BadKat's CannaPharm: Canna Caps, UV Reactive GLOWING Hash Candy, Canna 'Bombs' & more

Welcome to BadKat's CannaPharm. Featuring: concenrated hash capsules, "UV Reactive Glowing Hash Candy",

and "Chocolate Covered Peanut Butter Canna 'Bombs'". More soon to come.




I'm BadKittySmiles, a seasoned grower, and practiced canna chemist, chef, what have you.
I've been traveling the world for decades studying cannabis, its growth, breeding, harvesting, processing, I've visited and lived long term in several continents, established over a dozen small (multi-room) grows, and I have participated and contributed to various large organizations, warehouses and labs around the world.


I’ve been working on a few photo-tutorial recipes that I know you folks can easily make in your own homes, without the need for any excessive or extravagant tools or materials. This will be something of a journal, documenting various methods and recipes. I won't talk too big or scare new or inexperienced folks away, I want to encourage asking questions, no question is too simple, or in any way stupid... as far as questions go, I only ask that you stay somewhat on topic if posting in the thread, and off-topic PM's are absolutely welcome if you're patient waiting for a reply lol. If you've tried 'google' and the search feature here, and still need further explanation, I'm not going to look down on you or make you feel silly for asking

We’re focusing on a few of my favorite recipes, to start with, we're working on Canna Capsules.

I may only get through one recipe today, so I’ll be reserving the immediate additional few posts right away for the following recipes... the photo portion I’ve been working on since last summer The writing portion, I’ve dragged my heels on until this very moment

Don’t worry.. this will probably be my longest and most intensive post for information purposes, much of it shouldn’t need repeating for the following recipes.




For people with varying resources and facilities, I've completed -four- 4 full variations on making hash capsules. We'll be starting with the optimal variations, and we'll work our way down to the poor (or ‘ill-prepared’) mans caps. Our aim here is to transform roughly 5.5 grams of quality hash, into 15 concentrated canna capsules, for a very intense and narcotic effect.

-------



What you'll need:

- Minimum 5.0 grams sifted hash, or fine kief. We’re using hash collected from the strain

“Devastating Train Wreck”.

- Coconut Oil, 2.5 tsp- organic and mechanically extracted are good, naturally

heat-deodorized is ok. I recommend the brands 'Now', and 'Garden of Life'.

(Remember, if a single dose turns out much too strong for you, you can dilute it
further with extra coconut oil until you achieve the desired effect. There is no rush
so feel free to fill one capsule, try it before filling the rest, and see if changes are
needed. These start out strong. Some of you will require less product per-cap.)

- Pipette to fill your caps easily by hand, or of course a fancy cap-filling machine or tray.

- Empty Gelatin Capsules Can't be veg/V-caps unless you intend on using them immediately

- Optional oils, which as a patient with digestive-absorptive difficulties, I use for enhanced

mobility and absorption of cannabinoids.. a mix of heavier to lighter oils will create an

optimal and varied 'vehicle' for cannabinoids, cbd etc., however this is the perfectionist in

me, and a single, quality coconut oil source will do just fine for most folks. I use:

- Avocado - Almond - and -Castor- oils, in addition to the coconut, at an
unmeasured rate of just a few drops each, per 2 teaspoons of coconut oil.

Just be sure they are food grade.

If you are uncertain, contact the supplier or manufacturer, or discontinue use.


- Soy Lecithin: this is where the first two recipes differ.


I made two near-exact batches to show the results side by side, one with lecithin, one

without. It's cheap, easy to find, and it absolutely enhances the effects and absorption

of cannabinoids. Further explanation below.

- Ceramic oven-safe dish

- Foil

- Empty Pill Bottles

- Desiccant sachet

- size 00 GELATIN capsules.. they must be gelatin, if you use vegetarian,

they'll disintegrate before you can use them.

But if you must use V caps, you'll have to take them almost immediately, and I'd

recommend making your hash concentrate in advance, freezing it, and defrosting what

you need, as you need it, just enough to fill a days supply of caps.

You can use larger capsules, and fill them with different ratios, but only if you can handle

swallowing pills that large; many folks have difficulties with even the 00's, although they're

your average health-food sized cap.

--------
Preface.
Coconut oil is a solid at temperatures below around 76-78 degrees, making it perfect for

canna capsules. When blended properly, the cannabinoids are mixed evenly through the

oil and become unable to 'eat' through the gel cap, and due to the solidity of the oil they

can be stored safely for up to several weeks at room temp. I prefer freezing mine as it

not only greatly extends their shelf life, but there are many studies and recipes that

suggest a freezing action, as a step of the process, as it enhances the molecular

break-down of the cannabinoids making them more readily available to your body.


Soy Lecithin. It's used in food processing to make less sugar appear 'sweeter', less

chocolate more 'chocolatey', and in pharmaceuticals to enhance the effectiveness of

medications, it homogenizes and safely coats, then breaks down substances, into more

fine, smaller particulates, promoting vastly improved systemic bioavailability within your

body.

The difference is so great, that you can visually see the altered consistency between

oils/pills where lecithin was used, and when it was not. 'Liposomal' lecithin encapsulation,

simply put, breaks the glands down faster, making the heating process more efficient,

reducing the risk of damaging the material from possible over-processing. I recommend

using soy lecithin in all canna and hash oil recipes.

The glands, already being decarbed (preferably), are then broken down further, and are

delivered in a vehicle of lecithin oil, creating an intensely narcotic impact upon use.

Lecithin increases the availability of everything from sugars to vitamin C, to prescription

pain meds, and the increase in availability on contact is said to be between %15 and %75

depending on the substance, vitamin, or chemical. Meaning, the correct addition of lecithin

to for instance, vitamin C, reduces the quantity of ascorbic acid you need to consume in

order to achieve the same effect, by more than 50%. You can see how this applies to the

use of digestive-resistant canna in edibles.

While I can't give you an exact figure for increased availability for cannabinoids, knowing

it does vary for the home-user kitchen to kitchen, I can guarantee you that personally I

both see, and feel a difference when lecithin is utilized.

And when you can buy such large packets of it for just two or three dollars, whatever the

increase is, it's well worth it. If you'd like to get fancy, and possibly enhance the process

further, you can additionally use ultrasonic jewelry cleansers to mimic the lab-like process

of liposomal encapsulation, and utilize a briefer period of heating.

---------



Ok! To start with you're going to want to weigh out at least 5.0 grams, of finely sifted hash

or kief. I usually use around 5.5-5.7 grams, for roughly 15 capsules, give or take a cap.

Find your oven safe ceramic dish, mine is used heavily and often so you'll notice

throughout my tutorials that I don't bother cleaning it.. why remove those glands after all,

when I can reduce their loss by leaving the same amount behind with each use I just

pop it in the fridge when I'm done with it, knowing I'll be using it again in a few days or a

week.

Preheat oven, to 210 f.

Sprinkle your hash evenly over the dish, and double seal WELL, with aluminum foil. Set

a timer for 20 minutes, place the sealed dish on a baking sheet, in the oven, during

pre-heat.. it isn't entirely necessary, but heating slowly reduces the risk of shattering your

dish, and losing your precious material.

The same applies to the end of the heating, turn off the oven, open it briefly, then close

it and allow it to cool slowly within the oven for 10 minutes.

