BudmanTX
Well-Known Member
no problem, hope it helps....i have a friend of mine down this direction that does this.....he runs a honey farm and does infusions as well......he also lets the bee's do the infusions too.......
Infused Honey, playing with different methods and recipes
- Thread starter LeastExpectedGrower
- Start date
BudmanTX
Well-Known Member
look for high quality moonshine too..
shredder4
Well-Known Member
So are you going to infuse the tincture into the honey then let the alcohol evaporate? Thats probably what id do. If it separates id look at adding 210S to keep the canna oil suspended in the honey. You could try liquid sunflower lecithin (without coconut oil) as an emulsifier as well, but it might alter the taste a little. Whatever you try, it's a fun project, eh?
LeastExpectedGrower
Well-Known Member
Whelp, I've made it this far.
Currently sitting in my freezer to start experimenting. My plan as of now (once I re-read the method do home-tinctures) is to play with methods to get this to integrate with honey effectively. Alas, my home lab is pretty bare, so most likely it'll be another mason jar situation. I have plenty of those and either a crockpot or a larger electric roasting pan for heat sources.
Note my optimism...I bought the 1.75 liter bottle.
Alcohol is not directly dissolve in honey, but in theory if you have a small amount of water in the mix, it should. Either way, having an alcohol based tincture for experimentation in the kitchen should be fun. anyway.
LeastExpectedGrower
Well-Known Member
Doing some research into using alcohol to infuse honey (given that alcohol/honey aren't soluble)...and my suspected path seems to be the right one. Found an article in Grana (international journal of palynology and aerobiology) suggesting that the scientists in question has success by heating honey to lower viscosity then using 10g of honey to 10ml of water then alcohol was added (in much larger quantities). So I'm going to play around with this idea and see how little water I can use in relation to the much less amount of alcohol I'd be using.
Milky Weed
Well-Known Member
I feel your pain, I’ve been trying to get molten honey candy to mix with infused oil it’s a trip. Lots of whipping and panicking as it begins to cement in my bowl lol.
LeastExpectedGrower
Well-Known Member
Well, here's the over under.
THC will remain in solution with alcohol, even if it has water in it up to a certain point. I *think* that I can get the alcohol to blend well with the honey as long as there's the water along to combine...but how much water is required, and is that too much for the THC to remain in solution without precipitating out.
Anyone have any ideas?
I have 14g of cured Northern Lights sitting in a -4f degrees freezer right now next to that bottle of 192 Proof Polish rocket fuel. Tonight my plan is to take two jars (that I'll also freeze) add the unmolested flower (I may snip it down just to make it easier to cover, since some of it is in pretty big chunks), then I'll add the hooch and start letting it mingle. From that point, I'll start the purification process. On at least one of the batches I'll do a water-wash process to remove as much of the 'green' as possible. I'll probably be able to figure out the precipitation point by the wash process.
Milky Weed
Well-Known Member
I don’t have many tips only one, I’ve worked with alcohol extracts a lot, even done some hot ones. try and mix this all as cold as possible, maybe not above 120f. The alcohol will evaporate extremely fast at higher temps. Unless you mix it jarred up, then You can use whatever temp you like. (I think). I flip mason jar lids upside down so they don’t seal and explode when I’m boiling alcohol in them.
LeastExpectedGrower
Well-Known Member
For the Honey, I'm going to aim at only heating a little to bring the viscosity down and make it easier to mix. Since, unlike the other honey recipes, the THC will already be 'free' in the alcohol, I should be able to do it without the heat. I just checked the 'flow temp' for honey...and it's 95f.
Yeah, I'm pretty much planning on keeping this one sub-zero. That's why I'm going to freeze the jars before I put anything in them, etc. The alcohol has been in the freeze for 24 hours now and the flower has been in for about 10 hours. I'll actually heat the cannabis back up to decarb in the oven but then re-freeze.
LeastExpectedGrower
Well-Known Member
Another work-remote day...and a nice 60f degrees outside rather than the cold/snowy that we usually have been hit with (heck, usually starts in October!)...Checked the bees and they're flying, added a few more pounds of sugar to their hive-top sugar shims since they must be plowing through their honey stores given the warmth and lack of any plants for them to hit up.
