How to make edibles that actually taste good

The first edibles I ever made simply included ground up cannabis included in a brownie mix. It was nasty. Despite the strong flavor of brownies, the bitter, herbal cannabis flavor was still too strong. I couldn’t finish eating the batch and it made me sad. This is an extreme example and I don’t recommend adding fresh ground cannabis to any recipe. The problem becomes even worse when you are attempting to make dishes with light flavors. Sugar cookies and watermelon gummies come to mind. Infusing these foods will fail if you are sensitive to that herbal flavor.

gummy bears

While you can use concentrates as the basis for your infusions, most folks don’t have ready access to concentrates. Isolates impart no flavor what-so-ever, but we can’t make that at home. Infusion machines are pretty easy, but they don’t help at all with the flavor. So, what is the solution if you want to use cannabis to infuse butter or coconut oil? Water.

Before I detail the process, its important to know that it is the chlorophyll and leaf matter that impart that taste. To a lesser extent, terpinoids and flavinoids also affect flavor. The cannabinoids themselves are odorless and flavorless and, in an infusion, generally the cannabinoids are what you are after. As such, in order to avoid that strong herbal flavor you have to limit the amount of plant material and leeched chlorophyll in your infusion. Let’s dig into the details.

1) Chunk up the cannabis
Using scissors, chop the cannabis into dime sized chunks. I do not recommend grinding as it will disturb more trichomes (losing cannabinoids) and create more loose plant materials to get into your infusion.

2) Water soak and rinse
Place chopped cannabis in a metal strainer and place strainer in a bowl. Cover with room temperature water (reverse osmosis or distilled). Every 8-12 hours lift strainer from water, drain, discard water, replace strainer in bowl and cover with fresh room temperature water. Repeat for up to two days. Water will not affect the trichomes, but will leach out chlorophyll and small bits of plant material. You should notice the rinse water get less and less green in color.

3) Blanch
Prepare an ice bath using the bowl from step 2). Boil water, then remove from heat. Slowly submerge metal strainer (and cannabis) into the hot water and let sit for 5 minutes. Remove from hot water and submerge in ice bath for 5 minutes.

At this point, I recommend moving directly to decarboxylation. This heat treatment will create psychoactive THC and will also dry the cannabis so that it doesn’t spoil. Move forward with your infusions as necessary. You may use these steps in just about any preparation where you want to reduce herbal tastes. If you absolutely can’t decarboxylate for whatever reason you may, for a short time, refrigerate the wet cannabis in a sealed container.

You should notice that the resulting oil or butter is much lighter in color and doesn’t carry the herbal smell you may be accustomed to. I was very apprehensive of this process initially. I couldn’t imagine why you’d ever want to soak cannabis, unless making water-hash or some such. However, after gritting my teeth and giving it a try I don’t think I’ll do it any other way.

I love my brownies again.

Bon appetit!
— The Lit Farmer —

How to make a screen of green

The screen of green (SCROG) is a popular way to grow and can be very effective for increasing yields for those of us, like Missouri cultivators, who have limited plant counts. The idea is to train the plant into a trellis of some sort, encourage branching, so the plant can fill a larger footprint. I’ve found it to be a reliable strategy, though the grower should be aware that it does take extra time to realize the benefits.

Three plants trained to SCROG filling a 4’x4′ space.

The photo above includes three plants, though one plant takes up 2/3 of the 4’x4′ space. The second and third cut were installed because they were available and needed a home.

The SCROG starts before I turn the plants to a flowering light cycle. I prefer to use a PVC frame and netting that can be commonly found. The tops are pulled under the trellis every time they try and grow through them. This forces branching and keeps the tops below the level of the netting, stretching them toward the edges. The netting is also used as tie down points if needed, and a second layer of netting can be installed for further support. At the end of the grow you can harvest by carefully cutting around the net, then pull the entire net and PVC frame off without disassembling.

Given that pictures are worth 1000 words I’m including several pictures below that will give you a good idea of how this was done. There are many ways to accomplish this and it isn’t very difficult. I recommend you practice and it will only be a matter of time before you have a system of your own.

Happy Harvests!
— The Lit Farmer —

Patient/Caregiver bill of rights

It is very important to set expectations when entering into a patient/caregiver relationship. That is accomplished by discussing terms of the agreement and clearly communicating it in writing for later reference. Easy enough, right? However, I firmly believe that there are also fundamental rights that are non-negotiable. The phrasing below is from the point of view of the patient.