Total decarb time, 30 minutes (20 of which, the oven is ‘on’).

-----

Decarbing is a touchy issue for many folks, some know they need it but don't know the

methods and practices that cause decarbing, some aren't aware of it at all, others think

it's unnecessary and 'know' they get some amount of effect from eating bud on its own,

here's why: some herb, if it's old, commercial, over-dry, whatever the reason, for a variety

of reasons, some herb is already partially, or even full decarbed. The process begins

happening, very gradually, the moment you cut a plant down and begin depriving it of

water. The older the bud is, and the drier it gets, the more carbon dioxide and water vapor

is released, and the closer it is to removing the carboxyl group. It's something that is

almost never discussed publicly, but is frequently known in professional kitchens.


The fresher the herb, or the more moist the storage conditions, the more necessary and

extensive the decarbing process needs to be. Loose hash, separated from plant matter,

in general needs a bit less decarbing. With herb, depending on the age, I decarb for a full

20 minutes after the preheat, rather than including that warm up in my 20 minute time

frame.

A food dehydrator works just as well, if not better than heat at decarbing, it reduces the

risk of damaging your product with excessive heat. It's hard to tell when your decarb is

completed when using heat, usually gently browned herb is a good sign but it often

means you've taken it a hair too far, and some material in the middle may not be

completely decarbed.

-----

Once cooled, remove your dish.

Now, preheat your oven to 250 f, while you complete the following steps. Don’t worry, it is

too hot, but you’ll be reducing the heat once you’re ready to use it.

In every step of the way, in order to prevent the loss of potency via vapor escape, you

MUST wait for your sealed container to fully cool, prior to opening.

Unwrap your foil covered dish. Your hash should now have gone from a very pale sandy

amber, to a light but somewhat golden brown.



Mix ¼ teaspoon Lecithin to the hash, and blend well.





You’re ready to add your coconut oil, but you’ll need to melt it first. Be careful doing so as

some containers have foil seals restricting microwave use, I find the safest ways of

melting your oil are just sitting it in front of a heater, or placing the entire (glass)

container in your oven, without its lid, at its lowest setting for a few moments.




----

Besides that it’s good for you, coconut oil is a solid at room temperature, making it an

ideal tool for hash encapsulation. If you use a liquid oil, it’s not just the oil that eats away

at the capsule in a matter of days or weeks, it’s the concentrated hash and cannabinoids,

that can eat away at the pill in a matter of hours =-O You can try to freeze them, but

often it isn’t done quick enough and you end up with ‘sloppy’ capsules. A recipe for

“Sloppy Caps” will follow : )

---

Mix your oily hash well, and then seal it up tightly with two layers of aluminum foil. Just to

reiterate: Wrapping in foil, during all heating stages, prevents possible vaporization of

your valuable potency.



Now place your covered dish on a baking sheet, and into the oven. Immediately reduce

the heat down to 220 f, and set the timer for 40 minutes. The initial burst of heat is

primarily to quickly heat the dish itself, by the time the oil itself begins warming up the

temperature should have fallen sufficiently.

After 40 minutes, shut off your oven, open it momentarily, then close it allowing your oil

to slowly cool. I do this to gently increase processing time, and as a preventative safety

measure against the dish breaking from the temperature change, spoiling the product.

Once completely cooled, or only warm to the touch (about a half hour) you can remove

the foil, and stir in an additional 1/8 of a teaspoon of lecithin.



If you are particularly meticulous about everything you do, like I am (lol), or if you would

like to use the capsules as soon as you have finished making them, this is when I

recommend taking the extra step of freezing your material, to aid in the ‘breaking up’ of

the structure of your cannabinoids, which can increase their systemic bioavailability. Place

your sealed container in the freezer for 8 hours. I like freezing between periods of heat

because it results in a smoother liquid. Otherwise, you can simply freeze them once

capped.

Moving on : ) After you’ve mixed in your lecithin (or after you’ve removed your dish from

the freezer, and have given it ample time to reach room-temp) you will re-wrap it tightly in

foil, pre-heat your oven to 220 f, and place it inside during the pre-heat (particularly if

you’ve had it frozen, and only recently thawed), and set your timer for 40 minutes.

These are your materials for the next stage, minus the various pure oils:



http://forum.grasscity.com/photopost/data/3306/10_last_heated_oil.jpg

After allowing it to cool as described earlier, you should have something like this, a dank,

thick, viscous black-brown oil. It is exactly how a potent canna oil should look at its peak

potency, any less or lighter, indicates it could have endured more processing to reach its

potential.

I make both meticulous, and lazy-mans edibles, and there is a hugely profound

difference between the two, their effects, and the quantity of material required, for the

desired effect.

Take your cap in your hand, wrapped in a paper towel.

I do this because, my fingers are a bit warm, and when you add even gentle heat to a

capsule, just as you are attempting to seal it, the pressure fights with you and tries to

‘pop’ the cap off the end of your capsule resulting in a less-than-snug seal. Holding it in a

folded bit of paper towel, insulates it just enough to prevent this.

Now with your other hand, stir the oil gently with your pipette, as you first pinch, then allow

it to fill. Conveniently I have pipettes that measure in ml’s, each 00 cap holds just under

1ml. One tablespoon of material, will fill roughly 15 caps.

http://forum.grasscity.com/photopost/data/3306/11_filled_cap3.jpg


If you’ve ever made caps both with, and without lecithin, besides the end-effect this is

where you’ll notice that it really helps, as far as the processing goes. The lecithin acts as a

homogenizer, it blends the hash and oil more consistently, meaning you’re not left to

navigate a thin surface oil containing some cannabinoids, and a thick hashy sludge at the

base, containing others. You end up with more consistent content per cap, more reliably

with lecithin.


Carefully seal up the other end, and viola, you’ve made your first hash cap!

http://forum.grasscity.com/photopost/data/3306/13_closed_cap.jpg


And the finishing shots… a nice bottle of premium medicine, and a few comparisons

between caps made with and without lecithin.

http://forum.grasscity.com/photopost/data/3306/14_finished.jpg


http://forum.grasscity.com/photopost/data/3306/15_lecithin_without.jpg

It’s immediately noticeable that the non-lecithin pills maintained a lighter color during the

same (if not more) processing, in spite of the addition of a ‘lighter colored’ substance (the

lecithin), you can also visually see that the particulates contained within the oil of the

lighter non-lecithin caps, look slightly larger and less broken down, than those of the

darker lecithin caps.

And that’s it for now, hope you’ve enjoyed glancing over this, or scouring over it if you plan on

making them yourself one day.



Good luck, and happy medicating!

Edited by BadKittySmiles, 07 February 2011 - 12:17 AM.

‘Chocolate Covered Peanut Butter Canna ‘BOMBS’”

http://forum.grasscity.com/attachments/incredible-edible-herb/528879d1296489274-badkats-cannapharm-canna-caps-uv-reactive-glowing-hash-candy-canna-bombs-more-single2-jpg

These are a tradition in my house around the holidays, I make them only once or twice a year. Not because they aren’t GREAT, they are, but because this is a recipe that I can jam an enormous amount of cannabinoids into… when made this way, they are more for fun, and not medicinal purposes, unless you are in a situation coming out of an accident or a surgery, and you’re facing greater initial pain. Otherwise, you’ll need to be sure you can afford to keep up with the intake you’d need.

