Curing Questions?

[SensibleSal66]

Hello all! Somewhat new here ( 2nd season growing).
I have a couple questions about curing. Can't afford any mason jars right now, I do have plastic Qt. size containers with lids. These Okay to use?
Also, what's the burping schedule?
Thanks all !!
Back to my indoor growing now that the outdoor is done.....

 

[SmokingWings]

Can't afford any mason jars right now, I do have plastic Qt. size containers with lids. These Okay to use?

I experimented with some of them and they are OK to use but I do not recommend it. Emergency use then yes, but not long term. A small plastic jar with a nice lid would be OK for a traveler when going to visit family or friends for the weekend, etc.

The plastic tends to absorb smells from the previous content and it might not be noticeable until the jar has been kept closed for a couple of weeks. Another thing I noticed is the the plastic jars and plastic or metal lids do not seal up as nicely as glass canning jars and the canning lids with rings. Real canning jar lids and rings can be used over and over and over for bud storage. (The flat metal lid is only recommend for one use if actually canning foods but the metal ring can be used until it wears out.)

You can look for sales on jars at supermarkets or local hardware stores. The big box home improvement stores do not carry them so no point in checking there. I have seen a dozen quart jars going on sale for about $12 to $14 for a 12 pack with new ring and lid.

If you stop at garage or yard sales you might find used ones there but watch the price. I would think that 50 cents each for a canning jar is a decent price especially if the metal band or ring is included. Another year or two and the people who bought up everything home canning related that they could in the first couple of months of the pandemic will start to sell off some of the stuff on the used market. Watch out for some long time home canning folk who might be trying to sell old glass mayonnaise or salad dressing jars mixed in with the real canning jars. If so, then offer about 20 to 25 cents each for those. Almost always the regular canning jar lids and rings will fit the old glass jars but not the newer plastic jars.

Also, what's the burping schedule?

Depends on the drying method. If the traditional hang until dry or put in paper bags on a shelf until dry then once in the jars the recommendation seems to be burp once or twice a day for the first couple of weeks or up to a month. And then once every couple of days or once a week. You will get used to how the buds smell and feel as the curing takes place.

Many using the "low and slow method" of putting the weed into a paper bag and letting it dry in the refrigerator for a week or more find that another week or two longer in the fridge handles the cure and some of them report not even having to burp. This method takes a bit of practice but it does work very well.

 

[SensibleSal66]

I experimented with some of them and they are OK to use but I do not recommend it. Emergency use then yes, but not long term. A small plastic jar with a nice lid would be OK for a traveler when going to visit family or friends for the weekend, etc.

The plastic tends to absorb smells from the previous content and it might not be noticeable until the jar has been kept closed for a couple of weeks. Another thing I noticed is the the plastic jars and plastic or metal lids do not seal up as nicely as glass canning jars and the canning lids with rings. Real canning jar lids and rings can be used over and over and over for bud storage. (The flat metal lid is only recommend for one use if actually canning foods but the metal ring can be used until it wears out.)

You can look for sales on jars at supermarkets or local hardware stores. The big box home improvement stores do not carry them so no point in checking there. I have seen a dozen quart jars going on sale for about $12 to $14 for a 12 pack with new ring and lid.

If you stop at garage or yard sales you might find used ones there but watch the price. I would think that 50 cents each for a canning jar is a decent price especially if the metal band or ring is included. Another year or two and the people who bought up everything home canning related that they could in the first couple of months of the pandemic will start to sell off some of the stuff on the used market. Watch out for some long time home canning folk who might be trying to sell old glass mayonnaise or salad dressing jars mixed in with the real canning jars. If so, then offer about 20 to 25 cents each for those. Almost always the regular canning jar lids and rings will fit the old glass jars but not the newer plastic jars.


Depends on the drying method. If the traditional hang until dry or put in paper bags on a shelf until dry then once in the jars the recommendation seems to be burp once or twice a day for the first couple of weeks or up to a month. And then once every couple of days or once a week. You will get used to how the buds smell and feel as the curing takes place.