While I'm at it, I've de-carbed 3 batches of cannabis (250f in jars for 50m)...two of those went into the deep freeze to drop them back down to -5f degrees again. I did my best not to tear up the flower buds too much so that the alcohol could soak off the THC in the trichomes and leave as much of the 'green' in the plant cells. Those are going to stay in the freeze for a few days with some mild agitation just to get everything covered.
Each of these is 7oz of Northern Lights (had some of it last night in the Pax, and it's a good tasting & reasonably strong batch), and about 4oz of 192 proof vodka.
Note the super ratty lid rings...They're long retired from other canning/jamming but will be fine for 'working' this solution.
While I was at it I decarbed another 7oz of Tangerine Dream and we're taking another run at the 2-ingredient infused honey recipe. I think if this recipe has any chance of actually working, it's got to be less about the THC being in solution and more about the actual trichome being integrated mechanically into the honey. I find it hard to believe that this recipe is so prevalent on the internet (including some well known sites and seed sellers) if it doesn't work at all. The weed was solidly decarbed, then in went about 8oz of our spring honey. Instead of water-bath, we're just leaving the jar in a 170f oven all day. This cannabis HAS been crunched up a good bit and I've been shaking the jar vigorously for about 5 minutes each hour. The plant matter has broken down pretty substantially while doing this. After a day of this, I'll probably freeze the mix then thaw and re-heat before finally straining.
^^This mix ALREADY looks different than before. there's a lower strata that is pretty clean, then a layer that appears to be 'milky' before getting to the layer with the cannabis.
While I'm at it, I've de-carbed 3 batches of cannabis (250f in jars for 50m)...two of those went into the deep freeze to drop them back down to -5f degrees again. I did my best not to tear up the flower buds too much so that the alcohol could soak off the THC in the trichomes and leave as much of the 'green' in the plant cells. Those are going to stay in the freeze for a few days with some mild agitation just to get everything covered.
Each of these is 7oz of Northern Lights (had some of it last night in the Pax, and it's a good tasting & reasonably strong batch), and about 4oz of 192 proof vodka.
Note the super ratty lid rings...They're long retired from other canning/jamming but will be fine for 'working' this solution.
While I was at it I decarbed another 7oz of Tangerine Dream and we're taking another run at the 2-ingredient infused honey recipe. I think if this recipe has any chance of actually working, it's got to be less about the THC being in solution and more about the actual trichome being integrated mechanically into the honey. I find it hard to believe that this recipe is so prevalent on the internet (including some well known sites and seed sellers) if it doesn't work at all. The weed was solidly decarbed, then in went about 8oz of our spring honey. Instead of water-bath, we're just leaving the jar in a 170f oven all day. This cannabis HAS been crunched up a good bit and I've been shaking the jar vigorously for about 5 minutes each hour. The plant matter has broken down pretty substantially while doing this. After a day of this, I'll probably freeze the mix then thaw and re-heat before finally straining.
^^This mix ALREADY looks different than before. there's a lower strata that is pretty clean, then a layer that appears to be 'milky' before getting to the layer with the cannabis.
LeastExpectedGrower
Well-Known Member
...and a few days later...
Here's where we stand. I let the honey/cannabis jar sit all weekend. I read one recipe that suggested after however long you heat and let your honey infuse, you should let it sit at room temperature for 24 hours. That was a 'different take' than the others I'd done, and I wasn't really in the mood to mess with it over the weekend. I've re-heated it today so I can strain/pour, but this is where we are:
Note that the stuff below where the plant matter is floating appears to have WAY more particulate matter than it did the day I cooked it. I've been sort of assuming that if anyone gets the 2-ingredient recipe to work, its from having 'mechanical' rather than dissolved THC in the mix...so that means the trichomes must be agitated off of the greens and remain in the honey. As I re-heat this, I'm also doing a small amount of un-altered honey...I'll strain this into a jar then use the extra warmed honey to 'wash' the greens further.
For comparison, the first time I did the 2-ingredient recipe, this was the result:
^^^This has no real psycho-active effect but does have a REALLY effective sedative thing going for it. You don't get any feels but when you shut your eyes, you'll not move for a good 8-10 hours.
