Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Fine eight eight nine eight three seven seven Extension two twenty.
Speaker 2 (00:05):
Four CACAA Loma Linda. Listen online at www dot KCAA
radio dot com.
Speaker 3 (00:18):
Hey, hello again and welcome to Just Say No. I'm
your host, Maria Calabreson. You're listening to KCAA Radio ten
fifty Am one O six point five FM. Thanks for
tuning in to grow your no with some of the
smartest minds in the cannabis industry. Today, we're revisiting a
conversation I had with Penny Barthel, author of The Cannabis Gardner. Now,
(00:41):
this was originally taped around Black Friday last year. This
episode touches on the holidays, but its message is evergreen.
Yes pun intended, Penny Shares. Have grown your own cannabis
and making your own edibles, tinctures, keys and gifts is
more than why. It's a form of wellness, sustainability and resilience.
(01:04):
Resilience you ask, well, let me tell you why. With
access to cannabis, facing new legal threats and misguided legislation
looming large, learning to cultivate and create at home may
become not just empowering but essential. Hey, whether it's a
National Hemp Month, independence Day, a new year, or simply
(01:30):
a moment to catch your breath. Now is the time
to take cannabis into your own hands, literally by growing
your own plants and crafting your own creations. So if
you're curious about homegrown wellness, passionate about cannabis self care,
or just want creative inspiration to reconnect with the plant,
(01:50):
trust me, this is a conversation you'll want to hear
again and again and again. Let's dive in. This is
just say no. That's with a k an ow.
Speaker 4 (02:03):
By twenty twenty, Bank of America and Merrill Lynch estimate
that will grow to thirty five billion dollars, and many
experts believe it could eventually reach two hundred billion dollars
each and every year.
Speaker 5 (02:23):
Under sad on of dis guy, your bill, I can
see so much, Father, your Moses, You Moses.
Speaker 6 (02:51):
I'm a butterfly who is on the big gun, taking
me a while to get it. Had to live and cry,
to appreciate your life and watchie his words. When you
hold a name, when you hold me so close, someone
better and under your skin. I want to leave them
live so that I.
Speaker 3 (03:08):
Can be welcome. Penny, thank you so much for joining
us today.
Speaker 7 (03:13):
I am delighted to be here with you. Maria.
Speaker 3 (03:16):
Oh wow, Well we're privileged, and I know everybody's dying
to know a little bit about yourself and how you
came to discover cannabis and what listeners can learn from
your amazing book, The Cannabis Gardener.
Speaker 7 (03:34):
Yeah, thank you for that. I'm going to say this,
I came into cannabis very much sideways. I have been
spent a lot of my adult life. I always loved food.
I've a total nerd. I love plants. I am a
lifelong gardener, a cook. Actually sort of got myself going
with a food blog and on that I had a
(03:58):
couple of awesome recipes. One of them made it into
Sunset magazine in twenty seventeen. From that, I kind of
got acquainted with a gardening culture. I always knew that
there was weed in the Bay Area. I was neither
for it nor against it. I was just kind of
beside it. But about a decade ago, I discovered that
(04:18):
a friend of mine was put in a brand new
garden tons of sun and the person who was helping
her put that garden in had stage four cancer, and
he revealed to her how much. He used cannabis for
his own well being and to be able to help
him withstand the rigors of chemotherapy. And although she and
I were neither foreign or against cannabis, she thought, look,
(04:40):
I've got this great new garden. Why don't I grow
some cannabis for him? And gifted to him. And so
she passed me with figuring out how to grow it.
Because I'm just sort of an experimental gardener. I'm like, sure,
I'll try that. And I had some friends in the
Bay Area. We grew up a couple of plants together.
We had a terrible grow. We did not know what
(05:00):
we were doing. But through that I decided to do
the research to figure out, well, how can she grow
this plant. I fell deep in love with this plant,
just fell in love with it, started taking my own notes,
and went looking for a book that I could give
to her. And there was not a book out there.
(05:21):
There was lots of information for the commercial grower, lots
of information for indoor grows, but nothing that situated this
plant where I wanted to grow, which was in my garden.
Since that time of a decade ago or a little
bit less than that, I have been on the journey
of my own growing the plant and then enjoying it
and using and experimenting with it. I decided to go
(05:42):
a little deeper in and I went to Oaksterdam, which
is a school here in Oakland that teaches the cannabis industry,
teaches people to go and work in the cannabis industry.
So I took a horticulture semester. So I'm a certified
cannabis horticulturist. I came in sideways as a gardener and
a cook, and I ended up a cannabis author and educator.
Speaker 3 (06:03):
Would you say it's true of anyone who's part of
a backyard gardener that just has a love for plants,
that if they become acquainted with cannabis, it's gonna have
the same effect on them. They're going to fall in love.
Speaker 7 (06:18):
I think. So. You know, I've got friends who grow
it and don't use it. They have a lot of
good friends that they give it to, but they are
so in love with this plant. We'll get perhaps more
deep into the weeze is. Like I like to say
on how to grow it, but I'll tell you one thing.
It goes from a tiny little seed to in my
(06:39):
garden a nine foot tall monster of a plant in
four months. So from seed to drive bud in my
jar in five months. It's a really fun plant to grow,
real easy too, it is.
Speaker 3 (06:53):
I actually tried it myself, and we'll talk about that
too when we get to growing it at home. Today's
our Black Friday special edition, and we're going to take
all green take on on this Black Friday where we're
prioritizing wellness over consumerism. And did you know that Black
(07:17):
Friday originally started in Philadelphia in the nineteen seventies and
had absolutely positively nothing to do with shopping. I like
to make the metaphor that cannabis started out as a
Schedule one, but it really has absolutely positively nothing to
do with Schedule one.
Speaker 7 (07:35):
But no, really, I like to say this. I like
to say, cannabis was framed, right, Cannabis was framed. Doesn't
belong there, never did. It belongs in the garden. And
I love what you said.
Speaker 3 (07:49):
And Penny, you know who else was framed?
Speaker 6 (07:52):
Eve?
Speaker 3 (07:53):
I always like to say Evil's frame started in the garden.
It always starts in the garden, so they know. But yeah,
what happened with Black Friday. I guess the police used
that term to describe the chass that was generated from
(08:15):
shoppers wanting to get out early the day after Thanksgiving
to hit the sales, but they wanted he at home
in time for the Army Navy football game, and it
just was a frenzy. There were traffic jams and everything else.
So it got coined by the police in Philadelphia's Black Friday.
But then in the nineteen eighties, retailers grab it. Hey marketing,
(08:38):
let's make it this shopping extravaganza, and it's when the
stores finally went into black and became profitable for the year.
So we do say from your experience that this hands
on DIY approach rather than just even in cannabis, there's
(08:59):
so many bedmouthing them, but there's so many emerging brands
and products and gadgets. Would you say the dia hy
hands on approach has it's been more meaningful and sustainable
way to even nurture yourself, especially during the madness and
pressures of the holiday season.
Speaker 7 (09:21):
Oh yes, for sure, you can't. There are people, there
are young people today who who have grown up with
just dispensaries, and they think that you go to a
dispensary and you get stuff and that's cannabis. Someone it's
there's a big analogy between cannabis. I think in food,
meaning if you if you've never lived on a farm,
(09:42):
if you've never grown anything in a garden, and you
go to a store, there's a strong association between here's
this thing that I buy in a store, and that's
what we eat. Right. Well, there's a whole lot more
to food, of course than just going to a store.
And I'm going to say the truth that sat it
is true with cannabis. It's only very recently that cannabis
(10:05):
was considered anything other than just one of many medicinal
and I will call them culinary herbs in the garden.
But today, just like how Black Friday transformed, so recently,
that's a very recent thing. Cannabis just has never has
It's only recent that it's something you could buy and
that it was in preparations. That's brand new to the
(10:27):
human experience. But for all of humans, says here, let's
go back. Humans have been interacting with cannabis for we
don't even know how long, twelve thousand years fifteen. There's
documentation that goes a long time back, So we've had
a long time to experiment with cannabis and enjoy it
both as a euphorient something for health, for fiber, for textiles,
(10:50):
for food. You can use it for building materials. But
it's only post prohibition, which was really started in nineteen
thirty seven, and it still exists in some parts of
the country today that we've thought of cannabis as a
drug or b something you buy in a store. Those
two things are brand new.
Speaker 3 (11:09):
So for me when my.
Speaker 7 (11:11):
Relationship with with cannabis is very much as a being,
in a way, it's a plant. And by the way,
hot tip for gardening, you asked a little bit about gardening.
To grow cannabis is easy, but you have to know
the plant and then give it what it wants. That's
true for all plants.
Speaker 3 (11:29):
I just got to say, it's true for all everything
in your garden. Right, that's it, you.
Speaker 7 (11:33):
Know, like, how do you how do you grow a plant?
Will figure out what it needs and give it to it.
That's gardening in a nutshell.
Speaker 3 (11:39):
That's just and it's the same for parenting. Find out
what it needs. What what did you say the formula
was for planet?
Speaker 7 (11:48):
What does it need? Give it to it and get
it to it that's it. Give the plant what it
needs and it will respond with huge abundance.
Speaker 3 (11:57):
That's growing. That's and you you share the gift of
this abundance. I mean, just in the book, it's it's
it's incredible. I I really enjoy it. I enjoy reading
about the science of cannabis and the molecules, getting down
to the molecular structure. But this is just it's it's
(12:21):
such a unique literary work because you really do treat
it the way it should be treated like anything else
in your garden, or that you would grow and if
you don't grow, then that you would buy at a
farmer's market or eventually at a supermarket. So as we
(12:43):
dream ahead of our gardens for the spring, uh, what
would would we be thinking about now when it comes
to adding cannabis or I mean, do you use seeds?
How do you choose the seed? What? What should we
be thinking about as we're thinking about our spring.
Speaker 7 (13:03):
That's a great question to ask. If gardeners know that winter,
that gardening is year round, even if you're not outside,
your gardening in your head, and so winter is the
time when all the seed catalogs come to your door,
and gardener is just pour over the pages and salivate, Oh,
I'm going to grow this this year and this and that,
so what seed picking time? But with cannabis, I want
(13:26):
you to back up one step and ask yourself this,
especially now that when entering the holiday season you can
have perhaps some additional drain on your time and energy.
A lot of people have gatherings they need to go to.
Those with social anxiety might feel a little worn out
by these things. So ask yourself this in another year,
(13:48):
how do I want to feel? Do I want to
feel calmer? Do I want to sleep a little bit better,
maybe have less pain? Good? Because that is the first
question you ask yourself before you buy anything to grow cannabis,
which is a summer annual. What do I want to feel?
What do I want from this plant? And then you
(14:09):
can start winnwing down your needs and choose the right
seeds to buy. So that's the first step is going
to be. Of course, getting some information is very helpful,
and my book is a good source of that information,
so that would be another thing to buy. But you
can actually start deciding what do you want from cannabis,
And you have to know that before you can even
decide what type of cannabis to buy seeds for, you.
Speaker 3 (14:33):
Have to know the intention behind it. And I do
that with tomatoes. When I start dreaming and thinking about
my tomatoes, it's like, what do I want them for?
Is if for sauce? Is it for gravy? We call
it gravy in the East Coast Italians. Do I want
to eat it raw? Do I want it for a salad?
So it's it's you're interesting. Some people don't even know
(14:56):
what they could grow cannabis for. So can you just listen? Yes? One,
I sure can. Let me.
Speaker 7 (15:01):
One of the classes that I teach is called Cannabis
one oh one, and I teach this with my business partner,
Kesha through our business Wondering about Weed, And we offer
classes to adults and we start every one of our
classes with a question, why are you here? What do
you need or want from cannabis? And I'll tell you
here the top three things number one, top three number one. Pain.
