Savour the Sunshine: 12 Favourite Summer Cannabis Edibles

Margaret 00:00:05 Hello friends. Welcome back to episode 302. And today we are doing the best edibles for summer. Welcome to Bite Me, the show about edibles where I help you take control of your life. I'm your host and Certified Ganjier Margaret and I love helping cooks make safe and effective edibles at home. I'm so glad you're here. Welcome back, friends to Bite Me, the show about edibles, a podcast that brings you the intersection of food, cannabis and culture. Helping cooks make great edibles at home. I'm not a professional chef, so if I can do it, you can do it. And I say that the most lovingly way possible. I enjoy cooking, I really do. Although I will admit that I did not really start to get into baking until I started making edibles because that's just the way it is. I wasn't really into baking before I could get high from doing it. I did do a lot of bread baking, of course, which I did not infuse. But yeah, that's how I really got into baking.

Margaret 00:01:08 Even though I've done baking a lot throughout my life, I do have a lot of fond memories of baking with my grandmother because when I was a teenager especially, she would have, as my sister and I, over to her house, oftentimes one at a time, so that she could spend one on one time with us. And I came from a pretty restrictive household, if you will. And because I grew up in a religious household, and one of the great things about my grandmother is how open minded she was. And she would always let me play the music that I wanted to play, so she wouldn't say anything about it. She may have said, actually, now that I think about it, she may have occasionally said, like, I don't really get it or whatever, because I grew up in the 90s and there was a lot of great grunge music at the time, and I listened to all of that stuff, and it was not something that my parents liked me listening to. I remember they tried to get me into a little bit of Christian rock at one point, which just isn't the same.

Margaret 00:02:05 You know, when you're listening to Pearl Jam and Nirvana and Soundgarden and all these bands. The the Christian equivalent is not going to cut it. But anyway, my grandmother would let me play this music while we baked together, and it was awesome. And I credit in a lot of ways my grandmother too, initially giving me this interest in baking, even though I didn't really get into it until after I started making edibles. I mean, sure, I baked cookies and stuff and, you know, made the occasional cake and all that kind of thing, but I didn't really start to bake a lot until I started making edibles. And I credit her also to helping me learn a lot about conversions. Like, the only reason I know that a teaspoon is five millilitres is because I baked so much with my grandmother, because I think she didn't know what else to do with us when we came over as teenagers, and I recall, come going over and we would do like 3 or 4 recipes in a row and we'd be able to taste, test and enjoy, and a lot of it would go into the freezer for special occasions when she had family over and stuff like that.

Margaret 00:03:01 But it is definitely a fond memory. And of course, another thing that I credit to my ability to do conversions is buying cannabis off the street. That is correct. I mean, the only reason, you know, there's 16oz to a pound or 28g to an ounce is because it's because of cannabis. That's the only reason, or 454g equals a pound. I mean, you might learn that from butter as well. But in any case, where was I going with that? I'm not even sure. I'm so glad that you're here. If you're tuning in for the first time, this will be a fun episode because it's sort of a roundup of some of my favorite summer edibles. This episode is coming out in the first week of June, and we're finally going to be getting some great weather here in Ontario, which is where I'm located. And we've had a pretty rainy spring so far. But summertime is a time that Canadians in particular really yearn for. So when summertime hits, we want the edibles that we're enjoying to reflect our mood, our vibe, our summertime activities.

Margaret 00:03:58 And so this is going to be a great roundup episode. Now that I've been doing this podcast for a few years now, I have accumulated a pretty large repertoire of recipes that I've done over the years, and I am going to be sharing some of my favorites. I mean, I was going through quite a few of these these recipes and episodes that I've done in the past, and it really was hard to narrow it down, but I tried to find some that I think you would find useful. And of course, if you are listening and you've been a long time listener, I really do appreciate you because this podcast would not exist without you. And if you want to continue the conversation, I started the Bite Me Cannabis Club because podcasting can feel pretty lonely sometimes. And if you're interested, I can show you more about what it's about over a joint. Bite me. Com and I encourage you to check it out because we will be talking more about this over there. Before we get into summer edibles.

Margaret 00:04:54 That slap today I just wanted to share a couple of things with you. I got a new rating and review and it was five stars entitled great! Love the show. Much love from Melbourne, Australia and that came from Spencer oh one and thank you for the love from Melbourne, Australia. It's so crazy to think that this podcast really is a worldwide podcast, and there's people from all over the place that are listening to it, and I appreciate you taking the time out to create a review. And that really does help spread the word about the show. I am a pretty niche podcast. It's a small podcast. These reviews really do help spread the word about the show, as does sharing this episode with somebody that you think would enjoy it. So if you think someone out there would enjoy this episode, please share it. You can open up your phone and text it to them right now, and that helps a lot too. The next thing I wanted to cover is I got some fan mail that I thought you folks would find interesting, and this one comes from a listener in Rochester, New York.

