That makes it sound more impressive than it is. Let me try again. Over the course of a few years, I wrote many cannabis-infused recipes and articles right here on this website. If you’re a super fan (thank you; I love you), then you are probably very familiar with my work. 

You’ve probably also noticed that I haven’t been cranking out content like I used to (or at all). There are a few reasons for that (and you’ll be able to read all about it in my book that I still haven’t told you much about), but I mainly felt burnt out. It is a shocking amount of work to write, star, edit, produce, and market a blog or channel. Never mind one that floats the line of legality and “adult” entertainment. Don’t even get me started on how channels that focus on alcohol don’t face any of the same scrutiny. It took its toll. 

Once I had some time away from Pot Lunch, I hated letting it all sit on the internet to eventually get taken out by forgetting to log in frequently enough or deciding I didn’t want to pay to keep the domain name. I wanted to give Pot Lunch one final send-off, kiss it goodbye, and give it a little slap on the bum before getting it into my past to become another one of my “Remember when I used to do this” stories.

I’ve always wanted to publish a book, so the idea of The Pot Lunch Recipe Book was born.

“It’s all right there,” I thought smugly.

And it is, but like many creators who look back at their early work, I saw the holes, flaws, and missing bits of information I later learned to include. Over the last few months, in my free time, I’ve been filling in those holes and smoothing out the rough edges. I staged new photoshoots featuring refined versions of my original concepts. I have compiled my favorite 23ish recipes and updated them to be more precise. I’ve assembled a new Infusions 101 section for beginners and those needing a reminder. 

This book is a love letter to my time as your favorite edible maker on YouTube and as an amateur home chef (although I still am the latter; I just don’t record it anymore). 

Like this blog and YouTube channelx, the book is entirely self-made. So please understand that while I have a general timeline for its release, I am also not going to rush myself. Just know that it will be available for pre-order by the winter holidays. It may be available before that, but I am at the mercy of my unique brand of neurodivergence and the printing company.

Here’s what I do know: 

• For a limited time, you can buy the book directly from me, with the option to have it signed. All pre-orders will ship from my local post office, and you will get a better price than if you purchased them later. I will have limited stock available to ship. Payments will be accepted via PayPal.
• After my limited stock sells, you can continue to purchase through major online retailers like Amazon and Barnes and Noble. They will be printed on demand, which means there will be a longer-than-usual lead time for delivery. Unless demand is exceptionally high (it will not be; I’m being realistic and not pessimistic. Adjust your expectations accordingly). 
• I am still determining the final format. Paperback books are cheaper to produce and, therefore, more affordable for you, but I prefer hardcover cookbooks. Feel free to let me know what your preference is. 
• I will also be offering an ebook version, but you will only be able to purchase it directly from me because I want it to remain DRM-free. Then, you’ll be able to put it on whatever device you’d like. More details on that are coming soon. 

The more people who pre-order, the cheaper I’ll be able to sell you a copy. So please sign up to get notified when pre-orders open by clicking here. The email list will be notified before any other channel, so please fill out the form at the bottom of the page. 

I hope you find the book informative and inspirational. 

The post Pre-pre-order? Is that a thing? appeared first on Just High Lo.

Honestly, I figured it’d be one of many books I’ve abandoned over the years that fall into a similar “self-help” category. But I was pleasantly surprised when I finished it in a few days (other more fun books took precedence, and suddenly, I had three days before the library kicked me back onto the waiting list). That’s not to say “Time Magic” by Melissa Ambrosini (and technically her husband too, but something tells me she did most of the work) was this incredible masterpiece and revolutionary. Not by any means. I think I’ve entered a phase where I can read anything when I just have to see where this is going. I’ve read many bad books this year, and I would put this one somewhere around the bottom half of the middle.

It wasn’t a complete waste of the six hours I spent reading it, but I don’t know if I’d recommend you read it. Instead, let me divulge the most significant points, and you can take it from there. I do think that this book can be helpful if you don’t know how to manage your day-to-day life and need a clear-cut system for getting things done around your home and work and still maybe find a moment here and there for activities you love — if the things you love are things that can easily be picked up and put down and not giant long term projects that might need a few dedicated hours at a time. 

Indeed, I think this book is most beneficial for someone who works from home and doesn’t have kids (or can afford to hire help to manage the kids) and has no clue how to go about a day when you’re the one left in charge of how to schedule your day. Does that make sense? 

However, you must remember that this book is written by two incredibly well-off people who can afford to hire someone to manage their emails, work with trainers and nutritionists, and work from home. Their reality is out of touch with most of the general population — with most of their audience, I’d imagine. It’s a lifestyle handbook as much as it’s a book about managing your time… or reclaiming your time, as it were. Keeping their lifestyle in mind while reading this book will help minimize how much your eyes will roll back into your skull so hard they may detach and roll away just so they can look back at you and ask, “Why? Why are you doing this to me?”

Am I being mean? Sorry, Melissa! It’s not your fault. And to be fair, the author(s, allegedly) mentioned recognizing their privilege more than once throughout the book. And I do believe that they recognize their privilege. But what does recognition mean? I recognized it too just by reading the book; that doesn’t help Christine, who has three kids and works four jobs between her and her partner. I mean… how much time do you really think Christine is wasting on social media? The girl can’t even sleep 6 consecutive hours without risking arriving late to work. 