(15:26):
People come in saying, you know, from little aches and
pains to big aches and pains, I've heard cannabis can
help with pain. Is that true? Answer? Yes? Absolutely. It
has wonderful health promoting properties and can be very effective
at treating especially chronic pain, inflammatory pain, but also neuropathy,
and there's more nuance to how that works. But that's
(15:49):
number one. Number two, how about sleep? You know somebody
said I should take a gummy? What do I do?
I've heard cannabis can help with my sleep. Yes it can,
and it's a bit bigger answer. There are a number
of different ways and different cannabinoids, which is a special
molecule group of molecules made by the cannabis plant. So
(16:10):
sleep is number two. Number three is anxiety. That's anxiety,
and so that those are the top three. I would
say health reasons or that people come to cannabis outside
of the obvious, which is I love getting stoned, and
I'll say yes, absolutely cannabis does that too. So that aside,
(16:35):
and we're going to say that that's why they call
the wreck market it's built. Is that I like to use,
say the term adult use. So there's medical and that's
often how it starts. People get warmed up from using
a medical license through state legislation, and that's how California started.
And then there's adult use, meaning you don't need to
(16:55):
have a medical reason, you can just enjoy it. Those
on the inside of cannabis with say, even if you're
using cannabis just to get high, it's still medical. It's
still going to do some good for your body if
you don't over consume. But those top three.
Speaker 3 (17:09):
Yeah, I agree. I mean, I mean, just like if you're,
you know, drinking orange juice just for the pleasure of it,
you're still getting You're getting health benefits. You're getting vitamins, say,
you're getting fital nutrients, you're getting fiber. All right, So
now I come to your orcshop and I say I
want something for those top three guide me.
Speaker 7 (17:28):
All right, here we go. First of all, I'm going
to ask you this question, how many well, oh, do
you want to grow? And let's just say you say,
how many plants do you want to grow?
Speaker 5 (17:38):
Maria?
Speaker 3 (17:39):
Well, I am going to check down to my local
county to find out how many I'm allowed to grow.
I happen to live in southern California, and where I live,
I've checked and as of now, I'm allowed to grow
up to six plants.
Speaker 7 (18:00):
Fabulous. That's far more than you could ever use. Truly.
Oh really, I'm going to say this, if you are
growing just for yourself, and you are a pretty average,
kind of new to cannabis consumer, but you'd like to have,
you know, abundant product at the end of the season.
I'm going to say you can get away with growing
two plants. I agree more than that, so you could
(18:21):
grow up to six and you can try that. But
let's just say you can you just grow two plants. Okay,
you could have at your disposal just about everything you
need for all three of those different things that we
talked about, sleep, pain, and anxiety. But there are two
different types of plants. They're both going to be cannabis.
They're both going to grow as a summer annual, but
(18:44):
one of them should give you a lot of THCHC
and little CBB. So I just used two words THC
and CBD that might be familiar to most of your listeners,
but if not, let me clarify. They are the two
most abundant cannabinoids found in the resin on the cannabis flower,
(19:04):
and those are the things that we're really after. That's
what that's why we grow cannabis for the large part.
So you want a high THHC plant, you have hundreds
of varieties to choose from. That's very common. Marijuana and
hamp are the same species of plant. They are both
cannabis satava. That's the botanical name for this plant that
(19:26):
we're all growing. Whether it produces a lot of THCHC,
a lot of CBD, some of both, or even other cannabinoids,
they are one species and they grow just about the same.
So you're going to grow two plants, one with high THHC,
the other one is going to be filled with CBD
in its ultimate product. So with those two plants, you
(19:47):
now have the braw ingredients to create just about anything
you could possibly make with cannabis. It's going to if
you want to lean on let's just say you're feeling anxious,
you want something to calm you, then enjoy some of
the plant that produces CBD. Let's just say you want
to get really elevated, Well, you're going to want to
(20:08):
lean a bit more heavily on that plant that gave
you a THHC weed. And for pain, it depends upon
the type of pain, but let's just say everyday pain.
You might have something you want to produce the pain
for in your body. Having a little bit of CBD
and THHC in the same preparation, that's the golden ticket.
So those are the only two plants now in my
(20:29):
garden because I just love this plant and there's huge variety,
not just with canabinoids, but then there's this other layer
called terpenes, and that's what makes cannabis smell, I think,
so delicious and so strong. At the end of the
growing season, you don't smell cannabinoids, you can't smell them,
(20:52):
but you can smell the terpenes. So know that that's
another class of molecules that this plant, and all plants
make terpenes. By the way, not all plants make cannabinoids,
really only cannabis does, but all plants make terpenes. So
you might have two different plants, both of which get
really big and look lovely, two cannabis plants. One smells
(21:15):
more like lemon and pine trees, the other one has
fragrances of vanilla cake and grape and cheese. It's amazing
the amount of delicious smells. But those delicious smells work
with the cannabinoids in your body to alter the perception
of the cannabinoids. So one might give you a high
(21:36):
that feels like you're like real focused and maybe a
little bit very alert and awake, activating, activating. We Sometimes
in the cannabis industry they might call that a set
of a leaning effect or a head high. Those terms
are really changing, but that might be the old way
(21:58):
of describing that high. Other even just with a high
THHC plant, you may have terpenes that make you feel
calm or sleepier, so those would be maybe called a
body high. And I will say that most of that
language body high versus head high. The keyword there isn't
the body or the head, but the high. So the
(22:20):
key thing to remember for people, especially if they're new
to cannabis, is to understand how much THHC or cbd
is in any given product, and then how potent is it.
That is the key determiner. Now, the nuances of how
that THC might hit in your body or in your
mind are going to be impacted by the terpenes, but
(22:41):
that is of secondary importance. So focus on first on
what's the cannabinoid content of weed fresh flower, butd if
it's dried that you're going to smoke it or vapor
or more importantly, in edibles, it's very important to know
how much THC and cbd that you're getting, and especially
how much THHC. That's really the one to pay attention to,
(23:03):
because that is the only cannabinoid that makes you feel
you for it.
Speaker 3 (23:07):
The others, well, that's a whole other reason to grow
your own, because then you can really know that with certainty.
Speaker 7 (23:14):
Yes for sure. So with that, Maria, you have every
ingredient that you need. If you've got a high CBD
cannabis and a high THHC cannabis, that's most of what
you're gonna need.
Speaker 3 (23:26):
I love dreaming about this. Now we're into the spring,
we're doing our garden, but then we're just coming off
of October Croptober. How do you like harvest it or
dry it, or cure it or store it? And when
is the best case used to use the fresher Just
(23:46):
walk us through. Now, Penny has a great substack article.
I have all this weed, Now what do I do
with it? We'll put that on our show page too.
Oh yeah, but if you could talk a little bit
about them, the harvesting it and the drying and the
curing it. It does feel a little overwhelming, but maybe
not yet.
Speaker 7 (24:06):
It is a lot. I will say for first time growers,
it's important to understand that you start with a seed.
Although you can buy these little things called clones, they
are not clones. They are rooted cuttings. I steal steer
all of my outdoor garden growers to seeds. They are healthier,
you have a huge amount of variety, and they tend
(24:28):
to be very strong growers. So you're going to start
with a seed. That's key great seeds. Other than good seeds,
you need a garden spot that has a lot of sun.
That's very important, so you can't get away with shade.
And you need good rich soil. You water it through
the summer because here in California we don't get much rain.
That's it in a nutshell of There are two of
(24:50):
my favorite seed companies. One's a grower in California, the
others in Oregon. Here's why I love both Emily Goggle
At Growth from Home and not Pennington's company, the Humble
Seed Company. They are excellent breeders. They are scientists. They
understand cannabis genetics and breeding. They have high quality seeds.
But they also offer and here's a key, they offer
(25:11):
feminized seeds because there's a special technique that you'll only
get female plants from there from certain of their seed selections,
so make sure you look for high quality seeds and
feminized seeds. Go to the Humble Seed Company and grow
from home. You can also order these online. They will
show up in your mail and that is probably the
(25:32):
greatest cost savings in the world. If you were to
get some high quality seeds. They have about a one
hundred percent germination rate. You need out of five seeds,
you're likely to get five plants, maybe four if you're
not terribly lucky, but that's a whole lot of cannabis. People.
I routinely get a half a pound of dried cannabis
(25:53):
bud from each of my plants that are full sized
plants grown in my garden. Let's just say you get
a quarter pound of dried cannabis bud from each of
your plants. That's a very significant amount of high quality
cannabis bud. So if you spend ten dollars on one seed,
which is kind of the going rate, it's still a bargain.
(26:14):
And so look for some high quality feminized seeds. If
you don't plant them all this spring, that's okay. They
will last for a couple of years and you can
plant some next year and the year after that, do.
Speaker 3 (26:23):
You have to do anything people to ask me all
the time, ask her or you're having petty barthol on,
ask her about propagation or putting seeds on paper towels,
or are they're all no, two plants is going to
be enough? N Yeah.
Speaker 7 (26:39):
Seed, it's an easy to grow seed. It's as easy
as growing as planting a seed for a bean and
watching it grow. They're really that easy to grow. But
you have to get the right seeds. You want to
get high quality seeds and feminized seeds so that in
top of your mind, I need to buy a feminized
seed so you won't have any mail plants in your garden.
(27:03):
You grow it throughout the summer. It grows beautifully, it
grows fast. Of course, there's a couple of tips and
tricks to that, so you know, you might need to
come to a garden workshop to learn that your first
time growing. But then come in California when we harvest
typical or photo period cannabis, which most of it is,
it's going to actually Los Angeles is going to harvest
(27:25):
sooner than for example, where I am in northern California,
and certainly sooner up than Oregon. Because it has to
do with changes in daylight. It is, and you have
changes that are a little sooner than up north in
terms of how daylight changes into nighttime throughout the seasons.
So you're going to harvest it in September at the
(27:47):
very latest October, almost all cannabis is then dried, and
we're not saving the leaves, by the way, we're not
saving the stems. We're not saving fruit. We don't want
it to produce fruit, which is seeds. We are saving
the unfertilized female flower bud inconsequential little flowers. They don't
(28:07):
look like pretty flowers that you would see in a
florists shot because they don't need to attract pollinators. They
are wind pollinated, so they're little thick groups of flowers
that we call colas. They're extraordinarily sticky with resin. They
smell inredibly strong and fresh and wonderful. And then you
(28:29):
dry it and boom, that's your weed that you have it.
It's ready to go by mid October, late October, it
will be dry and ready to use.
Speaker 3 (28:37):
And how do you store it.
Speaker 7 (28:39):
You store it in after it's appropriately dried. You just
pack it into either glass jars that are airtight or
mylar bags. These are food storage bags that kind of
look silvery. They're widely available online, and you want to
make sure that you're not using like a ziploc bag
(29:01):
or something that's polyethylene. That's not the best way to
store cannabis. You want to store it in a cool
spot in with no light. You don't want to have
direct sunlight on it.
Speaker 3 (29:11):
Okay, well, you could use a dark jar, or if
it's a transparent jar, put it in a dark space.
Speaker 7 (29:18):
Yes, a cupboard in a cool place. You don't want
to have great fluctuations in temperature, so keeping it, you know,
below seventy degrees if you have a basement or someplace
that's cool, that's a very good thing. It'll help keep
your cannabis fresh for the longest period of time. No
light and little oxygen because oxygen, light, heat, and then
(29:41):
time are the four things that make your cannabis lose
its peak of freshness over time. Cannabis good for about
a year and then I use it for something different,
but for fresh use dried cannabis, I like to use
mine every year, so I grow it every year.
Speaker 4 (30:00):
Matt.
Speaker 3 (30:01):
This is the fun part using it, so how do
we savor the fruits of our cannabiss garden? Yeah, I mean,
I'm gonna let you run with this, But I saw
something in here that caught my attention, something called a
vanilla bean infused CBB gummy. WHOA, You're not gonna find
that anywhere on Black Friday, let alone on sale. I
(30:23):
could tell you that.