The frozen alcohol extraction process currently looks like this:
Probably not going to go too many more days, but it's been sitting at -5f for 3 days now. These buds were not crushed or ground, but left as whole as possible. Would love to strip out the THC but leave as much 'green' behind. I'll also similarly strain and 'wash' the greens with a bit more of the alcohol then at least one of the jars I'm going to try to water-wash the tincture a few times to remove as much flavor/color as possible.
Here's where we stand. I let the honey/cannabis jar sit all weekend. I read one recipe that suggested after however long you heat and let your honey infuse, you should let it sit at room temperature for 24 hours. That was a 'different take' than the others I'd done, and I wasn't really in the mood to mess with it over the weekend. I've re-heated it today so I can strain/pour, but this is where we are:
Note that the stuff below where the plant matter is floating appears to have WAY more particulate matter than it did the day I cooked it. I've been sort of assuming that if anyone gets the 2-ingredient recipe to work, its from having 'mechanical' rather than dissolved THC in the mix...so that means the trichomes must be agitated off of the greens and remain in the honey. As I re-heat this, I'm also doing a small amount of un-altered honey...I'll strain this into a jar then use the extra warmed honey to 'wash' the greens further.
For comparison, the first time I did the 2-ingredient recipe, this was the result:
^^^This has no real psycho-active effect but does have a REALLY effective sedative thing going for it. You don't get any feels but when you shut your eyes, you'll not move for a good 8-10 hours.
The frozen alcohol extraction process currently looks like this:
Probably not going to go too many more days, but it's been sitting at -5f for 3 days now. These buds were not crushed or ground, but left as whole as possible. Would love to strip out the THC but leave as much 'green' behind. I'll also similarly strain and 'wash' the greens with a bit more of the alcohol then at least one of the jars I'm going to try to water-wash the tincture a few times to remove as much flavor/color as possible.
LeastExpectedGrower
Well-Known Member
And done for the day...
Here's where the honey ended up after being passed through a double layer fine sieve:
You can definitely see more fine particulate matter in here, and I'm guessing that that's where the efficacy lies in the two-ingredient honey recipe. I'll try some tonight and see if it does anything or not.
I also filtered out the alcohol tincture. This is where we ended up:
One of these, I'm going to keep 'as is' the other will be evaporated out/down and then I'll play with it.
Here's where the honey ended up after being passed through a double layer fine sieve:
You can definitely see more fine particulate matter in here, and I'm guessing that that's where the efficacy lies in the two-ingredient honey recipe. I'll try some tonight and see if it does anything or not.
I also filtered out the alcohol tincture. This is where we ended up:
One of these, I'm going to keep 'as is' the other will be evaporated out/down and then I'll play with it.
LeastExpectedGrower
Well-Known Member
Just a follow up...had a big mug of tea with a spoon full of this honey (two ingredient honey recipe)...Worked just fine. I'd guess that compared to the coconut oil/cannabis/lecithin/honey version the potency is lesser. A kitchen teaspoon (rather than a measured teaspoon) provided a gentle but noticeable effect. Still believe that without an oil or fat involved this is based on mechanically removing THC from the plant by agitating it aggressively while being heated. The end product isn't transparent which further supports that notion.
I'd guess it's something like 25% less potent than the other methods, but actually having something that's the right texture/viscosity as regular honey is nice.
LeastExpectedGrower
Well-Known Member
Busy week away doing family stuff, but back at the LEG Compound now and I can say that I am thoroughly enjoying both the 2-ingredient honey as well as the 4-ingredient stuff. The 2-ingredient is more convenient for putting in things like tea but it does impart a slightly 'herbal' flavor (one that I find not unpleasant and certainly not skunky). A lil' dip in the jar with a spoon after dinner when the day is wrapping up is a completely pleasant experience.
...just the same, Mrs. LEG is less enthusiastic about it. But seems to be warming up to the ease and convenience of the PAX 2 we have in our kitchen cabinet. My alcohol infusions are here:
With one sealed up tight, the other has a filter over-top and is just passively evaporating down (decidedly not on a schedule here!). These are 'ice' infusions aka Golden Dragon, but dark because they really went for a good 3 days and looks like I really don't need to infuse for more than 15 minutes or so in the long run to get the THC dissolved. Not sure about trying to get it to solution with the honey, but going to play with it maybe for other things. Worth trying to water-wash some to remove off flavors and purify or not? What do you think?