  • You have a right to respect and non-discrimination. You have a right to considerate, respectful, non-discriminatory care from your Caregiver. 
  • You have a right to confidentiality of your health information, you have a right to talk in confidence with your Caregiver, and to have your healthcare information protected under all applicable laws. 
  • You have the right to information disclosure. You have the right to accurate and easy to understand information about the local, state and federal laws and regulations. Your Caregiver should be able to provide you with this information. 
  • You have a right to adequate quality control. You have the right to cannabis products that are free of mold, mildew, pesticides, adulterants, and pests. You have the right to know how the cannabis was produced. All of these are questions that your Caregiver should be able to answer. 
  • You have a right to end a Caregiver/Patient relationship without cause or reason. 
  • You have the right to obtain your medicine in a safe environment, which includes but isn’t limited to security, health and safety protocols, as well as legal and ethical business practices where appropriate. 
  • You have the right to have input and to make a complaint to your Caregiver, without the fear of losing access. 
  • You have the right to medicine that is labeled and weighed accurately. No Caregiver should ever deliberately mislead a patient about the quantity of or variety of medication that is being provided. 
  • You have the right to pay a fair and reasonable price for the service provided by your Caregiver.
  • You may not divulge the identity of your Caregiver unless compelled by court order.
  • You may not sell or give away cannabis product acquired from you Caregiver.
  • You may not reveal the location of your Caregiver’s grow space.

Click here for a PDF copy of the document I give to patients.

Should there be additional rights added to this list? Is there anything listed here that doesn’t belong?

Happy Harvests!
— The Lit Farmer —

Carbon filters for the indoor grow space

Odor is a cannabis cultivation certainty. If you grow ‘the dank,’ you will need to control odors because, by definition, dank refers to the smell (at least in part). These strong odors should be encouraged as well, especially since the odor is often an indicator of valuable terpene content. These terpenes have medicinal value on their own, and when used in conjunction with cannabinoids. So, odoriferous cannabis is good, but we all know that a strong odor will be frowned upon by neighbors, law enforcement, and perhaps even your spouse. As such, you will need odor control. The most available and effective method to control odors is with a carbon filter.

A quick search will reveal a wide selection of carbon air filters. Many of these will work for controlling odors, but there are a couple things you should look for. Be sure the filter you order comes with an external filter (cloth/poly wrap) that you can keep clean. This will extend the life of your filter.

Ensure that the filter is the correct size for your application. Generally, a larger filter can be substituted for a smaller filter, but the reverse isn’t always true. If you select a filter that is too small then you may not be able to ventilate your tent/space fast enough to keep temperatures and humidity in check. I usually recommend a 6″ filter for each 5’x5′ tent.

Whichever filter you decide to purchase, you should weigh it before installing. Record this weight directly on the unit itself. Typically, when a filter begins to weigh 20%-25% more than its starting weight, it’s lifespan is almost complete. This is the point at which the filter begins to smell ‘sour’ and stops properly filtering odors. Damn conditions (over 60% humidity) may also shorten the lifespan of your filter. The additional water vapor in the air can clog the pours of the activated charcoal and quickly negate its ability to properly control odors.

Pay close attention to the cubic feet per minute (CFM) capacity to the filter and match it to the exhaust fan being used in the application. Although many filters can be used by either sucking air through it, or forcing air out of it. I’ve found that using it on the intake side of an exhaust fan is most effective.

You may also need to use a secondary carbon filter at certain time during the grow cycle. When odors are at their most potent even a high-quality filter may not be able to keep up with the smell. It is at these times that an intake and exhaust filter may be in order. Alternately, a second filter openly scrubbing air of the room your tents sit in may also work to remove those last bits of odor from your room.

When you first start growing you may not feel the need to filter air. However, rest assured that by the end of flowering you’ll wish you had a filter in place.

Tell us, what advice do you have for using carbon filters?

Happy Harvests!
— The Lit Farmer —

Outdoor cannabis cultivation from seed

The most traditional method for cultivation of cannabis is, without argument, from seed. Archeological finds suggest that humans have been planting cannabis seeds for the last 4,500 years, at least. It has been argued that cannabis may be one of humankind’s first cultivated crops. However, the topic of discussion for today, is how you can carry on this tradition and grow your own cannabis from seed.