Speaker 7 (30:24):
Oh, so I said at the beginning, I came into
the sideways, and I came in as a cook and
a gardener. Those are two of the best skills you
could possibly have for understanding and enjoying cannabis. I also
have a degree in nutrition and food science from UC Berkeley,
so that helped me with a bit of the biochemistry
that this fabulous plant gives us. But that does not
(30:48):
mean that you need to have any education in food
or gardening or anything. You can start out as a
I've never gardened before. I don't know what I'm doing
in the kitchen, and I'm like, you are in a
good company and you don't need to Once you grow
this plant. There are a couple of key things in
which you take the goodness of the resin on the
(31:09):
flower and you make it available to our bodies so
in my book we talk about how to make a tincture.
So that's my number one product that you would make,
super easy to make and it's very flexible. A tincture
is something that is probably the oldest way that people
have consumed cannabis, other than somaking it or inhaling the
(31:33):
charred vapor. A tincture is just do you take some
sort of spirit I like to use ever clear or
grain alcohol, and you soak your cannabis bud in it,
and then the resin from the cannabis moves into the
alcohol portion of that. You get rid of the plant material.
You've got this neat, little, very potent tincture. You won't
(31:57):
find tinctures. By the way, this is in displayes because
dispensaries are not allowed to sell anything with alcohol in them.
They will sell cannabis drops, but they are oil based.
Speaker 3 (32:10):
Okay, wait a minute, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I just
we're not doing a legal update today. But that's amazing. Dispensaries.
Legal dispensaries cancel anything with alcohol in them. But what
about the corner liquor store. Okay, I'm just saying, I'm just.
Speaker 7 (32:30):
Oh yeah, oh oh. The tangled web that we need.
If we just had left this plant alone, we wouldn't
have these weird distinctions. Right, let's just put it back
in the garden where it belongs.
Speaker 3 (32:41):
I did not know that they are because they want.
Speaker 7 (32:45):
To divorce or keep separate certain intoxicainst, one of which
is alcohol and the other, which is THHC. Say want
to okay, we can't let those two things mix because
that's just too put in and that sadly relates to
even the minuscule ounce of alcohol you would ingest taking
half of a milli liter of a very potent cannabis tincture. Anyway,
(33:07):
it's so inconsequential. But here's the cool thing. You can
make it at home. You can have it at home.
You can't buy it anywhere. It's just not for sale anywhere.
You can't buy this in a dispensary. You can't buy
it in a liquor store because it's.
Speaker 3 (33:26):
Very very cool. So the tinctures and dispensaries, it is
oil that it is.
Speaker 7 (33:30):
And they're wonderful. There's nothing wrong with them.
Speaker 3 (33:33):
But yeah, but they're not they're not worter soluble and
they don't mix. So well, go ahead, I'm gonna let
you on.
Speaker 7 (33:39):
Here is my starting point. If you just make one
thing from your cannabis flower, make a tincture. But with
any given flower, you can make two tinctures. You can
make one tincture with bud that's just dried, but it
has not been heat treated or decarboxylated, so you get
access to the raw cannabis, the raw canaloids in that one,
(34:02):
or you decarboxylate it, which is a pretty simple thing
to do. You just put it in the oven for
a certain amount of time and then you make a
tincture with that. You get a very different cannabinoid profile
we like to call it. So you have two different
products from one type of from one type of plant.
Just let's just say you grew one plant. Well, you
(34:22):
have a suite of you have two different main cannabinoids
going on there. One is the acid form and the
other is the stable form, the one that you are
more familiar with. So that's a tincture.
Speaker 3 (34:33):
You have in the raw form from the CBD plant,
you have CBDA and you have that in your tincture.
Or you could have TCA and that in your tincture.
Or you were saying you can apply heat to them,
decarboxylate them, put them in your oven, and then have
CBD or THC. So exact theory, you could have a
(34:55):
raw form tincture, or I like to take tinctures that
mix THCA with THC and CBDA with cbd. Yes, I
feel I feel a real benefit for pain doing it.
Speaker 7 (35:08):
You are and you have into it. It's something that
cannabis science is starting to reveal in the lab as well.
So having both raw and decarved cannabinoids or stable form
cannabinoids together are founding. Researchers are finding the best and
most profound health benefits from the combination of those cannabinoids.
Speaker 3 (35:29):
Wow, I experienced.
Speaker 7 (35:31):
That is that wonderful? So let's just think about that.
You grow this, you soak it into alcohol. After a
couple of days, you strain it out. There's a little
bit more to it, but not a whole lot more
to it than that. You've got this delightful, potent, little
transportable stuff. One of my favorite things to do with
it that you cannot do with cannabis oil drops is
(35:53):
to put it in a sparkling beverage. It is delicious.
It is wow.
Speaker 3 (35:58):
Now do you effect for the holidays? Yes, especially you know,
if people are cutting down on alcohol. You know, you
talk about sleep, pain, and anxiety. The alcohol's not so
good for any of those three. So a lot of
people are looking for something different. So wow, wow.
Speaker 7 (36:23):
And the second thing, Now, a lot of people might
be familiar with cannabis brownies. Right. There was a woman
named Brownie Mary who was super famous in the cannabis
world for sneaking in cannabis and few brownies to those
patients who are suffering from AIDS miserable. She'd bring the brownies.
All of a sudden, they felt better, they could eat,
(36:44):
they had better lives as a result. She was quite
a maverick in the day. But that pot brownie is
a thing.
Speaker 3 (36:52):
The brownies. Though, when I talk to people, especially of
my age range, they're really really scared availables, especially brownies.
Speaker 7 (37:03):
Well there's some basis for that, So brownies pot brownies.
I'll say this. If you grow it, and you understand
what's in your cannabis, and you apply just a little
bit of math and you make your own infused cannabis
oil or cannabis butter, then you can do some math
(37:24):
and make your own most delicious brownie. Recipe or cookie
or just about anything. I think I could actually infuse
anything that we could eat. But you can do so
with an eye towards how much THCHC. And that's the
big one to watch out for is in each serving.
So by doing a little bit of math, you can
(37:45):
control exactly how much THHC is in any given serving
of that batch of brownies. And I give some easy
to use formulas for trying to predict the potency of
your cannabis butter and then using that in just the
right amount to get the right effect. Now, one of
(38:05):
my favorite treats, and it's very giftable recipes in my book,
is you make a cannabis butter or you infuse fat,
then you use a certain amount of that and you
make delicious chocolate sauce. You can put it at the jars,
you label it with just exactly how much is in there,
and then people will know, oh, I'm going to have
(38:26):
one ounce of this or a little scoop on my
ice creaming. It'll be just perfect dose to be just
the elevation I want. Now, those people who are more
experienced with cannabis have a little bit higher tolerance, they
can make their stronger. But the reason why people were
scared about cannabis gummies is because people were not calculating
(38:47):
just how potent those brownies could be. And as you
and I both know with edibles, they take a long
time to kick in, and by the time it's kicked in,
you might have had too many brownies. So it's real
important to get that dosingest right.
Speaker 3 (39:04):
Yeah, and the chocolate sauce. I mean, some people will
say to me, and this makes sense. Oh yeah, but
if you have brownies and the dosing is minimal, you'll
have maybe two milligrams to five milligrams of TC per brownie.
But I want to eat five brownies. Well, okay, I
have one pop browny.
Speaker 6 (39:24):
And then even eat it up lad or none.
Speaker 3 (39:27):
And none spiked brownies.
Speaker 7 (39:30):
That's right. And I think once you grow the plant
and you spend time with it, and you harvest it,
and then you do a little bit of research, it
really demystifies this plant. And I did mystifying taking the
fear out of it. You're able then to get a
little bit more real and enjoy its health and enjoyment
benefits without being worried about being overexposed to this and
(39:54):
it's it's.
Speaker 3 (39:54):
Like cooking with anything else where. I know how much
hot sauce I could tolerate. And you know, some people
are like, is there pepper in that I can't eat it? Okay, Well,
you know you said you learned absolutely.
Speaker 7 (40:07):
I think that hot peppers is a perfect analogy. But
imagine a hot pepper where you eat it and the
heat doesn't kick in for an hour.
Speaker 3 (40:15):
Oh that's great, so we get.
Speaker 7 (40:17):
Immediate link back with other thing we taste. But cannabis
is not like that. It takes a long time for edibles,
especially fat based edibles, to kick in, and then it's
got a long duration. So that's a great thing for
other applications, like sleeping is an ideal time to have
just the right little edible because it lasts the whole
(40:39):
night or a good portion of it, but not so
at a social event. So but that's something you can do.
And there's there's another little gift that's a little bit
more advanced. Is I make a cannabis oil. Some people
might know Rick Simpson oil. It's just a pure cannabis concentrate.
I use a special piece of equipment for that. That's
(41:01):
not all that complicated, but it just allows me to
concentrate my cannabis and I put it in. My favorite
favorite is a salve that I like to call magic
sav and I've provided a simple recipe for that in
my book. But that's like the third way, and that
cannot get you high, but it's incredibly soothing and it's
something you use on your.
Speaker 3 (41:21):
Skin as a topical. Yeah, yeah, yeah, I love I
love a nice magic salve for aches and pains. I've
even used them for miscuita bytes and it's it's incredible
for sure.
Speaker 7 (41:37):
Yeah, And we're talking about Black Friday and gift giving.
Let's just back back that train of one more step,
because the reason why we give gifts is that it's
a season of celebration. It's also a season of we're
wishing each other peace and goodwill, well.
Speaker 3 (41:54):
Gratitude and gratitude.
Speaker 7 (41:56):
You know, if you are giving people the gift that
gives them the ability to have a little bit less anxiety,
a little bit less pain, a little bit less sort
of existential suffering in their lives, I just think that
that's a perfect fit with the season. And then if
you calm down and have some s CBD gummy, get
a little bit elevated in the evening. I think it's
(42:17):
actually going to break cycles of anxiety and worry and
feeling this I don't know, push to outdo one another perhaps,
which is antithetical to the season, but I just think
it's a great fit with the season entirely.
Speaker 6 (42:32):
Well.
Speaker 3 (42:33):
It's stressful. I mean, kids come from college, patterns are interrupted.
Everything is You've seen people you haven't seen in a
long time. Who's still together, who got forbid passed away,
who's no longer together. You know, you get big groups
of people together that you don't normally do. You're off
(42:55):
your routine. It's an exciting time, but it's a very,
very stressful time.
Speaker 7 (43:00):
It really can be, especially for those who I feel
the effects of social anxiety. And I think all of
us get that to a greater or lesser. There are
some who people who just have a little bit more
sensitivity to Ooh, I got to go to the office party,
or it's going to be a big group and for
(43:22):
whatever reason, I'm feeling a little nervous. I actually think
that a low dose edible or a low dose little
tincture can really help offset that in a way that
alcohol doesn't. It hits differently. I make a low dose
gummies and I have named them, and for my husband,
I'll just say I make them for him. I call
(43:43):
them moodlifters because I got a party.
Speaker 8 (43:47):
Now.
Speaker 7 (43:47):
There is nothing that will make me nervous going to
a party. But you know, when you go to a
you're just having one of those days and you need
a little bit of mood switch. It's subtle, and it's
nothing you want to rely upon overly much, but it's
just subtle, and it breaks a cycle of negativity sometimes
helps you to enjoy situations rather than just enduring them.
Speaker 3 (44:08):
It does, but I can say anecdotally you don't rely
on it. I haven't relied on it. I've the fact
that it has changed my mood or lift that negativity
that I might be knee jerk con certain situations, or
that anxiety and a certain social Having the experience of
it lifted, it becomes experiential. You've had this like corrective
(44:33):
emotional experience. Once you experience it and it helps you
to experience it, then it's easier to not need it
to get to that space. But unless you've been to
that space of relaxation, you don't know how to get there.
You don't even know what you're seeking.
Speaker 7 (44:50):
Yes, for sure.