...In the meantime, Santa showed up this year with a Joule Sous Vide unit.
Ostensibly for cooking (yes it's super-extra-fantastic...did haddock fillets last night and they were spot on perfection). But I think this may be the move-forward for decarb, and/or any other warm-temperature infusion with precision. It boasts an accuracy of .2f degrees and has a high temp of 208f.
I think my first project with this will be to decarb and make butter with this. Again, I'd love to make stuff with as low 'flavor' profile as possible for the fussy eaters so I think that ends up being a cycle of infusion and water washes to remove any 'greens'.
...just the same, Mrs. LEG is less enthusiastic about it. But seems to be warming up to the ease and convenience of the PAX 2 we have in our kitchen cabinet. My alcohol infusions are here:
With one sealed up tight, the other has a filter over-top and is just passively evaporating down (decidedly not on a schedule here!). These are 'ice' infusions aka Golden Dragon, but dark because they really went for a good 3 days and looks like I really don't need to infuse for more than 15 minutes or so in the long run to get the THC dissolved. Not sure about trying to get it to solution with the honey, but going to play with it maybe for other things. Worth trying to water-wash some to remove off flavors and purify or not? What do you think?
...In the meantime, Santa showed up this year with a Joule Sous Vide unit.
Ostensibly for cooking (yes it's super-extra-fantastic...did haddock fillets last night and they were spot on perfection). But I think this may be the move-forward for decarb, and/or any other warm-temperature infusion with precision. It boasts an accuracy of .2f degrees and has a high temp of 208f.
I think my first project with this will be to decarb and make butter with this. Again, I'd love to make stuff with as low 'flavor' profile as possible for the fussy eaters so I think that ends up being a cycle of infusion and water washes to remove any 'greens'.
LeastExpectedGrower
Well-Known Member
Figured I'd put this here to just keep stuff in one place, and this seems to have the most of my general junk in it.
Did a lower THC level batch of butter yesterday using my Levo infusion unit. First time I've made butter with it, and so far, I'm pleased with the result. I did about 6g of Tangerine Dream flower into 8oz of butter. Using the Levo for all steps.
-Dry stage at 115f for 3 hours
-Decarb stage 250f for 50 minutes
-Infuse stage 175F for 3 hours, 15 minutes.
The end product came out pretty good. Not 'green by any means:
I'm going to use it for some 'marshmallow treats,' this time with some chocolate/peanut butter Reese's cereal. The goal is to make a batch (8x
and have 16 pieces at ~10-15mg per piece.
I'll be interested to see if the 3:15 infusion time is enough to do that. The Levo has a spinner to regularly stir the infusion every 30 seconds or so...so hopefully it's a bit more effective than crock-potting. I'm not even going to water-wash this.
Did a lower THC level batch of butter yesterday using my Levo infusion unit. First time I've made butter with it, and so far, I'm pleased with the result. I did about 6g of Tangerine Dream flower into 8oz of butter. Using the Levo for all steps.
-Dry stage at 115f for 3 hours
-Decarb stage 250f for 50 minutes
-Infuse stage 175F for 3 hours, 15 minutes.
The end product came out pretty good. Not 'green by any means:
I'm going to use it for some 'marshmallow treats,' this time with some chocolate/peanut butter Reese's cereal. The goal is to make a batch (8x
and have 16 pieces at ~10-15mg per piece. I'll be interested to see if the 3:15 infusion time is enough to do that. The Levo has a spinner to regularly stir the infusion every 30 seconds or so...so hopefully it's a bit more effective than crock-potting. I'm not even going to water-wash this.
LeastExpectedGrower
Well-Known Member
And 90g of the butter (about 6+ tablespoons), 6c of cereal, 1/4 tsp salt, and 10oz marshmallows later:
I'll cut this into 16 pieces...which depending on how accurate THC calculations are will be 14.5 to 18mg per serving. The cannabis I used has a 'published' 24%, but I've really calculated at 17%, because I doubt it hits 24% and I'd guess is probably 20 or less IRL.
I'll cut this into 16 pieces...which depending on how accurate THC calculations are will be 14.5 to 18mg per serving. The cannabis I used has a 'published' 24%, but I've really calculated at 17%, because I doubt it hits 24% and I'd guess is probably 20 or less IRL.