This article assumes that you are familiar with the legalities of growing outdoors in Missouri and that you have spent the time to carefully select appropriate genetics for your outdoor climate.

There are two basic methods I recommend for planting cannabis from seed outdoors: open soil germination, and protected germination.

Protected germination: As with other garden crops, protected germination can help you get a head start on the growing season. Installing an inexpensive cold frame is a good way to protect your seeds while germinating and will likely be the new gardeners best bet. Greenhouses are even better but can be cost prohibitive.

Assuming you have had time to prepare you garden’s soil, I recommend installing your cold frame in early March. This will allow your soil to warm up, which will be critical to proper germination. Placing gallon jugs of water on the north side of your cold frame is a great way to keep the micro-environment inside warmer during the cold, early spring nights. It will also ward off late spring frosts.

By late March/early April, the soil under the cold frame will have warmed enough to germinate your seeds directly in the soil. Follow the germination instructions below. Be sure to give the new seedling air to breath on those nice days and watch for the very warm spring days because temperatures inside a cold frame can get unexpectedly high (pun intended).

It’s also worth mentioning that you can start seedlings inside and bring them out, but you will need to be careful about the intensity difference in light and the temperature differential. Both of these things can cause your young plants to suffer and stunt growth. It’s always best to allow your plants time to adjust to the new outdoor environment.

Open soil germination: This is just as it sounds – planting seeds the old fashioned way. In this case, I recommend waiting until mid April before thinking about putting your seeds in the soil. Your soil should be around 55 degreesF at 1″ before introducing your seeds to it. If soil temperatures are lower then you risk molding your seeds before they have a chance to sprout. Do be careful of mice and birds – cannabis seeds make a great snack!

Germination instructions: This isn’t so different from germinating indoors except that you want the actual cracking of the seeds to occur in the soil. As with bringing new seedlings outside, if your seeds are already germinating (showing a new root) then the temperature difference from indoors to the soil may cause serious issues. It can take seeds upwards of a week to germinate outdoors.

  1. Soak the seeds in water for 8-12 hours
  2. Move soaked seeds (before they germinate) outdoor to soil
  3. Cover with 1/8″ loose soil
  4. Wait patiently
  5. Repeat step 4

You can usually plant cannabis anytime between late April and early June. The earlier you plant, the larger the plant will be. However, plant too soon and you could lose the plant to early spring cold snaps. Plant too late and you may get the smallest flower, or you flowers may not have time to finish before the fall rains come.

Tell us, how do you sow your seeds outdoor?

Happy Harvests!
— The Lit Farmer —

Becoming a master grower

Yes, you’re right; there really isn’t such a thing as a master cannabis grower. There are far too many ways to grow and far too many requirements from a myriad of varieties. It’s nearly impossible to be able to legitimately call yourself a master grower. However, mastering a particular style of growing with a particular cultivar is very possible.

I recently talked to a new grower that was struggling with nutrient regimes for a variety he was working with. He was disappointed because he just couldn’t get it dialed in. Eventually, he answered his own question when he said; “I don’t get it. This is how I fertilized the last one and it turned out great!?”

It dawned on him – different varieties have different requirements. He was right. Some varieties like to stay very moist, while others need a good dry-out between waterings. Some varieties appreciate high levels of nutrients, while others are more picky about what they eat and how often. Low humidity is better for kush and afghan, while other varieties prefer high temperatures and high humidity. As you can see, a certain variety will have a preference for almost every variable you set in the grow.

I know it is hard to resist the temptation to GROW ALL THE THINGS!!! But, especially for new growers, I feel its important to get good at growing one or two varieties. It’s fine to experiment right out of the gate because, why not? The upside is that you might find a variety that really likes the way you have setup and executed your grow.

When you’re ready, pick a couple of varieties to stick with for a few grows. Get good that providing what they need and experience what an extremely healthy plant will produce for you. You’ll also find that those extremely healthy plants will have very few pest issues. Building this base of positive experiences will be great for your future as a cultivator and are nearly as valuable as the mistakes we all make along the way.

So which varieties are you going to pick to master? How are you, or how did you select them? Which varieties do you feel you have mastered now?

