All About Edibles – Latest Trends, How They’re Made & Benefits

Edibles are trending now more than ever. The unique cannabis-infused treats, foods, and drinks are serving up a new way to consume with higher potencies, too. Today’s products are far beyond the ‘pot brownies’ of the past even though there’s nothing wrong with an old classic.

Before you dive into the new world of edibles, it’s important to understand their unique composition, and how the goods vary in effects. To make it easy, we’ve compiled the complete guide to all things ‘edible’, including how they’re made, the benefits of consuming them and the latest trends.

How Edibles are Made

If you’ve ever wondered how you’ve eaten or seen an edible, without small pieces of weed in it…we’re about to explain why. Edibles are primarily made through a process of decarboxylation, and infusing an oil or fat-base like butter with the flower.

Decarboxylation refers to heating the weed on low heat, and slowly to activate the beneficial cannabinoids that provide cannabis’ effects. Similar to a lighter activating a bowl full of bud, or a torch lighting a dab rig for concentrates.

Once the cannabis flower and the cannabinoids it contains have been successfully activated, the material gets infused into common recipe bases. Most commonly being –

• Butter
• Coconut oil
• Honey
• Olive oil

Once the oil is infused, you can substitute the cannabis version for that ingredient in any recipe. Essentially allowing any food, or meal to be canna-infused if you’d like. On the professional side of edibles, most products are now infused with cannabis concentrates like distillates or oils for convenience, and bulk purposes.

Trending Now – DIY Edibles

All About Edibles – Latest Trends, How They’re Made & Benefits

Making your own edibles and infusing common everyday food items is trending right alongside foodie and DIY trends. With widespread legalization, more people are experimenting with their cannabis use, many finding a hobby in making their own edibles. For those who are consuming cannabis more medically, making your own edibles allows for accurate and custom dosing.

To begin cooking with cannabis, you only need a few simple ingredients and materials. Including cannabis bud, which can be trim or shake too. Since edibles are by nature more potent than just flower itself, you don’t have to use your best weed to make them. Even small traces of cannabinoids and terpenes, add up fast when using larger amounts of more cost-effective material.

Which is another key benefit of making your own edibles too. Trim or shake is easily accessible from growers, and retailers, and far less expensive than top-shelf bud. Plus, you can make batches and batches of edibles with smaller amounts. After a simple decarb process, of slowly heating your bud in the oven you’ll add the material to oil or butter on low heat on the stovetop in a saucepan. After a few hours, and once the liquid base has turned a light, golden brown, you’ll strain the liquid in a cheesecloth over a mesh strainer. Voila! You’re ready to start baking with your own canna-infused ingredient.

Edible Dosage

Like decarbing your weed for making your own edibles, you should also consume ‘low and slow’, too. Especially if you’re a beginner edible consumer. For some, the potent effects of edible strengths can be quite intense. So starting off with low dose edibles is ideal, increasing the strength when you’ve gauged how they affect you personally, first.

Because it takes 45 minutes – one hour for the effects of edibles to be felt, be sure you wait at least this period of time before eating another. This will help you avoid ‘overdoing’ your dose and becoming too high all at once. It’s recommended that beginners start off with 5 mg – 10 mg edibles, increasing dosage from there.

Benefits of Edibles

More than tasting good, and being fun to make, edibles have a few key advantages that are catching the habits of cannabis consumers. Here are just a few of the top benefits that edibles can provide –

Long-lasting effects

Unlike smoking, or inhaling your weed, cannabis is metabolized through the digestive system when consuming edibles. This alters THC’s composition to provide more long-lasting effects. Typically, you can expect to feel edible effects for 4-8 hours. Sometimes longer, depending on your dose, tolerance, and body weight.

Discrete and convenient

Edibles are a convenient, discrete and on-the-go option for using marijuana when travelling or away from home. Most methods of consuming cannabis require some type of ‘piece’ or equipment, a jar or bag of product, and even special tools. With edibles, you can take your package or container with you anywhere, easily, without anyone knowing what you’re consuming when you do.

Avoid ‘smoking’

For older consumers, or those with respiratory conditions they may want to use cannabis but can’t with traditional smoking methods. Edibles serve as an alternative for this unique population. In addition, many newbies just starting out might be opposed to lighting up, but not as opposed to eating a candy-like treat.

Customized and accurate doses

When you smoke, vape, or dab, even though you may know how much THC or cannabinoids the product contains altogether…it’s hard to decipher how much you’re getting with each puff or hit. Since edibles are accurately dosed, this takes the guessing out of dosage for those who require a specific ratio or level of potency. In addition, making your own edibles allows you to customize your treat’s strength, and choose which strains benefit you the most.

The Future of Cannabis Edibles

All About Edibles – Latest Trends, How They’re Made & Benefits

For edibles…the fun is just getting started. With legalization still fairly fresh, the best is surely yet to come as far as eating your weed goes. Just recently, cannabis-infused dinners, cannabis cocktails, and cannabis smoothies are popping up on main streets across North America.

Fueling the future of cannabis edible trends, as we also watch for new goods to hit the shelves, too. In the meantime, have fun experimenting with DIY edible recipes and enjoy trying what’s available already. Like, Greenz’s wide selection of edible gummies, chocolates and premium shake to make your own.