MMJ: Pass the Canabutter

Hey man. My garden keeps getting bigger and bigger, and trimming is becoming a hassle. Should I buy a machine? --Carp L. Toonelle

Congratulations on your success! Trimming lots of cannabis can be a drag, but you do have a few options. One: Suck it up. You don’t have to trim everything at once. Store your untrimmed cannabis in an airtight container in a cool dark spot and trim as you smoke. Two: Hire trimmers. Some work hourly (usually around $20/hour), but the best ones charge $200/pound and are very efficient and will make your pot look like a centerfold model for a high-end cannabis magazine. If money is an issue, invite your stoner friends over and offer them something like an ounce per pound trimmed. Three: Buy a machine. The initial outlay is steep ($4,000 or more), but machines work fast and won’t drink your beer or snore on your couch. Machines do have drawbacks: They are a drag to clean, and it’s hard for a machine to trim weed without bruising the THC glands on your beautiful plants. I’m sure your local hydro store can point you to a few good machines.

Have you ever heard of making cannabutter successfully with a pressure cooker? Asking for a friend. - A. Friend

Only if you’re making cannabis-infused chitlins. Seriously, just use a crockpot. Slow and low. Easy peasy. If you are in a hurry, make a “quick and dirty” cannabis-infused oil on your stovetop in 20 minutes.

How do you shop for the best deals? - C.B.D. Trump

Um, the internet? Weedmaps and Leafly are usually good bets. If you are talking about how to find good cannabis, use your nose. Look for weed that smells good, and don’t think expensive cannabis is always the way to go. And when I say “use your nose,” I mean it. Terpenes are the chemical compounds giving different strains their unique aromas, flavors, and “feels.” Different terpenes have different effects and it is my opinion that terpenes have more to do with a good buzz than THC. A high THC count doesn’t always mean high-quality bud. Most of the recent winners in the various cups I have attending all had THC counts below 20 percent, but they all had incredible flavor and great feels. I have found plenty of great cannabis on the mid-range shelf and even a gems in the “low-quality” pile.