Speaker 3 (44:52):
So the chocolate sauce, the sav the tissuns. What are
some of your fans favored?
Speaker 7 (45:00):
It's oh, fan good, good, gosh so much. Well, I
have to just say my number one fan favorite once
people have tried it, definitely the magic sav So that
is more over the chocolate sauce.
Speaker 3 (45:13):
Over the chocolate sauce.
Speaker 7 (45:14):
Over the chocolate sauce, because that's for everybody, even people
who have really had a number done on them by
the War on drugs. And I'll just say that's everybody
over the age of forty. Number two would have to
be the chocolate sauce. It's just absolutely delicious. It's super
simple to make. Probably the third thing would be one
(45:35):
of my many flavors of gummies. Now we are aware
of gummies at the store. The ones that I have
in my recipe in my book are a little lighter
and fresher. I always rely upon natural ingredients. Like yesterday
in my class we made mier lemon gummies and they
were just exquisite. So they use gelatine, they use some
(45:55):
sugar and it uses a cannabis tincture in the gummy. Recipes,
So it's a way of getting a low dose of cannabis,
and you're in charge of what's in that tincture. It
could be raw, it could be DCARD, it could be THHC,
it could be CBD, it could be the both. You
can make custom gummies and they're fast to make and
really delicious and quite low dose, so there's little risk
(46:18):
of overconsumption because they're just one little gummy at a time.
Speaker 3 (46:22):
It's fun. I mean, this is also the holidays, gifting
meaningful gifts and baking, cooking.
Speaker 7 (46:29):
And in my book there is oh gosh, gosh, the
I have a recipe for giant cheesy goldfish and they
look like goldfish crackers. They absolutely delicious and so again
they're one serving is one big cracker. So as long
as you're like, how many crackers do I think people
are going to make? Or maybe you package them up
(46:51):
in like two little gum you know, crackers, and make
sure that they're just like two milligrams each so people
feel confident. Oh, they'll get a nice little buzz after,
but you know, just eat that so you can say it.
Speaker 3 (47:04):
And for beginners, that's a really good starting dose. I
would like to know just for just every day, well
miss your self care routine, just your baseline, what you
take in the morning and throughout the day and in
the evening. So for sure, how you reap the benefits
(47:25):
of your crophead just for yourself personally, your self care routine.
And look, I've never ever ever thought about Penny Barthel
and stoner in the same sentence. Not that you won't
take it to elevate and on special occasions, but this, this,
(47:46):
you are the epitome of someone who uses it responsibly.
Speaker 7 (47:52):
So thank you. I appreciate it. Verry.
Speaker 3 (47:54):
Guys, it's gonna lead to having your own beautiful backyard
garden and having the most popular gifts. Gohad, Penny, how
do you integrate it? How do you take it daily?
Speaker 7 (48:04):
People who are who express surprise like you you go cannabis,
I'm like yeah, And they'll some some get cheeky and
like why are you? Are you high right now? I'm
like I'm not. But you know, I like to say this,
I enjoy cannabis every day and I'm rarely stoned. If
I want to be stoned, that's fine, but that's my reality.
(48:25):
So I love the I make a raw tincture that
has CBA and THHCA both in it. Every single morning,
I take a pint of water, I throw in some
lemon juice from one of my trees. I put in
several squirts of my rock and abonoids. Boom, I'm hydrated.
I'm feeling good, and I trust that those things will
(48:45):
help to keep down chronic inflammation. Basic chronic inflammation do
too just getting older, So that that's one thing that
I do. I don't. I don't have a sense of that.
It doesn't make me alter my perception of myself at all.
Often then times during the day, I will rub a
topical on my joints in my hands, my knee if
(49:08):
it's acting up. I mean, I was in a ten
k race this morning. I will be using SAB on
my knee later on today, I can tell you that.
And then often before I go to bed, I'll have
a little chocolate heart that I make that has a
low dose of THHC in it, which I find to
be very helpful and helps to promote relaxing sleep. For me,
that is particular to me, and each of you will
(49:31):
need to figure these things out for yourself. This is
not a prescription. It's just my practice, and so with
you and knowing what your health issues are, what your
knees are, you have those things available to you. But
that's just my baseline. And then there are times when
I do want to like test out a new weed
that I just grew. And here's one. It's on my desk.
(49:52):
This is a little sprig of royal highness and it's
really powerful. It's delicious. It's really cushion like.
Speaker 3 (50:00):
What does it smell like?
Speaker 7 (50:01):
Oh, it has what I described as a classic cush smell.
So here can you hear it?
Speaker 8 (50:06):
Yeah, it smells great, it smells bash, it smells it
has a lot of hits of like pine and just
like you walked out into a wet forest in the Northwest,
it smells amazing.
Speaker 3 (50:22):
And the nose, nose, that's the episode. That's another episode.
But folks, when you're worried about, well, the predictability, now,
I don't know how it's gonna affect me. What Penny
just did. Smell it just like you smell, you know,
and see how it hits you, see where it hits you.
Getting to your baseline. We're not saying to give any
(50:42):
of these things up, but wow, to add that point
of water with cannabinoids to my cup of coffee instead
of just having caffeine, which is also legal. I think
would probably do me good to add the magic salve
and cut down on the ibprofen Oh. I think my
(51:05):
gut would appreciate that so much, definitely. And then in
the evening to take a chocolate heart instead of a
pharmaceutical sleeping pill or a bunch of wine. Nothing against that,
and you could still have that. You might find you're
having less, and you're having less of something that's serving
(51:29):
you but also has negative effects, and you're replacing it
or you know, cutting down on it, diluting it with
something that's has the same effects and is actually you
can't make health claims. But as the research will show
(51:51):
as we get even more and more studies, but there's
a lot of peer review studies about the antioxidant effects
and the anti inflammatory effect of the medicinal benefits of cannabis.
It's a magic plant. Yeah. Well, and then in closing,
we always ask our guests. We have a segment called
(52:13):
nip it in the Bud because we want to break
the stigma. And I'm going to ask you what is
maybe one of your top cannabis misconceptions a myth you'd
like to clarify, it was framed. Let's nip it in
the bud. Do you have a common misconception that you'd
(52:36):
like to debunk.
Speaker 7 (52:39):
Yes, the common misconception is that cannabis always gets you stoned.
It does not.
Speaker 3 (52:45):
Cannabis is that one good one.
Speaker 7 (52:49):
If you buy cannabis, that's all CBD. Guess what, you
can roll a joint. You can look as cool and
as if as you possibly want. You can smoke all night.
You will not get stoned. You'll be super relaxed. So
you just got to know in your weed. But no,
there's way more than THC as much as that is
a fabulous molecule, and it is medical in addition to
being super fun and you get to you high. Cannabis
(53:11):
is much more than just getting high.
Speaker 3 (53:15):
It's much more than the promise of a high. And
there's many things. Hey, today people are chasing sales, not
chasing a high. But we'll say, we'll say they might
come home and want to chase a high. I think
they might want the CBD after the Black Friday. So well, Penny,
and we have one other segment. We have consumer insights
and tips. I mean, this entire interview was one big
(53:37):
consumer insight and tip. I really love knowing the intention
behind what do you want to have your cannabis for
and understanding who's behind it.
Speaker 7 (53:52):
Absolutely there are in addition to the humble tea company
and grow it from Home, there are a wonderful array
of just delightful company. I think the cannabis industry has
some of the most creative and integrity filled people in
business today, but they are under duress in terms of
the licensed dispensaries. There's a pretty onerous tax burden that we,
(54:16):
the people in California, have put on them, so be
aware of how that impacts them. But there's some phenomenal
products out there. Go to a really good dispensary, and
by good, I mean you get to know them. Who
owns them? Are they serving their community? Are they owned
by black people, by women, by queer people. You got
to figure out what your values are and then go
(54:36):
find a dispensary that meets them. So that's the first thing.
The second is then ask them questions. There are bud
tenders who are really well informed and they can help
you pick out products. Let's just say you haven't grown
your own cannabis, but you love using it. You can
go try things at a dispensary and then think then
kind of diy them yourself next year. That's kind of
(54:58):
how I got started make my own products. I loved
some of the things that I tried in dispensaries, and
I still go to dispensaries and look at their offerings.
I'll buy them on occasion. So it's not mutually exclusive
to go to a really good dispensary and try things there,
and that will help inform what you make at home.
It's sort of like going to a great restaurant. You
(55:21):
get inspired, you can home, come home and wow things
like that too.
Speaker 3 (55:25):
Yeah, wow, wow, wow, wow Wow. What an amazing conversation
today with you, Penny. I got to get you in
studio because I would like a hug virtual you know, yeah,
we'll do a virtual hug. This has just been such
a refreshing reminder that you know, we're at the beginning
(55:47):
of the holiday season, but it's a season. It's a
season that should last all year, not be dictated. I
like to say to people, it's a state of mind, guys,
not a date. So you know, it doesn't have to
be about buying more stuff. I know, and I know
(56:07):
I do it myself. Like you should see what what?
How many treats and bones my dog has? I just
want to shower her And it's it's is it that
about me? Or is it about her? What does she need?
You know? It's not. I know you want to you
want to make an impact on somebody. Buy this book,
grow it from home, make something. Yeah, you'll you'll be
(56:30):
the most I tell you, I've become the most popular
aunt in our family. But I'm sure you want to.
Penny go up several lines, right, doesn't it go up?
Speaker 4 (56:43):
What?
Speaker 7 (56:44):
That's cool? Yeah?
Speaker 3 (56:46):
And it is cool to recap on the key takeaways
from our talk today, Penny, you know, shared some fantastic
advice on how to start planning your own cannabis guardian.
Whether you're dreaming about it now, we're ready to roll
up your sleeves, come spraying. It's the perfect time to
think about what you'd like to grow and what you
(57:07):
want to get from it. Why do you want to
grow it? You know, whether you're a seasoned grower or
just starting out, This book is fantastic. It is not overwhelming.
It's going to guide you through the process of growing, harvesting,
and all the multiple ways you can enjoy cannabis and
(57:29):
all of its many forms, including gifting it. So don't forget.
We've got more resources waiting for you at greenbee life
dot com. She mentioned Emily Go Go grow it from home.
We have some fantastic growing guides and a whole playlist
on GBLTV with Emily showing us how to make herbal teas,
(57:51):
how to start your garden with seed, to treats for
your pets. Whether you look in to learn creator shop,
We've got something for you. What a neat person in
conversation or revisit Penny's work reminds us the cannabis is
more than a product. It's a practice. And in a
time when access is increasingly politicized and threatened, growing your
(58:15):
own and making your own might not just be empowering
but necessary. So here's my invitation to you, pick one
idea from this episode and try it. No space is
too small, whether it's on your balcony, your outdoor patio,
in a pot on a windowsill, and no experience is
(58:35):
too little. Grow a plant, brew a tea. Read Penny's book,
The Cannabis gardener, and most of all, share what you make.
I've got to tell you homemade cannabis creations can be
some of the most memorable and meaningful gifts.
Speaker 4 (58:51):
And now the voices of ACAA was an exciting announcement.
Speaker 9 (58:55):
Want to hear NBC and US or KCAA anywhere you go, Well,
now there's a net for that. CACAA is celebrating twenty
five years in our silver anniversary for a brand new app.
Speaker 7 (59:05):
The new KC'SAA app is now available on your smart device,
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Speaker 3 (59:12):
Just search KCAA on Google Play or in the Apple Store.
Speaker 5 (59:16):
One touch and you can listen on your car radio,
Bluetooth device, Android Auto or Apple Car Play.
Speaker 9 (59:21):
Catch the KCAA bus in your earbuds or on the streets.
Celebrating twenty five years of talk news and excellence with
our new KCAA app, Do it and download it.
Speaker 4 (59:31):
KCAA celebrated twenty five years.