If you eat these very often, your tolerance sky-rockets and it will reduce the overall effectiveness of your medicine, unless you continue to medicate using those large quantities... as it is, people sometimes complain that it’s not worth smoking for at least a week after they leave our holiday gatherings, lol.

With that in mind I’ll be sharing two recipes, if using these for regular meds you should follow the first; there is a suggested ingredients list, that will provide a strong experience for the average patient or regular smoker, along with the ingredients I actually use… they are so strong, that I STILL have a few left rolling around the freezer, and edibles don’t usually last long in my home. Besides just a few infused drinks, it’s the one, single-dose edible that I feel I need to ‘plan’ for

You can also feel free to adjust the dose to the level you require… but if any edible was designed for an ‘over-dose’ of canna, this is it

Like the high grade canna caps, if I’m aware someone doesn’t usually require a large dose I’m not going to share an edible of this potency with them, I’ve seen too many people bent over a toilet or trash bin from edibles, it’s not healthy, and it’s just not any fun.
I make edibles this strong only a few times a year, usually when having small gatherings and entertaining special company from abroad. We’ll have canna candy out, some infused beverages, hot and cold, several styles of cookies and cakes. Often times an infused main course or two. Or some years I make a special ‘sweet & sour’ sauce, and we just order chinese


------------------------




Tools:
- Medium sized pot
- Small ceramic dish
- Aluminum Foil
- Oven bag (the kind used for cooking)
- Baking sheet
- Candy thermometer
- Wax paper
- Cheesecloth, optional (needed for larger quantities of herb)
- *Double boiler
(*if using a microwave chocolate, add the
additional canna oil in the peanut butter and
increase powder sugar accordingly, and the
double boiler pot/s are no longer required,
unless making herb oil rather than hash oil.)

What you will need: - What I used…..:

- 4+ grams of hash - - 7 grams of hash
or
- 10 to 14g shake/herb - - 98 +/- grams of herb (post-sifted for hash)

If extracted properly, these edibles - Do I go overboard, or what?
hardly taste ‘altered’ in any way. - (These taste like canna heaven)





You will also need:

Peanut butter balls:

- 2/3 cup peanut butter
- 2 – 2 ½ cups confectioners sugar
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 + cup butter and/or coconut oil – you can get away with less oil by using hash,
this way, you won’t dilute the peanut
butter flavor quite so much with oil and sugar.


Chocolate coating:

- Any hard, dark bakers melting chocolate or chips, roughly ¾ - 1 cup.
- 2/3 tsp coconut hash oil (works better than the butter alternative, but use no other oil)
- Paraffin/baking wax

Optional, recommended

- lecithin

Optional (for “fuse”)

- thick cotton cooking string, or white yarn
- paraffin wax
- ceramic dish, or a small home-made ‘foil bowl’



Cut 20 x 2 ½” sections, of thick white string or yarn (you may need spares). Tie a small knot at one end of each string.

Heat your oven to 200 and melt a small portion of paraffin wax in a small ceramic dish, takes only 2 – 3 minutes... it can be very carefully microwaved, or heated slowly on the stove-top, but it’s MUCH, much safer and more controlled in the oven, and at a set temp.

Carefully remove the paraffin from the oven with a potholder, it will be very warm, so set it on a safe surface. Begin dipping the strings, tied end first, into the paraffin, coating the yarn well. If heated in the oven at 200, it should be cool enough to grab by the opposite end once dipped, to flip and coat the entire string. Be quick, or you’ll be reheating your paraffin a few times! The wax helps keep the ball formed around the string, and it also prevents stray strands of string fiber from being eaten by you, or your patients or guests.

------

Creating a potent oil:

Decarb your hash, by following the guide in the “Canna Caps” recipe. Decarb your herb by following the same instructions, but lay it flat and evenly on a baking sheet, inside the oven bag with as much air as possible, then fold the opening underneath, sealing it.

If decarbing both at once, carefully remove the hash 15-20 minutes into the process and cover with a thick dry towel, to slow down the cooling process (reducing the risk of your dish shattering), and allow an additional 10 minutes for the herb. This is how it should look before decarbing:










And this is how it should look, once decarbed…. remember, keep all containers sealed well the entire time they are being heater and allow all materials to fully cool, BEFORE opening them, otherwise you can allow some of your precious material to escape via vaporization:



Now you are ready to add your oils, and lecithin.

I like to use a combination of oils, both for flavor, and to create a varied oil ‘vehicle’ for cannabinoid bonding and availability, some thinner and some thicker. In the end, you want it to be a solid at room temp, so your canna balls aren’t too soft, and the chocolate keeps its shape and thickness. The additional liquid oils I've used in addition to the solids, had previously been infused with herb.

Ideally, you should be using butter and/or coconut oil, about 1.5 Tbsp worth for your hash. If this is your primary or only canna oil source, you’ll be adding an additional 2 x Tbsp of softened butter to the peanut butter filling, later on.



http://forum.grasscity.com/photopost/data/3314/10_prewrap_mixed_oils.jpg

And your double boiler, with your melted oils and lecithin over a low heat.

(I am using slightly more oil, knowing that with this much herb, a small but noticeable quantity of oil will be left behind):

http://forum.grasscity.com/photopost/data/3314/10a_oils.jpg

After adding the powdered herb:

http://forum.grasscity.com/photopost/data/3314/11_double_boiler.jpg

Cover tight with foil, using the foil to seal the thermometer in place, keep between 180-200 f, turning off the heat periodically as it rises. This is what it looks like after about ten or so hours:

http://forum.grasscity.com/photopost/data/3314/12_10_hours_later.jpg

Allow to cool somewhat, so it’s only warm to the touch, and set up your cheesecloth.

Now, you can begin straining.

When using this much green for such a small amount of oil, I know there will be some potent material left within the herb that is worth keeping, so I save and freeze the green for a future run, and use only the oil.

But knowing you’ll be using a smaller amount, and if it was initially ground finely enough, you can choose to add it all directly to the peanut butter.

http://forum.grasscity.com/photopost/data/3314/13_cloth.jpg

http://forum.grasscity.com/photopost/data/3314/14_strain.jpg

Now with one (or both ) of these oils, you’re finally ready to make the peanut butter balls!

http://forum.grasscity.com/photopost/data/3314/15_strained_oil.jpg

http://forum.grasscity.com/photopost/data/3314/16_strained_oil_top.jpg

http://forum.grasscity.com/photopost/data/3314/17_finished_hash_oil_frozen.jpg

http://forum.grasscity.com/photopost/data/3314/18_finished_weight_oils.jpg


On to the peanut butter balls:

http://forum.grasscity.com/photopost/data/3314/19_beginning_the_balls.jpg

In a mixing bowl, you’ll be blending your peanut butter, vanilla, and all your canna oil except for roughly 2/3 tsp which will go in the chocolate (only if made with butter and/or coconut oil, otherwise, use it all in the peanut butter) first. If only using hash oil, remember to add a few Tbsp of additional butter at this point.

http://forum.grasscity.com/photopost/data/3314/20_adding_oil_peanut_butter.jpg

http://forum.grasscity.com/photopost/data/3314/21_oily_smooth_canna_peanut_butter.jpg

Once that is done you should have an oily peanut butter goo, and you’re ready to begin mixing in your powdered sugar, until it reaches a consistency that will hold shape, and not crumble.

http://forum.grasscity.com/photopost/data/3314/22_powdered_sugar_added_strings.jpg


You’re now ready to make the peanut butter centers, using the ‘fuse’:

Cover the base of a cookie sheet or baking pan with foil or wax paper.