I also found their view on rest just silly. I mean… they said that rest is essential and used all the right words in that regard, but rest is rest. Rest is not doing shit. Rest isn’t picking up a baking hobby or even doing yoga or anything else that requires repetitive or meditative movement. They seemed incredibly careful to avoid saying take a nap, which is quite frankly what many folks need. “You won’t need a nap if you’re doing all the other things in this book, like sleeping well and eating boring bland food like we do!” Nick cries as he reads this. He’s not reading this, but I can pretend he has a Google alert for the title of “his” book– excuse me, their book. (whispers he’s just Ken, let him go to some little mojo dojo casa house). 

This book is for stay-at-home sports moms whose kids are about to be or are in middle school and suddenly want to start a podcast to talk shit about the other moms in town because their kids are about to despise them for the next decade. No average person is reading this book and thinking that all, or even most, applies to or is attainable for their life. 

If I had known that there is a whole section about increasing longevity through eating healthy food, I probably wouldn’t have read the book in the first place. To be honest… fucking no shit. I just find the people who push plant-based lifestyles to be annoying. It’s not practical.

But that’s not to say I found nothing of value in this book. As I mentioned at the beginning of this review, I am in a phase of reprioritization in my life. This helped me realize how much time I spent on things that didn’t matter to me (like the biggest one, for most of us, social media). 

This book outlines how many hours, days, weeks, months, and years one might spend on various activities, like work or being on your phone. For example, spending four hours daily on social media for the next 40 years would equal almost seven years. If you live another 40 years, would you want to have spent nearly 20% of it on social media? If it’s where your community is, do you want to spend more? And further, how are you spending your time there? I think that this book helped me both think of and answer those questions. And what other activities do I turn to when I’m procrastinating?

 Their idea of investing time and compounding interest with better activities intrigued me. The lists of easy, low-energy tasks and replacement 5-minute “break” activities will help me replace some of the mindless scrolling that I tend to do (and ultimately just leads to me feeling bad). They called these activities smoothies, which was a little cringe, but I understood the metaphor. 

They have a much more stringent and out-of-touch view of phone use in general. I got the impression that they believed that smartphones are essentially useless. Still, since I’m not an out-of-touch loon, I know that for most people, their smartphones might be the only device that connects them to the internet and services, and you can’t completely cut out all phone use. But I would follow their recommendation to turn on screen time limits for social media apps and other time wasters. Check the stats on your phone (Google it, come on, you should know your own phone) and see where you spend the most time on your phone, and I bet you’ll find some places where you could use it a little less. 

Another thing I found insightful was to leverage your energy levels. It’s something I’ve heard recommended before on plenty of life-hacking blogs, but what I hadn’t seen along with those recommendations was a practical way to do that. In “Time Magic,” the authors suggest building a list of tasks that take a small amount of energy. When you’re unsure what to do, boom, there’s a list of suggestions you can turn to. They also have a similar activity in the social media section of the book. Still, it’s for easy tasks that you can do to replace mindless scrolling. These lists were so clever, and I was a little pissed off that I had to learn them from this book. 

They did use that overplayed rock analogy (maybe it’s just starting to make the rounds in Australia? idk) to go into a whole thing about how they set up their calendar and task manager apps and prioritize their goals, hobbies, and to-dos. They rely heavily on the fact that you’ll gain all this extra time if you just don’t use your phone and use this calendar system. 

They instruct the reader to list everything they want, need, and would like to do daily. This list can include things like “call my siblings more,” “do the laundry,” and “run the tps reports at work.” Literally all of the things you need or want to do. They recommend using a fancy task manager app, but you can do it on your phone’s free reminders/task app. The tasks are dumped into a general inbox list and then siphoned into separate lists or groups (whatever your task app uses to categorize tasks). You add due dates, and if it’s something you do regularly, add the details for how frequently the task reoccurs (obviously). 

When setting up the calendar, you basically want to fill in all the time you’re not sleeping, working, or eating with the activities/tasks you outlined as priorities in your newly minted task list. And then, every day, you’ll spend a few minutes organizing your tasks and adjusting your schedule as needed. Of course, this works best if you remember to add tasks to the inbox as you think of them. It’s not as easy of a job if you’re not already using an app for task management as it sounds. 

The authors seem more focused on productivity than I personally am. Still, I can see how these principles can be applied so that you’re spending more time engaged with your family and loved ones and in activities that nourish you rather than filling you up with junk or making you feel like you are wasting your time. That means investing more in one-on-one relationships both IRL and online,  making more time for art, and limiting my time scrolling through Instagram, TikTok, and the artist formerly known as Twitter. 

I recommend borrowing it from your local library if you want to read it. While I found some helpful information in there, they oversold the book. Any book that spends as many words as it did telling the reader just how different and unique the book is probably isn’t worth reading. If the book is that unique and different, I’ll know by reading it. Show me, don’t tell me, you know? 

This is my first time reviewing a book, so I haven’t quite figured out the rating system, but since this has traditionally been a weed-centric website, let’s give it 2 out of 5 pot leaves. 

The post I read “Time Magic” so you don’t have to appeared first on Just High Lo.

Infusing non-dairy butter is not that different from infusing cow butter or coconut oil. Plant butter is made with vegetable oils, lecithin, and water. So the same basic principles and processes apply. You’ll start by decarbing the flower and mixing the plant butter and cannabis with some heat. 

How to choose plant-based butter

When selecting a vegan butter for your infusion, not all vegetable butter is made equally. A lot of the plant-based butter options are “spreadable butter.” For baked goods, it’s best to avoid these. Find a stick of butter with the highest fat content you can get your hands on. 

I wrote a more in-depth article about selecting plant butter to give you a more detailed guide to choosing suitable plant-based butter. You can read that here. 

