CANNABIS CUISINE – How would you like to be a 'stoner chef?'

A few days ago, I posted a picture of government officials in the Philippines burning a huge pile of marijuana plants amidst media people to show what they do with the confiscated goods.  What we don't know is what happens behind the scenes,  and speculations have soared in the internet.

It's not always rolling a joint,  packing a pipe or toking a bowl that  marijuana is being used for.  In ancient times, people ate their cannabis  saving the seeds for food, and using the resinous flowers for medicinal, recreational and spiritual practices. It has been used in Hindu rituals as a cocktail called bhang, and in the ninth century  there was in an Islamic literature of a story about mixing it with coffee.

In the Western world it was an ingredient for pharmaceutical use until the 1800's.  It only became fashionable in the U.S.  until early nineteenth century, when migrating Mexican workers introduced the practice to the Southwest.

Pot  brownies was popularized only in the 1950's where it was considered 'dope desserts' and eaten by some  stoner circles  in order to enhance summer concerts, 3-D sci fi movies, camping trips, or backyard 'potlucks'.   Then a senior citizen named Brownie Mary  gained  respect in 1992 after her third arrest for distributing her famous chocolate medicinals to AIDS patients in San Francisco.  In 1996, California Proposition 215 effectively legalized medical marijuana and  presently there are 17 states, including New Jersey that have done the same thing.

Smoking ganja gives a faster hit , but not many can tolerate smoke,  instead they ingest the stuff.  The new medical marijuana  'edibles' is a recent phenomenon with many 'stoner chefs' entering the field.  This leads  to a new trend in the food industry  called Cannabis Cuisine.  

Safety measures should be implemented when doing stoner cuisine.  Proper measuring of dosage and the intake should be carefully monitored when making or serving treats.  Just keep in mind that everyone's tolerance is different and individuals respond to ingesting cannabis in different ways. Usually ingesting it does not have an immediate effect since it needs to be digested first. So start with a small serving and do not eat any more pot food until after an hour. 

The biggest difference from eating pot and smoking it is in the intensity and type of high that results.  Eating cannabis brings on a more physical sensation which soothes sore muscles, eases pain, aids relaxation and fights insomnia, while providing feelings of warmth and pleasant tingling.

If you've eaten much, you might feel panicky anxious...agoraphobic.  Bear  in mind that it is humanly impossible to fatally overdose on cannabis.  Even if you have eaten a whole birthday cake frosted with cannabis buttercream.  It is estimated that the amount of THC that is required for an overdose would be four million milligrams or about 4 kilos of pure hashish---(from wikkileaks)

Because of  the cannabis being illegal, it has been a venue for corruption,  consumptions abuse  and economic drain. Thus the states that opted for it's legalization by regulating it however paved the way to realizing it's potential not only as a medical cure but as an added income to the locality.

I am not propagating nor condoning the herb and its usefulness, but rather, I am diseminating  information that before assuming anything (and I mean anything)  learn the facts and not rely on hearsay.  The absence of knowledge more often than not, leads to fear which is  the cause of misunderstandings and misconceptions.

It's about time to know more about these things as the world is always evolving and change is  inevitable.  By being aware, we can eventually make rightful conclusions about it.  And I think it's really HIGH TIME !!!! 

As I'm reading this, I'm thinking.....there are more bar fights due to alcohol, than when you smoke pot.  Because, people that are 'high' are more peace loving...don't you think?...let's hear your comments, guys!

Some friends often ask me why the statue of Liberty is green and  I often tell them "because she's stoned?  Get it?"  And if you want to know if she really looks like this now, come to New York and see for yourself.  :)

the book I got from Barnes and Nobles which prompted me to write about this piece.

 So before I end, I would like to copy a recipe from the book: The official HIGH TIMES Cannabis Cookbook written by Elise McDonough.  In her cookbook, she substitutes 'stones' instead of 'servings'.  But this recipe below is just a simple one.

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 smoking point, and don't leave your saucepan unattended!  You can make this cannabutter relatively quickly.

Makes ½ cup

½ cup (1 stick) salted butter*

¼ ounce cannabis buds, finely grounded

to make cannamargarine, simply substitute margarins for butter in this recipe

1. Melt 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 the 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 of freeze until it is time to use.  You can easily scale this recipe up for larger batches of cannabutter.  1 pound of butter (4sticks) can absorb 1 ounce of cannabis, but you may want to simmer for up to 60 minutes.

You can drizzle the cannabutter over freshly cooked pasta or popcorn for instant satisfaction.  Reserve large batches in the fridge or freezer for use in recipes.