Happy Harvests!
— The Lit Farmer —

Midwest Mealworms – homegrown frass

I recently exchanged communication with Justin Meyer, the owner of a micro-insect-farm in central Missouri. I’ve used Midwest Mealworm frass in the recent past with great results and really want to see Missouri businesses thrive. Justin hasn’t given me a penny for this and it is as close to an advertisement as you’ll see from us on this site. Read on to learn more about Justin’s business and look for a special discount code being given to all you Lit Farmers out there!

Is Midwest Mealworms a Missouri owned business? 
Justin: Yes, I was born in St. Charles and went to Truman State for my degree. I’ve lived in Ashland for 11 years and have been a Missouri resident my entire life.

How long have you been operating? 
Justin: I’ve been raising mealworms for 6 years and officially formed Midwest Mealworms, LLC in Jan of 2017.

What motivated you to start your business? 
Justin: I wanted to positively impact the community around me. Mealworms, and insects in general, are a great source of protein and nutrients with minimal input. With just 2 square feet of space, 2 pounds of wheat bran, and 1 gallon of water, you can produce 1 pound of mealworms. That’s tremendously efficient compared to other livestock! They can utilize food waste, turn it into protein and nutrients within the mealworm, and their only output is Frass – a fantastic soil amendment that naturally contains chitin.

Do you use the same inputs (food & other) for your worms that produce each batch of frass? 
Justin: Yes, I consistently use wheat bran/midds and potatoes for moisture. This results in frass output that is consistent. I’m constantly trying to improve quality and efficiency. For example, one thing I’ve started testing is the use of water gel crystals for hydration in place of the potatoes.

Are you able to share a nutrient analysis of your frass? 
Justin: Yes, see below. There are three columns; the “Super” column is from my superworms, I was curious how their frass may be different than mealworm frass. I do not sell the superworm frass right now, I just wanted to see the differences.  The “Old” column is from a sample that I had tested 2 years ago and held on to. I was curious if the nutrient content changed, it stayed very close. The “Fresh” column is a freshly collected sample that was sent for analysis.

What else do you do to ensure quality worm and frass products? 
Justin: I do not use any chemicals in the rearing process. I store the frass in food grade, sealed metal barrels after it is collected. I also finely sift the frass to remove any insects.

How can people find your products and get in touch with you?
Justin: I’m pretty active on social media and SMS (texting). I like to make myself available for questions on raising your own mealworms too!
https://www.midwestmealworms.com/shop
Facebook:  @Midwest Mealworms, LLC
Instagram: @midwestmealworms
Twitter:  @midwestmealworm
email: info@midwestmealworms.com
Youtube
SMS (text): Send keyword MWMW to 555888
or https://www.midwestmealworms.com/sms

What else would you like people to know about you and your company? 
Justin: My pie-in-the-sky dream would be to establish a nationwide cooperative of small micro-insect-farms like mine. This would help provide quality live insects for all kinds of uses along with frass for plants. It’s a pretty simple side business that could help out small operations.

Do you have a coupon code for all the Lit Farmers out there? 
Justin: Sure, LIT20 will get 20% off any order from Midwest Mealworms website.

#Missourimade #shoplocal

Happy harvests!
— The Lit Farmer —

“Clone-only” seeds isn’t a thing

Don’t get scammed. When acquiring cannabis seeds it is impossible to tell what you are getting until the seed has sprouted. However, there is one thing that should tip you off – the variety name. You see, certain varieties are available only as soft-tissue cuttings, or clones. These are usually novel phenotypes found when searching through a pack of seeds. If you were to breed that plant with another plant to make seeds, the resulting seeds will have a wide variety of phenotypes as well and you may not find a plant that resembles the original female.

There are a relatively large number of varieties that are only available as a cutting from the original plant. If someone is trying to sell you seeds labeled as one of these varieties, be very careful. It may not be legitimate. Take Gorilla Glue #4 (GG4) as an example. It gets its name likely because it was labeled as the 4th seed from a package of Gorilla Glue seeds. GG4 has specific characteristics not found in the other Gorilla Glue seeds. These traits can only be had from the cutting, not seeds. So if someone tries to sell you GG4 seeds, steer clear!