Your primary focus, however, should be fat content and that it comes in stick form. You want something that will mimic regular butter the closest. The butter you choose should be firm in the fridge and softened at room temperature. And whatever you pick should have a similar fat content as dairy butter. Avoid butter alternatives that are “spreadable.” 

Step 1: Activating THC in cannabis flower

Once you’ve chosen your butter alternative and are ready to begin the infusion process, start by decarboxylating, or decarbing, the cannabis buds. 

How to quickly decarb cannabis for THC infusions:

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit
2. Break up cannabis flower into evenly sized pieces, about the size of peas, to popcorn kernels 
3. Spread cannabis in an even layer on a baking sheet. Cover with foil. 
4. Bake for 15 minutes. Let the pan cool to room temperature, covered, before moving on to the next step. 

The traditional decarb method:

Most edible makers on the internet will typically recommend a slightly different set of times and temperatures for decarbing. The method described above is the same, except the oven is set to 240 degrees Fahrenheit and the flower is baked for 40-50 minutes. Some might say 30 minutes.

One thing I can say is that it doesn’t matter which method you use for decarbing, and you should try different ways until you get a feel for what works for you and the equipment/utensils. 

Step 2: Infusing plant-based butter

Ingredients

• 3.5 grams decarboxylated cannabis flower
• 113 grams/4 ounces/1 stick vegan/plant-based butter

Equipment/Tools

• Oven-safe glass jar and lid
• Slow Cooker/Crockpot OR sauce pot deep enough for the jar
• Cheesecloth
• Mesh strainer
• Clean airtight jar/container for storage
• Tea towel
• Large liquid measuring cup*
• Funnel*

*denotes optional

Steps

1. In an oven/heat-safe glass jar, combine the butter and decarboxylated cannabis flower. Close the lid tight enough to create a seal but not too tight that it’s unable to be opened later.
   1. Note: the heat will cause a vacuum effect on the lid. Do not over-tighten. 
2. To protect the jar, line the bottom of the saucepot or slow cooker with a tea towel. Place the jar on a towel and add water until it comes past the butter/flower line in the jar. Cover pot/slow cooker. 
3. If using a sauce pot, bring water to a light boil and simmer for 30 minutes up to 2 hours. If the jar is too tall to leave the lid on, replenish the water as needed with HOT water only. Pouring cold water into the pot will cool the water too much and could risk cracking the glass due to a rapid temperature change. Hot water from the sink tap should be fine. 
4. If using a slow cooker or crock pot, set it high for 4 hours, and walk away. 
5. At the end of the infusion time, remove the jar from the pot and let it come to room temperature. 
6. Line a mesh strainer with cheesecloth, and strain the flower from the butter into a large liquid measuring cup. Squeeze the cheesecloth to get all of the goodness out. 
7. Pour the freshly strained melted butter into an airtight container or mold and store it in the refrigerator for up to 30 days (possibly longer if stored well and it’s mold-free). Freezing will extend the life of the infused butter up to 6 months.

Final thoughts

Whether using cow milk butter or vegetable butter, remember that the most important part is finding a butter or fat medium that works for you and your recipes and needs. Don’t let overthinking about the type of butter hold you back from learning new skills in the kitchen. I promise you it’s entirely doable to infuse your butter at home. And if you still run into issues. 

The post How to Infuse Vegan/Plant-Based Butter appeared first on Just High Lo.

So here are 50 NEW Affirmations for Cannabis Users for 2023:

1. I chose to be high whenever I need in 2023.
2. My relationship with cannabis is only positive.
3. I will find the perfect strain for me this year. 
4. I only share my kindest buds with my kindest buds, and vice versa. 
5. My high is contagious. 
6. Intentionally using cannabis reveals the road to my best life.
7. I am changing my relationship with cannabis for the better this year. 
8. My high is productive when I want. My high is relaxing when I need. 
9. Cannabis helps me achieve my goals. 
10. Cannabis enhances my commitment to my community, friends and family. 
11. I am a magnet for good vibes and great weed. 
12. It’s called CANnabis not CANTabis.
13. I won’t share blunts with people who won’t share roaches with me. 
14. My cannabis use doesn’t define me. How high I am does. 
15. I love everyone at every sesh. Some I love when they enter; some I love when they leave.
16.  My joints never run. My bong is always clean. My bowls are overflowing with fresh greens.
17. Every joint I roll is perfect. 
18. I only use cannabis to make me better. 
19. I’m in control of how I use cannabis. I stand up to social pressure to over consume. 
20. Cannabis helps my body stay healthy and I am grateful. 
21. My potential to get high is limitless. 
22. I listen to what my body is saying. I let it guide me as I intentionally use this plant. 
23. My pleasure does not require weed. But it helps. 
24. I am in charge of how I nourish my body with cannabis.
25. Full bowls. Clean bongs. Can’t lose. 
26. I am my best self. Cannabis just enhances it. 
27. I love that I love weed as much as I love weed. 
28. I am grateful for all the cannabis I have and all that is to come. 
29. I nurture myself like I’m a freshly cut clone. With tender care, lots of water, and plenty of protection. 
30. I release any shame or stigma over using cannabis. 
31. I water myself from the bottom up to grow deep roots like a strong mother plant. 
32. If my day starts with a wake and bake, it has to be a good day. 
33. I feel safe and secure at every sesh. 
34. I know my limits with cannabis. 
35. I love the many roles cannabis plays in my life. For health and for fun. 
36. I do not recieve shame from others about when or how I use cannabis. 
37. Cannabis helps me find peace (but is not my sole source of peace). 
38. I make healthy choices when it comes to weed. 
39. I treat myself like I’m my kindest, best bud.
40. My mind, body and spirit are my top priority. Cannabis aids with each. 
41. I am excited for all the weed I will consume today. 
42. I use strains that help me experience life fully. 
43. I smoke my weed and mind my business. 
44. I am proud of finding balance with my cannabis use. 
45. Being a stoner has taught me that I can problem solve, build new things, and give old things new life. 
46. I am worthy of being hydrated, high, and happy. 
47. Happiness is a journey, not a destination, and cannabis keeps it smooth sailing. 
48. I am grateful for how cannabis expands my creative ability. 
49. Cannabis can help me achieve my goals when I use it intentionally. 
50. I love the way cannabis makes me feel about myself.

