Cooking with Cannabis: Tinctures can be terrific

Tinctures are a liquid delivery system and can be alcohol- or glycerin-based. They’re super easy to make and can give you wonderful relief in just a few minutes. They last longer than smoking but not as long as edibles, and have a lot of applications. I like them for microdosing during the day for pain relief.

Today, we’re going to tackle alcohol-based tinctures. Steeping medicinal plants in liquid to extract the goodies is as old as humans. I don’t recommend using this alcohol tincture for sublingual application, as the strong alcohol can burn, but it is wonderful for infusing salt, sugar, condiments and homemade gummies – recipe below!

Cannabis alcohol tincture

8 grams cannabis bud (a sativa-dominant strain can give you a pick me up; an indica can be more relaxing)

8 oz. grain alcohol (if you are unable to use a spirit with an especially high alcohol content, like Everclear, use vodka and double the “freeze and shake” process)

Glass jar with lid

Cheesecloth

Decarboxylate cannabis by spreading flower evenly on a rimmed baking sheet. Cover with foil and toast gently at 250 degrees for 30 minutes. This process will remove the extra carbon molecules and make the cannabinoids available. Keep covered while cooling.

Crumble cannabis into glass jar with grain alcohol. Place the closed jar into the freezer for 1 hour.

Remove closed jar and shake for 3 minutes. If you are using a lower alcohol spirit, repeat the “freeze and shake” process here.

Strain alcohol tincture with cheese cloth to remove debris.

Yield: 8 oz.

Green gummies

½ cup cold water

6 oz. Jell-O box in desired flavor

4 1 oz. envelopes plain gelatin

4 tablespoons cannabis tincture

Baking mold

Pan spray

Cornstarch

Funnel

Spray molds lightly with the pan spray, then wipe so very little oil remains.

Whisk the Jell-O and plain gelatin together in a saucepan, then add cold water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low for 5 minutes, stirring often so everything dissolves.

Remove from the heat and let cool slightly (too hot and it’ll affect the THC), then add the 4 tablespoons of tincture and mix well.

Use funnel to pour mixture into the mold. Refrigerate for 15 minutes, remove from the mold, and dust lightly with cornstarch to prevent sticking.

Store in refrigerator. Always remember to clearly label your edibles, and keep them out of reach of children and pets.

Yield: 30 gummies

Next time, we will explore glycerin tinctures.

If you have any questions, concerns or comments, contact me at mary@maryjwhite.com or explore my website maryjwhite.com.