Canna-Butter and The World of Medibles

Happy + Friday = HappyFriday
Happy Friday, my Steemit family. Having been busy with launching the new location of the restaurant, I unfortunately have not been able to stay active on here. Now that I am back state-side, I should have a lot more free time on my hand. So with that being said, I hope you all are set for a great weekend.

Medication + Edibles = Medibles
What your plans are this weekend I haven't a clue. Will you be playing a round of golf, or heading out of town? Perhaps you're planning on chilling at home and partaking in the alt-coin roller coaster...

Whatever it is you are planning, ensure your joy with a little medible action. Medicated edibles are cannabis infused snacks. In other words, the infamous pot brownie...remember this cop???

The medible world has come a long way since pot brownies. Nearly every food item is now available in medicated form...no kidding. Want some medicated beef jerky? They have it. Want a medicated coffee pod? They have it. Want medicated pork rinds? They have that too. Medibles are great for many reasons. They are easy to travel with, and can easily be shared with a group of friends. They also provide an alternate way of introducing cannabis into your system that does not require smoking. Many people have an issue with smoking marijuana. Whether it be an inability to smoke, a non desire to combust, or the simple dislike of weed's potent aroma (which incidentally I wish would be made into a cologne), medibles allow these individuals to reap the benefits of the cannabis plant.

Dosage + Cost = Oh shit!
And of course, with anything good...comes the bad. There are two inherent problems with consuming edibles. One is the ever so popular over dosage. The problem stems from patients lack of experience with edibles, and the medible manufacturers that do not know the actual amount of cannabis in their products. Both of these contributing factors have given medicated edibles a bad rap. Cost is another issue for some consumers when it comes to medicated edibles. Most dispensaries charge anywhere from $2 to $4 per 10 mg edible. And for those of us who need 75mg or up, that could set us back a bit in the financial department. Especially for people who consume more than one or two medibles a week. This is where canna-butter makes an entrance. Cooking with cannabis is not difficult and can provide added benefits such as budget friendly and dosage friendly. Don't overpay and don't over do!!

Canna-Butter Recipe (slow cooker method)
Medicated butter is the fool proof way of introducing cannabis into your snacks and baked goods. Marijuana is fat soluble, which means it needs some kind of fat to bind with. Marijuana must also be decarboxylated- to remove carbon from the cannabis- which is needed for any psychoactive effects. (Decarboxylation has other benefits as well) This is the reason you cannot simply toss some weed into your brownie batter and call it a day. You may gain some health benefits of consuming raw cannabis, but you will not feel the "high".

14 - 28 grams of cannabis (depending on how strong you want it)
1 lb of unsalted butter (you can use salted, but as a chef, I have always favored the former)
1 cup of water
cheese cloth (or fine mesh strainer)

Grind the buds into a fine grind and place directly in slow cooker along with water and butter. Set the temperature to low and walk away for 12-24 hours (again depending on how potent you want to make your butter). Mix occasionally and keep covered. Refrain from speeding up the process by increasing the heat. High temperatures will cause the THC to burn away, rendering your weed useless. Once you have finished cooking the butter, pour it into a refrigerator safe bowl using the cheese cloth to capture the solid flower pieces. Once you have strained all the butter, tie off the cheese cloth and squeeze out the excess butter. You can now discard the flower solids. Once the butter has cooled slightly, cover and place in fridge overnight. The next morning when the butter is ready you will see the solid green mass separate from the water. You need to get rid of this water, and the easiest way is gently poke holes into the butter and strain the water. There you have it. Short, sweet, and easy as pie. (although, pie isn't that easy to make, so I am not sure why that phrase exist...it does exist right?)

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Time to elevate
Canna-butter is just one way to make medibles at home. Coconut oil has emerged as a popular base for cooking with cannabis. Vegans have been jumping aboard that train in masses ever since. I hope you enjoyed this recipe and give it a chance the next time you feel like cooking with cannabis. This is just the tip of the iceberg...I will be back with additional recipes and possibly a more in-depth look at dosage and alternate means of dosing your edibles that don't utilize straight flower/bud. And please do not hesitate to ask any questions about the recipe, or medibles in general. Oh, and below is just a little something I made with the canna-butter ;)

HAPPY EATING
AND
HAVE A
EEMIT DAY

LMAO! Anyone make Steemit cookie cutters?! :D

Semi-pro Tip: Consume a small piece and wait at least, 1-2 hours before eating another.