Take enough peanut butter filling, so that when rolled, it should create roughly a 1.25 - 1.50” diameter ball.

Once it’s balled up, insert the ‘fuse’ about half-way through the ball, KNOT-END FIRST, then gently squeeze and reform, the ball making sure that it’s stable. If you’d like, you can place them down gently but firmly on the foil or wax paper, just enough to create a ‘flat’ on the very base, to keep them from rolling around.

Having the fuse-knot in the center holds it in very snug, and prevents the fuse from slipping around and falling out, or crumbling the peanut butter, and you can carefully bend the fuse so it looks decorative, or more ‘cartoon-ish’.

Pop the tray into the freezer, for no longer than 20 minutes (while you complete the following).

http://forum.grasscity.com/photopost/data/3314/23_close_peanut_butter_balls.jpg


Chocolate coating:

This can be as simple or tedious as you like. If you’re not adept in the kitchen or familiar with tempering chocolate I recommend using all your hash/canna oil in the peanut butter ball portion, disregard the double boiler, and using one of the newer, more simple microwavable melting chocolates, which are designed for easy consistent use.
Otherwise, you may be frustrated when the consistency fails and it’s more of a lumpy sauce, than a coating.

http://forum.grasscity.com/photopost/data/3314/25_pre-dipped.jpg

What I do, using a double boiler pot, is grab a handful of semi-sweet, dark, and milk chocolate baking chips, concentrating on the dark and semi-sweet, and slowly melt them over the lowest heat possible using a double boiler.

Once the chocolate is melted, I add my hash oil, blend, and then I begin shaving small amounts of paraffin into the chocolate. I’ll blend again, then drop a little on wax paper. Once it stays nice and solid, it’s ready. Remove from heat.

If you choose to make your own chocolate coat, but without adding additional canna oil, there is no need for the paraffin: just temper as usual, and they will be much shinier this way. Remember the smaller and taller the pot, the easier it will be to use as a coat.

Remove your peanut butter balls from the freezer (or the refrigerator, if you waited longer than 20 minutes) and grab them one at a time, by the fuse.

Quickly dunk each ball in the cooling chocolate, and place on your wax paper.. a new sheet can be used, or you can carefully return each ball to the last.

The cold temperature of the peanut butter ball will rapidly solidify the cooling chocolate, this is why it’s best to work fast and use the freezer rather than the fridge for the balls, the outer edge becomes colder than it can in the fridge, without allowing the center to become frozen (which can cause crumbling/cracking in the center around the fuse, when dunked into the warm chocolate).

After dunking each ball, take a spoon and using the excess chocolate, place a small drop on the end of each fuse… now they’re lit

http://forum.grasscity.com/photopost/data/3314/25a_100_3105.jpg

Pop them in the freezer, and you’re done! You now have 18 – 20 of the most potent desert-edibles you can find... with folks eagerly awaiting a sample, you can see that three BOMBs had already gone 'MIA', before I even had a chance to finish dipping the full batch

If you're not using them right away, I recommend letting them sit for a few hours, as they are on the pan, while freezing.

Then, like any stored edible, you can remove them and place them inside an oven bag within a tupperware container, or even a small safe, properly installed in your freezer… this is what I recommend to any parents, who need to keep meds out of the hands of curious minors.

Storing them first in oven bags, helps to prevent freezer burn and outside odors or flavors from seeping in, retaining their flavor, so they don’t become spoiled by the environment outside the bag.

http://forum.grasscity.com/photopost/data/3314/27_pair.jpg


Enjoy



Tip: Any excess, hashy chocolate that you may have left over from the dunking, can be poured to harden into a chocolate mold, or a small tray lined with wax paper, making a great edible all on its own.

Tip: How do you make quick and easy hash chocolates? Just follow that portion of the recipe

Edited by BadKittySmiles, 06 February 2011 - 06:04 PM.

‘Alternate Cap Recipe # 1 – without lecithin’



This recipe will be a bit redundant if I write it out, so in order to keep this short it’s going to be more “photo” than “tutorial” The only difference between these capsules and those above, is the lack of lecithin, which causes the hash to require an additional 10-15 minutes heat processing in order to reach the correct color and consistency.

You will need:

- Hash, 5.0+ grams

- Coconut Oil

- Empty gelatin capsules

- Small ceramic dish

- Aluminum foil

- Pipette

- Ice filled container

- Desiccant pack (optional)


Follow the recipe for decarbing and capsules as written above, using these photos as a guide and visual aid.

Tools:










In melted coconut and assorted oils




Before heating




Wrapped well
http://forum.grasscity.com/photopost/data/3316/17_foil_wrapped.jpg

Final heating before freezing (to be heated again once thawed)
http://forum.grasscity.com/photopost/data/3316/5_last_heat_pre-cooling.jpg

http://forum.grasscity.com/photopost/data/3316/6_last_heat_pre-cool.jpg

By now, the lecithin would have just about turned this into a liquid/gel rather than a paste. The final heating after the freeze is very necessary, and will require more time, than when lecithin is used.
http://forum.grasscity.com/photopost/data/3316/7_pre_cool.jpg

Refrigerator cooled, pre-freeze (more to protect the dish, than for any processing reasoning)
http://forum.grasscity.com/photopost/data/3316/8_pre-freeze_close.jpg

Filling Tools:

http://forum.grasscity.com/photopost/data/3316/10_tools_2_days_later.jpg

http://forum.grasscity.com/photopost/data/3316/12_desicant.jpg

http://forum.grasscity.com/photopost/data/3316/13_filling_materials.jpg

http://forum.grasscity.com/photopost/data/3316/11_prefilling_swirl.jpg

http://forum.grasscity.com/photopost/data/3316/14_filling_cap.jpg

http://forum.grasscity.com/photopost/data/3316/15_finished_caps_close.jpg

http://forum.grasscity.com/photopost/data/3316/16_bottle.jpg

Edited by BadKittySmiles, 07 February 2011 - 12:18 AM.

Alternate Cap Recipe # 2 – without coconut oil, or lecithin’

http://forum.grasscity.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=528883&stc=1&d=1296489440


This recipe is for those of you who have your capsules, and your hash, but no lecithin, no ceramic dish, and you have regular liquid cooking oil, but no coconut or other solid oils

You will need:

- Hash 3.0+ grams

- Gel Capsules x 10-11

- Double boiler, store bought or made using your two smallest pots

- Olive oil preferably, 2 tsp, or a criso etc. if that’s all you have

- Foil

- Candy thermometer, if you have one

- Dropper or Pipette

- Flour, ½ - 1 tsp

----------

Capsules made this way in a double boiler, in such small quantities, are not as effective as the same strength and number of capsules made using the ceramic dish method in the oven, due to processing time and the delicate nature of such a small quantity of hash when cooked on the stove top. Wrapped in foil in a small dish, inside a more stable and temperature-consistent environment, gives you much better control over the processing than you have in a large sealed pot, with a huge volume of open air above the hash-oil, and a heat source below that is difficult to gauge.

