How to dry, cure, and flavor your marijuana! Source Here
Are you ready for the 420 shacks crash course in curing your marijuana? Get ready to take some notes, Today we're going over
drying, air curing and flavor curing. Curing your marijuana buds is done to remove all of the chlorophyll, and left over salts and nutrients the cannabis plant built up over its growing period. After today's lesson you should be able to dry and cure your marijuana.
Air CuringAir curing is the process of utilizing the oxygen in the air to oxidize the chlorophyll and break it down on a chemical level. The process can take anywhere from 2-4 weeks. Air curing marijuana allows for a stronger aroma, which is very important for taste and flavor.Drying the marijuana out
The first step involved after harvesting is the drying process. Take your marijuana branches, and hang them upside down so the fan leaves can droop over the buds. The drying process can take 2 weeks to 2 months depending on where you live and the place you choose to dry at. Desert climates dry faster than tropical or mountainous areas. The location of where you hang the newly trimmed marijuana branches, should be a cool dark place free from moisture and humidity, with a good ventilation system. Check the marijuana everyday to prevent the accumulation of mold and mildew. Once the fan leaves turn crisp and can break off easily, then start trimming off
ONLY the fan leaves. Now you can hang your marijuana buds up to dry again, as they will still be moist. Allow the little marijuana leaves to droop and cover the buds. Repeat the checking process everyday, until the little leaves turn crisp and can break off easily. Time to manicure! now all you have to do is trim off all the extra plant stuff. The buds should still be a little moist at this stage of the drying process.
Some of the marijuana buds will be smokeable by this point, but we need to cure it! Resist temptation!
This marijuana has been trimmed and is hang drying.
Bag the marijuana up
The second step requires a brown paper bag, any brown grocery bag will work great. This step can be tricky so pay attention! Place your trimmed buds into the brown paper bag loosely. Don't fill a bag up past 3-4 inches from the bottom. Don't close the bag yet, We still need to let it air dry, and we want to prevent mold! Check on the buds everyday! Shake the bag around gently, rotate the marijuana. This will ensure an even dry. The marijuana buds will compact and shrink down naturally as the bag step is nearing completion. There is nothing better than repeated, hands-on checking to prevent damage to the marijuana buds from mold and mildew.The marijuana is now fully smokeable, but we can get it even better!
Air curing the marijuana to finish it up
The last step only takes 7-10 days. Go out and buy mason jars! You need airtight glass jars. Take all of your marijuana buds and place them loosely into the glass jars. Make sure you cover it with the lid, and seal it up. At least once a day open each jar to replace the air inside. Stir around the marijuana buds to get an even cure. Check the marijuana everyday, if you notice mold or mildew, throw away the moldy buds, and then take the good bud out of the jars and put them back in the bag step for a few days. The longer you let it cure in jars the better the aroma gets. You can develop great characteristics in this stage.
DONE!
A marijuana bud is completely dry, cured, and ready for consumption when the stem in the middle of the bud breaks easily with the fingers. The snap is easy to detect with practice. The marijuana buds now can be sealed and stored for a really long period of time, provided they are in your jars, airtight, and away from light. Light destroys THC.
Storing marijuana in mason jars is great for longevity.
How to add flavor to your marijuana
Flavor curing your marijuana, is the method of using non-cannabis ingredients to enhance the natural aroma, and taste. The term flavor curing should not be taken as a method to change the flavor of the marijuana.
Things your going to need to flavor cure
Since you've already got the mason jars, now your gonna need some kite string, and some cheesecloth, and some flavoring agents. Common flavoring ingredients: lemons, limes, oranges, bananas, mango, apples, watermelon, fresh coconut shavings, garlic. The list is endless really.
The marijuana flavoring process
Pick out your favorite flavor, fruits with a hard rind work the best. Take your fruit piece, and wash it Thoroughly. Using a cutting board, cut each fruit in half, and coop out all the insides. We are after the rinds. You'll want to end up with a good amount of rinds. Eyeballing here is key, experiment until you find the right amount of flavor for you. Its important NOT TO PEEL THE FRUIT. Juicing or spooning out the flesh leaves a layer of oils inside the skin that we want to keep.
Preheat your oven to 300 degrees F. place all of your rinds on a cookie sheet, make sure the rinds are inside up on the sheet and bake them for about 6 to 7 minutes. Take them out and let them cool. Carefully cut all of the rinds into tiny strips. Take your cheesecloth and lay it out. Directly in the center, place all of your shredded fruit rinds. Bring the edges up together and tie it up. It should look like a bouquet or a balloon. The key here is to make a TIGHT ball. Take the flavor ball, and place it inside your mason jar full of marijuana. Don't let it actually touch the marijuana, instead fold a corner of the cheesecloth over the side and screw on the lid over it. This way the flavor ball hangs above the marijuana. Now, remember to check your jars and open them up everyday to refreshen the air. The longer the fruit is in the jar with the marijuana, the better the taste will become. I like to let my marijuana flavor cure for 60 days, replacing the fruit rinds in the flavor ball every 10 days.
Comments
Does anyone out there know where I can get my hands on a quality glass jar w/a clamp or screw top lid that will hold @ least one pound of cured marijuana?
Heres yur link.
http://www.ardentcannabis.com/education/