Wondering what to do with all the extra cannabis from your harvest? If you can’t consume it all in one particular way, cannabis gastronomy is an excellent way to make sure it goes to good use. Cooking with cannabis is popular for growers seeking alternative ways to enjoy weed. From food to beverages, exploring the world of green gastronomy will give you the munchies!
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Eating Cannabis Changes its Effects
Ingesting cannabis is a unique way of consuming it for a slightly different effect. Eating cannabis products takes longer for you to feel the effects. It’s because your body must digest the food before absorbing the THC properties. The common myth is to wait a half hour to see if you feel anything. However, the onset of effects varies for everyone—and even what type of food product you consume it in.
We recommend all cannabis gastronomy beginners to start slow. It’s hard to know how a THC-infused product will affect you without prior experience with it. Understanding how certain products and dosages affect you before experimenting with higher doses.
Compare the high sensation you get from edibles is strong and can be a real experience.
Choosing Cannabis Strains Based on Flavour
They say cannabis is an expensive ingredient. So, growing your own weed will give you plenty of the green stuff to test out your favourite recipes (keep reading for a few recipe ideas below). Weed has two uses as a culinary ingredient—made into infused products or as an herbal seasoning. Both are thanks to the flavour-creating properties of cannabis called terpenes.
Terpenes give cannabis its flavour and smell. For example, the limonene terpene adds a citrus flavour, caryophyllene adds some peppery spice, and myrcene gives a subtly sweet, fruity flavour to any dish.
Selecting specific strains for your recipes will help compliment the flavours and mask any unwanted “weed” taste in your finished product. The chocolate-flavoured Chocolato strain pairs well for making brownies. And the sweet Candyfloss strain will go perfectly when making THC-infused gummies.
Types of Food/Dining Experiences
Cannabis Gastronomy has become a global phenomenon. From seeing cannabis chefs showcasing trendy recipes on social media to multi-courser fine dining menus that each play a role in popularizing it. Everyone has heard about the classic weed brownie, but with the right ingredients, you can discover new ways to infuse THC into every meal.
One of the core ingredients in any THC-infused dish is cannabutter (or cannaoil). By replacing regular butter with your homemade canabutter, you can add cannabis to any dish.
Here’s how to make cannabutter at home:
- Grind/break buds onto a flat pan
- Bake Cannabis – starts a decarboxylation process for the heat to release the THC from your buds (temperatures vary)
- Put the baked cannabis in melted butter
- Let the butter sit for a few hours on low heat – stir occasionally
- Strain the butter with cheesecloth to remove cannabis leaves
- Let butter harden before using
Some ways growers can use cannabis with cooking is in cannabutter, cannaoil, herbs, steak sauce, puree, and more. Once you learn the basics, you can get creative in how you use cannabis.
Cannabis-infused Recipes to Try at Home
Bookmark this page and use these recipes with your next harvest!
Classic Cannabis Brownies:
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup of cannabis-infused butter
- 1 cup of sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup of cocoa powder
- 1/2 cup of all-purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon of baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon of salt
Instructions:
- Preheat your oven to 175°C (350°F) and grease a baking pan.
- Use a mixing to combine cannabis-infused butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla extract. Mix well.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together cocoa powder, flour, baking powder, and salt.
- Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until well combined.
- Pour the batter into the greased pan and spread it evenly.
- Bake for about 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs.
- Allow the brownies to cool before cutting into squares.
Cannabis-Infused Honey:
Ingredients:
- 1 cup of honey
- 1-2 grams of decarboxylated cannabis (adjust depending on potency preference)
Instructions:
- Grind the decarboxylated cannabis finely.
- In a small saucepan, combine honey and ground cannabis.
- Heat the mixture on low for about 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Strain the mixture through a fine mesh sieve or cheesecloth into a jar.
- Allow it to cool, and you have cannabis-infused honey for sweetening teas, desserts, and more.
Cannabis-Infused Chai Tea:
Ingredients:
- 1 tea bag of your favourite chai tea blend
- 1 cup of water
- 1-2 grams of decarboxylated cannabis (adjust depending on potency preference)
- 1-2 teaspoons of coconut oil or cannabis-infused oil
- Sweetener (honey, sugar, or another sweetener of your choice, optional)
- Milk or a non-dairy alternative (optional)
Instructions:
- Grind the decarboxylated cannabis finely.
- In a small saucepan, bring the water to a simmer.
- Add the ground cannabis and coconut oil to the simmering water.
- Allow the mixture to steep for 15-30 minutes, stirring occasionally. This helps in extracting the cannabinoids into the oil.
- Remove the saucepan from heat and strain the mixture through a fine mesh sieve or cheesecloth into a cup.
- Place the chai tea bag in the cup with the infused water and steep for the recommended time on the tea bag.
- Add sweetener, milk or a non-dairy alternative to taste
It’s time to put on your apron, grind your weed, and see what delicious dish you’ll make. Got a recipe in mind? Browse our catalogue of premium cannabis seeds to find the perfect strain to pair with your other ingredients. Bon Appetite!