In short, it can be challenging to heat and control that small a quantity of hash, just-so, in a double boiler; if you’re being careful, it almost invariably comes out slightly under-processed, and if you become momentarily distracted, it can quickly over-process, damaging the cannabinoids.

If you have either a ceramic or very small oven-save metal dish, or can find one easily, then please use it. This is only a guide for those who, for whatever, reason don’t.

When using a stove-top method it is much easier to use a larger volume of materials, with hash I suggest using at least a half oz in your very smallest double-boiler sauce pan with the corresponding quantity of oil, about 7 tsp. Using the stove-top, it is better to make them in bulk.

It is possible to accomplish with smaller amounts, although as explained earlier it is not as easily effective. I’ll walk you through it, however the oil used in this tutorial I had whipped up months previously just after the harvest using the double boiler method and a much larger quantity of hash of the same strain (‘Bubble Gum Haze’), and had since frozen. I use it for easy baking, multi or single doses, and drinkables, I’ll scoop out and thaw what I need, adding lecithin and gently heating it once more just before baking. This is why photos of that portion of the process won’t be included here… the hash shown is merely ‘eye candy’


--------------------------------



Start your double boiler over a medium heat, using the two smallest pots you have available. Just stack the smaller one inside the larger, with just enough water between the two pots, that it doesn’t over-flow from the larger pot.

Now, once heated, reduce heat to low, and sprinkle your hash quickly and evenly over the clean DRY surface of the inner, smaller pot. Immediately seal tightly with foil.

Wait 10 minutes, and turn off and remove from heat, allowing an additional 10 minutes to fully cool, before opening the foil.

Now you have dry, decarbed hash.

Spoon in your oil, and return the double boiler to the stove top over a low heat. Seal tightly again with foil, but with the candy thermometer inside, and the end sticking out, held in place with the foil. There will not be enough oil to touch your thermometer, this will only help you to judge how warm the air is inside the pot.

Keep at an air-temperature of no higher than 180 f, for up to 3 hours, reducing or removing from the heat any time it becomes too hot. Keep in mind, that the oil is several degrees warmer, than the reading on your thermometer. Heating for longer may guarantee a slight increase of bioavailability in your oil, but it also puts you at an increased risk of damaging your material.

Allow to fully cool, before opening. You should now have what looks like a separation of oils, one that is obviously thicker and slick with lighter blonde-brown hash, the other a darker yet more translucent black-brown, both of which contain varying levels of cannaiboids. You should be able to easily pour a small drop of the lighter hashy oil and rub it between your fingers, and feel only creamy oil with no gritty glands. Not to let it go to waste, you can take it sublingually (under your tongue) very effectively.



This varied mix of oily cannabinoids, is why lecithin comes in handy, and why (besides maintaining the integrity of the gel capsule itself) you need to use flour with liquid oils. The concentrated hash, if allowed to rest against the surface of the capsule, can eat through it in less than an hour.

Blending with a small amount of flour, more even distributes the active material through the resulting mixture preventing deterioration of the cap, and giving your capsules a consistent individual dose.

Now, you’re only mixing in just enough flour to make it runny, and no more.



In a few moments, the flour in the runny mixture will continue to absorb moisture, thickening, and reaching a more stable consistency. You don’t want this to happen until it is inside the capsule, otherwise, you won’t be able to get that paste inside. I had to add some extra hash oil at one point while making these, but odds are you’ll have no choice but to dilute it with regular oil.



Just quickly suck up the runny floury oil with your dropper or pipette, and deposit it into each capsule.

Once finished, freeze immediately. They’ll last the longest in the freezer, almost indefinitely, and they will remain stable for up to several weeks at room temperature.



And there you have it.. not quite as good as the perfectionists caps, but they are simple if you have a quantity of strong oil, and they easily do the trick.

Tip: if you're in the early stages of edible-making, and you only feel comfortable making up larger amounts of less potent oil (either due to tolerance, or that you feel processing such small quantities of potent oil is too difficult or risky for you to attempt), just make the caps at that weaker strength. Then you can start with one capsule, or more likely, 2 - 3 caps as needed. They are cheap and easy to find, it's only a matter of a few extra pennies if you need to use several for a single dose.

Edited by BadKittySmiles, 07 February 2011 - 01:13 AM.

‘Sloppy Caps’, the poor mans instant canna capsule, intended for near-immediate use.


These are for the poor man or bachelor, who never bakes or cooks for himself… I’m painting a mental image here:

He has two-dozen hungry man dinners in his freezer, and only one fork… who needs a knife? He has no flour in his house, but he does have some form of kitchen oil or even butter… if using butter, immediate use (within the hour) is crucial, it breaks down the cap quicker than veg oils.
A dropper bottle or pipette may be hard to find, but he has an old McDonalds straw laying around, bent and cut at an angle and using his thumb from the top, he can create his own dispensing pipette. He doesn’t have any empty gel caps, BUT his ex-girlfriend tried getting him on a health kick five years earlier, and he still has over four-fifths a bottle full of old herbal caps.

That last bit, immediately opens doors to people who will never get around to actually buying the empty capsules Almost everybody with a little herb has a good chance of having the right materials, right now, to make these. Just find some old herbal capsules around the house, and empty them out. Or go to the grocery store, buy the cheapest herbal caps you can find, and empty those.
I’ve seen 100+ count herbal/supplements, for less than the cost of the same number of empty capsules… can’t go wrong there. Just make sure it's something you're not allergic to.


-----------------------

The oil I’m using here came from a large batch of Bubble Gum Haze canna oil from the last crop, that I later used as the oil base for a BGH hash oil, quick-heated, then frozen in quantity for future processing. I remove it, and (usually) add some lecithin, and bake or cook what I need.


------------------------

Follow the instructions for a small oil extraction using the double boiler, as seen above.

Can’t make a double boiler? Just carefully use a pot on the stove, turn the heat completely off every few moments. Tedious, but necessary.

This is how re-heating the oil looks, start, middle, to finish (allowing to cool completely before opening, between each photo):








By the end, you should be able to take some of the thicker hashier-appearing oil, rub it between your finger tips then use it sublingually, and feel that it is smooth and creamy to the touch and without a gritty texture, indicating the glands have effectively dissolved.



And you’re ready to begin filling your caps





A filled cap


Sealed


And finished

Edited by BadKittySmiles, 07 February 2011 - 02:22 AM.

‘UV Reactive ***GLOWING*** Canna Candy’




Glowing Hash Candies:

These you can make very easily, following any hard candy recipe. By adding oil, you’re turning a hard candy into something like a ‘caramel’, and with a little vanilla, or some fruit flavorings (I recommend passion fruit or papaya) these things taste a little overwhelmingly canna, but AMAZING.

They are one of my very favorite treats, I’m not sure if it’s the years of exposure or what, but hash just tastes soooo good this way: pure hash oil, mixed with pure sugar, lightly flavored or not = heaven.

How much hash you decide to use, really depends how strong you’d like them.