Speaker 1 (59:38):
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Speaker 2 (00:05):
Four CACAA Loma Linda. Listen online at www dot KCAA
radio dot com.
Speaker 3 (00:18):
Hey, hello again and welcome to Just Say No. I'm
your host, Maria Calabreson. You're listening to KCAA Radio ten
fifty Am one O six point five FM. Thanks for
tuning in to grow your no with some of the
smartest minds in the cannabis industry. Today, we're revisiting a
conversation I had with Penny Barthel, author of The Cannabis Gardner. Now,
(00:41):
this was originally taped around Black Friday last year. This
episode touches on the holidays, but its message is evergreen.
Yes pun intended, Penny Shares. Have grown your own cannabis
and making your own edibles, tinctures, keys and gifts is
more than why. It's a form of wellness, sustainability and resilience.
(01:04):
Resilience you ask, well, let me tell you why. With
access to cannabis, facing new legal threats and misguided legislation
looming large, learning to cultivate and create at home may
become not just empowering but essential. Hey, whether it's a
National Hemp Month, independence Day, a new year, or simply
(01:30):
a moment to catch your breath. Now is the time
to take cannabis into your own hands, literally by growing
your own plants and crafting your own creations. So if
you're curious about homegrown wellness, passionate about cannabis self care,
or just want creative inspiration to reconnect with the plant,
(01:50):
trust me, this is a conversation you'll want to hear
again and again and again. Let's dive in. This is
just say no. That's with a k an ow.
Speaker 4 (02:03):
By twenty twenty, Bank of America and Merrill Lynch estimate
that will grow to thirty five billion dollars, and many
experts believe it could eventually reach two hundred billion dollars
each and every year.
Speaker 5 (02:23):
Under sad on of dis guy, your bill, I can
see so much, Father, your Moses, You Moses.
Speaker 6 (02:51):
I'm a butterfly who is on the big gun, taking
me a while to get it. Had to live and cry,
to appreciate your life and watchie his words. When you
hold a name, when you hold me so close, someone
better and under your skin. I want to leave them
live so that I.
Speaker 3 (03:08):
Can be welcome. Penny, thank you so much for joining
us today.
Speaker 7 (03:13):
I am delighted to be here with you. Maria.
Speaker 3 (03:16):
Oh wow, Well we're privileged, and I know everybody's dying
to know a little bit about yourself and how you
came to discover cannabis and what listeners can learn from
your amazing book, The Cannabis Gardener.
Speaker 7 (03:34):
Yeah, thank you for that. I'm going to say this,
I came into cannabis very much sideways. I have been
spent a lot of my adult life. I always loved food.
I've a total nerd. I love plants. I am a
lifelong gardener, a cook. Actually sort of got myself going
with a food blog and on that I had a
(03:58):
couple of awesome recipes. One of them made it into
Sunset magazine in twenty seventeen. From that, I kind of
got acquainted with a gardening culture. I always knew that
there was weed in the Bay Area. I was neither
for it nor against it. I was just kind of
beside it. But about a decade ago, I discovered that
(04:18):
a friend of mine was put in a brand new
garden tons of sun and the person who was helping
her put that garden in had stage four cancer, and
he revealed to her how much. He used cannabis for
his own well being and to be able to help
him withstand the rigors of chemotherapy. And although she and
I were neither foreign or against cannabis, she thought, look,
(04:40):
I've got this great new garden. Why don't I grow
some cannabis for him? And gifted to him. And so
she passed me with figuring out how to grow it.
Because I'm just sort of an experimental gardener. I'm like, sure,
I'll try that. And I had some friends in the
Bay Area. We grew up a couple of plants together.
We had a terrible grow. We did not know what
(05:00):
we were doing. But through that I decided to do
the research to figure out, well, how can she grow
this plant. I fell deep in love with this plant,
just fell in love with it, started taking my own notes,
and went looking for a book that I could give
to her. And there was not a book out there.
(05:21):
There was lots of information for the commercial grower, lots
of information for indoor grows, but nothing that situated this
plant where I wanted to grow, which was in my garden.
Since that time of a decade ago or a little
bit less than that, I have been on the journey
of my own growing the plant and then enjoying it
and using and experimenting with it. I decided to go
(05:42):
a little deeper in and I went to Oaksterdam, which
is a school here in Oakland that teaches the cannabis industry,
teaches people to go and work in the cannabis industry.
So I took a horticulture semester. So I'm a certified
cannabis horticulturist. I came in sideways as a gardener and
a cook, and I ended up a cannabis author and educator.
Speaker 3 (06:03):
Would you say it's true of anyone who's part of
a backyard gardener that just has a love for plants,
that if they become acquainted with cannabis, it's gonna have
the same effect on them. They're going to fall in love.
Speaker 7 (06:18):
I think. So. You know, I've got friends who grow
it and don't use it. They have a lot of
good friends that they give it to, but they are
so in love with this plant. We'll get perhaps more
deep into the weeze is. Like I like to say
on how to grow it, but I'll tell you one thing.
It goes from a tiny little seed to in my
(06:39):
garden a nine foot tall monster of a plant in
four months. So from seed to drive bud in my
jar in five months. It's a really fun plant to grow,
real easy too, it is.
Speaker 3 (06:53):
I actually tried it myself, and we'll talk about that
too when we get to growing it at home. Today's
our Black Friday special edition, and we're going to take
all green take on on this Black Friday where we're
prioritizing wellness over consumerism. And did you know that Black
(07:17):
Friday originally started in Philadelphia in the nineteen seventies and
had absolutely positively nothing to do with shopping. I like
to make the metaphor that cannabis started out as a
Schedule one, but it really has absolutely positively nothing to
do with Schedule one.
Speaker 7 (07:35):
But no, really, I like to say this. I like
to say, cannabis was framed, right, Cannabis was framed. Doesn't
belong there, never did. It belongs in the garden. And
I love what you said.
Speaker 3 (07:49):
And Penny, you know who else was framed?
Speaker 6 (07:52):
Eve?
Speaker 3 (07:53):
I always like to say Evil's frame started in the garden.
It always starts in the garden, so they know. But yeah,
what happened with Black Friday. I guess the police used
that term to describe the chass that was generated from
(08:15):
shoppers wanting to get out early the day after Thanksgiving
to hit the sales, but they wanted he at home
in time for the Army Navy football game, and it
just was a frenzy. There were traffic jams and everything else.
So it got coined by the police in Philadelphia's Black Friday.
But then in the nineteen eighties, retailers grab it. Hey marketing,
(08:38):
let's make it this shopping extravaganza, and it's when the
stores finally went into black and became profitable for the year.
So we do say from your experience that this hands
on DIY approach rather than just even in cannabis, there's
(08:59):
so many bedmouthing them, but there's so many emerging brands
and products and gadgets. Would you say the dia hy
hands on approach has it's been more meaningful and sustainable
way to even nurture yourself, especially during the madness and
pressures of the holiday season.
Speaker 7 (09:21):
Oh yes, for sure, you can't. There are people, there
are young people today who who have grown up with
just dispensaries, and they think that you go to a
dispensary and you get stuff and that's cannabis. Someone it's
there's a big analogy between cannabis. I think in food,
meaning if you if you've never lived on a farm,
(09:42):
if you've never grown anything in a garden, and you
go to a store, there's a strong association between here's
this thing that I buy in a store, and that's
what we eat. Right. Well, there's a whole lot more
to food, of course than just going to a store.
And I'm going to say the truth that sat it
is true with cannabis. It's only very recently that cannabis
(10:05):
was considered anything other than just one of many medicinal
and I will call them culinary herbs in the garden.
But today, just like how Black Friday transformed, so recently,
that's a very recent thing. Cannabis just has never has
It's only recent that it's something you could buy and
that it was in preparations. That's brand new to the
(10:27):
human experience. But for all of humans, says here, let's
go back. Humans have been interacting with cannabis for we
don't even know how long, twelve thousand years fifteen. There's
documentation that goes a long time back, So we've had
a long time to experiment with cannabis and enjoy it
both as a euphorient something for health, for fiber, for textiles,
(10:50):
for food. You can use it for building materials. But
it's only post prohibition, which was really started in nineteen
thirty seven, and it still exists in some parts of
the country today that we've thought of cannabis as a
drug or b something you buy in a store. Those
two things are brand new.
Speaker 3 (11:09):
So for me when my.
Speaker 7 (11:11):
Relationship with with cannabis is very much as a being,
in a way, it's a plant. And by the way,
hot tip for gardening, you asked a little bit about gardening.
To grow cannabis is easy, but you have to know
the plant and then give it what it wants. That's
true for all plants.
Speaker 3 (11:29):
I just got to say, it's true for all everything
in your garden. Right, that's it, you.
Speaker 7 (11:33):
Know, like, how do you how do you grow a plant?
Will figure out what it needs and give it to it.
That's gardening in a nutshell.
Speaker 3 (11:39):
That's just and it's the same for parenting. Find out
what it needs. What what did you say the formula
was for planet?
Speaker 7 (11:48):
What does it need? Give it to it and get
it to it that's it. Give the plant what it
needs and it will respond with huge abundance.
Speaker 3 (11:57):
That's growing. That's and you you share the gift of
this abundance. I mean, just in the book, it's it's
it's incredible. I I really enjoy it. I enjoy reading
about the science of cannabis and the molecules, getting down
to the molecular structure. But this is just it's it's
(12:21):
such a unique literary work because you really do treat
it the way it should be treated like anything else
in your garden, or that you would grow and if
you don't grow, then that you would buy at a
farmer's market or eventually at a supermarket. So as we
(12:43):
dream ahead of our gardens for the spring, uh, what
would would we be thinking about now when it comes
to adding cannabis or I mean, do you use seeds?
How do you choose the seed? What? What should we
be thinking about as we're thinking about our spring.
Speaker 7 (13:03):
That's a great question to ask. If gardeners know that winter,
that gardening is year round, even if you're not outside,
your gardening in your head, and so winter is the
time when all the seed catalogs come to your door,
and gardener is just pour over the pages and salivate, Oh,
I'm going to grow this this year and this and that,
so what seed picking time? But with cannabis, I want
(13:26):
you to back up one step and ask yourself this,
especially now that when entering the holiday season you can
have perhaps some additional drain on your time and energy.
A lot of people have gatherings they need to go to.
Those with social anxiety might feel a little worn out
by these things. So ask yourself this in another year,
(13:48):
how do I want to feel? Do I want to
feel calmer? Do I want to sleep a little bit better,
maybe have less pain? Good? Because that is the first
question you ask yourself before you buy anything to grow cannabis,
which is a summer annual. What do I want to feel?
What do I want from this plant? And then you
(14:09):
can start winnwing down your needs and choose the right
seeds to buy. So that's the first step is going
to be. Of course, getting some information is very helpful,
and my book is a good source of that information,
so that would be another thing to buy. But you
can actually start deciding what do you want from cannabis,
And you have to know that before you can even
decide what type of cannabis to buy seeds for, you.
Speaker 3 (14:33):
Have to know the intention behind it. And I do
that with tomatoes. When I start dreaming and thinking about
my tomatoes, it's like, what do I want them for?
Is if for sauce? Is it for gravy? We call
it gravy in the East Coast Italians. Do I want
to eat it raw? Do I want it for a salad?
So it's it's you're interesting. Some people don't even know
(14:56):
what they could grow cannabis for. So can you just listen? Yes? One,
I sure can. Let me.
Speaker 7 (15:01):
One of the classes that I teach is called Cannabis
one oh one, and I teach this with my business partner,
Kesha through our business Wondering about Weed, And we offer
classes to adults and we start every one of our
classes with a question, why are you here? What do
you need or want from cannabis? And I'll tell you
here the top three things number one, top three number one. Pain.
(15:26):
People come in saying, you know, from little aches and
pains to big aches and pains, I've heard cannabis can
help with pain. Is that true? Answer? Yes? Absolutely. It
has wonderful health promoting properties and can be very effective
at treating especially chronic pain, inflammatory pain, but also neuropathy,
and there's more nuance to how that works. But that's
(15:49):
number one. Number two, how about sleep? You know somebody
said I should take a gummy? What do I do?
