How to Properly Cure your Buds - Dry and Jar Method

[shrike]

Can we get a consensus on a few time frames.

I'm a newbie and like to get things straight.

After chop I trim only fan leaves and leave the bud leaves on.

I hang to dry in a dark, cool basement for about 12 days using a fan, and the stems kink but do not snap, buds feel dry yet sticky to the touch.

P.S. cool dark basements tend to not be very dry in the NE !

Then I do final trimming, saving bud leaves for kief making. I cut the buds off the stems and loosely pack in mason jars. Then every day for about a month I open the jars about an hour, unless I forget.

Note: at this point I do not see any humidity building up in the jars, even when initially putting them in the jars ! Is this good or bad ?

After a month my buds are still pliable/bendable and very sticky but smoke well, yes the pipe will go out if not puffed on. LOL

The question is, are my buds dry enough to put in the freezer?
Should I stop opening the jars daily now?
Does it sound like the buds are dry enough?
How many month should I cure before putting in the freezer?
Should I forget the freezer and just use the fridge?
Should I forget the fridge and just keep jars in the fruit cellar?

I've read lots on the subject but time frames and storing vary wildly on the subject of drying and curing?

Shrike

 

[PassTheDoobie]

There is a reason for that

There is a reason for that

None of us are using anything like a controlled, consistent environment. No two set ups or conditions are ever the same. You immediately mention a basement. Out here we don't know what one of those is. Doing will clarify most of this for you. You don't have to open the jars for a specific number of hours or days. It is determined by the situation. If you are seeing ANY VISIBLE condensation in the jars, you may have rushed getting you pot in there a bit. The snapping branch seems to be the good trigger sign for when to put them in the jars. The big risk in this process is MOLDING! It can happen almost in hours, if not overnight. That is what you are being vigilent about. That is why you are burping the jars by opening them. You are trying to get the pot to the point that you can close the jars and leave them closed. And you want to get to that point as quick in the cycle as it is viable, so you aren't curing dried out pot.

T

 

[shrike]

Thanks passthedoobie. So If I understnad you then once you no longer have condensation occuring in the closed jars (which I never did) then the first part of curing is over and you can then store in the freezer? fridge, or the fruit cellar if you have one, or should you let them remain in the jars for a few months before long term storage should be attempted. MAN I got enough to last me F'n years!

Also, my bud is the consistency of tobacco about now. That is when I take a bud out of a jar and try to crush it between my fingers it doesn't turn to dust but compacts slightly sticky like tobacco ! Therefore, I must pick the bud apart to break it up before smoking in a pipe or joint, but I personally like this because it makes it very easy to roll.

You must realize that 20 years ago the pot I bought was like dust, stems and seeds ! So it has been a while for me LOL.

So is this moisture and rollability ok? or should i let it dry more but not necessarily to the bone?

I would hate to find mold in my bud after this hard work !

Shrike

 

[shrike]

So apparently the answer is, go fuck yourself shrike !

Thanks ! A Wads !

Shrike

 

[PassTheDoobie]

Is the bud stem snapping?

Is the bud stem snapping?

If you cure it right, it never gets "dried out" crumbly unless you just let it sit out in the air for a long time. Is the bud stem snapping? If so, and you have seen no condensation, you are probably cool. Without noiding out too much, skip a day and make sure there is no condensation, and then skip two. Like you said you don't want to fuck up..Get you nose in there too and smell for mildew. I have pulled the trigger too soon before and gotten mildew on shit I thought for sure was good to go. At a point, you will know it is definitely safe to keep them sealed, and then your experience will grow from there.

Don't forget, your three enemys that kill your thc are heat, light, and humidity. Those are the factors to keep in mind when storing. I have only used the fridge. Never done a freezer. You got about a year on your shit if it is absolutely air tight and chilled, before it would start to degrade in potency. (from what I understand. I never get enough for storage of that long to know)

T

 

[PassTheDoobie]

No one here would ever say go fuck yourself

No one here would ever say go fuck yourself

In my opinion, I think they sound still a little too moist. But if you respond to the last post that yes, the bud stem SNAPS. Put it away and check in a day and then another day. If you keep smelling and there is no mildew, button them up. You can cure in or out of refridgeration. This is actually doing a co2 conversion that allows the thc to be more readily assimilatable. Something breaks down and changes to something else or something er other. It will definitey make the pot better in addition to mellowing it's taste for smoking.

