Читать книгу Baked - Yzabetta Sativa - Страница 6

Introduction

I tried to quit smoking for over ten years to no avail. Every time I quit smoking cigarettes it would be smoking a joint that would bring me back to the habit. The most delicious thing, my favorite cigarette of all, was the one I would smoke after I had smoked a joint. As time passed I developed asthma and found during heat waves it was impossible to breathe. I felt horribly guilty for smoking and mentally raked myself over the coals for every cigarette I smoked. I figured it was only a short amount of time before I was going to go insane and take all those around me along for the ride.

One day I was being harassed by an avid non-smoker about when I was going to quit and I decided to disclose my vice so as to explain why I had been failing at quitting for over a decade. Well, he looked me straight in the face and in a laissez-faire tone of voice asked “Why don’t you eat your pot instead of smoking it?” A light bulb went on and the sky opened up and for the first time I thought it just might be possible for me to quit smoking.

I did some research and found out that THC isn’t water soluble. I studied the history of the use of pot, especially its Indian past. I experimented with different kinds of cannabis and eventually got Baked Butter down to an art form. I quit smoking and commenced with the eating of my pot. I was astonished to find that I now prefer the high I get from eating it. Whenever I smoked it there was this moment, right before the baked feeling set in, where my heart would palpitate and I’d feel like I’d had too much coffee and for a few moments would have to confront my own mortality. I’m happy to see that part of the intoxication vanish.

Another up side to eating my pot instead of smoking it is that my $140 a week habit is now a $140 a month habit. Combine the reduction of that cost with the money I saved by quitting smoking I managed to save, in a year and a half, a down payment for a house. I bought the house, moved my trusty crock pot along with all my other worldly possessions and, quite frankly, never looked back. I quickly got sick of pot brownies and started developing other yummy concoctions which I have put together in this cookbook.

How to Make Baked Butter

Place powdered pot and butter or margarine in a regular crock pot. A mini crock pot (1½-quart) is best. Regular size crock pots are only good if you’re cooking three or four pounds of butter or margarine at a time.

Heat butter or margarine and powdered pot together in the crock pot on low for at least 12 hours but ultimately for 24 hours, covered. Strain the cooled butter or margarine through a strainer, lined with a layer of cheesecloth into the large bowl. Twist pulp in the double layer of cheesecloth to get out all the liquid butter or margarine you can. Refrigerate to quicken cooling. When cool cut into large pieces, and place Baked Butter or margarine in sandwich bags for freezing in ½ cup quantities.

I personally don’t strain the butter or margarine when it’s done, if not out of abject laziness then for the added fiber in my diet. The only thing you have to be careful of, if you choose not to strain, is that a ½ cup of butter or margarine with the powdered pot in it does not actually measure a ½ cup of butter or margarine. I measure ½ a cup plus a dollop, if you will, to even out the score.

It used to be that people would use “shake” or low grade pot for making Baked Butter or margarine. However, more recent studies show that the superiority, potency and staying power of the pot are greatly improved with good pot as opposed to “shake.” In Canada we’re able to purchase some wonderful, hydroponically grown pot which has been my personal preference since Ted Marchildon invented that hydroponic Ferris wheel of his.

INGREDIENTS

1 lb. of butter or margarine (margarine just doesn’t work the same but if you’re lactose intolerant then by all means use margarine or canola oil)

½ ounce of good pot ground to a powder (grind the pot up by using a coffee grinder, pepper grinder or blender—though when do it in a blender add the butter or margarine pre-melted to the blender.)

To begin, you will need the pot and the butter.

Grind the pot to a fine powder using a coffee grinder.

Place ingredients into a small crock pot on low heat.

Allow ingredients to melt together, then simmer for over 24 hours.

Over a bowl, pour the ingredients into a strainer.

Squeeze the liquid through, and let the Baked Butter cool.

This Baked Butter will keep a long time in the freezer and you can use it just as you would use any butter or margarine in any recipe, be it a savory or sweet recipe. You can enjoy it in smaller amounts spread on your toast, on your pancakes, or drizzled over popcorn. Each person only needs about 2 teaspoons of butter or margarine to get baked.

N.B. You can substitute the butter with margarine, vegan margarine, or canola oil. I don’t advise using any other oil as it will compromise the taste and deliciousness of the recipes.