I recommend making the first batch you try WEAK, that way you don’t wind up regretting the temptation you have to eat a bunch right away The first batch can be a snack, the next can be meds.

They really taste that good, and the taste is only better when they aren’t made to glow.. the quinine in the tonic water, causes the glowing reaction under a black light, but it’s definitely a little bitter and of course it isn’t necessary at all unless you want your candy to glow, it's more of a festive party ‘gimmick’.

I’ve always considered these my ‘secret recipe’... I had actually decided against sharing it to begin with! Luckily, by the time I was preparing the mixtures to pour out and harden I was feeling a little more generous.

And besides, glowing tonic water isn’t exactly a HUGE secret, anyway

------------------------------------------------



You will need:

- 4.0g hash

- 3 tsp coconut oil or butter

- ¾ cup sugar

- ½ cup tonic water (to glow), or, regular water (more sweet)

- flavoring if desired

- a pinch of salt; not needed if using tonic water

- candy thermometer

- a small metal pot

- a baking sheet covered in greased foil, or wax paper



Makes: 20-24 x 5 – 7.5 gram candies. The circular licorice candies are 7.5 grams each, and the square and rectangle holiday candies weigh roughly 5 and 6 grams respectively.


Decarb then prepare the hash and coconut oil, or butter, as described in the first Canna Capsule recipe above.

You can definitely choose to use bud oil, and you can get away with using as many as 6 – 8 tsp of oil in that little sugar, before the consistency of the candy is too altered.

When you’re in the final stages of preparing your oil/butter and you’re ready to freeze it, you can begin the candy.

Start by mixing the tonic water, and sugar, in a pot over a medium heat until the sugar has fully dissolved. Once that has happened, bring to a boil. Continue boiling for 3 or 4 minutes, then insert your candy thermometer and if it’s a style which you can clasp to the side of the pot to keep it in place, do so. Once the temperature has reached 300 degrees, immediately remove from heat and set aside, leaving the thermometer in place.

Remove your hash oil from the freezer.

When the temperature of the clear liquid sugar is down to about 250, it is safe to add your not-quite-frozen, solidified oil, without risking a boil up. This will also rapidly reduce the temperature of the candy, making it safer for the cannabinoids. This is also the time you would add any flavoring, at a rate according to the flavor/manufacturers suggestion. The only coloring comes from the hash, otherwise these candies would be almost crystal clear.



Now, you have a few options.

There are inexpensive candy molds you can buy, you can simply pour it over some wax paper or greased foil, or finally, you can wait for it to cool somewhat, so it’s almost (but not quite) too hot to touch, keep it over a few low heat frequently cycling from on, to off, and form fast shapes by hand, as it turns rock solid.

I’ve done all three, each works just as well as the other.. depends what mood I’m in by the time I have the candy ready If measuring a consistent dose in each piece of candy is crucial, use a candy mold.. the medium and large jewels are fun, and work well.

For the tutorial I made two separate batches; one is a triple strength pure hash “Glass Candy” using only the hash as flavor, and the last batch I split into two portions, so each portion could be flavored.

3 x strength glass hash candy:



And a few moments later…





It glows so well, that the black light can be behind a couch or on the fridge, and the candy itself actually lights up the foil. And a foil-wrapped bowl can make a good serving dish.

This is the candy under normal lighting, and it looks, well... basically, normal.









And that’s it! Wrap in wax paper, or dust lightly with powdered sugar and bag it up for storage. It lasts for months if sealed well, years in the freezer.

I’ll finish this up with some glowing ‘eye candy’… pun, intended



http://forum.grasscity.com/photopost/data/3320/10_glowing_holiday.jpg

http://forum.grasscity.com/photopost/data/3320/11_glowing_licorice.jpg

http://forum.grasscity.com/photopost/data/3320/12_glow_three.jpg

And wrapped.

I hope you enjoy these at least half as much as I do Have fun!

http://forum.grasscity.com/photopost/data/3320/13_wrapped.jpg





Tip: If all the candies are the same size, you can calculate how much hash is in each, by just dividing your hash by the number of candies you have.

But to calculate how much hash is in each candy, when you have multiple different but consistent sizes, you simply weigh your candy, then take the grams of hash you used, divided by the total grams of candy you have. You’ll get a funny looking number. Then you multiply that number, by the number of candies you have in each individual category.

For instance, lets say I used 4 grams of hash, in 121 total grams of candy.

I had :
8 x 5.0g (squares) = 40g,
6 x 6.0g (rectangles) = 36g,
and
6 x 7.5g (circles) = 45g.

4 / 121 = 0.03305….. that is the weight of hash, per candy-gram.

Now, multiply that number, by the number of grams in each category, then divide by the number of candies in each category:

8 x 5.0g (0.03305) = 1.322 / 8 = .16g hash concentrate, per candy, which is about the average single-dose you’d expect from most dispensaries when hash is used.

6 x 6.0g (0.03305) = 1.1898 / 6 = .20g concentrate per candy

6 x 7.5g (0.03305) = 1.48725 / 6 = .25g concentrate per candy

That’s one way of doing it….

Otherwise, you can very easily multiply the funny number (0.03305) by the weight of an individual piece of candy. This way, even if all the candies are sized randomly, you’ll know the level contained in each candy if you have a scale and know the total weight of that one piece.

Hopefully I’ve tricked at least one person into doing more math than necessary, that’s always a good thing

Edited by BadKittySmiles, 07 February 2011 - 05:03 AM.

'Raspberry Hashy Mudslides'

http://forum.grasscity.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=528964&stc=1&d=1296496392

The edit feature is about to cut me off for these last two recipes, so I'm going to have to be quick about it

--------------

I'll share the few Dragon and tincture recipes you need for this recipe a little later on.. I don't feel I could give their write-ups the time and attention to detail they need right here in the time I've got before the edit feature shuts me out.

--------------


You need for one drink: (For more, multiply by the number of drinks you need)

- Dragon or a tincture, alcohol or glycerin etc.; one shot, or one dose

- Cream 1 - 2oz

- Vodka, 2oz - can omit, or limit use, if using a Dragon

- Kahlua 1oz

- Ice

- Raspberries

- Raspberry extract - home made or store bought (made mine)

- Chocolate sauce

- Sugar 1/2 tsp

- Glasses (one extra for mixing)

-------------

Put your glasses in the freezer.

Mix all ingredients, except chocolate sauce and solid raspberries, in your mixing glass. If making a frozen blended drink, mix in your blender with a splash of extra cream or vanilla ice-cream, and blend now.

Drizzle chocolate sauce decoratively inside your now-frosty drinking glass/es. If not making a frozen drink, this is when you'd add ice.

Now pour your drink in, and garnish with a few frozen or fresh raspberries, and enjoy!

Edited by BadKittySmiles, 07 February 2011 - 04:15 PM.

'No Bakes (That Get You Baked)'


http://forum.grasscity.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=528965&stc=1&d=1296496542


These are a fast, simple, easy treat, and they taste great. There are several ways you can go about making them, depending how literally you want to take the term 'no bake'.

