Fresh Harvest Infused Cannabis Oil

[Scoooter]

Ok I think I did this right.

It is view only then you can download it and play from there. Let me know if I missed something or it needs revisions.

Dosage Spreadsheet - Google Sheets

Thanks for suggesting it InTheShed!

 

[InTheShed]

Ok I think I did this right.

It is view only then you can download it and play from there. Let me know if I missed something or it needs revisions.

Dosage Spreadsheet - Google Sheets

Thanks for suggesting it InTheShed!

Just downloaded and opened in Excel and seems to work great. Won't have time to test until tomorrow but a huge THANK YOU for getting this out to the 420mag community. Most excellent

 

[SweetSue]

Wow, Scoooter. Thank you for sharing this. Your spreadsheet tipped me over the edge. My husband has been sharing awesomeness from 420 with me for months and I've done some reading/lurking but... What can I say? I love a great spreadsheet!

This is my very first post so I can't PM you yet. Could you please send me a message with your spreadsheet? I just finished running approximate strengths for the honey, oil & tinture we just made, but it would have been a lot easier to plug the numbers in! Thanks again!

Farm Girl. We couldn't be more pleased to have you join us. Don't worry. In no time at all you'll be up to 50 posts and PMs will become part of your world too.

 

[SweetSue]

Ok I think I did this right.

It is view only then you can download it and play from there. Let me know if I missed something or it needs revisions.

Dosage Spreadsheet - Google Sheets

Thanks for suggesting it InTheShed!

Thank you for pulling it together Scooter.

 

[Ms Stank]

Ok I think I did this right.

It is view only then you can download it and play from there. Let me know if I missed something or it needs revisions.

Dosage Spreadsheet - Google Sheets

Thanks for suggesting it InTheShed!

Thanks for sharing that, Scoooter! I'm like Farm Girl in that I'm more of a lurker than poster, so I am far from my 50 post minimum to use PMs.

 

[SweetSue]

Thanks for sharing that, Scoooter! I'm like Farm Girl in that I'm more of a lurker than poster, so I am far from my 50 post minimum to use PMs.

Ms Stank. How delightful to have you join us. It won't be long before you're up to the required 50 posts.

That makes two new canna wives in the past couple days. There's power in numbers girls. Let's have some fun.

I've had a tremendous run of good luck today. I'm getting ready to do my first batch of oil in the pressure cooker, and I had one more small thing to find - a small stainless bowl to sit inside for pot-in-pot cooking. Hahaha! I just realized this qualifies as pot-in-pot-in-pot cooking.

I make small batches of oils, sometimes with as little as 1/4 cup of oil, so it was necessary to track down a stainless dish that would easily hold up to a cup of oil, and still fit in the Instant Pot Duo Mini, which only has a 3 quart capacity. On my way home from wandering through stores, unsuccessfully seeking said bowl I passed a new neighborhood thrift shop. After convincing myself it'd be crazy to not at least stop to look I stepped in

and found my bowl, right inside the front door. The only stainless bowl she had on the premises.

Great capacity for small batches.

The lip makes it easier to pick up.

It fits perfectly. I can top it with an aluminum foil tent to keep out moisture, but still let gasses escape.

Exactly what I was looking for, and a bargain at $1. *contended sigh* Tomorrow I make oil.

 

[dynamo1]

I would be unable to "pass " a new thrift store, I have picked up a lot of other peoples hand me downs and re-purposed it .

 

[Farm Girl]

I can top it with an aluminum foil tent to keep out moisture, but still let gasses escape.

Hi Sweet Sue-

Thanks for the warm welcome- 420 is such a great community! I've got a couple questions about your proposed method -pot in pot in pot... You may have already thought all the through, but- Are you adding water to the oil/cannabis mix in your bowl? Have you tested bringing your bowl/aluminum foil system up to pressure without the cannabis? I'd hate to see you waste any product!

I'd be concerned about the oil temperature inside your inner bowl if it's not mixed with water. I'm also a little worried about the integrity of your foil since everything is going to be under pressure- I think it's going to crumple. Have you used this aluminum foil method in a pressure cooker previously? I have 'fear of pressure cooker' that I am slowly overcoming- forgive me for being a nervous nelly!

