What are edibles? Edibles are one of the most popular ways to consume cannabis. They come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes, from cookies to candy bars. While they can be made with ingredients other than cannabis, for this blog post we will focus on how to make edibles using weed!
Edible recipes can be as simple or complex as you like – all you need is the right recipe for your needs. Some people may want a quick and easy edible that doesn’t require any cooking at all; others might feel more comfortable following an elaborate recipe when it comes time to create their weed-infused goodies.
What are edibles and why do people use them?
Many different foods and drinks can be used in the making of edibles, including anything from brownies to chocolate bars or tea.
People use edibles for the same reasons they might smoke weed: because it can provide a more intense high that lasts longer than smoking cannabis; as well as relieve pain and nausea caused by other conditions like cancer treatments.
More people are likely to make their recipes at home with edibles than smoke cannabis.
Edibles are made with the same ingredients as regular food, so they have a similar taste and texture to what you would normally eat; this makes them more appealing for people who don’t want to sacrifice their appetite
The main difference between edibles and other types of foods is how long it takes for them to take effect. In general, it takes longer for the body to digest food than smoke cannabis; so you might not feel any effects from eating edibles until an hour or more has passed.
Edible dosages, effects, and risks
An edible is a food containing cannabis that we use to consume marijuana. THC, the psychoactive ingredient in cannabis, can take anywhere from 30 minutes-two hours for the effects to kick in. Edibles are most often used by people who want more control over how they experience a high and have trouble smoking or vaporizing because of throat irritation or other health conditions like asthma
Edibles come in many forms such as brownies, cookies, candies (hard), drinks (soft), and specially made edibles called gummies or suckers – all of which give you a different kind of high than what you would get if you smoked it. Each type has its effect on your body so always be sure to read instructions before consuming any new type of edible.
How to make edibles at home
Cannabutter
This is a great one to start out with because it can be the building block for almost anything. Unless you’re vegan, butter is in more foods than you probably know.
Here’s how to make it:
- Melt butter in a saucepan (add a little water to keep from burning)
- Add your ground, decarboxylated weed and simmer for 2-3 hours
- Strain the butter into a jar (for example, you can use a funnel with cheesecloth to catch the ground-up weed)
- Refrigerate jar of cannabutter!
- You now have a perfect ingredient for many edible recipes!
Weed Bacon
The bacon craze may have calmed down a bit in recent years, but it’s doubtful the salty treat will ever be completely out of style.
To make your own weed bacon, simply sprinkle ground, decarboxylated flower on one side of each bacon slice. Bake at 275 degrees Fahrenheit and flip after about 10 minutes.
Sprinkle the second side and repeat for another 10 minutes.
Fun fact: You’ve now got cannabis-infused bacon grease leftover to use in other dishes!
Cannaoil
Cannaoil can be another foundation of many different recipes. Here’s how to make that:
- Combine an ounce of ground, decarboxylated bud to 2 cups of oil (coconut, vegetable, etc.)
- Heat for at least six hours or more without boiling
- Use some water to keep from burning
- Strain the oil from the ground-up bud
- This weed-infused oil could be the perfect combination for an oil-based salad dressing.
Bud Brownies
You knew it would end up here. It’s a classic for a reason.
Let’s take your newfound experience with cannaoil (see #3) to make some bud brownies. Simply use eggs, water, and your cannaoil and mix in with your favorite brownie mix.
Line it up on a cookie sheet and bake at 330 degrees Fahrenheit for about half an hour.
Marijuana Ice Cream
Sometimes, baked goods just don’t do the trick, and you need a cold and refreshing treat.
Weed ice cream is surprisingly easy to make and you can dress it up however you like. To make this, do the following:
- Melt about 16 ounces of heavy cream in a saucepan at about medium temperature
- Melt your cannabutter (see #1) and add sugar
- Mix together and add whatever you want (fruit, nuts, chocolate chips, etc.)
- Freeze overnight
- If you make enough, you might have a freezing sweet treat for multiple nights to come.
The best way to consume edibles (smoking vs eating)
When smoking, there’s a sense of what you’re doing to yourself and how much. With edible cannabis, it can be hard to tell what the dosage is as each person metabolizes THC differently. It becomes more difficult when dealing with inexperienced users who don’t know how long they should wait before taking another dose or how many milligrams in edibles equate to an inhalation hit.
If eaten too late at night, some people report not sleeping well due to coming down from their high while trying not to go into withdrawal which causes insomnia. The best way for those looking for sleep would be to eat them earlier rather than later during the day so that they have time to fall asleep before feeling uncomfortable effects come on like trouble concentrating, nausea, and sometimes paranoia.
If eaten too early in the day some might not be able to work or function with as much concentration due to being under a “high.” There have been reports of people eating them for lunch but then feeling anxiety because they were still high after their body metabolized the THC. For those that need to be more focused at work, it is better to eat edible cannabis an hour before so their bodies can process what’s happening and bring themselves down from a “high” without consequences.
It may take up to two hours for someone to take edibles on an empty stomach (and longer if you’re really hungry) before consuming food again. This could mean waiting six hours between doses depending on how many milligrams of THC they have per dose.
Edible dosages- This is only helpful for people with no tolerance. Daily use will definitely change your correct dosage, you have to feel it out. That’s why I inhale instead, it’s easier than waiting for edibles to hit.
This is what I do: if you eat meat, get a steak, salt both sides heavily, let it come to room temp and pre-heat oven to 425. If you have cast iron, use it. Otherwise heaviest bottom pan you have and if it isn’t oven-proof, an oven-proof dish. Bring the pan up to high heat, put in about a tablespoon of oil, and then sear the steak on both sides. Finish in the oven, let rest for 10 minutes. Serve topped with cannabutter.