Not many have heard of cannabutter. This is not a type of butter that you will use in the kitchen when you are cooking. This type of butter has a very specific purpose. This is butter that is often used to make edibles.
Most cannabutter is green in color. It is often the case that those who make cannabutter will find that the coloring is more yellow rather than green, and this is okay. The coloration of the butter has to do with the type of cannabis strain that is used to make the butter. It is perfectly fine for cannabutter to not be green in color, but this is the most common color of cannabutter.
Continue reading to learn about cannabutter and its uses. Also, continue reading to learn about the coloration of cannabutter as well as how you can go about making your own cannabutter.
What is Cannabutter?
When you think of butter, you think of the yellow-colored spread that is used often in cooking. We use regular butter to keep food from sticking to cookware, to give more flavor to bread or pasta, and to use it as a lubricant when someone gets their head stuck in the stair railing.
Cannabutter is not this type of butter. As the name suggests, cannabutter is a mix of butter and cannabis. This type of butter is most often used to make edibles, like brownies and cookies.
Cannabutter is a smoke-free option for cannabis users. While many use cannabis recreationally, there are some important uses for cannabis and cannabutter. The primary uses are:
- To help alleviate cancer-related symptoms
- To help fall asleep
In both of these cases, cannabis is medically prescribed. This form of cannabis is typically considered legal to use, as it has been prescribed to serve either of these two purposes.
What About a Brown Layer Under Cannabutter?
Cannabutter can be anywhere from a pale yellow to dark green in color. This is the result of the strain of cannabis that is used to make the cannabutter and does not mean that it will be either stronger or weaker.
Another factor that can affect the coloring of the cannabutter is the amount of plant matter that is used for the finished product. Using less plant matter will result in more yellowish coloring while using more plant matter will result in more green coloring.
Some have noticed a brown layer after they have strained their cannabutter. This brown layer is caused by sediments and plant matter. This layer may not look good, but it is not harmful.
If you want to solve the issue and not have the brown layer, you can use a fine mesh strainer. This often ensures that no sediments and plant matter form the brown layer.
How to Make the Cannabutter
While you can buy cannabutter from dispensaries in areas where cannabis is legal, you can also make your own cannabutter. The process of making cannabutter can be split into two main sections. These sections are known as decarboxylation and stove cooking.
Decarboxylation
This is the first process you need to go through in order to properly make cannabutter. During this process, you will need to bake cannabis before making your cannabutter.
When cannabis is raw, the main components are THCA (tetrahydrocannabinolic acid) and CBDA (cannabidiolic acid). When cannabis has been baked, these compounds go into their active forms, THC and CBD. These are the compounds that give cannabis its effects.
Steps
- Preheat your oven to 240°F.
- Place 14 grams of cannabis on the baking sheet.
- Cook for around 30 to 40 minutes.
- Stir and rotate the cannabis every ten minutes.
- The color should change from light green to dark green.
Stove Cooking
Once the compounds have been activated, you can focus on making the butter.
Steps
- Bring water to a boil at very low heat.
- Add regular butter to the water once it starts to boil.
- Stir the butter once it has melted.
- Add the cannabis mixture.
- Put a lid over the pot.
- Let it simmer for three to four hours.
- Stir the mixture every 20 to 30 minutes.
- The mixture is done when it is thick and glossy on top.
- Place two layers of cheesecloth over a container.
- Pour the mixture onto the cheesecloth.
- Let the liquid drain.
- Allow the remaining liquid to cool for 30 minutes to an hour.
- Place the bowl in the refrigerator until the butter has separated from the water.
- Scrape butter from the bowl and put it in a separate container.
- Store it in the refrigerator.
Conclusion
Cannabutter is often used to make edibles like cookies and brownies. While it can be bought from dispensaries in areas where cannabis is legal, you can make your own. Cannabutter can be anywhere from a pale yellow to a dark green color. The color is a result of the strain of cannabis used as well as how much plant matter is in the finished product.