Every resource I can find tells you NEVER to pressure cook using oil instead of water- you can start fires, destroy your cooker etc. When you cook under pressure your boiling point increases. For water, in the instant pot at low pressure (5.8 psi) the temp will be in decent decarb range, 230ish, but I was not able to find a table for the temperature of oil at the same pressure. It could be higher, by a lot. When we decided to use the instant pot, I assumed that the water mixed with our cannabis and oil would provide a buffer for the temperature- and I think it did, because it worked great, though I don't know what temperature we actually hit. I'm looking for someone who's physics is a little fresher than mine to tell me not to worry. Good luck with the cook- can't wait to hear how it comes out!

 

[walleye]

Just finished a pressure cook Psycros' method. What you are showing seems an improvement as I feel some cannabinoids may be water soluble . Does any one get effects from drinking the strained water? Yuk!? That would mean meds are lost to the water. I don't understand if water helps infusing when mixed with the oil, but that would imply that something is water soluble? The oil in a separate bowl is being heated to the water steam temp (slightly above 212 degrees) if up on the stand that comes with many press cookers. This would keep the oil bowl up/off the heater element. I can't see this being a problem, being static, but, let us know Sue!!PS I think the foil should be domed so condensate doesn't drip below into oil.

 

[SweetSue]

Hi Sweet Sue-

Thanks for the warm welcome- 420 is such a great community! I've got a couple questions about your proposed method -pot in pot in pot... You may have already thought all the through, but- Are you adding water to the oil/cannabis mix in your bowl? Have you tested bringing your bowl/aluminum foil system up to pressure without the cannabis? I'd hate to see you waste any product!

I'd be concerned about the oil temperature inside your inner bowl if it's not mixed with water. I'm also a little worried about the integrity of your foil since everything is going to be under pressure- I think it's going to crumple. Have you used this aluminum foil method in a pressure cooker previously? I have 'fear of pressure cooker' that I am slowly overcoming- forgive me for being a nervous nelly!

Every resource I can find tells you NEVER to pressure cook using oil instead of water- you can start fires, destroy your cooker etc. When you cook under pressure your boiling point increases. For water, in the instant pot at low pressure (5.8 psi) the temp will be in decent decarb range, 230ish, but I was not able to find a table for the temperature of oil at the same pressure. It could be higher, by a lot. When we decided to use the instant pot, I assumed that the water mixed with our cannabis and oil would provide a buffer for the temperature- and I think it did, because it worked great, though I don't know what temperature we actually hit. I'm looking for someone who's physics is a little fresher than mine to tell me not to worry. Good luck with the cook- can't wait to hear how it comes out!

Sorry to leave you waiting Farm Girl. Hang around me long enough and you'll see I sometimes get pulled into the medicinal threads and don't check in on a question I asked for days. I can't tell you how much I appreciate everyone's patience with me.

I share your "nervous Nellie" tendencies with pressure cooking. I think our fears are based around the ones that sit on the burner though. These electric models are wonderful, aren't they? Nearly foolproof.

I had no trouble with the loose aluminum foil cover on the bowl inside the chamber, and no water dripped into the oil, that I could see.

Thanks walleye, for the heads up on doming the foil. I didn't do that this time, but I will next. This time it was a non-issue.

Ok..... So the pressure cooker may be doing many things, but total decarb of this pot-in-pot method isn't one of them. After reading what walleye said I think it's a matter of the oil in the bowl being too cool for decarb. We want between 220 F and 235 F for that hour.

I can see how doing the FHO with plant material, oil, and water together in the chamber might work, and when I harvest the next CBD Critical Cure in about a month I may give it a go. I'll do a hot oil bath with that one as well, to see how effective it is. I have the same concerns walleye has about the added water though.

175 ml of EVOO.....

35 grams of buds dried low and slo...

Blended into an indeterminate sludge.....

Into the pressure cooker with a loose foil lid to let the gasses escape. I put 3 cups of water into the chamber.

Turned off the "Keep warm" function.

It took just under 30 minutes for the float to drop. I opened it up to see what I had.

The 3 cups of water was adequate. There's plenty left in the chamber.

Decarb was actively engaged, so I recovered it, closed it up and left it to cool naturally. I intended to do a hot oil bath to see how much was left undecarbed.

It started bubbling within five minutes, as soon as the hot oil bath got up to temperature.