Photo by Devin Avery on Unsplash

The post 50 More Affirmations for Stoners appeared first on Just High Lo.

I grew up somewhere it was easy to shop locally. Restaurant and national grocery chains were limited, and most of the “chains” were locally owned, operated, and very, very regional. And despite the push to corporatize my hometown, there are still more local restaurants than large chains. 

I also come from a family that went to the turkey farm to stock up for Thanksgiving and the winter; that went to the butcher shop to buy our “hamburg” and steaks. Supporting the local food suppliers was just part of life in our community. Everyone went to Raymond’s and Mike’s. 

But I do not live in a place like that anymore. I’ll say it. I live in a local food/restaurant desert. I knew there were a lot of chain restaurants in Colorado. However, I was not expecting the sheer volume of fast food spots I’ve encountered in Colorado Springs. Over a dozen national fast-food chain restaurants are within a mile of my home. And neighborhoods like that are so common around here, I don’t even feel like this gives away my location. In a city as large as Colorado Springs, it is far more difficult to find locally produced fresh and prepared food than I’ve experienced in any small town in New Hampshire. It has been hard to grapple with as someone who loves excellent local food. 

Today I will go over some of the best spots to find locally grown, produced, and prepared in Colorado Springs. I’ll do another article in a few months with some of my favorite restaurants in the Springs, but that deserves its own article and more of my own time since I’d like to try at least a half dozen more spots around town before committing a list of my faves. 

Farmer’s Markets

Farmer’s markets have become a huge source of fresh produce and locally-made goods for me and my kitchen. 

Old Colorado City Farmer’s Market

Located in Bancroft Park in Old Colorado City every Saturday from June until October, this farmer’s market is full of all the best local products. I’m amazed at what new item finds its way into my hands each time I visit. 

Colorado Farm & Art Market

The Colorado Farm & Art Market runs twice weekly on Wednesdays at the Colorado Springs Pioneer Museum downtown and Saturdays at the Margarita at Pine Creek from June through October. Allowing you to shop for local food and art. Everything sold at this market must be grown or produced locally. 

Special Mention: SoCo Virtual Farmer’s Market

I’m not sure if they’ll be back after the summer hiatus (their site says yes, but I have anxiety, and they haven’t sent any updates)… but the SoCo Virtual Farmer’s Market was invaluable to me throughout the pandemic. I bought so much wonderfully delicious local food, and it was so easy since I could shop online every week and schedule a pick-up on Saturdays. I hope it comes back majorly. 

Grocery Stores

These shops make it incredibly simple to eat locally at home. 

Ranch Foods Direct

Ranch Foods has two locations, one on Fillmore near the old North End and one more east on Town Center Drive. The location on Fillmore carries a slightly more extensive selection of locally made goods. In the last three years, I can count on my hand the number of times I’ve bought butter, eggs, and milk at a regular grocery store. I bought some chicken at Costco once, but all the meat I’ve cooked home has come from RFD. It’s like you can taste that the owner cares about his employees and his animals. And you’ll often find him, the owner, Mike Callicrate, stocking the cold cases or weighing out a customer’s preferred cut of meat. More importantly, I think RFD’s prices remained consistent and well-stocked throughout the pandemic. As a result, we never lost access to bare cooking essentials like dairy, meat, fresh vegetables, and a rotating selection of locally made bread, pastries, and grains. 

Bread & Butter

Bread & Butter has a (whispers) gentrified bodega vibe. Minus the cat and the cigarettes. At least, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a cat in there. At Bread & Butter, you will find tons of locally made items like pantry staples, produce, meat, and baked goods. There’s a little overlap with what you’ll find at RFD but with a more extensive selection. Bread & Butter also has a beer and wine department, as well as serving up fresh coffee. Bread & Butter is located on Nevada Ave in Downtown Colorado Springs. 

Mountain Mama Natural Foods

Situated between downtown and Old Colorado City, this market is full of locally-made (when possible)  food, body care products, and bulk products with a specialty focus on the organic and natural. While I have my personal feelings about the whole “organic” trend and its overuse, Mountain Mama has been at it for over four decades (the store opened in 1979). So if I’m on the lookout for organic and local, I’m going to put more faith in a locally operated shop that’s been around longer than I have over, say… a store that rhymes with Swole Fools. 

Favorite Producers to Buy Directly From

Sawatch Artisan Creamery

While I pick up Sawatch products from one of the local grocery stores mentioned above, occasionally, I’ll order directly or make my way to one of the farmer’s markets to get my Aged Gouda fix. Lately, their aged premium gouda has been my favorite splurge for my breakfast sandwiches. You feel like you’re doing something terrible when you eat it because it’s so good. It has to be a crime to enjoy that cheese as much as I do. I also love their butter. I exclusively use their European-style butter in my kitchen. When the grass-fed version is available, I scoop it up. As many as my wallet will allow. Now that the weather is starting to cool down, it’s perfect to have some cheese shipped to you. You can thank me later. 