If you truly want no baking, then make your butter or (solid) oil on the stove-top as suggested above. Otherwise, use a small ceramic dish, and make a hash or herb oil in the oven, as directed in the first Capsule recipe. Use enough canna in the half cup of oil required, for 20 individual doses.
'Grams you have / 20 Doses = single dose quantity'. Multiply what you want to use for a single dose, by the number of doses you'll be making, to find the number of grams you need to use in the half cup of oil.

It's always best whenever you're making oil, to make more oil than you need for one recipe, if you have enough materials to do so for several future recipes. You can easily freeze the excess. There's no reason you need to make your oil fresh from scratch, each and every time you want to bake or cook an edible! It keeps very well when frozen, almost indefinitely if sealed properly.

----------------

You will need:

- 1/2 cup clarified canna/hash butter, or a solid (such as coconut) oil

- 2 cups sugar

- 3/4 cup cocoa (powder)

- 1/2 cup milk or cream (can use canna cream )

- 1/3 cup peanut butter (can use canna peanut butter )

- 3 cups quick-cook oats

- 2 tsp vanilla extract

-wax paper

-cooking pot

-------------------------------

Combine sugar, cocoa, half your butter/oil and your milk in a saucepan, mix well. On medium-high heat, bring to a boil for two full minutes, only stirring briefly once or twice during this time... begin timing only after the mixture begins bubbling, or it won't be long enough. Keep an eye on it, and adjust heat if needed to prevent a boil-over.

Remove from heat, and stir in the rest of your oil, your peanut butter, and vanilla, then finally your oats.

Mix briefly, but well, and add heaping teaspoons of the mixture to wax paper.

Makes roughly 20, delicious treats. Enjoy

Edited by BadKittySmiles, 07 February 2011 - 04:52 PM.

Wow, i'm so excited for you to finish, this is great!

Isn't that a really high dose of hash for one cap though?

Whoah..

You are a edible badass.
°Drool°

I can't wait to see the rest of the recipes Looking forward to reading more.

Wow, i'm so excited for you to finish, this is great!

Isn't that a really high dose of hash for one cap though?

Very good question Yes, it is a high dose. I consider capsules an advanced method of medicating for those who need something stronger, I see it as the highest form of edible medication right up there with good tinctures. For those who know me, I have a severe digestive disorder and scarring that prevents me from easily absorbing everything I eat, from nutrition in food, to average pharmaceutical medications, to canna edibles.

We're often incorrectly referred to as people with 'edible immunities', I say 'incorrectly' because with enough processing, we can still achieve some amount of effect even from a small amount of product. In order to achieve that strong, narcotic, room-spinning type of medicine that so many others enjoy with ease from, many of us still need to digest slightly higher quantities.
Even many dispensaries fall short of what we require, as far as processing the canna enough to encourage systemic bioavailability goes. Many of us walk in and out of the same shops with the same cookies others have tried with success, we've eaten three times as much, and feel virtually nothing.

It was my condition (and a jealousy of those, who edible canna effects so incredibly easily, lol) that motivated me to experiment with edibles and oil processing so extensively. Otherwise I'd have probably wound up in the 'edibles don't work for me' crowd, and that's an unfortunate place to be.

After witnessing a few rough experiences, I allow people to try the capsules I make at my personal strength requirements only if they've never felt sick or become physically ill from strong edibles. It definitely happens with any form of edible, and it's easy to dose too much, too quick, in capsule form.
When making batches for others, I determine what they require, and dilute the hash content accordingly with additional coconut oil before capping.

Thanks for stopping in guys, I promise I'll be back with the additional recipes in-full just as soon as I complete their write-ups legibly, and finish sorting through a couple gigs worth of photos

I definitely wanna try the No Bakes and the Cannabombs. Both those look sooooo good.

Is there anything I can sub in for the coconut fat? I am allergic to it, tropical/palm/coconut gives me the runs, which sort of makes using it really a bad idea for me. [Also, oddly enough it is a fairly common allergy for humans.]

Perhaps crisco vegetable shortening? That is solid at room temp and is corn based.

Yes coconut oil 'laxative-like' results, in larger doses, are fairly common from what I understand. I haven't run into any folks yet myself, but it's definitely one of those things you hear from time to time.

An alternative that is gel cap safe and a better quality than corn oil, is food grade shea butter mixed, with a few drops (per teaspoon of shea butter) of olive oil. Shea butter is quite good for your body, especially your skin, but internally there is some belief that it can aid in the healing of ulcers or damage caused by infection. edited to add - It's often sold as a skin moisturizer in blends and in its 'purest' form, but even if it claims it's pure and natural, be certain it also says it is food grade.
Lard is another alternative, but even as a solid it can potentially seep through the cap and does so quicker than veg oils, it should only be used if the capsules will be frozen during storage, and then consumed within 1 - 2 weeks.

The laxative effect is somewhat common, but mostly in large doses with coconut oil, or with any oil, and it varies more or less from one person to the next.

Keep in mind each capsule only holds 1/5th of a teaspoon of material, up to 1/3 of which is hash. Coconut oil is commonly used in confectioneries, and chocolate bars, and restaurants, in amounts that dwarf a single cap. That it's only such a small fraction of a teaspoon per dose, is probably why we've had no reports of problems (so far!).

What doctors consider to be a 'true' coconut allergy is apparently more rare (quotes used on the 'true', so as not to diminish your condition!...I'm aware how painful digestive issues can be, whatever the cause), those people afflicted need to avoid many restaurants and common foods and should never come into even the smallest amount, it results in rashes, ulcers, hives, vomiting, swollen inflamed eyes and eyelids, constipation more often than diarrhea, low blood pressure, and sometimes requires medical treatment. Again it's very rare, more so than peanut allergies.


I should also mention that we make hash oils successfully for cooking and baking using mango butter, and cocoa butter, both of which are solid at room temp.. I see no reason why they couldn't be utilized for encapsulation Like shea, they have a slightly higher melting temperature, but when mixed with hash and a few drops of olive oil, they blend well enough to create a solid oil that will melt at slightly lower temps, much like the coconut oil.

Edited by BadKittySmiles, 31 January 2011 - 11:41 PM.

I should also mention that we make hash oils successfully for cooking and baking using mango butter, and cocoa butter, both of which are solid at room temp.. I see no reason why they couldn't be utilized for encapsulation Like shea, they have a slightly higher melting temperature, but when mixed with hash and a few drops of olive oil, they blend well enough to create a solid oil that will melt at slightly lower temps, much like the coconut oil.

Mango butter?
/me perks up
I love mangos! I had heard of shea butter, it is in my lip goop, Desert Essence Lip Rescue with shea butter, so I could definitely see using shea butter. Never heard of mango butter, but I can see if they have it at my local co-op. I know they have a couple grades of shea butter, and a couple grades of cocoa butter.

I have to avoid most processed foods, and rarely go out to eat. I have an anaphylactic reaction to mushrooms, and it is amazing how many foods have mushrooms in some form - I rarely do any savory food that lists 'natural flavors' without writing to the manufacturer to see if they use mushroom powder as one of their flavor additives. Cross contamination with shrooms in restaurant kitchens is also a big concern. I found out about the anaphylaxis when a place served me a salad that they picked the mushrooms out of when I was 3 years old. Only thing that saved me is an epi pen from a man at the next table. Scared the hell out of my parents. Neither of them liked shrooms so I had never been exposed to them. My mom, being a stay at home mom cooked everything from scratch. I don't go anywhere and eat without my epipen =)

Mango butter?
/me perks up
I love mangos! I had heard of shea butter, it is in my lip goop, Desert Essence Lip Rescue with shea butter, so I could definitely see using shea butter. Never heard of mango butter, but I can see if they have it at my local co-op. I know they have a couple grades of shea butter, and a couple grades of cocoa butter.