And then it continued to bubble away aggressively for 80 minutes. Yes, I was disappointed, but this is an experiment.

Finally quiet enough to jar up.

With the liquid sunflower lecithin added I recovered just under 150 ml. It's setting in the fridge overnight. I'll do capsules tomorrow.

I'm hoping the FHO in the chamber decarbs better. So far every method I've tried to get away from the hot oil bath has been problematic.

I have a habit of licking the utensils, and after squeezing the beejeezers out of the pulp ball I licked every bit off the fingers and hands too. I. Am. Buzzed.

So guys, any ideas on how a pot-in-pot arrangement could be made to work in the cooker? I'd really like to eliminate that hot oil. I detest the smell of oil particles in my home. I've never been one to fry foods for this very reason. If there's any way to get good decarb of these small batches of oil I want to find it.

 

[Amy Gardner]

Thanks Sue, that actually helps some of my current confusion about methods & decarbing that I posted about over in the study hall (dry bud, fresh harvest, low temp long time, quicker times etc. - so many options!).

So this one was a dry bud not a FHO, is that right?

It sounds like their is always a long time needed to decarb regardless of how you do it?

.

 

[walleye]

I have done both FHO and dry bud oil now, 4 cups water mixed with 2 cups olive oil. Brought to boil with lid off, stir and cover. 2 hrs at low press. Little odor, this 16 qt electric press cooker has a condensate trap so nothing vents once pressure is established. This dry bud oil I tested was ok, then a couple days later I added Thieves and Lemon essential oils to my THC oil- wow. I don't remember Friday!! 1 drop each per 10 ml . I only got 350 ml back from the 500 ml but I didn't want to break Dianes' garlic smasher or I may have got more!! I really like the essential oils aroma and I think it may have added a kick. Thieves has a few terps in it.

 

[Blew Hiller]

I'm hoping the FHO in the chamber decarbs better. So far every method I've tried to get away from the hot oil bath has been problematic.

So guys, any ideas on how a pot-in-pot arrangement could be made to work in the cooker? I'd really like to eliminate that hot oil. I detest the smell of oil particles in my home. I've never been one to fry foods for this very reason. If there's any way to get good decarb of these small batches of oil I want to find it.

We did it twice in the InstantPot (IP) on our kitchen counter and there was absolutely no smell. I am missing the potential problematic issues of a "small" batch, especially since your IP is half the volume that we used. Did you consider running the entire FHO through the IP, per SOP, once again to achieve a better decarb? You might be getting another test batch of CB Dream with your soap so you don't have to wait another month.

 

[walleye]

I wonder if every ones pressure cookers are same. Mine does not vent much, if any, once pressure pops the red float up. This is to vent the air out of pressure chamber, then pops up and seals chamber. The pressure relief is only a safety that does not vent, when in PRESSURE position. The clear plastic cup on side is a condensate trap that I have no idea, just catches a bit of water, no venting though.

non-venting press cooker

The red float and black vent/relief, in "pressure " position/won't vent-only safety now

Clear plastic trap on side- does every one have this?

These separate the water at bottom quickly when held vertcal briefly. Squirt water out into waste jar, then I squirt the oil in oil jar. Repeat a few times and done. It helps to use a tall narrow glass, but these do well also. EDIT: If you see the black relief on top. it has 2 positions. 1 is to vent so you can open quickly, but when cooking it should be in "Pressure" position, which is basically closed unless safety relief pressure is overcome. Only a safety, should not vent when in PRESSURE position, during cooking/decarb.

 

[SweetSue]

We did it twice in the InstantPot (IP) on our kitchen counter and there was absolutely no smell. I am missing the potential problematic issues of a "small" batch, especially since your IP is half the volume that we used. Did you consider running the entire FHO through the IP, per SOP, once again to achieve a better decarb? You might be getting another test batch of CB Dream with your soap so you don't have to wait another month.

It's the smell of the hot oil bath that I find disruptive to my olfactory system, and it's based more on emotion than anything else. I was raised below the poverty line, in neighborhoods where fried foods were commonplace and so were the roaches that fed on those dispersed oil particles.

With only one exceptional time when I adopted a fridge that'd been sitting on someone's back porch for a month, my home has been pest-free, but the memory of all those homes not as lucky as mine is deeply imbedded. The smell of cooking oil sends my senses reeling and creates a panic level I haven't overcome yet.