Bon Bon Bombardier

I generally wouldn’t consider myself a candy or chocolate lover. Don’t get me wrong, I like chocolate, but when presented with the option between ice cream and a ribeye, I always go with the ribeye. That makes my opinion on candy that much better because I won’t just throw any old sweet thing into my mouth, which is why I’m going to tell you that Bon Bon Bombardier is one of the best confection makers. They are creative and inventive with their candies and chocolates. I particularly love the simplicity of their pine pollen (I think? It’s been a while since I got my hands on one) salt chocolate bars. They also make gourmet s’mores kits, and hell, yes—my favorite post-grilling dessert. 

Snowberry Bakehouse

Snowberry Bakehouse is one of my favorite pandemic finds. Early on, I looked for many ways to support local businesses. So, I heard about a local bar/event venue that was doing deliveries of kits with cocktails and snacks for a stay inside romantic weekend for two. There were evening snacks and breakfast snacks. Cocktails, wine, and coffee completed the box. It was adorable. One of the treats came from a local baker who, I later learned, primarily serviced larger catering clients and restaurants all around the city. The response to their delicious and lovingly crafted “pop tarts” became a monthly opportunity for the public to purchase directly from the bakery. I try to pick some up at every chance I get. Snowberry is also a creative bakery that combines ingredients in a new way that always surprises me. 

Special Mention: Elevation Gourmet

Although not located in Colorado Springs, Elevation Gourmet makes some of the best-tasting ketchup I have ever tried. Based in Denver, Elevation services many restaurants all over the state and offers direct-to-consumer shopping through its website. I love the original variety. The restaurant variety is a little bland, but if you like Heinz, it’s similar. I prefer the added herbs and spices in the original. 

Do you have any favorite food makers, farmers, or producers in Colorado Springs that I missed? What about in your city or state? Let me know in the comments below. 

Photo by Austin Gasper on Unsplash

The post Where to Find Locally Produced and Grown Food in Colorado Springs appeared first on Just High Lo.

And while I’ve posted dozens of recipes and various methods for infusions, I don’t think I’ve delved into my reasons for using cannabis. So today, I’m going to do precisely that. 

As a sleep aid

Using cannabis-infused foods and beverages to aid sleep is probably one of the more common reasons to use edibles. However, I think a lot of people find any cannabis consumption can make them a little sleepy.

 The number one reason most of us use edibles is as a relaxation or sleep aid. How edibles affect me depends entirely on the activity I’m participating in while imbibing. Infused foods always do the trick if the goal is to sleep or chill. 

Discretion

Edibles are incredibly discreet. They’re easy to take on the go without raising any eyebrows. Likewise, homemade treats are easy to travel with (stay away from liquids and creams). 

Instead of alcohol

I am not entirely alcohol-free, but there are many nights when I’d rather not take a sip. I can handle myself, but I can’t handle the hangovers. Sometimes just one drink will take me out for the next day. On the nights I hang with friends who want to drink, I can whip up something sophisticated and a little intoxicating. 

The effects last longer.

For those days that I know I’ll be away from a safe space to smoke for a little longer than I’d like, edibles are what I need. I know I can take edibles, and I’ll feel just great for hours versus the shorter (but maybe more initially intense) effects of smoking or vaping cannabis. 

More precise dose

Since I use a potency testing device, I always know exactly how much THC I consume with my homemade infusions. This precision allows me to dial my needed dose depending on my activities. For example, if I’m going to sleep, I might slap myself in the face with 50-100mg. If I’m looking to have some fun and replace alcohol, I might add 5-10mg at a time to each mocktail. Just a “walking around” dose? 25ish mg. I don’t have quite the same control with a joint (nor do I need it necessarily). 

Increase pain tolerance

I know many people use cannabis to help minimize pain, but I have not experienced pain relief from edibles or smoking. Edibles do allow me to tolerate pain at a greater level. I have high pain tolerance, but there are plenty of days when I’m pushed to my limit. I have scoliosis, which frequently leads me to stiff and spasming back, shoulder, and neck muscles. For me, ibuprofen does more to relieve the pain, but edibles help ease the burden of that pain. And that has been invaluable. Being able to bear it, for better or worse, has saved me the time I might have otherwise been in bed. 

For more fun, sexy times

Truly the most fun reason to use edibles is for more relaxed sex. Not to toot my horn or be too personal but I’m usually always dtf my husband. So we don’t usually need any additional aids to get things going. However, that’s not to say that adding them doesn’t make things more fun. On the contrary, edibles have frequently added a little extra oomph to the experience, making it more sensual, carefree, and amusing. 

So now I have to know: why do you use edibles? Leave a comment below or tweet at me.

_{Photo by Testeur de CBD on Unsplash}

The post Why I Use Cannabis Edibles appeared first on Just High Lo.

Long time no see, Pot Lunchers. How the hell are ya? I hope you’re good enough. That’s all we can hope for, really, as we all slow boil into society’s end. And if the end is nigh, at least we can get high, or something like that. 

That’s what this brand new recipe and episode hopes to help with. 

I’ve been wanting to make some kind of infused chocolate treat for a while now but every attempt I’ve made at infused chocolate bars has ended up… not great. I understand the basics of candy making. It’s all about temperature, time, and with chocolate, not mixing in any water. Not a single drop. 