Many using the "low and slow method" of putting the weed into a paper bag and letting it dry in the refrigerator for a week or more find that another week or two longer in the fridge handles the cure and some of them report not even having to burp. This method takes a bit of practice but it does work very well.

Thanks for replying! How long is the curing process? Ballpark figure in days.
P.S Some of the containers have some condensation in them. Open them for a while? How do I get them dried like the dispensaries? Thanks!!

 

[CaptainLucky]

Thanks for replying! How long is the curing process? Ballpark figure in days.
P.S Some of the containers have some condensation in them. Open them for a while? How do I get them dried like the dispensaries? Thanks!!

You should be using hygrometers to measure the RH. I keep mine at 64% and if you’re getting condensation you might not have dried long enough. You really have to monitor the humidity. CL

 

[Chuckeye]

Short answer, link in my signature

Cheers

 

[SmokingWings]

Thanks for replying! How long is the curing process? Ballpark figure in days.
P.S Some of the containers have some condensation in them. Open them for a while? How do I get them dried like the dispensaries? Thanks!!

The curing process is separate from the drying process.

If dried in a paper bag on an out of the way shelf at room temperature it can be 5 to 10 days depending on things like how much moisture was is still in the stems and buds to how high/low the room or house humidity. The old fashioned testing of dryness is to bend twig or stem to feel for the snap. Then into the jars and the curing can take about another 2 or 3 weeks, maybe up to four.

If the drying is the "low and slow" method taking place in the refrigerator then it can take me 10 to 20 days depending on the moisture in the stems/buds. Then the old fashioned bend and snap on a stem and checking the buds, sometimes up to another 4 to 6 days. Mostly by the time the time I get to that point most of the cure is finished so into the jars. Any remaining cure is just opening the jars once a day for 3 to 4 days. Many people tell me that by the time the buds are going from bag to jar it is ready and any further cure is just a bonus.

Some of the containers have some condensation in them. Open them for a while?

There should be no condensation in the containers so open them and dump into large kitchen bowl for a day or so to get rid of any excess moisture. Then into a brown paper bag and back to one of the methods mention above. You want to control every stage of the game and the condensation is a way of saying that the moisture is in control.

I have read people mentioning that they dry in the jar or container but I cannot imagine how it can happen if they have the lid on it.

I have not bought any hygrometers to measure the RH in the jar and stopped using the humidity packs several years ago. Still keep a few packs around for the occasional interesting situation.

 

[KeithLemon]

I just bought 12 mason jars from Walmart for $16 bucks and had them delivered. Ordered on Saturday had them at noon time on Sunday. They are real mason jars. I bought quart size, which is large, but the 16 oz jars are the same price and may be cheaper.

 

[Roy Growin]

I use large plastic air tight boxes for a few days between hanging and the jar

This is a hack - not gospel!
To remove the last bit of excess moisture, I lay a sheet of warm, dry kitchen towel over the buds
Then seal it up and leave it somewhere warm-ish [on top of a lamp]
Place a bag of frozen peas, cold beer or whatever on the lid and the condensation will quickly form inside of the lid
Wipe it off every 10 mins and let it completely cool down again [important as it's often drier by the time it's cooled]
Replace with dry tissue and repeat if necessary up to 2-3 times with a shake between each cycle
After that open it up daily and give them a little shake/fresh air for about a week
Maybe do a trial run with a sample bud, see if it works for you

Very approximate rule of thumb:
2 weeks - smokeable if you're desperate
4 weeks - ok, but probably not there yet
6-8 weeks - flavour starts to come through
12 weeks+ - cured but sometimes improves further with age

 

[SmokingWings]

12 weeks+ - cured but sometimes improves further with age

Then in some cases it is very surprising how much better after a year, like a fine wine, whiskey or cigar tobacco ages for the better over time..

 

[SensibleSal66]

Then in some cases it is very surprising how much better after a year, like a fine wine, whiskey or cigar tobacco ages for the better over time..