I've heard cannabis can help with my sleep. Yes it can,
and it's a bit bigger answer. There are a number
of different ways and different cannabinoids, which is a special
molecule group of molecules made by the cannabis plant. So
(16:10):
sleep is number two. Number three is anxiety. That's anxiety,
and so that those are the top three. I would
say health reasons or that people come to cannabis outside
of the obvious, which is I love getting stoned, and
I'll say yes, absolutely cannabis does that too. So that aside,
(16:35):
and we're going to say that that's why they call
the wreck market it's built. Is that I like to use,
say the term adult use. So there's medical and that's
often how it starts. People get warmed up from using
a medical license through state legislation, and that's how California started.
And then there's adult use, meaning you don't need to
(16:55):
have a medical reason, you can just enjoy it. Those
on the inside of cannabis with say, even if you're
using cannabis just to get high, it's still medical. It's
still going to do some good for your body if
you don't over consume. But those top three.
Speaker 3 (17:09):
Yeah, I agree. I mean, I mean, just like if you're,
you know, drinking orange juice just for the pleasure of it,
you're still getting You're getting health benefits. You're getting vitamins, say,
you're getting fital nutrients, you're getting fiber. All right, So
now I come to your orcshop and I say I
want something for those top three guide me.
Speaker 7 (17:28):
All right, here we go. First of all, I'm going
to ask you this question, how many well, oh, do
you want to grow? And let's just say you say,
how many plants do you want to grow?
Speaker 5 (17:38):
Maria?
Speaker 3 (17:39):
Well, I am going to check down to my local
county to find out how many I'm allowed to grow.
I happen to live in southern California, and where I live,
I've checked and as of now, I'm allowed to grow
up to six plants.
Speaker 7 (18:00):
Fabulous. That's far more than you could ever use. Truly.
Oh really, I'm going to say this, if you are
growing just for yourself, and you are a pretty average,
kind of new to cannabis consumer, but you'd like to have,
you know, abundant product at the end of the season.
I'm going to say you can get away with growing
two plants. I agree more than that, so you could
(18:21):
grow up to six and you can try that. But
let's just say you can you just grow two plants. Okay,
you could have at your disposal just about everything you
need for all three of those different things that we
talked about, sleep, pain, and anxiety. But there are two
different types of plants. They're both going to be cannabis.
They're both going to grow as a summer annual, but
(18:44):
one of them should give you a lot of THCHC
and little CBB. So I just used two words THC
and CBD that might be familiar to most of your listeners,
but if not, let me clarify. They are the two
most abundant cannabinoids found in the resin on the cannabis flower,
(19:04):
and those are the things that we're really after. That's
what that's why we grow cannabis for the large part.
So you want a high THHC plant, you have hundreds
of varieties to choose from. That's very common. Marijuana and
hamp are the same species of plant. They are both
cannabis satava. That's the botanical name for this plant that
(19:26):
we're all growing. Whether it produces a lot of THCHC,
a lot of CBD, some of both, or even other cannabinoids,
they are one species and they grow just about the same.
So you're going to grow two plants, one with high THHC,
the other one is going to be filled with CBD
in its ultimate product. So with those two plants, you
(19:47):
now have the braw ingredients to create just about anything
you could possibly make with cannabis. It's going to if
you want to lean on let's just say you're feeling anxious,
you want something to calm you, then enjoy some of
the plant that produces CBD. Let's just say you want
to get really elevated, Well, you're going to want to
(20:08):
lean a bit more heavily on that plant that gave
you a THHC weed. And for pain, it depends upon
the type of pain, but let's just say everyday pain.
You might have something you want to produce the pain
for in your body. Having a little bit of CBD
and THHC in the same preparation, that's the golden ticket.
So those are the only two plants now in my
(20:29):
garden because I just love this plant and there's huge variety,
not just with canabinoids, but then there's this other layer
called terpenes, and that's what makes cannabis smell, I think,
so delicious and so strong. At the end of the
growing season, you don't smell cannabinoids, you can't smell them,
(20:52):
but you can smell the terpenes. So know that that's
another class of molecules that this plant, and all plants
make terpenes. By the way, not all plants make cannabinoids,
really only cannabis does, but all plants make terpenes. So
you might have two different plants, both of which get
really big and look lovely, two cannabis plants. One smells
(21:15):
more like lemon and pine trees, the other one has
fragrances of vanilla cake and grape and cheese. It's amazing
the amount of delicious smells. But those delicious smells work
with the cannabinoids in your body to alter the perception
of the cannabinoids. So one might give you a high
(21:36):
that feels like you're like real focused and maybe a
little bit very alert and awake, activating, activating. We Sometimes
in the cannabis industry they might call that a set
of a leaning effect or a head high. Those terms
are really changing, but that might be the old way
(21:58):
of describing that high. Other even just with a high
THHC plant, you may have terpenes that make you feel
calm or sleepier, so those would be maybe called a
body high. And I will say that most of that
language body high versus head high. The keyword there isn't
the body or the head, but the high. So the
(22:20):
key thing to remember for people, especially if they're new
to cannabis, is to understand how much THHC or cbd
is in any given product, and then how potent is it.
That is the key determiner. Now, the nuances of how
that THC might hit in your body or in your
mind are going to be impacted by the terpenes, but
(22:41):
that is of secondary importance. So focus on first on
what's the cannabinoid content of weed fresh flower, butd if
it's dried that you're going to smoke it or vapor
or more importantly, in edibles, it's very important to know
how much THC and cbd that you're getting, and especially
how much THHC. That's really the one to pay attention to,
(23:03):
because that is the only cannabinoid that makes you feel
you for it.
Speaker 3 (23:07):
The others, well, that's a whole other reason to grow
your own, because then you can really know that with certainty.
Speaker 7 (23:14):
Yes for sure. So with that, Maria, you have every
ingredient that you need. If you've got a high CBD
cannabis and a high THHC cannabis, that's most of what
you're gonna need.
Speaker 3 (23:26):
I love dreaming about this. Now we're into the spring,
we're doing our garden, but then we're just coming off
of October Croptober. How do you like harvest it or
dry it, or cure it or store it? And when
is the best case used to use the fresher Just
(23:46):
walk us through. Now, Penny has a great substack article.
I have all this weed, Now what do I do
with it? We'll put that on our show page too.
Oh yeah, but if you could talk a little bit
about them, the harvesting it and the drying and the
curing it. It does feel a little overwhelming, but maybe
not yet.
Speaker 7 (24:06):
It is a lot. I will say for first time growers,
it's important to understand that you start with a seed.
Although you can buy these little things called clones, they
are not clones. They are rooted cuttings. I steal steer
all of my outdoor garden growers to seeds. They are healthier,
you have a huge amount of variety, and they tend
(24:28):
to be very strong growers. So you're going to start
with a seed. That's key great seeds. Other than good seeds,
you need a garden spot that has a lot of sun.
That's very important, so you can't get away with shade.
And you need good rich soil. You water it through
the summer because here in California we don't get much rain.
That's it in a nutshell of There are two of
(24:50):
my favorite seed companies. One's a grower in California, the
others in Oregon. Here's why I love both Emily Goggle
At Growth from Home and not Pennington's company, the Humble
Seed Company. They are excellent breeders. They are scientists. They
understand cannabis genetics and breeding. They have high quality seeds.
But they also offer and here's a key, they offer
(25:11):
feminized seeds because there's a special technique that you'll only
get female plants from there from certain of their seed selections,
so make sure you look for high quality seeds and
feminized seeds. Go to the Humble Seed Company and grow
from home. You can also order these online. They will
show up in your mail and that is probably the
(25:32):
greatest cost savings in the world. If you were to
get some high quality seeds. They have about a one
hundred percent germination rate. You need out of five seeds,
you're likely to get five plants, maybe four if you're
not terribly lucky, but that's a whole lot of cannabis. People.
I routinely get a half a pound of dried cannabis
(25:53):
bud from each of my plants that are full sized
plants grown in my garden. Let's just say you get
a quarter pound of dried cannabis bud from each of
your plants. That's a very significant amount of high quality
cannabis bud. So if you spend ten dollars on one seed,
which is kind of the going rate, it's still a bargain.
(26:14):
And so look for some high quality feminized seeds. If
you don't plant them all this spring, that's okay. They
will last for a couple of years and you can
plant some next year and the year after that, do.
Speaker 3 (26:23):
You have to do anything people to ask me all
the time, ask her or you're having petty barthol on,
ask her about propagation or putting seeds on paper towels,
or are they're all no, two plants is going to
be enough? N Yeah.
Speaker 7 (26:39):
Seed, it's an easy to grow seed. It's as easy
as growing as planting a seed for a bean and
watching it grow. They're really that easy to grow. But
you have to get the right seeds. You want to
get high quality seeds and feminized seeds so that in
top of your mind, I need to buy a feminized
seed so you won't have any mail plants in your garden.
(27:03):
You grow it throughout the summer. It grows beautifully, it
grows fast. Of course, there's a couple of tips and
tricks to that, so you know, you might need to
come to a garden workshop to learn that your first
time growing. But then come in California when we harvest
typical or photo period cannabis, which most of it is,
it's going to actually Los Angeles is going to harvest
(27:25):
sooner than for example, where I am in northern California,
and certainly sooner up than Oregon. Because it has to
do with changes in daylight. It is, and you have
changes that are a little sooner than up north in
terms of how daylight changes into nighttime throughout the seasons.
So you're going to harvest it in September at the
(27:47):
very latest October, almost all cannabis is then dried, and
we're not saving the leaves, by the way, we're not
saving the stems. We're not saving fruit. We don't want
it to produce fruit, which is seeds. We are saving
the unfertilized female flower bud inconsequential little flowers. They don't
(28:07):
look like pretty flowers that you would see in a
florists shot because they don't need to attract pollinators. They
are wind pollinated, so they're little thick groups of flowers
that we call colas. They're extraordinarily sticky with resin. They
smell inredibly strong and fresh and wonderful. And then you
(28:29):
dry it and boom, that's your weed that you have it.
It's ready to go by mid October, late October, it
will be dry and ready to use.
Speaker 3 (28:37):
And how do you store it.
Speaker 7 (28:39):
You store it in after it's appropriately dried. You just
pack it into either glass jars that are airtight or
mylar bags. These are food storage bags that kind of
look silvery. They're widely available online, and you want to
make sure that you're not using like a ziploc bag
(29:01):
or something that's polyethylene. That's not the best way to
store cannabis. You want to store it in a cool
spot in with no light. You don't want to have
direct sunlight on it.
Speaker 3 (29:11):
Okay, well, you could use a dark jar, or if
it's a transparent jar, put it in a dark space.
Speaker 7 (29:18):
Yes, a cupboard in a cool place. You don't want
to have great fluctuations in temperature, so keeping it, you know,
below seventy degrees if you have a basement or someplace
that's cool, that's a very good thing. It'll help keep
your cannabis fresh for the longest period of time. No
light and little oxygen because oxygen, light, heat, and then
(29:41):
time are the four things that make your cannabis lose
its peak of freshness over time. Cannabis good for about
a year and then I use it for something different,
but for fresh use dried cannabis, I like to use
mine every year, so I grow it every year.
Speaker 4 (30:00):
Matt.
Speaker 3 (30:01):
This is the fun part using it, so how do
we savor the fruits of our cannabiss garden? Yeah, I mean,
I'm gonna let you run with this, But I saw
something in here that caught my attention, something called a
vanilla bean infused CBB gummy. WHOA, You're not gonna find
that anywhere on Black Friday, let alone on sale. I
(30:23):
could tell you that.