In previous attempts to mesh cannabis and chocolate at home have shown me exactly why you shouldn’t add any water to hard chocolate. And why just adding a little infused oil makes for soft chocolate bars that melt in your hands (yuck). 

Then finally a couple of weeks ago, I had a vision. I remembered that my grandparents used to give all the boys in the family those little boozy chocolates (until I demanded I got one after my 21st birthday). So I knew there must be a way to get tincture into the chocolate somehow. A few Google searches later and I landed on a recipe for chocolate ganache. Something I’m familiar with but had never actually tried to make myself. Primarilyl because most recipes call for heavy cream and if you’ve been around here for a while you know I don’t do dairy like that. Unless it’s cheese. I will suffer for cheese (and honestly it’s milk and ice cream that really don’t agree with me unless I eat TOO much cheese, we all have our limits). 

More searching led me to other recipes with alternatives to heavy cream, like half & half, and milk. “Well why can’t I try it with coconut cream or milk?” I wondered out loud because I love to hear myself talk. 

Instead of doing this experiment on my own without an audience, I decided to document it all for the channel (you can see the episode below, but you must be signed in to YouTube to watch). 

The full recipe is down below.  

Oh and before I forget, if you watched the episode and heard me talking about how great that hot plate/burner is, you can get one here from Best Buy. 

Print

Infused Chocolate Ganache Truffles

Course Dessert

Prep Time 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time 1 hour hour

Chill Time 2 hours hours

Servings 16

Author @justhighlo

Equipment

• Small sauce pot
• Metal mixing bowl
• Whisk
• Baking sheet
• Parchment paper
• Small scoop
• Fork
• Kitchen scale or measuring cups

Ingredients

• 225 g dark or semi-sweet chocolate, finely chopped 225 g = 8 ounces
• 112 g canned coconut cream 112 g = 4 ounces
• 1.5-2 oz cannabis tincture
• 5-14 g infused coconut oil, optional 5-14 g = 1-3 tablespoons
• 225-450 g tempered chocolate or chocolate candy coating 225-450 g = 6-16 ounces

Instructions

• In a small sauce pot over medium heat, bring the coconut cream to a simmer. Remove from heat and add tincture and oil. Allow the oil to melt and fully incorporate it into the cream. 
• In a separate mixing bowl, add the chopped chocolate. 
• Pour hot cream over the chocolate and let it melt for a minute or two. Then begin to whisk the ingredients together until all the chocolate is melted and fully incorporated into the cream. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for at least an hour until the ganache is firm and easily scooped. 
• With a melon baller or other small, tablespoon-sized scoop or spoon, scoop out the ganache into balls onto a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Return to the freezer overnight, covered.
• Melt chocolate in a double boiler set up. Using a fork, gently roll the frozen ganache balls into the melted chocolate and then place them on a clean parchment-lined baking sheet. Decorate with sprinkles or candies if you’d like, or drizzle with leftover chocolate—Baker’s choice. 
• Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to six months. 

The post #66: Infused Chocolate Ganache Truffles appeared first on Just High Lo.

Turns out it’s pretty fucking useful. I test every infusion I make now. Especially since I don’t always use the same kind of cannabis, nor the same ratios of flower to infusion base. I often give away edibles when I have extras. Friends and family come over and if there’s something in my fridge, I gladly pass it along. What I don’t like doing is handing over a treat that I can’t confidently state the potency of. Especially since I’m not a good judge of potency based on taste. What might put the average person in a heavy sedative state is just a good day to do yoga to me. 

So I’d like to go over some reasons why AND why not to add a home potency device to your pot pantry. While I have already linked above to the device that I like to use. There are actually many others. 

Since no one likes the bad news, let’s talk about the reasons why not to buy an at-home potency testing device. 

What are the downsides of at-home THC potency testing devices? 

It requires a smartphone and an app

I think the biggest downside is that all of the devices on the market meant for home use require a smartphone and an app to use. For the price of them, I think putting a touchscreen interface of some kind would be standard but maybe that would put the cost too far out of reach for most. I don’t really know I don’t make products. Perhaps this is a minor negative but I do think it’s an annoying limitation. I want both functionalities. 

The devices are expensive

While you can test THC potency without a device, that can be cost-prohibitive too. A 3 pack of tests from plantchek is almost $50. And they recommend using all 3 tests and averaging them out for each sample. Not exactly cheap. On the far end of the price spectrum, there is the Mydx Analyzer which comes with a heft $1100 pricetag. The tCheck, which is the device I use, is about $300 and up depending on any add-on kits you may want (like the raw flower test kit for example). It’s the most affordable option for home potency testing but not exactly cheap. I place it on the same level as my KitchenAid mixer or a great blender — hard to swallow the bill at first but ultimately worth the price for me. 

Are they even really all that accurate?

This is one thing I’m not really sure of. How accurate can they really be? Sometimes I get readings so high that I literally cannot believe it but other times it is spot on based on the math. One thing that’s nice is that software updates can help the devices to become more accurate and better over time. However as I’ve talked about on my channel, I am a bit of a skeptic about the accuracy despite my dependence on the device itself. I will discuss more why that is in the next section but I will say that my personal internal jury is still out despite having great experiences with the tCheck.

You’re not really selling me on getting one here, Lo so why should I get a home THC potency testing device? 

A better idea of the potency

Even though I am a tad skeptical about the accuracy of these home testing devices, I do think there’s merit to using them to gauge your work and methods. If nothing else. Now since I’ve said multiple times I’m not sure if I trust the results, I should at least share the article from tCheck about the device’s accuracy.  