I have to avoid most processed foods, and rarely go out to eat. I have an anaphylactic reaction to mushrooms, and it is amazing how many foods have mushrooms in some form - I rarely do any savory food that lists 'natural flavors' without writing to the manufacturer to see if they use mushroom powder as one of their flavor additives. Cross contamination with shrooms in restaurant kitchens is also a big concern. I found out about the anaphylaxis when a place served me a salad that they picked the mushrooms out of when I was 3 years old. Only thing that saved me is an epi pen from a man at the next table. Scared the hell out of my parents. Neither of them liked shrooms so I had never been exposed to them. My mom, being a stay at home mom cooked everything from scratch. I don't go anywhere and eat without my epipen =)

I'm in a similar boat as you, Sonnenschein, it's tough for me to go out to eat because I can never trust what they're using in the food, what makes it worse, is after extensive testing doctors haven't yet been able to figure out what chemical, preservative etc. causes a reaction with me and triggers an attack, which is something like a seizure with very intense heart and diaphragm pain, it's in many frozen foods, some breads, all American corn chip products I've tried (used to love nachos, can't have them anymore ), and what's frustrating, is outside the US I don't seem to have these strange allergic reactions, I can eat whatever I want when I'm elsewhere, and just have to cope with my regular digestive issues. Whatever it is, it either started going into the food around 2000-01, or I developed a sensitivity to it around that time.

In any case, enough about me I'll be adding to the recipes at some point today, be back soon....

Something I shared in another thread earlier today, and figured it may be worth adding here..

Re: I'm too lazy to research... what is Decarboxlyation?
Quote:
Originally Posted by BakeDatHerb
ok thanks. I searched it on the forums before posting this thread but didn't find anything. Thanks though.

So, I've heard of people using a no-heat method of making cannaoil... and said it worked great. I am not sure how this is, unless there is some other chemical process other than heat that gradually releases the carboxyl group from THCA. This does help me understand a lot more though, thanks.

The last time I made cannabutter I kept the heat pretty low the entire time. I would guess it got to 200 F tops, and my brownies didn't really work. Maybe it never got hot enough to convert from THCA to THC.

Decarbing doesn't necessarily require heat, but heat helps things dry, doesn't it It's drying out your cannabis, that causes decarboxylation. Many people use food dehydrators more successfully than ovens or other intense heat sources. When making a true no-heat edible or tincture, it takes literally anywhere from weeks, to months, before the canna has been fully 'processed' enough, to achieve a desirable effect. Limiting its exposure to water during that time is crucial, and depending what the edible is, you risk your product spoiling within that time frame.


Heating in pure oil, or clarified butter with no water, causes decarboxylation, because just like cooking any food, cooking in oil will release vapor and dry the material out, even while within the oil. It just takes much longer to decarb this way, and people often fall short of the processing time required. Which is why us 'old fogies' used to carefully heat and simmer our oils and butters for 24 hours, longer in some cases. Decarbing while completely dry and the material is exposed to air, cuts this time very drastically.

Now as far as 'failed' edibles that still give some amount of effect, this requires some understanding of terpenes and the roll they play in our cannabis.

The below, I interpreted and re-wrote for myself a while back for my own records, from green house seeds (as seen in the image).. then I reduced it to some main points, to post here.



These are MUCH more easily released from our cannabis, than THC. They can be released into the air to be inhaled upon breaking up the plant matter, and they are responsible for why people feel 'stoned' while cutting and manicuring freshly harvested cannabis. They are also responsible for police officers, claiming they get 'high' in the line of duty when clearing out a bust. It's in fact the terpenes that cause this feeling, not cannabinoids.

Alpha-Pinene Is found in various trees and plants, including cannabis. "This terpene is at the highest level in the Super Silver Haze. So if you like pine-tree smelling and tasting weed, think of growing this strain, or use it for crossings."

Limonene "is a cyclic terpene. It is a colourless liquid at room temperatures with an extremely strong smell of oranges." This is where many strains get their citrus orange, lemon flavors and odors from.

Sabinene is found in high levels in many haze varieties.

Myrcene, or β-myrcene, - THIS is the terpene available in some fruits and plants, including mangoes, that causes people to feel that eating mangoes before smoking, will get them 'higher', which is somewhat true, only if the myrcene levels are high enough, and not diluted by so much plant flesh. For a more reliable effect, simply sniff your preferably fresh bud the instant you break it open, and enjoy that nice fragrance, just prior to smoking it. True widow strains develop high levels of myrcene.

The fresher the herb, the more terpenes it likely has available. The terpenes are released so easily, that in some commercial bud they have often already mostly dissipated, before people have a chance to use the canna, in which case additional terpenes from fruit can help.

TERPENES IN GRAPH:
1- ALPHA PINENE
2- CAMPHENE
3- BETA PINENE
4- SABINENE
5- DELTA-3 CARENE
6- ALPHA PHELLANDRENE
7- BETA-MYRCENE
8- ALPHA TERPINENE
9- LIMONENE
10- 1.8-CINEOLE
11- Y-TERPINENE
12- CIS-OCIMENE
13- TRANS-OCIMENE
14- ALPHA TERPINOLENE
15- TRANS-CARYOPHYLLENE
16- ALPHA HUMULENE

Edited by BadKittySmiles, 01 February 2011 - 05:11 PM.

Very interesting post. In regards to your pill recepie, you suggest using Lecithin. Would you suggest also using Lecithin when making other edibles, e.g. cannabutter? Would it simmilarly increase potency if i put Lecithin in the bud before cooking into butter? Also, if i used methods which use refrigeration to separate buffer water and the cannabutter, would the Lecithin still effectively stay with the butter instead of mixing with the water? and would it change the butter in any way e.g. taste, consistency?

Absolutely As far as consistency goes, you wind up with a smoother or creamier feeling end product. Although I generally don't recommend removing excess processing water by just pouring it off, most folks don't realize there are oily but free-floating cannabinoids in that excess water. If you can't use it immediately in the recipe you're making that batch of oil for, you're best off freezing that liquid, and saving it for a recipe that does require a splash of water

I know it was a lot of information to go over, so I'll likely reiterate the use of lecithin in the recipes to come... for now, from earlier:

Soy Lecithin. It's used in food processing to make less sugar appear 'sweeter', less

chocolate more 'chocolatey', and in pharmaceuticals to enhance the effectiveness of

medications, it homogenizes and safely coats, then breaks down substances, into more

fine, smaller particulates, promoting vastly improved systemic bioavailability within your

body.

The difference is so great, that you can visually see the altered consistency between

oils/pills where lecithin was used, and when it was not. 'Liposomal' lecithin encapsulation,

simply put, breaks the glands down faster, making the heating process more efficient,

reducing the risk of damaging the material from possible over-processing. I recommend

using soy lecithin in all canna and hash oil recipes.