Margaret 00:06:00 Hey, Margaret, I just listened to your podcast about the infusions and trials and tests that you did. One of the things you forgot to mention was the coloring in the shorter infusion. Did you notice whether or not the color was deeper, darker, or the same by way of this? This came from Wayne in Rochester, New York. I really appreciate that comment, Wayne, because it never even occurred to me to talk about the coloring of these experiments that I did, and I am happy to answer that question. And if you haven't listened to that episode, I would really encourage you to listen to that one, because it will save you time in the kitchen. It is this research that has been coming out, spearheaded by Vanessa Alvarado, who I also had on the podcast recently. We talk about that in our interview together as well. And she did a bunch of of research for her book, How to Eat Weed and Have a Good Time. And what she found was that 30 minutes would extract most of the cannabinoids in any infusion that you're doing.

Margaret 00:06:57 I have typically done a two hour infusion, as per the usual advice out there. When I when I had her on the podcast and she told me this and I have her book as well, I was like, I need to try this out for myself. So I did a few experiments on my own. Just to confirm what she was telling me. And lo and behold, she was right. I did two experiments with butter and and with olive oil, and I did one 30 minute infusion for each and one two hour infusion for each. And I used my t check to test them both. And I it was astounding. The difference in the two, the 30 minute and the two hour infusion was pretty marginal. Now, this isn't to say you can't go ahead and infuse for two hours if that's your routine and you're happy with it, but just know you're not necessarily going to be extracting out that much more cannabinoids. And so you can really save time, especially if you're wanting to make it edible on the fly.

Margaret 00:07:53 You know, you've carved and infused and you want to make an edible all in one sitting. This can save you so much time. You don't have to wait the two hours to get most of the cannabinoids out. Now, again, I go much deeper into that in the episode on 30 minute infusions and some of the science behind that, now that I dug into it. And of course, big shout out to Vanessa Lovato, who has discovered this and is sharing is helping us save all this time in the kitchen. Her book is fantastic as well. If you haven't checked that out, it is a great cannabis cookbook to have on your shelf. But she does get into a lot of the science that she found in her own research when she was doing all these lab tests, and I believe she did over 200. So I did a couple just to see for myself because I was curious. She did over 200. Yeah. Vanessa is the OG for making this realization that we don't need to spend so much time in the kitchen.

Margaret 00:08:41 But to answer Wayne's question, I did not notice a difference in the coloring. Now, that could be because I wasn't necessarily using a ton of cannabis. And if it was, you know, if I was using a lot more cannabis in these infusions, maybe the color would be darker for the two hour infusion. But I just had to run up and look at my own butter infusions in particular, because the olive oil pretty much looks the same as well. But the butter was almost identical in color, so I didn't notice a big difference there. You may experiment on your own and see what you find. There could be a few factors involved in that. The longer you infuse for, the more you're going to be extracting out things other than the cannabinoids, like like the chlorophyll that will give it that green taste. So there is another there are a lot of advantages to having that shorter infusion time. So check out that episode Save time in the kitchen because now that summer is here, baby, we are going to be out there enjoying the beautiful weather and I have some edibles for you that will help make your summer.

Margaret 00:09:44 Let's get into it. Now that the sun is out and the days are long, I really do love this time of year because leading up to Summer solstice, which is June. I think it's June 21st this year. That is the longest day of the year, and it'll be bright out at like after 9 p.m. here. And I just love those lazy summer evenings. I'm sure many of you out there do as well, but it's the perfect time to talk about cannabis infused treats for the hot days, the beach, the beach days, the backyard barbecues. I love a backyard barbecue, and so I've shared a bunch. So today we're going to be talking about a bunch of my summer ready recipes that will help you enjoy the summer to the best of your ability. And I'm bringing it all together in this one episode. So I will of course, be doing more episodes all summer long, every Thursday, as you've come to expect, but these ones are ones that are going to help you beat the heat are great for seasonal activities that we're going to be enjoying, so let's get into it, shall we, friends, to kick it off.