And despite my reluctance to accept what is probably a fact (these home potency testing devices are pretty accurate), the readouts allow me to feel confident enough that I’m not going to accidentally overdose either myself or a loved one. 

Consistency of results

Ultimately what I find useful is that I’m able to compare my methods so that I’m getting the most out of my raw materials. I have found approaching my infusions this way has allowed me to figure out how to waste less product in my current kitchen. 

In fact, the more I’ve used it, the more I’ve learned that it’s pretty hard to fuck up the infusion process. I’ve been able to speed up my process by using a short decarboxylation time, and learning that I can make a tincture in 10 minutes and that a 2-hour butter infusion is going to be about as potent as a 6-hour infusion (now this does not account for terpenes or other cannabinoids you may want to be infused, this is strictly THC potency). 

The tCheck has allowed me to be more consistent with my results and more efficient with my process. 

No math on your end 

What really makes a testing device like this a dream is the time you save doing math at the end of a long infusion process. In a matter of minutes, you can go from strained butter to knowing exactly how many milligrams there are per milliliter, teaspoon, and tablespoon. I’m unsure what units other devices measure out to, but I’d imagine it’s pretty similar to the tCheck. It makes it a lot easier for me to know that there’s 200 mg/tablespoon of butter when I want to make my morning eggs or a batch of one of my signature cookie recipes. 

And even though yes, I can do the math and there’s even a calculator right here on this page, I like not having to think about it. 

Would you get a potency testing device to test your cannabis-infused butter and oil? 

Ultimately, I think the tCheck is worth the money if you’re making a lot of edibles and want to be more efficient. I also think it’s a worthwhile investment if you are trying to keep track of how many milligrams you’re using or if you’re particularly sensitive to edibles. Don’t forget you can get your own tCheck with a sweet little discount using my link and code: justhilo

The post Pros and Cons of Using an at-Home Potency Testing Device appeared first on Just High Lo.

Quarter Sheet Pans

Last fall, I took an online baking class through Studio with Milk Bar founder Christina Tosi and one of the best things I took away from it was using quarter sheet pans. They are the perfect size to freeze a dozen cookies, to bake a cake (really), and for smaller meals for one or two people. They are indispensable in my kitchen, and not only that; they are inexpensive too. My only gripe is that these are not really dishwasher friendly (the finish loses its shine and turns dull without special dishwasher liquid for metals), but they’re easy to clean most of the time and look good as new with a bit of soap and scrubbing.

Meat and Candy and Deep Fry Thermometers

I can forgive you if you don’t have a candy thermometer or deep fry thermometer, but if you don’t have a meat thermometer and want to say you like to cook? Get out of the kitchen right now. Meat thermometers are essential for a kitchen that actively cooks meat. So I guess I should retract that “get out of the kitchen” comment because a meat thermometer is useless if you don’t eat or cook meat. But can I still interest you in a candy or deep fry thermometer? And you know, for what it’s worth, you might want to make sure your reheated vegan mac and cheese is hot enough to kill any fridge bacteria, just saying. 

Oil Sprayer

I don’t like those canned oil sprays like Pam and the like. The taste of propellent is overpowering to me, and I can usually get the job done with oil and my hands. But I do understand why plenty of chefs find them useful. They work great and make it easy to add a small amount of oil to make your pans non-stick. When I was a kid, my mom had this cool refillable pump-style one from Pampered Chef that I adored. Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to find a similar one that I like in the same way. But I did find this spray bottle that, if nothing else, helps control the amount of oil that comes out so you can coat things in a nice thin layer.  It’s not quite as light as a store-bought Pam, but it does the trick. 

Immersion Blender

“Lo, I already have a blender/food processor/whatever; why would I need this?” But, look, I was like you and once thought the same thing. So then I made some salad dressing in it. And mayonnaise. And you know what? I’m not afraid to admit that I was wrong. I mean, beating things by hand is for girlfriends. 

Scales

All the scales for everything! Much like thermometers, I recommend having more than one type of kitchen scale. First is the classic large kitchen scale, which I’m sure most people are familiar with– the ones that will weigh up to several pounds. Since I started weighing ingredients, baking has been much more fun. No more measuring cups for me! However, I’d also recommend getting a small gem scale to weigh things you’d typically measure with measuring spoons. It is much more accurate, especially for baked goods that tend to need more exact measurements. Plus, fewer dishes. 

Standing Mixer

A Kitchenaid standing mixer is a big splurge. But it’s also the best thing you’ll bring into your kitchen.  It has countless uses and endless attachments that work across the generations. They are reparable (at least the pro series models), and if you take care of them, you could pass them down to a child– cherished for many more years. Of course, it works great for mixing up delicious batters and doughs and creams, but I love it for the attachments. Meat grinder? You got it. Cheese grater? Oh yeah, baby. Pasta roller? Whoo boy, you can bet your booty on it. I’m practical about the tools I have in my kitchen, so to bring in something as significant as the KitchenAid standing mixer, I need to have multiple purposes, and it needs to be great at doing all of them. If you can, buy one refurbished (overstock.com frequently has a rotating selection of them). I got the Pro series for the same price as the smaller artisan series (about $300 vs. $500). 

What are your favorite kitchen tools? 

I would love to know what tools you find essential in your kitchen. Tweet and let me know what you would add to this list. What kind of cooking or baking tools would you like me to write about next? I can get even more niche and talk about my favorite cupcake tools, appliances, and gadgets. 

_{Cover photo by Євгенія Височина on Unsplash}

The post 6 Must Have Kitchen Tools appeared first on Just High Lo.

Can I use plant butter or vegan butter to make cannabutter?