T

 

[Druid]

When the stems are dry enough to snap then the hairs and vegetable matter are super dry. Correct? so dry that they fall off when touched?

I use the jar method. I hang until the stem snaps and then into the jars.

What happens if you let the bud dry too long before putting in the jars? It seems that to me when the bud is so dry that the stem snaps then they are totally dry.

Here is a tip for those that are looking for a way to hang buds easily....

Paperclips. Hang your twine or wire like it says in the original post and then straighten out a paperclip and shove it through the stem. When the bud is still fresh you can push a paperclip through the tiniest of stems. Bend the paperclip into a hook and there you have an easy hang method.

 

[Druid]

Re: No one here would ever say go fuck yourself

Re: No one here would ever say go fuck yourself

In my opinion, I think they sound still a little too moist. But if you respond to the last post that yes, the bud stem SNAPS. Put it away and check in a day and then another day. If you keep smelling and there is no mildew, button them up. You can cure in or out of refridgeration. This is actually doing a co2 conversion that allows the thc to be more readily assimilatable. Something breaks down and changes to something else or something er other. It will definitey make the pot better in addition to mellowing it's taste for smoking.

T

It's called Decarboxylation. I believe that it takes 1 of the carbon molecules and replaces it with a hydrogen one.

official definition: the process of removing a carboxyl group from a chemical compound (usually replacing it with hydrogen)

Curing forces the decarboxylation by depriving the bud of oxygen in the curing jar. Curing does not start until the bud has used up the available oxygen in the jar. This is why it is important to fill the jar as full as possible because then you have less oxygen to use up. Remember that oxygen will degrade THC.

Bud will go through a natural decarboxylation process naturally over time if not cured at the expense of THC content.

Dr. Ethan Russo, head researcher at GW Pharmaceuticals once told me:

Cannabis taken orally is best heated to decarboxylate the inactive THC-acids into THC-proper. Older cannabis will have gone through this process on its own to some extent, but the THC content will also suffer.

 

[PassTheDoobie]

No

No

In my experience, if you have dried slowly as we have already described here, the vegetable matter is still very pliable. That is why you are storing them in air tight containers. They are now like tobacco, if you think about it. Completely combustable, yet soft and supple. Not dried out and crumbly. If you dry the bud too quickly, then you have that problem. That is one of the reasons for taking them down from hanging and put them in the paper bags. You want to get rid of the excess, most of the moisture, by hanging and then dry off the rest in the paper bags more slowly You can definitely have a soft supple bud that has a snapping branch.

T

 

[PassTheDoobie]

Again, please note!

Again, please note!

"Curing forces the decarboxylation by depriving the bud of oxygen in the curing jar. Curing does not start until the bud has used up the available oxygen in the jar. This is why it is important to fill the jar as full as possible because then you have less oxygen to use up. Remember that oxygen will degrade THC."

Thanks Druid! A fucking important point that no one has thought to mention in the process so far.

T

 

[Druid]

thank you. I am most definitely going to try the paper bag step next harvest.

Your awesome.

 

[PassTheDoobie]

Druid!

Druid!

Take a sec to breakdown Dr. Russo's comment in English. If you burn the pot to decarboxylate it at the point of smoking, what benefit is there to decarboxylate it through curing? I know it does, but did the doc say why?

T

 

[Druid]

He told me that in response to the question "Does pot have to be heated before it can be eaten" I assumed that burning pot deprives it of oxygen and the heat speeds up the process.

I have always understood that curing is mostly for taste and smoothness but it also helps activate some of the THC.

I dunno. I wish I was smarter when it came to chemistry.

 

[PassTheDoobie]

Thanks Druid, now I know to cook my pot before I eat it!

Thanks Druid, now I know to cook my pot before I eat it!