Speaker 7 (30:24):
Oh, so I said at the beginning, I came into
the sideways, and I came in as a cook and
a gardener. Those are two of the best skills you
could possibly have for understanding and enjoying cannabis. I also
have a degree in nutrition and food science from UC Berkeley,
so that helped me with a bit of the biochemistry
that this fabulous plant gives us. But that does not
(30:48):
mean that you need to have any education in food
or gardening or anything. You can start out as a
I've never gardened before. I don't know what I'm doing
in the kitchen, and I'm like, you are in a
good company and you don't need to Once you grow
this plant. There are a couple of key things in
which you take the goodness of the resin on the
(31:09):
flower and you make it available to our bodies so
in my book we talk about how to make a tincture.
So that's my number one product that you would make,
super easy to make and it's very flexible. A tincture
is something that is probably the oldest way that people
have consumed cannabis, other than somaking it or inhaling the
(31:33):
charred vapor. A tincture is just do you take some
sort of spirit I like to use ever clear or
grain alcohol, and you soak your cannabis bud in it,
and then the resin from the cannabis moves into the
alcohol portion of that. You get rid of the plant material.
You've got this neat, little, very potent tincture. You won't
(31:57):
find tinctures. By the way, this is in displayes because
dispensaries are not allowed to sell anything with alcohol in them.
They will sell cannabis drops, but they are oil based.
Speaker 3 (32:10):
Okay, wait a minute, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I just
we're not doing a legal update today. But that's amazing. Dispensaries.
Legal dispensaries cancel anything with alcohol in them. But what
about the corner liquor store. Okay, I'm just saying, I'm just.
Speaker 7 (32:30):
Oh yeah, oh oh. The tangled web that we need.
If we just had left this plant alone, we wouldn't
have these weird distinctions. Right, let's just put it back
in the garden where it belongs.
Speaker 3 (32:41):
I did not know that they are because they want.
Speaker 7 (32:45):
To divorce or keep separate certain intoxicainst, one of which
is alcohol and the other, which is THHC. Say want
to okay, we can't let those two things mix because
that's just too put in and that sadly relates to
even the minuscule ounce of alcohol you would ingest taking
half of a milli liter of a very potent cannabis tincture. Anyway,
(33:07):
it's so inconsequential. But here's the cool thing. You can
make it at home. You can have it at home.
You can't buy it anywhere. It's just not for sale anywhere.
You can't buy this in a dispensary. You can't buy
it in a liquor store because it's.
Speaker 3 (33:26):
Very very cool. So the tinctures and dispensaries, it is
oil that it is.
Speaker 7 (33:30):
And they're wonderful. There's nothing wrong with them.
Speaker 3 (33:33):
But yeah, but they're not they're not worter soluble and
they don't mix. So well, go ahead, I'm gonna let
you on.
Speaker 7 (33:39):
Here is my starting point. If you just make one
thing from your cannabis flower, make a tincture. But with
any given flower, you can make two tinctures. You can
make one tincture with bud that's just dried, but it
has not been heat treated or decarboxylated, so you get
access to the raw cannabis, the raw canaloids in that one,
(34:02):
or you decarboxylate it, which is a pretty simple thing
to do. You just put it in the oven for
a certain amount of time and then you make a
tincture with that. You get a very different cannabinoid profile
we like to call it. So you have two different
products from one type of from one type of plant.
Just let's just say you grew one plant. Well, you
(34:22):
have a suite of you have two different main cannabinoids
going on there. One is the acid form and the
other is the stable form, the one that you are
more familiar with. So that's a tincture.
Speaker 3 (34:33):
You have in the raw form from the CBD plant,
you have CBDA and you have that in your tincture.
Or you could have TCA and that in your tincture.
Or you were saying you can apply heat to them,
decarboxylate them, put them in your oven, and then have
CBD or THC. So exact theory, you could have a
(34:55):
raw form tincture, or I like to take tinctures that
mix THCA with THC and CBDA with cbd. Yes, I
feel I feel a real benefit for pain doing it.
Speaker 7 (35:08):
You are and you have into it. It's something that
cannabis science is starting to reveal in the lab as well.
So having both raw and decarved cannabinoids or stable form
cannabinoids together are founding. Researchers are finding the best and
most profound health benefits from the combination of those cannabinoids.
Speaker 3 (35:29):
Wow, I experienced.
Speaker 7 (35:31):
That is that wonderful? So let's just think about that.
You grow this, you soak it into alcohol. After a
couple of days, you strain it out. There's a little
bit more to it, but not a whole lot more
to it than that. You've got this delightful, potent, little
transportable stuff. One of my favorite things to do with
it that you cannot do with cannabis oil drops is
(35:53):
to put it in a sparkling beverage. It is delicious.
It is wow.
Speaker 3 (35:58):
Now do you effect for the holidays? Yes, especially you know,
if people are cutting down on alcohol. You know, you
talk about sleep, pain, and anxiety. The alcohol's not so
good for any of those three. So a lot of
people are looking for something different. So wow, wow.
Speaker 7 (36:23):
And the second thing, Now, a lot of people might
be familiar with cannabis brownies. Right. There was a woman
named Brownie Mary who was super famous in the cannabis
world for sneaking in cannabis and few brownies to those
patients who are suffering from AIDS miserable. She'd bring the brownies.
All of a sudden, they felt better, they could eat,
(36:44):
they had better lives as a result. She was quite
a maverick in the day. But that pot brownie is
a thing.
Speaker 3 (36:52):
The brownies. Though, when I talk to people, especially of
my age range, they're really really scared availables, especially brownies.
Speaker 7 (37:03):
Well there's some basis for that, So brownies pot brownies.
I'll say this. If you grow it, and you understand
what's in your cannabis, and you apply just a little
bit of math and you make your own infused cannabis
oil or cannabis butter, then you can do some math
(37:24):
and make your own most delicious brownie. Recipe or cookie
or just about anything. I think I could actually infuse
anything that we could eat. But you can do so
with an eye towards how much THCHC. And that's the
big one to watch out for is in each serving.
So by doing a little bit of math, you can
(37:45):
control exactly how much THHC is in any given serving
of that batch of brownies. And I give some easy
to use formulas for trying to predict the potency of
your cannabis butter and then using that in just the
right amount to get the right effect. Now, one of
(38:05):
my favorite treats, and it's very giftable recipes in my book,
is you make a cannabis butter or you infuse fat,
then you use a certain amount of that and you
make delicious chocolate sauce. You can put it at the jars,
you label it with just exactly how much is in there,
and then people will know, oh, I'm going to have
(38:26):
one ounce of this or a little scoop on my
ice creaming. It'll be just perfect dose to be just
the elevation I want. Now, those people who are more
experienced with cannabis have a little bit higher tolerance, they
can make their stronger. But the reason why people were
scared about cannabis gummies is because people were not calculating
(38:47):
just how potent those brownies could be. And as you
and I both know with edibles, they take a long
time to kick in, and by the time it's kicked in,
you might have had too many brownies. So it's real
important to get that dosingest right.
Speaker 3 (39:04):
Yeah, and the chocolate sauce. I mean, some people will
say to me, and this makes sense. Oh yeah, but
if you have brownies and the dosing is minimal, you'll
have maybe two milligrams to five milligrams of TC per brownie.
But I want to eat five brownies. Well, okay, I
have one pop browny.
Speaker 6 (39:24):
And then even eat it up lad or none.
Speaker 3 (39:27):
And none spiked brownies.
Speaker 7 (39:30):
That's right. And I think once you grow the plant
and you spend time with it, and you harvest it,
and then you do a little bit of research, it
really demystifies this plant. And I did mystifying taking the
fear out of it. You're able then to get a
little bit more real and enjoy its health and enjoyment
benefits without being worried about being overexposed to this and
(39:54):
it's it's.
Speaker 3 (39:54):
Like cooking with anything else where. I know how much
hot sauce I could tolerate. And you know, some people
are like, is there pepper in that I can't eat it? Okay, Well,
you know you said you learned absolutely.
Speaker 7 (40:07):
I think that hot peppers is a perfect analogy. But
imagine a hot pepper where you eat it and the
heat doesn't kick in for an hour.
Speaker 3 (40:15):
Oh that's great, so we get.
Speaker 7 (40:17):
Immediate link back with other thing we taste. But cannabis
is not like that. It takes a long time for edibles,
especially fat based edibles, to kick in, and then it's
got a long duration. So that's a great thing for
other applications, like sleeping is an ideal time to have
just the right little edible because it lasts the whole
(40:39):
night or a good portion of it, but not so
at a social event. So but that's something you can do.
And there's there's another little gift that's a little bit
more advanced. Is I make a cannabis oil. Some people
might know Rick Simpson oil. It's just a pure cannabis concentrate.
I use a special piece of equipment for that. That's
(41:01):
not all that complicated, but it just allows me to
concentrate my cannabis and I put it in. My favorite
favorite is a salve that I like to call magic
sav and I've provided a simple recipe for that in
my book. But that's like the third way, and that
cannot get you high, but it's incredibly soothing and it's
something you use on your.
Speaker 3 (41:21):
Skin as a topical. Yeah, yeah, yeah, I love I
love a nice magic salve for aches and pains. I've
even used them for miscuita bytes and it's it's incredible
for sure.
Speaker 7 (41:37):
Yeah, And we're talking about Black Friday and gift giving.
Let's just back back that train of one more step,
because the reason why we give gifts is that it's
a season of celebration. It's also a season of we're
wishing each other peace and goodwill, well.
Speaker 3 (41:54):
Gratitude and gratitude.
Speaker 7 (41:56):
You know, if you are giving people the gift that
gives them the ability to have a little bit less anxiety,
a little bit less pain, a little bit less sort
of existential suffering in their lives, I just think that
that's a perfect fit with the season. And then if
you calm down and have some s CBD gummy, get
a little bit elevated in the evening. I think it's
(42:17):
actually going to break cycles of anxiety and worry and
feeling this I don't know, push to outdo one another perhaps,
which is antithetical to the season, but I just think
it's a great fit with the season entirely.
Speaker 6 (42:32):
Well.
Speaker 3 (42:33):
It's stressful. I mean, kids come from college, patterns are interrupted.
Everything is You've seen people you haven't seen in a
long time. Who's still together, who got forbid passed away,
who's no longer together. You know, you get big groups
of people together that you don't normally do. You're off
(42:55):
your routine. It's an exciting time, but it's a very,
very stressful time.
Speaker 7 (43:00):
It really can be, especially for those who I feel
the effects of social anxiety. And I think all of
us get that to a greater or lesser. There are
some who people who just have a little bit more
sensitivity to Ooh, I got to go to the office party,
or it's going to be a big group and for
(43:22):
whatever reason, I'm feeling a little nervous. I actually think
that a low dose edible or a low dose little
tincture can really help offset that in a way that
alcohol doesn't. It hits differently. I make a low dose
gummies and I have named them, and for my husband,
I'll just say I make them for him. I call
(43:43):
them moodlifters because I got a party.
Speaker 8 (43:47):
Now.
Speaker 7 (43:47):
There is nothing that will make me nervous going to
a party. But you know, when you go to a
you're just having one of those days and you need
a little bit of mood switch. It's subtle, and it's
nothing you want to rely upon overly much, but it's
just subtle, and it breaks a cycle of negativity sometimes
helps you to enjoy situations rather than just enduring them.
Speaker 3 (44:08):
It does, but I can say anecdotally you don't rely
on it. I haven't relied on it. I've the fact
that it has changed my mood or lift that negativity
that I might be knee jerk con certain situations, or
that anxiety and a certain social Having the experience of
it lifted, it becomes experiential. You've had this like corrective
(44:33):
emotional experience. Once you experience it and it helps you
to experience it, then it's easier to not need it
to get to that space. But unless you've been to
that space of relaxation, you don't know how to get there.
You don't even know what you're seeking.
Speaker 7 (44:50):
Yes, for sure.
Speaker 3 (44:52):
So the chocolate sauce, the sav the tissuns. What are
some of your fans favored?