The short answer is a resounding: YES! 

As I often mention in blog posts and Pot Lunch episodes, cooking with cannabis is incredibly flexible– don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. There are very few “rules” when it comes to cannabis infusions. 

Plant-based and vegan butter are excellent alternatives to dairy butter or coconut oil. 

As practical, coconut oil is not a perfect replacement for butter. Sometimes you need or want that flavor that coconut oil will never be. Or you’re making a recipe that needs extra moisture. Luckily, it’s 2022, and most grocery stores have half a shelf dedicated to plant butter. 

What to look for on the nutrition label

The first thing to look at is total fat. Dairy butter has 12g of total fat and 7g of saturated fat per tablespoon. Coconut oil has 12g of fat, and almost 10g is saturated fat. Therefore, plant butter should be close to 12g and 7g.

In my searches at the grocery stores, I found many had about the same amount of total fat but much less saturated fat. Of course, the more saturated fat the plant butter has, the better it will be for infusions. 

If you looked at saturated and unsaturated fat at the molecular level, you’d see that saturated fat is much more dense and compact than unsaturated. Saturated fat is called so because each carbon atom is saturated with hydrogen creating dense straight chains of molecules. Unsaturated fat has no hydrogen atoms and leggy and often crooked chains. The density of saturated fat allows it to soak up more THC molecules. 

Vegetable oils like olive oil, or canola, are significantly lower in saturated fat, and that is typically what plant-based or vegan butters are made with. You should try to look for blends that also have some coconut oil. 

You should also make sure that the plant-based butter you choose is UNSALTED. 

The lecithin thing

One thing to be aware of is that many plant-based butter products have a small amount of lecithin. Some brands use soy, the more expensive ones use sunflower. Regardless, it is important to note that some users experience a quicker and more intense onset of effects from edibles that have lecithin.

Typically I’d warn you to keep it far away from your butter infusions because it’s completely unnecessary. However for plant and vegan butters to get that buttery, creamy feel some water/liquid must be blended into the oil. But of course, water and oil famously do not mix, so for the two to blend they add lecithin. 

In addition to anecdotal evidence that lecithin can intensify the effects of your homemade medicine, it may also draw out more water, chlorophyll, and “green” flavor from the cannabis flower. I typically recommend avoiding it altogether in the infusion process and only adding it to a recipe that requires you to combine oil and water (like making gummies with coconut oil). It is unnecessary to add to recipes with eggs or dairy products, which are natural sources of lecithin. 

What are the best brands of plant butter to use?

I will not decide on the “best” brand of plant butter to use for cannabis-infused butter here. This is because there are too many from which to choose. However, after checking out the selection at my grocery store, I determined that the best options were Flora Unsalted Plant Butter and Country Crock Plant Butter with Olive Oil. 

Flora had the closest fat content to butter at 11g total fat and 7g saturated. 

Ultimately it depends on the application, too. In certain instances, you may want to look for plant butter that comes in stick form (like dairy butter) rather than a tub. While tubs of plant-based butter are easy to spread,  recipes like cookies, frosting, or other items that might rely on the butter staying firm at warmer temperatures. You should avoid anything that says “easy to spread” if you don’t want the butter to melt too quickly.  

How do I infuse vegan or plant-based butter with cannabis?

The best part about infusing plant butter is that you infuse it the same way as any other butter or oil. 

Ingredients

• 8 ounces/227 grams/2 sticks of Plant Based Butter of your choice 
• 3.5-28 grams of cannabis flower

Tools

• Gem scale
• Baking sheet
• Tin foil
• Mason jar with lid
• Small kitchen towel
• Slow cooker/Crockpot
• Mesh strainer
• Cheesecloth
• Container for storage

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 240 degrees Fahrenheit. Break up cannabis flower into equal-sized pieces between pea to gumball sized and spread on a baking sheet in a compact but even layer. Cover the pan with tin foil and bake in the oven for about 45 minutes, until the flower has browned and the scent has intensely amplified. Allow the pan to come to room temperature while remaining covered to preserve the terpenes.
1. Want a quicker decarb method? Turn up the temperature to 300 degrees Fahrenheit and bake for just 17 minutes. 
2. In a mason jar or another oven-safe container with an oven-safe airtight lid, combine the cooled, decarbed flower and melted plant butter. Tighten the lid to finger tight (it will tighten further while infusing, so keep this in mind). 
3. Place a small towel at the bottom of a slow cooker. Place the jar on the towel and fill the pot until the water level surpasses the butter level. Put the lid on the slow cooker pot, set the temperature to high for at least four hours, and then turn on the keep warm setting overnight if time allows. 
1. Alternative method: rather than a more extended, slower infusion session in a slow cooker, you can take the towel and jar to the stove top with a sauce pot, and rather than the low simmer, bring that water up to a boil and let it go for 30-90 minutes. Don’t forget to add more HOT water as the levels drop. Please, it must be hot, or you will break the glass. 
4. Allow the jar to cool enough to touch, then line a mesh strainer with cheesecloth over a clean container and pour the butter and cannabis mixture through it. Gently squeeze the cheesecloth to get out any last bits of butter from the flower. Store the infused butter in an airtight container in the fridge for up to two weeks or in the freezer for up to six months. 

Now go make some toast

Ok maybe that’s a little lazy after all the work you did to infuse your plant butter. Toast lacks the oomph that your first plant-based butter infusion deserves. But now that you know how to pick and infuse plant-based butter, what are you going to make first? Tweet at me and let me know. 

_{Photo by Megumi Nachev on Unsplash}

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