In my experience it definitely affects potency too. For sure. Not just my imagination. I do it for the kick in potency more than for any taste or smoothness issue.

T

 

[PassTheDoobie]

Last fun fact to know and then I'll get off it

Last fun fact to know and then I'll get off it

My understanding is that this chemical process of decarboxylation is the reason that a dry ice cure works, and has been said to increase potency. It isn't making it more potent. It is freeing up and giving you greater benefit of the tch already in the plant. It takes what you have to it's higest potential.

T

 

[Vapour]

There is a very descriptive article in the book Hashish! which explains the chemical reaction which takes place depending on how you decarboxylate. If you get into it you can produce some very potent product. Look into Bhang making aswell, this is a good way to learn how to do it.

Easiest way is a steel pan on a hob at 100-105 Deg's C and stur until dessicated. Remove and crush with mortar and pestle. Sieve and return to the heat. Repeat process and your done. Than all you need is too add one teaspoon of the final product to any yoghurt or fat based dairy product, sit back and watch the world bend.

 

[mybeans420]

one point not mentioned...
thc does not become phsycoactive until seperated from the water molecule to which it is attached. letting it cure longer allows any residual water in the plant to evenly distribute throughout the jar including the air surrounding the buds. when the jar is opened the build up in the surrounding air is dispersed resulting in lower moisture in the buds to be distributed when repeated. this is another way potency but not thc content increases. as stated before there is not more thc just more readily available.

now i'm just hypothesizing this point so take it with a grain of salt, the seperation of water, even in amounts that don't cause condensation, would remove an oxygen molecule from the equation. just a thought i had after reading the posts on decarboxylation

another point on slow curing regarding flavor is the conversion of starches to sugars in the vegative matter itself resulting in a better flavour and smoother smoke.
thats why when you smoke herb that was dried too fast it tastes like straight chlorophyl. the cures allows the chlorophyl to degrade

something i do that hasnt been mentioned....

instead of the paper bag step (i dont like piling the buds when they are drying) i leave them on the lines and drapes the thinnest sheet of plastic i can find (slightly heavier than saran wrap) over the lines and pinch closed at the bottom with safety pins for a couple hours at a time usually twice a day. when not in use i just roll the plastic up and pin the two sides together. i should note that i have used the same sheet for a couple harvests now and i keep it in good shape by putting strips of duct tape down the middle with a VERY thin gap between them for the string. i also use safety pins to fasten the sheet to the line. doing it this way has allowed me to stretch the line time to 2 weeks before jarring without any damage to glands that can happen when buds are put in the bag.

peace
beans

 

[mybeans420]

Re: Druid!

Re: Druid!

Take a sec to breakdown Dr. Russo's comment in English. If you burn the pot to decarboxylate it at the point of smoking, what benefit is there to decarboxylate it through curing? I know it does, but did the doc say why?

T

i think it's probably a combination of the two things. taste and potency. after all, well cured herb is better for you if for no other reason than the benefit of not hacking up a lung and burning up your throat on harsh improperly dried, uncured herb

another thought, but sheerly theoretical... if you have any residual moisture and the thc to which that moisture is attached is burned then its not phsycoactive and and could degrade because of the oxygen contained in the attached water molecule
h2 O

any thoughts on this theory?

 

[silvercloud]

I am new to this but do you cut the plant of at the ground or just cut the buds off are the leaves smokable,or can you trim the buds and continue to grow the plant and will it bud again.sorry for the dumb question .

 

[PassTheDoobie]

the chices are yours

the chices are yours

You can cut it off at the ground or just trim off the buds. YES THE LEAVES ARE SMOKABLE! But remember the smaller the leaf, generally, the better it is to smoke. When the plant is flowering, it will eventually die if not put back into a vegetative state. If you are talking cutting it off at the "ground", you must be talking about a plant that is outside. Impossible to reveg that plant without putting a light on it somehow. The flowering is triggered by the changing light patterns of the seasons. Indoors, you can trick the plant into thinking it is time to "grow' again. Outdoors? Never heard of it done, but you would have to get more light to the plant then it would be receiving for the plant to have gone into flower.

T