Quick Bhang

Anyone who has made the Indian beverage Bhang the traditional way knows it can be a tedious process. Being  a basically lazy person I decided to simplify it using modern technology. Follow your favorite recipe, there are quite a few available on the web. Here is a good one from holifestival.org

Flavoured bhang drink

Ingredients
2 cups water
1 ounce marijuana (fresh leaves and flowers of a female plant preferred)
4 cups warm milk
2 tablespoons blanched and chopped almonds
1/8 teaspoon garam masala (a mixture of cloves, cinnamon, and cardamon)
1/4 teaspoon powdered ginger
1/2 to 1 teaspoon rosewater
1 cup sugar

This is the traditional method of preparation:

Bring the water to a rapid boil and pour into a clean teapot. Remove any seeds or twigs from the marijuana, add it to the teapot and cover. Let this brew for about 7 minutes.
Now strain the water and marijuana through a piece of muslin cloth, collect the water and save.

Take the leaves and flowers and squeeze between your hands to extract any liquid that remains. Add this to the water.
Place the leaves and flowers in a mortar and add 2 teaspoons warm milk. Slowly but firmly grind the milk and leaves together. Gather up the marijuana and squeeze out as much milk as you can. Repeat this process until you have used about 1/2 cup of milk (about 4 to 5 times). Collect all the milk that has been extracted and place in a bowl. By this time the marijuana will have turned into a pulpy mass.

Add the chopped almonds and some more warm milk. Grind this in the mortar until a fine paste is formed. Squeeze this paste and collect the extract as before. Repeat a few more times until all that is left are some fibers and nut meal. Discard the residue.

Combine all the liquids that have been collected, including the water the marijuana was brewed in. Add to this the garam masala, dried ginger and rosewater. Add the sugar and remaining milk.

New Method

Bring the water to a rapid boil and pour into a clean teapot. Remove any seeds or twigs from the marijuana, add it to the teapot and cover. Let this brew for about 7 minutes. Place this mixture along with the remaining ingredients in a blender set to 'liquify'. Blend for several minutes, strain through a mesh coffee filter. Enjoy!

Cannabis Root Salve

One of the more popular posts on this blog is the liniment made from cannabis root. The drawback to using this is that it is so thin you sometimes spill more than you get on you. The solution to this is a salve which is easier to apply. I find that it takes a little longer to take effect than the liniment, but of course makes less mess. I recommend doubling the amount of roots that you would normally use.

Cannabis Root Salve

Start by making an infused oil.

Ingredients:

• Ground dried cannabis roots
• coconut or olive oil

Method:
Place ground dried roots in a crock-pot and cover with coconut or olive oil by an inch or two. Gently heat the mixture over very low heat for 4-5 hours. Allow to cool. Strain and pour into dry sterilized amber bottles. (I like using Worcestershire sauce bottles).

Ingredients:

• 8 oz infused oil
• 1 oz beeswax
• vitamin E (as a preservative)
• 10-20 drops essential oil (optional, I like peppermint)

Method:
Place infused oils and beeswax over a double boiler and warm over low heat until the wax melts.  Turn off the heat and add the essential oil and vitamin E.  Pour into a glass jar.
The consistency of the salve can be adjusted depending on your preferences.
Use less wax for a soft salve and more wax if you want a thicker salve.

Once it cools you can make adjustments by reheating and adding more oil or more wax until you get the consistency you want.