All that being said, it is possible to have Gorilla Glue seeds, but NOT GG4. It is also possible to have GG4 female seeds (self-pollinated GG4), but be aware that it will have genetic variability.

Here is a list of just a few of the more popular clone only varieties:

  • 707 Headband
  • Amnesia
  • Blue Dream
  • Bubba Kush
  • Ghost OG
  • Girl Scout Cookies
  • Golden Goat
  • Platinum Cookies
  • Purple Urkel
  • Skywalker OG
  • Strawberry Cough

Seedfinder clone only list

Genetics can be expensive so be sure to buy seeds from a reputable breeder if you are going to pay more than $5/seed. Reward those breeders who label seeds correctly and provide other information to help get you growing. Protect your investment.

Happy Harvests!
— The Lit Farmer —

Seed-to-sale: the basics

While the Department of Health and Senior Services proceeds to issue seed-to-sale (s2s) certifications some folks are left wondering what that means for them. The good news is that patients and caregivers, for the most part, won’t need to worry about what this is or what it is for.

METRC was selected by the state to warehouse seed to sale data for state analysis. This data covers literally everything about a plant from the time the seed is germinated (or cutting is taken) to the time it is sold to a patient. Which room it is located in, how much flower is harvested, waste from harvests, transfers to manufacturers and retailers, and many more bits of data in between. The major strength of a system such as this as it goes a long way toward preventing diversion of cannabis into the illicit market. While it isn’t a perfect solution, it does help and it does provide a great deal of visibility to analysts.

Most facilities, especially dispensaries, will need more specialized software to deal with business needs. Cova point-of-sale systems are a good example. These POS systems integrate with scales and cash drawers, calculate taxes on purchases, track sales figures and inventory of non-cannabis items like pipes and rolling papers, and more. The state doesn’t need or want this additional information.

However, the state does want to ensure that point of sale systems like this can integrate with METRC in a secure manner that protects sensitive information while maintaining a high level of accuracy. The state also wants to ensure that these systems can be used to check on and track patient purchase limits and other information covered by regulations. This is the primary reason for the seed-to-sale software certifications that we are seeing.

Is this helpful? Are there other items that you would like more information on? Let us know!

Outdoor cannabis timing for cuttings

Placing cuttings outdoors is a good way for gardeners to ensure that they are going to have the right number of female cannabis plants. This is the biggest downside of planting seeds in the spring. There may be some seed failure, or in the case of ‘regular seeds’ there will probably be males in the mix. Female seed are a thing as well, but sometimes the stresses of outdoor cultivation can cause them to show intersex traits (staminate (pollen) flowers on a female plant).

Plant your seeds indoors during the months of January or February. If you start from regular seeds you’ll probably want to start them in January so you have time to sex the plants before taking cuttings to move outdoors.

When the young plants are 5-6 nodes tall, snip the top and make a cutting. Once the cutting has rooted (or before), induce flowering immediately by switching your lights to 12/12 (on/off). Within a couple short weeks you’ll be able to sex these young cuttings. Discard the cuttings and/or the parent plant as necessary. The remaining plant(s) will serve as your parent stock for the year. Keep them healthy and transplant them to bigger pots as needed. Every time a branch gets about 3-4 nodes, snip the top. This will create a lot of potential clones but you’ll want to stop doing this about the last week of March.

Mid-April, take the cuttings you intend to place outside. Root them, and transplant into a 2 gallon pot. By the end of May, they’ll probably be around 18-24″ tall and getting unruly.

First week of June, start to harden them off to sunlight by placing the pots in a shady area at first. No direct sunlight for the first couple days. Over the course of the week get them more and more light. A shade cloth (or 2) over your grow area will serve you well. I prefer this method as it will allow you to transplant earlier.

By the second week of June they should be in their final home and by June 21 they will be starting to flower already. This method usually results in a slightly earlier harvest time, but much of that will depend on fall weather.

I’ve found that this is the best general method that will work for almost all varieties. Some varieties don’t mind being put out sooner. However, there are some varieties that, if you put them out too soon, will start to flower then attempt to revert to vegetative phase because the nights continue to get shorter. Remember, indoors your lights are probably on a 18/6 (on/off) cycle. Outdoors at that time of year we the nights are 10 hours long which will trigger many varieties to flower.

Tell us how you’ve done it in the past.

Happy Harvests!
— The Lit Farmer —