A Wee Bit about Weed

I do most, if not all of my baking, with what is affectionately called BC Bud. Thing is, it is actually grown locally and hydroponically and doesn’t come from British Columbia. BC Bud has been parented by a British Columbian clone that sometimes is referred to as White Widow because of how caked the flowers are. This particular strain of weed is a 60% indica, 40% sativa hybrid that is lusciously heady and altogether charming.

Here in Canada there’s a lot of smack talk about pot (seeing as how it’s our second largest agricultural crop), so it’s hard to believe anything about the infamous “White Widow.” My botanically dense, plant-killer mentality thinks that it’s really one sub strain or another of Northern Lights – but don’t quote me on that.

Indica buds are compact, weighty, short and fat. The thing with indicas is that they smell “skunky” and their smoke is so thick that a small toke can induce coughing. The best indicas have a tranquil sort of “social high” which makes one chill and take in the scenery rather than pseudo-philosophically analyze the scenery to dullard death.

Sativa, on the other hand, has long, medium-thick buds that smell more tangy than sweet; if indica smells “skunky”, then sativa smells like dirt or mud. The smoke is smooth and gives a kind of frenetic and confusing high. In short; sativa gets you high and indica gets you stoned. That’s pretty much the extent of my scientific knowledge of weed botany.

The most anyone really know goes as follows: most of the THC, the medicinal ingredient, is in the flower buds of the female cannabis plant, with some in the leaves too. When I make Baked Butter I use the flower buds of really good pot. One could use the leaves or the stalk as well as what is known as “shake”, but you wouldn’t get as potent a butter which may be your intended goal. It’s a personal choice.

The Disclaimer

Marijuana is ilegal whether you smoke it or bake with it if you don’t have a prescription for it

Do not eat and drive.

Know your tolerance, whether you are new to smoking pot or have been using copious amount for years. The first time you try eating pot you should eat just a small amount and wait for an hour and a half. At that point you will be feeling the effects of the THC; take note of how you feel and the next time you ingest, adjust the dosage. Always eat the amount recommended in each of the recipes. Eating marijuana gives the same effects as smoking it, but often last two or three times longer, which you should keep in mind at all times.

Don’t eat pot on an empty stomach. Sure, some people will tell you it’s better on an empty stomach but, in my opinion, it’s best to have something to eat beforehand. Having something in your stomach seems to help prevent you from eating too much or getting hit too hard. To quote Martha Stewart,“it’s a good thing.”

You must be patient; don’t just keep eating your freshly baked pot dessert until you feel the effects. I can’t say this enough: it will take a while for it to hit you. Make very sure when you get the munchies you don’t eat more then, either. Absorption though the stomach is slower than through the lungs, so it can take well over an hour and a half for you to feel “high”. THC gets absorbed at a different rate every time you eat it. The effects of eating cannabis can last several hours, while they tend to wear off within an hour when smoked. If you fall asleep or pass out, know that your digestion will slow down which means you could wake up still high.

Make no mistake, you can eat far too much and the results of that are unpleasant, to say the least. If you overindulge, it can last a long time, possibly as long as 10 hours. This is not as fun as it sounds; if you’re in the wrong place or with the wrong people it can become very upsetting. Pot is meant to be fun and relaxing, and dizziness, sweating, nausea, vomiting, possible crying, and freaking out is definitely not fun.

If you do eat too much there are a couple of things you can do. Stay low to the ground, to avoid unpleasant head rushes, and try taking a high dose of vitamin C (200mg or more) to help to make you feel better. You can also trying eating something relatively heavy, meaning not a salad but a slice of pizza. The best antidote is to crawl in bed and go to sleep.

You, as the consumer, have responsibility in three areas: your own situation, health, and safety. The situational responsibilities include the avoidance of risky situations, not using when you’re alone, nor using it because someone persuasive talked you into it. Health responsibilities include not eating too much or mixing it with other drugs, attentiveness to all the possible health consequences of drug use, and not using a drug recreationally during periods of excessive stress in order to self medicate. If you are self medicating, in my opinion you have a problem that eating pot isn’t going to help. Safety-related responsibilities include using the smallest dose necessary to achieve the desired effects, using only in laid back surroundings with supportive friends and not doing anything ridiculous like operating heavy machinery.

I am highlighting responsible drug use as a chief prevention technique in my personal harm-reduction drug policy, and because I care. We all want to enjoy pot, so just don’t be stupid and have fun!