What am I gonna do with ALL THAT WEED?

I grew 13 giant cannabis plants this season. Now it's time to make a plan.

The 2024 growing season was generous in my bay area gardens. So, if I’m being completely honest I only have one garden, and it’s a small one. But I’ve got a dear friend with her own sunny plot near by, and we teamed up this year to have a collective grow. I provided the plants and potting soil, and she tended and watered the plants throughout the season. Together, we ended up growing 13 healthy cannabis plants in our two gardens and WOW. We’ve got way too much weed now! Out of the 13 plants we ended up with 5 1/2 pounds of sparkly dried weed, and another two gallons of fresh frozen bud that I’ll use to make ice hash later on this year. Trust me — 5 1/2 pounds of dried bud is a lot of bud.

Over the years that I’ve been growing, enjoying, and teaching about cannabis I’ve come up with a system to make the most of my grow. In the next several posts I’ll share with you my strategy for how to store, use and enjoy this bounty for health and well being. But not all varieties of cannabis are equal, and it’s key to know how each acts in the body. There are some uses and creations that need your freshest bud, and some that can wait.

First off, I want to get to know my weed. While I grow primarily from seed from the always excellent and reliable Grow it from Home and The Humboldt Seed Company, I dabble in making my own crosses. I know from reading the labels of the high quality seed that I buy what to expect in terms of cannabinoid ratios and terpene profiles. That’s a great start. But my own crosses are a total mystery! (In fact, my two home crosses this year are both from my “Miss Mysterious” line because I have NO idea what they will be like).

Image this: you know a farmer and she brings you a giant basket of peppers. There are a dozen different types, and you’re not sure what they taste like or how hot they’ll be. Some might be mild, some spicy, some are downright blazing hot. What would you do before using any given pepper in a recipe? Taste them, of course! You’d want to know how hot, floral, or savory each pepper is to use it the best recipe and not overwhelm your palate. This is the same reason why I like to get to know my weed before I use it in any preparations for myself or to offer it to friends and family.

How do I get to know my weed? I inhale. I grind some up, put it in my whole flower vape and enjoy it. It’s important for me to assess how any particular bud makes me feel. I start with inhalation because of the immediate onset and short duration of this consumption method. I’ll know in 10 minutes or so how stoned or mellow or giggly I feel, whether it makes me want to lie down or focus on a task, or watch a movie. I am also smelling the weed as I inhale, offering me ideas for use in chocolates, or savory dishes, etc. If you have lots of different types of bud, it’s especially important to try them when they’re fresh.

I recommend keeping a journal and writing down your impressions of each as you try. Assess the odor, the high, the effect on your appetite, if it makes you sleep or energetic, how spacey or focused you feel, and how potent it seems. Use the same amount of bud for each trial. For most consistency, evaluate different types of bud at the same time of day — maybe 4:20pm? But don’t take it too seriously and have fun!