Cooking for 4/20? 4 edible recipes for beginners
With 4/20 just days away, marijuana consumers — both old-timers and newcomers — are gearing up for the unofficial holiday.
April 20, commonly referred to as 4/ 20 or 420, has been branded as a marijuana holiday for decades. And over the past year, Missouri consumers have been able to enjoy the perks of recreational legalization.
In addition to traditional marijuana flower, marijuana-infused edibles have become increasingly popular among consumers, with and increasing range of resources that help consumers enjoy cannabis treats from home. The NewsLeader compiled four edible recipes that are ideal for first-time cooks.
Gummies
Farrah Garrison, owner of Farijuana Farms, shared the following recipe for marijuana-infused gummies. Through Farijuana Farms, Garrison provides consultations and teaches others how to grow and cook with marijuana.
What you need:
h 3 ounces or 1 box flavored gelatin
h 1/4 cup boiling water or juice
h 1 ounce unflavored gelatin
h 1/4 cup room temperature water or juice
h 1/4 cup corn syrup
h 1/8-1/4 cup cannabis cooking oil
h 1/16-1/8 teaspoon soy or sunflower lecithin
Instructions:
1 On low heat using a double boiler or a bowl atop a ban of boiling water, pour in the flavored gelatin.
2 Combine the room temperature water or juice with the unflavored gelatin. Let sit for five minutes.
3 Once the water or juice begins to boil, pour in the flavored gelatin and dissolve. Add the corn syrup and stir until combined. Then, add the unflavored gelatin mixture and dissolve.
4 Add the soy or sunflower lecithin and cannabis oil, mixing with a whisk for at least two minutes. The mixture should look combined.
5 Pour mixture into molds and let sit. Store in the fridge for up to two weeks or in the freezer for up to three months.
Baked goods
Making homemade marijuana-infused baked goods is simple, as only one ingredient really needs to be altered: butter.
Cannabis butter, more commonly known as cannabutter, is an easy-tomake ingredient that can be used in any recipe that calls for normal butter, like baked goods. Cannabutter is made with marijuana flower and normal butter.
Lollipops
A different spin on the marijuana candy spectrum, lollipops are another simple, sweet treat to make with marijuana. The following recipe is from Cannabis Guide Barcelona.
What you need:
h 1/2 cup light corn syrup
h 1 cup sugar
h 1/4 cup filtered water
h 1 tablespoon of flavoring
h 2-3 tablespoons of marijuana tincture (increase or decrease depending on experience with tinctures)
Instructions:
1 Combine water, syrup and sugar in a saucepan on medium-high heat.
2 Stir the ingredients constantly until the mixture becomes uniform and the sugar is dissolved. Once the mixture begins to boil, insert a candy thermometer and monitor until the temperature reaches 302 degrees Fahrenheit.
3 Turn off the heat and remove the saucepan. Leave the thermometer in the pan until the temperature drops to 248 degrees Fahrenheit.
4 Add the flavoring and cannabis tincture to the saucepan. Stir until combined.
5 Fill lollipop molds with the blend. Insert lollipop sticks, if desired. Leave the lollipops to cool and harden for at least 15-20 minutes.
Ice cream
Old Route 66 Wellness, which operates a dispensary in Springfield, recommends the following recipe for homemade marijuana-infused ice cream.
What you need:
h 1 can sweetened condensed milk
h 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
h 25 teaspoons salt
h 2 cups marijuana-infused whipping cream
h 5 cups cocoa powder (for chocolate)
Instructions:
1 Whisk the sweetened condensed milk, vanilla and salt in a bowl. If using cocoa powder, mix in, too.
2 Mix the marijuana-infused whipping cream in a separate, chilled bowl until stiff peaks form. Mix by hand or with a mixer.
3 Fold about one-half of the marijuana-infused whipping cream into the other mixture until smooth. Fold in the remaining whipping cream.
4 Freeze the ice cream in an airtight container for at least three hours.
For an extra kick, add marijuana-infused toppings like chocolate or gummies.
Tea
For folks less interested in sweets, marijuana-infused tea may be a good alternative. Leafly, an online marijuana resource, indicates three ways to prepare marijuana-infused tea:
h Infuse water with dry marijuana flower
h Mix cannabis oil or cannabutter with tea leaves and water to make a latte-type drink
h Add a cannabis tincture to tea Marijuana flower stems can also be used to make tea. Leafly recommends saving about 1/2 cup of marijuana stems to steep, as stems contain less THC. The steeping process may take a bit longer than with flower, too.
For a tea with a bit more flavor, Leafly recommends the following recipe for rose, chamomile cannabis tea.
What you need:
h 2 teaspoons ground marijuana
h 2 teaspoons dried chamomile
h 2 teaspoons dried rose buds
h Marijuana-infused honey (optional)
h Coconut milk (optional)
Instructions:
1 Add decarboxylated marijuana flowers, dried chamomile and dried rose buds to a tea infuser. Steep in hot water for 5-10 minutes.
2 Remove the infuser and add marijuana-infused honey and/or coconut milk, if desired.
Use an edible dosage calculator
When talking about doses for edibles, Garrison recommended newcomers utilize an edible dosage calculator, like the online one available online at howtoedibles.com. In the calculator, users enter how much marijuana they are using, how strong the marijuana is and how many portions they want. The calculator then computes portion size doses and potential positive and negative side effects.
Greta Cross is the trending topics reporter for the Springfield News-Leader. Follow her on X and Instagram @gretacrossphoto. Story idea? Email her at gcross@gannett.com .