How much should you eat? Start with a small amount first and adjust the serving size up or down as needed. It may take as long as an hour or more to feel the full effect so be patient.
Coarsely crumble the decarboxylated hemp. Fill a Mason jar half full of hemp and enough oil to cover it plus an inch more. Put the lid on the jar and place it in a pan of water, making a water bath. Heat the water to just below boiling for 1 hour. Turn off the burner and allow it to cool slowly.
Coconut oil is a “good oil” and contains approx. 50% lauric acid so it’s heart healthy. It tastes good, has a high heating point, and doesn’t go rancid quickly. Use organic coconut oil (it’s worth the extra price).
Strain the oil to remove the plant material. Be sure to press all of the oil out of the hemp. A quick way to strain it is to use a french press coffee maker. Or you can use cheesecloth or a jelly bag if you’re so inclined.
At this point the infused oil can be eaten as is, used as an ingredient when cooking, or used as a topical (salve, lotions, etc.). You can cook with the oil as long as the temperature is less than the boiling point of CBD, 315° F. Add coco butter to solidify it when making suppositories.
Optional: Add lecithin to your infused oil to help the cannabinoids cross the cell membrane. Set 1/8 of the oil aside, heat the rest slightly, and add as much soy or sunflower lecithin as it will hold. When no more lecithin will dissolve in the oil it’s saturated. Add the remaining oil to dilute it enough so the lecithin won’t fall out of suspension.
Store your strained infused oil in glass jars kept in the refrigerator.
Making an infused oil is very similar to making cannabutter. “Whatever you make is only as good as the hemp used to make it.” Begin with a cultivar you know and like. Making infused oil is an excellent way to use trim and popcorn, which is less expensive than flower and buds. Grapeseed oil is an excellent choice if you want to make an infused topical oil because it is absorbed into the skin so well.
“We only use ingredients we’d serve our own mother at the Thanksgiving dinner table.” Hemp is rich in CBD (cannabidiol) without THC and is completely non-intoxicating. We only use hemp free of pesticides and heavy metals.