Margaret 00:10:45 I mean, the one thing that I often think in the summertime is beverages infused refreshments. And we know that edibles aren't just brownies and gummies anymore. Thank goodness, because the summer is the perfect time to get creative. Also, because it's just too damn hot to be turning on the oven, isn't it? Another big reason why I tend to lean towards some of the fresher stuff non baked items in the summertime because it's just too warm to be turning on that oven. So I have a few that I think that you will enjoy. And the first one that comes to mind is infused mojitos. Now, I did this for an episode I not that long ago, actually, I can tell by the photos in the in the post. I love a mojito and this was a non infused version. And if you have those herbs growing in your garden, then it's even better because I did plant a bunch of herbs this year in a pot on my deck. Mint. Parsley. Basil. Rosemary. I think that was it.

Margaret 00:11:45 With the exception of the parsley, it was mainly because I had read that they do help repel mosquitoes, which are a huge problem where I am, which can really ruin a summer evening. As many of you probably know, you're trying to sit out on your back deck and enjoy the summer vibes, the summer warmth, and around dusk. Those mosquitoes just like to come out and make a nuisance of themselves and ruin a perfectly beautiful evening. So I had heard that this helped and so I planted them. Because also, who doesn't love fresh herbs in the summertime? So that was partly my rationale. And so this summer mojito is a perfect one to enjoy. Now, there's also a fruit kvass. For those of you who are interested in some of the more fermented recipes or fermented beverages. This one was pretty simple. And as somebody who has made fermented, I've done like kombucha over the years. Water kefir, I have made beet kvass, which is a very different process, and I found did taste very earthy, like beets.

Margaret 00:12:48 I have made homemade sodas that were fermented with a ginger bug. I've done all that stuff. I was really into it for a little while, and the fruit kvass was really nice because it was pretty simple to make, and you didn't need a lot of expertise to. I shouldn't say expertise, but you didn't need anything special to make this. And of course, you can infuse it, because why not? Of course, we have the infused Peach Mint Tea Seltzer, which is a lovely, bubbly, refreshing drink, and the mint really cools you down on a hot summer day. So that's where I'm leaning towards when it comes to cooling off. But what if you aren't really into the beverages and you prefer something cold or even. I love the tequila Lime pops recipe. I have been making this recipe for quite a few years now, probably even before I was making edibles because I love it so much. You don't need the tequila, you can leave it out, but the frozen treat with a little citrus, it's got a beautiful kick, so I really recommend the tequila lime pop.

Margaret 00:13:49 Now what? If you're you're getting into specific activities over the summer, you've got maybe you're doing a beach day or you're enjoying some outdoor sports. Maybe you've gotten into the latest craze of pickleball, which is still something that I would like to try. Wouldn't it be nice to enjoy, you know, get a little high and enjoy some pickleball? So maybe it's beach days. Maybe you're out playing pickleball, maybe you're going camping or enjoying a cottage weekend. Maybe you're going to that barbecue potluck or summer summer pool parties or neighborhood picnics. There's all kinds of ways that we're enjoying the outdoors. So for all of these types of activities, no matter what it is that you're doing, you can find an edible that will work for you. I'm going to suggest, first of all, no big breakfast bars, because of course they can be used for not breakfast as well. And they make a pretty calorie dense fuel when you're on the go, as do protein energy balls. So I would recommend both of those, especially if you're going to be doing some hiking.

Margaret 00:14:44 I know some people who love to do go hiking in the summertime, and these are something that can be easily stashed. they're portable, they're easy to dose, and they're not going to stink up your backpack. And you can enjoy some nice elevation. You can feel engaged and uplifted while you're enjoying your summertime activity. These energy balls, which not only can you dose them how you see fit when you're enjoying your activity, maybe that's with CBD, a thc, CBD ratio. Maybe you want high THC, but they're also going to give you that energy that you need to keep going when you're enjoying a beautiful day for the summer barbecues, parties, picnics, all those kinds of things. The first thing I'm going to recommend, of course, for your barbecue side is an infused barbecue sauce. I mean, that's going to lend itself well to all kinds of different things that you're going to be putting on that grill. I myself have a charcoal grill and I am a fair weather barbecue. You will never see me out there shoveling the snow off the deck so I can get to barbecuing.

Margaret 00:15:45 It just seems so unpleasant to me. It's one of my favorite things to do. I'll sit it on the deck. I will enjoy some cannabis. I will enjoy a cannabis beverage oftentimes and, you know, enjoying some of the beverages already mentioned to enjoy while you are doing your barbecuing is another good way to make good use of the herbs or whatever else it is that you are going to be making use of. Barbecue sauce that I have here today is a sugar free version, so expect to find that in the show notes. And of course, I did an episode not that long ago on Curry Ketchup, which can be a nice addition to your burgers or hot dogs or any kind of things like that that you're making for summertime. So those are some great options for the barbecues. But what if you're going to a picnic or a potluck and you want to bring something? How about a fresh Mediterranean beef salad? Maybe you've cooked the beef on the barbecue, but the salad comes together beautifully, and it's light and refreshing and doesn't require a lot of time in a hot kitchen.