Thanks! I'll just keep doing what should be done. Just keep an eye on Humidity level which is around 50% now and the container burping. What else am I missing? Anything?
Thanks!

 

[Chuckeye]

Thanks! I'll just keep doing what should be done. Just keep an eye on Humidity level which is around 50% now and the container burping. What else am I missing? Anything?
Thanks!

Uh, are you saying your buds are 50% In The Container ?

If so, you are way past the need to burp...

58 - 62 % is the ideal.

Cheers

 

[SensibleSal66]

Uh, are you saying your buds are 50% In The Container ?

If so, you are way past the need to burp...

58 - 62 % is the ideal.

Cheers

Sorry for miscommunication. I mean about 50%-59% in the closet that they're in. I don't have humidity units small enough to fit in Quart size containers.
Also, each one is just about a tad less than half full. Is this appropriate?
Cheers back...

 

[KeithLemon]

If you can get some small hygrow meters they have them at amazon cheap.

 

[SensibleSal66]

If you can get some small hygrow meters they have them at amazon cheap.

Thanks man. Cheap is my middle name. Geez, Amazon has everything!

 

[KeithLemon]

I think you can order them from Walmart too.

 

[CaptainLucky]

Thanks man. Cheap is my middle name. Geez, Amazon has everything!

Be careful what ones you order cause I got the cheapest ones and all of them were off. CL

 

[Machineguntoker420]

Canning jars R cheap IF u kno where to go like Stinkmart. I say even used canning jabs b great 4 da price. O never mind me I'm still comatose from a brownie ate last night. I added an 1/8th of garlic breath, 1 gram of blonde hash and half oz. of DOG 2.0 strain for 1 cup of coco oil. I decarbed and used the crock-pot method with water for 4 hours on low. Than strain n let oil separate on top of h2o. made the brownies n used 2/3rds of a cup oil 4 batch. It is strong as F**K. Ate a 2x2 " piece and done. finished and slightly tripping than looked for the bed to drop on. Awake n still baked! NEED COFFEE MY FINE FEATHERED FRIEND.

 

[SensibleSal66]

Canning jars R cheap IF u kno where to go like Stinkmart. I say even used canning jabs b great 4 da price. O never mind me I'm still comatose from a brownie ate last night. I added an 1/8th of garlic breath, 1 gram of blonde hash and half oz. of DOG 2.0 strain for 1 cup of coco oil. I decarbed and used the crock-pot method with water for 4 hours on low. Than strain n let oil separate on top of h2o. made the brownies n used 2/3rds of a cup oil 4 batch. It is strong as F**K. Ate a 2x2 " piece and done. finished and slightly tripping than looked for the bed to drop on. Awake n still baked! NEED COFFEE MY FINE FEATHERED FRIEND.

Thanks man!
Got another issue. Some of my Buds are like wet spinach after drying them as much as "dry to the touch". I've decided to take them out of the containers and back into the drying stage. Is this smart to do?
Thanks again all!

 

[SmokingWings]

Got another issue. Some of my Buds are like wet spinach after drying them as much as "dry to the touch". I've decided to take them out of the containers and back into the drying stage. Is this smart to do?

It does not sound right that some are dry and some are wet spinach. How long have your buds been drying? What method or how are you drying?

Have you used the "snap the stem" test for finding out if the buds are close to the proper stage of being dry?

"dry to the touch" should include dry enough that the buds will break up nicely so that they can go into a grinder for starters.

Keep this in mind .....

There should be no condensation in the containers so open them and dump into large kitchen bowl for a day or so to get rid of any excess moisture. Then into a brown paper bag and back to one of the methods mention above. You want to control every stage of the game and the condensation is a way of saying that the moisture is in control.

Just my opinion but do not put the buds into the plastic containers to dry. They buds on top will be able to breathe and loose moisture but the moisture in ones below will take a whole lot longer. One of the reasons so many old timers would hang their harvest or put it into paper bags. We want to be in control of how fast or slooow the drying takes.