Lots of people enjoy cannabutter for many reasons, especially those managing pain and appetite from chemotherapy or AIDS treatment. Many of these benefits of eating rather than smoking cannabis are due to one surprising chemical reaction.

Here are two recipes for those who love eating marijuana than smoking it.

SIMPLE CANNABUTTER

This is an easy, quick way to infuse cannabis into butter on your stove top. Be sure to use salted butter since it has a higher smoke point, and don’t leave your saucepan unattended! You can make this cannabutter relatively quickly, and use it in any of the recipes in this book.

MAKES ½ CUP
½ cup (1 stick) salted butter*
¼ ounce cannabis buds, finely ground
*To make cannamargarine, simply substitute margarine for butter in this recipe.

Procedure

1. Melt the butter on low heat in a saucepan. Add the ground buds, and simmer on low heat for 45 minutes, stirring frequently.
2. Strain the butter into a glass dish with a tight-fitting lid. Push the back of a spoon against the plant matter, and smash it against the strainer to squeeze out every drop of butter available. When you’re done, discard the plant matter.
3. Use your cannabutter immediately, or refrigerate or freeze until it is time to use. You can easily scale this recipe up for larger batches of cannabutter. 1 pound of butter (4 sticks) can absorb 1 ounce of cannabis, but you may want to simmer for up to 60 minutes.
   Drizzle this cannabutter over freshly cooked pasta or popcorn for instant satisfaction. Reserve large batches in the fridge or freezer for use in recipes.
   Note: For medical patients, I would recommend using 2 ounces of cannabis for each pound of butter, effectively making a double-strength cannabutter.

LONG-SIMMERING CANNABUTTER

This popular method of water extraction is an easy way to make large batches of butter. Since THC (Tetra-hydro-cannabinol) only binds to fat, combining the butter, marijuana, and water will not dilute the potency. You can also use plant material that has not been finely ground, such as whole leaves and stems. After the extraction has occurred, simply skim the butter off the top! You will need two large stockpots.

MAKES 2 CUPS
1 ounce cannabis, dried, or 2 ounces trimmed leaf
2 cups (4 sticks) unsalted butter

Procedure

1. Fill a large stockpot halfway with water. Add the cannabis or leaf, and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat and simmer for 1 hour. Add your butter, and return to a simmer, stirring occasionally. Simmer for 1 hour more. Cover the stockpot, remove from heat, and allow to cool. To increase potency, repeat this process twice more, simmering for 1 hour and then cooling again.

2. After you have completed the third simmering session, prepare for straining while the mixture is still hot. Position your metal strainer over the second stockpot, and carefully pour the water, butter, and marijuana mixture through the strainer into the stockpot. This is easiest to do in the sink. The strainer will catch all the plant matter, so use the back of a large spoon to push the marijuana against the mesh and squeeze out all the butter. Compost the plant matter, or discard it.

3. On to the chilling process, which will separate the cannabutter from the water. If your stockpot is too big to fit in your refrigerator, pour the cannabutter and water mixture into a large glass bowl, and refrigerate for 24 hours. The cannabutter will rise to the top and solidify.

4. The next day, return to separate the cannabutter. Cut a chunk out of the top layer and remove it from the cold water. Repeat until you have all the butter drying on paper towels. Scrape off butter that seems too mushy and save it for a recipe where the excess water isn’t a problem, like gooey brownies.

5. Now, melt the chunks of cannabutter over low heat in a large sauté pan. Once the butter is liquid, pour it into your storage containers. Reusable glass jars are great, especially if you measure 1 cup of cannabutter into each jar. This ensures a consistent, easy-to-use

Recipe courtesy: Elise McDonough