinder works great, but make sure not to get it too powdery. This will make it harder to strain out in the final process.

2: In the crock pot, add the coconut oil and enough water to float the oil in the pot. Set the dial on HIGH and allow the oil to liquify.

3: Slowly start stirring in the bud until the mixture is completely saturated. If needed, add more water.

4: Stick a thermometer in the pot with the lid closed on top, and monitor it until it reaches close to 250 degrees Fahrenheit. Turn the crock pot heat setting to LOW and stir. NOTE: Oil continues to rise in temperature after removed from heat, and takes longer to start cooling. A preemptive heat switch will help keep a more accurate temperature.

5:  Periodically stir the mixture and check that the temperature stays around 250 - 270 degrees. An occasional flip from LOW to WARM setting may be needed to regulate the temp. The mixture needs to stay below 320 degrees to avoid burning off the active ingredient. The water in the pot stops this from happening because it will evaporate first. Periodically add water throughout the process to keep the cannabis submerged.

6: After 12 - 18 hours, turn off the crock pot and allow to cool for a while. Get the cheesecloth and double wrap it over your strainer. Place over a large container to catch the warm liquid. SLOWLY pour the mixture into the cheesecloth and allow to drip. If it's not too hot, wrap the plant material and squeeze out the hot oil. Continue until all the mixture has been squeezed out of the cheese cloth.

The remaining plant material can be saved to use for a topical compress. Although most of the medicinal properties lie within the oil still trapped in the spent bud.

7: Put the container of hot oil/water in the fridge over night and allow the oil to rise to the top. The water that was added during the process catches all the extra plant material and brown carcinogens from the the mixture. This allows for a much cleaner tasting product.

8: Pop the hardened green coconut oil off the top of the water that sunk to the bottom, and discard of the water.

You are now left with a green chunk of coconut oil that is ready to use for the recipe of your liking. Store in the fridge until ready to use. Allow to warm before adding to recipes.

Coconut oil is a good substitute for most baking and can replace butter in many recipes. Some people like to add it to a hot beverage for an easy medication.

NOTE: The same recipe works if you want to use butter instead of coconut oil. Just remember butter has less saturated fat and can't absorb as much THC. Most people use a ratio of 1-2 ounces of bud per pound of butter.

For more Cannabis Cooking recipes, be sure to follow our Blog and search the hashtag #CookingWithCannabis!  You can also find us on Facebook and Twitter @LiftedBud and on Instagram @LiftedBudCanada!  

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