Next batch I'll follow PsyCro's instructions and do the batch fresh. Even using low and slo buds I realize the oil can't be the same as one freshly harvested. The true glory of this oil is the freshness of it. We're capturing something we don't yet understand.

walleye, mine doesn't vent either, unless I vent it manually. I love that big syringe. Where did you get that? Target sells that brand. I think I'll go looking after I get drenches done this morning.

Happy Sunday everyone. I'm always especially perky the day after making oil. Something about this process that fires me right up.

 

[walleye]

Oxo good grips, got at mall, Williams Sonoma store. Baster too, it is glass. These where best yet for separating, and the syringe works great for filling little dropper bottles! Side note, the magic bullet X gorilla glue oil(CBD:THC) is being used effectively for 2 human patients and 1 dog now! Pain management and the dog has many issues and is being treated holistically after a few surgeries. The dogs doctor read the oil procees and ingredients and told my friend that this was great. Much better than the hemp seed oil he had been taking. I hope, cause I worry about any down turns thought as my fault. She started him on 1-2 drops x 3-4/day and 1 drop of thc at nite, as that thc really knocked me out (slept). Thanks for all the help

 

[Farm Girl]

Thank you Sweet Sue & walleye for being so generous with your pictures and descriptions- it's so helpful! I'm so psyched that the foil lid worked so well, Sweet Sue. The pressure must have been equilibrated on both sides, so no issue. Sweet!

Two things, since your decarb wasn't complete: Maybe a longer low pressure cook? You could do 90 minutes (the max the IP will allow you to program). But. The fact that it continued to decarb for 80 minutes in your oil bath/double boiler suggests that the temp inside the bowl wasn't optimal. I'm thinking you should try a high pressure cook. You've tested (for all of us, thank you!) that you can successfully use your bowl/foil setup without catastrophe thumb. At high pressure, the water temp will be hotter- 239-245, but since you are essentially creating a pressure cooker/double boiler this might be the way forward. And your inner bowl seems to have prevented the oil from getting too hot, so it's probably safe to try it at high pressure...

Is there another thread about terpenes and whatnot being water soluble? I'm curious after your comments. We did a honey infusion, that is very potent (and delicious!) which I guess argues for the water solubility of active compounds. After I squeezed the honey from the herb, I used the remaining honey soaked cannabis to make a batch of "high chai" base from Wake and Bake (tea & spices), strained, then froze in jars to finish with milk, whenever.

We saved the water from our IP oil too, and I soaped with it, but might also try using it in lotion so that it doesn't go through the chemical transformation when soaping. Nose to tail plant use is the goal! I'm trying to come up with what else I might do with the water...if we still even need water?!? I also did a second oil infusion using cannabis from two batches of oil- I took my oily, leftover cannabis, added fresh oil and slow cooked it for a day. I love that there is no smell using the IP!!! I am experimenting with the "second press" oil in soap and other topicals to test formulation before I use full strength oil. It be handy to have cheaper/more accessible testing, but I'll muddle along without.

Also- as far as oil/herb separation goes- I've been thinking about this a bunch. I have a nut milk bag (basically fine mesh nylon) that works pretty well, but I'm going to get a small French press to try. Maybe French press, then nut milk bag. Walleye mentioned a tall glass- great idea! I'm ordering a glass graduated cylinder to help with oil/water separation and a couple medium sized syringes for the last bit my turkey baster can't get...

Happy Sunday! Thanks for all the food for thought. It's rainy here today- chai, anyone?

 

[InTheShed]

I'm trying to come up with what else I might do with the water...

Chicken soup!

 

[SweetSue]

Chicken soup!

Wow! That idea gave me chills. What a wonderful additive, and the garlic and veggies in the soup base would cover the tastes too, don't you think?

Farm Girl, we have a thread where they play with infusions and testing, in the search for better understanding and control of the decarb process in hopes of retaining more terpenes. You can find them here: Decoding the Holy Grail: Terpene and Cannabinoid Retention - Decarb to Extraction

 

[Farm Girl]

Chicken soup!

Great idea! I can't wait to start experimenting...

Thanks for the link, Sweet Sue! Good thing it's a rainy day...