Long Term Harvest Preservation

This sounds like a 'harvesting' question, but I'm curious specifically about the experiences of the outdoor growing community:

Some have claimed they keep their outdoor harvest until a few months after the autumn rush. The market trends higher in late winter and into spring, but how can you keep your product at its peak while in storage for 4-6 months?

I would like to ask the same question but for storage for over a year? The reason I ask is my weed turns brown over the year. I just keep in jars. I really need to come up with something better.

Sorry for semi jacking your thread OP. But I figure it fits the thread.

5150 said:

I would like to ask the same question but for storage for over a year? The reason I ask is my weed turns brown over the year. I just keep in jars. I really need to come up with something better.

Sorry for semi jacking your thread OP. But I figure it fits the thread.

Click to expand...

Yes, we're talking about exactly the same thing.

In my experience, cannabis looks darker as it ages, which I believe is a degradation of THC into CBN (nasty).

Then again, I've never had a sample perfectly sealed and untouched for months, hence the ongoing inquiry.



Has anyone successfully 'cured' their outdoor crop for 6 months+?

I plan on vacuum sealing my mason jars after curing. I'm going to stick some in the freezer and some in the fridge and others in a cool, dark closet. I'll let you know next year which works best.

i vacum seal jars and put in freezer with no problem at all

Yes, I have had weed last over 2 years in an old coffee can. I do my initial curing at 60% to 70% RH and at 50-55% RH is where I like to vape or smoke it. However, when I store long term I like to be at 45% RH or where it can crumble, but still feel sticky when I break it up. It also helps if you can stick it in a cold dark place, like how you would with wine.

getawaymountain said:

i vacum seal jars and put in freezer with no problem at all

Click to expand...

For how long have you stored it this way?

As long as you remove the air & moisture, you can store it indefinitely in a freezer. It's just not practical when your harvesting pounds. I should also mention, when I store dry, I freshen it back up when I'm ready to smoke it using distilled water. I learned about this on tobacco growing forum.

When I was younger I used orange peels or sometimes bread, but later I ran into mold so I never trusted those methods again. I eventually learned that the sugar in the peels and bread actually encourage mold to spread faster. Even with something as pure as distilled water you still need to be careful. The trick I learned is to follow the 70/70 rule. Never allow the temperature or humidity to exceed 70% RH or 70*F. Drying and storing in a cool place avoids both of these and that's why it works.

So if a fridge is available, use that. If not, use a cellar, basement, closet. or whatever you can that will let you stay under the 70/70 rule.