Margaret 00:16:41 And of course, a favorite of mine as well is the three bean salad, because you can make this ahead and it's really simple ingredients. If you haven't infused olive oil, it's going to work perfectly for the sauce on this, and you can make a pretty big batch and then enjoy it for a few days. And it's going to have it's going to be nutrient dense. It's really good for you. As is the Mediterranean salad. What summer would be complete without your chicken carnitas tacos? I mean, tacos just are good any time of the year, but in the summertime I think they hit a bit different. And I think the last thing I didn't mention, which can be really nice for summer mornings, maybe you've had some company over and you need to feed them. Having some granola. Just good old fashioned granola. I love to make a big batch of this stuff and then have it on hand, because it's really nice on top of yogurt. I mean, technically, I guess you could eat it like a cereal.

Margaret 00:17:30 You can like pack it for again for hikes and trips and road trips. And that's another great option as well. Now, did I miss anything? I think that's pretty much it. But of course we have to talk a little bit about safety. Please don't forget, if you're going to be sharing any of this, know your audience. If you know there's going to be a lot of people that you're going to be spending time with that don't imbibe or have a low dose, have low dose options with you. A lot of these edibles that I've mentioned are great, because they can be enjoyed in such a way that if you want to higher dose, you can just enjoy more. And that's a really easy way to go about it. Maybe you want to have some non infused options, or opt for CBD for some of your edibles, depending on the circumstance. As always, and you already know this label, label label. This one is so important, especially if you're bringing something to someone else's place of residence.

Margaret 00:18:25 You want to make sure that it is abundantly clear that this is infused. Whether it's THC or CBD, you still want to allow people to make informed decisions about what they're putting in their bodies. So label, label, label, make everything super clear. You will be glad that you did it. Keep the servings on the lower end. If you're going to be spending some time in the sun. You want to be mindful of how you're storing your edibles, because some can degrade in the high heat. You don't want to be making a mediterranean beef salad and having it sit out in the sun. I mean, that might not be the ideal way to handle that, but so have your coolers. Keep them in shaded areas. Avoid dosing too quickly. Hot weather may intensify the effects, especially if you're dehydrated or if you're a little newer to cannabis. So just know your dose and be patient, even if you're pretty experienced with edibles. I've seen it happen time and time again where people just dose too quickly.

Margaret 00:19:16 I may have been guilty of that a time or two myself. Don't do anything risky while you're really high. You want to enjoy your buzz safely. We want everybody to have a fun and enjoyable summer and not be spending any time in an emergency rooms. This is a little redundant to say I know you're all smart just for my due diligence, of course, don't forget to keep any of your infused goodies away from kids, pets, or unsuspecting friends because nothing ruins a summer activity or summer barbecue. Like an accidental dose. But pets, please know that pets do not tolerate THC. Anytime you see anything marketed for pets, it's going to be CBD based. Pets do not do well with THC. So there you have it, my friends. This is your unofficial guide to infused summer vibes. So whether you're chilling on a dock, you're sweating it out on a trail. Maybe you're hosting a backyard bash. There is a cannabis edible that will fit the moment. And if you weren't really inspired by anything that I listed here, I would be quite shocked actually.

Margaret 00:20:18 But you can find a whole lot more over on Bite Me podcast.com. And as always, I'm going to have a show notes for this episode that will have all the ones that I mentioned in today's episode all in one place, so that you can easily find it and get into enjoying the summer. I love June for a lot of reasons, not only because Summer solstice, like I mentioned earlier, it's also my birthday this month and also the anniversary of Bite Me, which is pretty remarkable as well that I'm still here. Years later, this will be the sixth anniversary. Can you believe it? I can hardly believe it either. I have loved every minute of doing this show and I will be hopefully universe willing, putting out a whole bunch more for you to enjoy. Because edibles is how I love to consume cannabis. It's my favorite way. Now I want to know from you, what's your go to summer edible? Or better yet, try out one of the recipes that I've talked about today and tag me on the socials.

Margaret 00:21:18 Or wee, or join the Buy Me Cannabis Club and talk about it over there, because I just want to inspire everyone to have a deliciously elevated bite me summer. As always, you can find the show notes, recipes, juicy details over Bite Me podcast.com and I think that's it for this week my friends. I am your host, Margaret De. Hi.