Speaker 7 (45:00):
It's oh, fan good, good, gosh so much. Well, I
have to just say my number one fan favorite once
people have tried it, definitely the magic sav So that
is more over the chocolate sauce.
Speaker 3 (45:13):
Over the chocolate sauce.
Speaker 7 (45:14):
Over the chocolate sauce, because that's for everybody, even people
who have really had a number done on them by
the War on drugs. And I'll just say that's everybody
over the age of forty. Number two would have to
be the chocolate sauce. It's just absolutely delicious. It's super
simple to make. Probably the third thing would be one
(45:35):
of my many flavors of gummies. Now we are aware
of gummies at the store. The ones that I have
in my recipe in my book are a little lighter
and fresher. I always rely upon natural ingredients. Like yesterday
in my class we made mier lemon gummies and they
were just exquisite. So they use gelatine, they use some
(45:55):
sugar and it uses a cannabis tincture in the gummy. Recipes,
So it's a way of getting a low dose of cannabis,
and you're in charge of what's in that tincture. It
could be raw, it could be DCARD, it could be THHC,
it could be CBD, it could be the both. You
can make custom gummies and they're fast to make and
really delicious and quite low dose, so there's little risk
(46:18):
of overconsumption because they're just one little gummy at a time.
Speaker 3 (46:22):
It's fun. I mean, this is also the holidays, gifting
meaningful gifts and baking, cooking.
Speaker 7 (46:29):
And in my book there is oh gosh, gosh, the
I have a recipe for giant cheesy goldfish and they
look like goldfish crackers. They absolutely delicious and so again
they're one serving is one big cracker. So as long
as you're like, how many crackers do I think people
are going to make? Or maybe you package them up
(46:51):
in like two little gum you know, crackers, and make
sure that they're just like two milligrams each so people
feel confident. Oh, they'll get a nice little buzz after,
but you know, just eat that so you can say it.
Speaker 3 (47:04):
And for beginners, that's a really good starting dose. I
would like to know just for just every day, well
miss your self care routine, just your baseline, what you
take in the morning and throughout the day and in
the evening. So for sure, how you reap the benefits
(47:25):
of your crophead just for yourself personally, your self care routine.
And look, I've never ever ever thought about Penny Barthel
and stoner in the same sentence. Not that you won't
take it to elevate and on special occasions, but this, this,
(47:46):
you are the epitome of someone who uses it responsibly.
Speaker 7 (47:52):
So thank you. I appreciate it. Verry.
Speaker 3 (47:54):
Guys, it's gonna lead to having your own beautiful backyard
garden and having the most popular gifts. Gohad, Penny, how
do you integrate it? How do you take it daily?
Speaker 7 (48:04):
People who are who express surprise like you you go cannabis,
I'm like yeah, And they'll some some get cheeky and
like why are you? Are you high right now? I'm
like I'm not. But you know, I like to say this,
I enjoy cannabis every day and I'm rarely stoned. If
I want to be stoned, that's fine, but that's my reality.
(48:25):
So I love the I make a raw tincture that
has CBA and THHCA both in it. Every single morning,
I take a pint of water, I throw in some
lemon juice from one of my trees. I put in
several squirts of my rock and abonoids. Boom, I'm hydrated.
I'm feeling good, and I trust that those things will
(48:45):
help to keep down chronic inflammation. Basic chronic inflammation do
too just getting older, So that that's one thing that
I do. I don't. I don't have a sense of that.
It doesn't make me alter my perception of myself at all.
Often then times during the day, I will rub a
topical on my joints in my hands, my knee if
(49:08):
it's acting up. I mean, I was in a ten
k race this morning. I will be using SAB on
my knee later on today, I can tell you that.
And then often before I go to bed, I'll have
a little chocolate heart that I make that has a
low dose of THHC in it, which I find to
be very helpful and helps to promote relaxing sleep. For me,
that is particular to me, and each of you will
(49:31):
need to figure these things out for yourself. This is
not a prescription. It's just my practice, and so with
you and knowing what your health issues are, what your
knees are, you have those things available to you. But
that's just my baseline. And then there are times when
I do want to like test out a new weed
that I just grew. And here's one. It's on my desk.
(49:52):
This is a little sprig of royal highness and it's
really powerful. It's delicious. It's really cushion like.
Speaker 3 (50:00):
What does it smell like?
Speaker 7 (50:01):
Oh, it has what I described as a classic cush smell.
So here can you hear it?
Speaker 8 (50:06):
Yeah, it smells great, it smells bash, it smells it
has a lot of hits of like pine and just
like you walked out into a wet forest in the Northwest,
it smells amazing.
Speaker 3 (50:22):
And the nose, nose, that's the episode. That's another episode.
But folks, when you're worried about, well, the predictability, now,
I don't know how it's gonna affect me. What Penny
just did. Smell it just like you smell, you know,
and see how it hits you, see where it hits you.
Getting to your baseline. We're not saying to give any
(50:42):
of these things up, but wow, to add that point
of water with cannabinoids to my cup of coffee instead
of just having caffeine, which is also legal. I think
would probably do me good to add the magic salve
and cut down on the ibprofen Oh. I think my
(51:05):
gut would appreciate that so much, definitely. And then in
the evening to take a chocolate heart instead of a
pharmaceutical sleeping pill or a bunch of wine. Nothing against that,
and you could still have that. You might find you're
having less, and you're having less of something that's serving
(51:29):
you but also has negative effects, and you're replacing it
or you know, cutting down on it, diluting it with
something that's has the same effects and is actually you
can't make health claims. But as the research will show
(51:51):
as we get even more and more studies, but there's
a lot of peer review studies about the antioxidant effects
and the anti inflammatory effect of the medicinal benefits of cannabis.
It's a magic plant. Yeah. Well, and then in closing,
we always ask our guests. We have a segment called
(52:13):
nip it in the Bud because we want to break
the stigma. And I'm going to ask you what is
maybe one of your top cannabis misconceptions a myth you'd
like to clarify, it was framed. Let's nip it in
the bud. Do you have a common misconception that you'd
(52:36):
like to debunk.
Speaker 7 (52:39):
Yes, the common misconception is that cannabis always gets you stoned.
It does not.
Speaker 3 (52:45):
Cannabis is that one good one.
Speaker 7 (52:49):
If you buy cannabis, that's all CBD. Guess what, you
can roll a joint. You can look as cool and
as if as you possibly want. You can smoke all night.
You will not get stoned. You'll be super relaxed. So
you just got to know in your weed. But no,
there's way more than THC as much as that is
a fabulous molecule, and it is medical in addition to
being super fun and you get to you high. Cannabis
(53:11):
is much more than just getting high.
Speaker 3 (53:15):
It's much more than the promise of a high. And
there's many things. Hey, today people are chasing sales, not
chasing a high. But we'll say, we'll say they might
come home and want to chase a high. I think
they might want the CBD after the Black Friday. So well, Penny,
and we have one other segment. We have consumer insights
and tips. I mean, this entire interview was one big
(53:37):
consumer insight and tip. I really love knowing the intention
behind what do you want to have your cannabis for
and understanding who's behind it.
Speaker 7 (53:52):
Absolutely there are in addition to the humble tea company
and grow it from Home, there are a wonderful array
of just delightful company. I think the cannabis industry has
some of the most creative and integrity filled people in
business today, but they are under duress in terms of
the licensed dispensaries. There's a pretty onerous tax burden that we,
(54:16):
the people in California, have put on them, so be
aware of how that impacts them. But there's some phenomenal
products out there. Go to a really good dispensary, and
by good, I mean you get to know them. Who
owns them? Are they serving their community? Are they owned
by black people, by women, by queer people. You got
to figure out what your values are and then go
(54:36):
find a dispensary that meets them. So that's the first thing.
The second is then ask them questions. There are bud
tenders who are really well informed and they can help
you pick out products. Let's just say you haven't grown
your own cannabis, but you love using it. You can
go try things at a dispensary and then think then
kind of diy them yourself next year. That's kind of
(54:58):
how I got started make my own products. I loved
some of the things that I tried in dispensaries, and
I still go to dispensaries and look at their offerings.
I'll buy them on occasion. So it's not mutually exclusive
to go to a really good dispensary and try things there,
and that will help inform what you make at home.
It's sort of like going to a great restaurant. You
(55:21):
get inspired, you can home, come home and wow things
like that too.
Speaker 3 (55:25):
Yeah, wow, wow, wow, wow Wow. What an amazing conversation
today with you, Penny. I got to get you in
studio because I would like a hug virtual you know, yeah,
we'll do a virtual hug. This has just been such
a refreshing reminder that you know, we're at the beginning
(55:47):
of the holiday season, but it's a season. It's a
season that should last all year, not be dictated. I
like to say to people, it's a state of mind, guys,
not a date. So you know, it doesn't have to
be about buying more stuff. I know, and I know
(56:07):
I do it myself. Like you should see what what?
How many treats and bones my dog has? I just
want to shower her And it's it's is it that
about me? Or is it about her? What does she need?
You know? It's not. I know you want to you
want to make an impact on somebody. Buy this book,
grow it from home, make something. Yeah, you'll you'll be
(56:30):
the most I tell you, I've become the most popular
aunt in our family. But I'm sure you want to.
Penny go up several lines, right, doesn't it go up?
Speaker 4 (56:43):
What?
Speaker 7 (56:44):
That's cool? Yeah?
Speaker 3 (56:46):
And it is cool to recap on the key takeaways
from our talk today, Penny, you know, shared some fantastic
advice on how to start planning your own cannabis guardian.
Whether you're dreaming about it now, we're ready to roll
up your sleeves, come spraying. It's the perfect time to
think about what you'd like to grow and what you
(57:07):
want to get from it. Why do you want to
grow it? You know, whether you're a seasoned grower or
just starting out, This book is fantastic. It is not overwhelming.
It's going to guide you through the process of growing, harvesting,
and all the multiple ways you can enjoy cannabis and
(57:29):
all of its many forms, including gifting it. So don't forget.
We've got more resources waiting for you at greenbee life
dot com. She mentioned Emily Go Go grow it from home.
We have some fantastic growing guides and a whole playlist
on GBLTV with Emily showing us how to make herbal teas,
(57:51):
how to start your garden with seed, to treats for
your pets. Whether you look in to learn creator shop,
We've got something for you. What a neat person in
conversation or revisit Penny's work reminds us the cannabis is
more than a product. It's a practice. And in a
time when access is increasingly politicized and threatened, growing your
(58:15):
own and making your own might not just be empowering
but necessary. So here's my invitation to you, pick one
idea from this episode and try it. No space is
too small, whether it's on your balcony, your outdoor patio,
in a pot on a windowsill, and no experience is
(58:35):
too little. Grow a plant, brew a tea. Read Penny's book,
The Cannabis gardener, and most of all, share what you make.
I've got to tell you homemade cannabis creations can be
some of the most memorable and meaningful gifts.
Speaker 4 (58:51):
And now the voices of ACAA was an exciting announcement.
Speaker 9 (58:55):
Want to hear NBC and US or KCAA anywhere you go, Well,
now there's a net for that. CACAA is celebrating twenty
five years in our silver anniversary for a brand new app.
Speaker 7 (59:05):
The new KC'SAA app is now available on your smart device,
cell phone, in your car, or any place.
Speaker 3 (59:12):
Just search KCAA on Google Play or in the Apple Store.
Speaker 5 (59:16):
One touch and you can listen on your car radio,
Bluetooth device, Android Auto or Apple Car Play.
Speaker 9 (59:21):
Catch the KCAA bus in your earbuds or on the streets.
Celebrating twenty five years of talk news and excellence with
our new KCAA app, Do it and download it.
Speaker 4 (59:31):
KCAA celebrated twenty five years.
Speaker 1 (59:38):
Are you looking for a good union job? The Endland
Empires fourteen thousand members strong Team Stirts Local nineteen thirty
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