Getting into a pickle
Cooking time 2hours
Waiting time 6 weeks!
***Ingredients***
You will need some clean jam jars (340g) with their lids about half a dozen will be enough, a sheet of waxed lid covers. Or you can cut some out from a sheet of grease proof paper.
700g sliced up garden runner beans remove any tough strings with the tops and bottoms as you go.
450g Green tomatoes
300g chopped onions
225g cooking apples, peeled, cored and sliced
300ml pickling vinegar
3 red chillies
14g root ginger
114g of sultanas or raisins
1 teaspoon of salt
225g light brown sugar
One and a half dessert spoons cannabis tincture per jar.
TINCTURES
Tinctures are easily made using dried grass finely ground and covered in alcohol. One pint to every ounce (28g) of dried buds, or if you are using leaves use 2oz (56g) to every pint of alcohol.
This is best done into a dark glass bottle with a screw lid; allow the tincture to rest for two weeks in a dark warm place. Always make sure utensils are sterilised clean beforehand with boiling water.
The alcohol needs to be at least thirty proof 60% alcohol content or even higher Vodka is always suitable give the mixture a good shake once each day. After two weeks strain through a fine filter of muslin cloth and store in dark tinted glass bottles to preserve the tincture. This can now be added to drinks or food, or taken directly on the tongue try 5-10 drops at first as the potency can vary.
For a quicker method of cold extraction put the leaf into one pint jar and cover in vodka tighten on the lid and place in a dark paper bag, and pop into the freezer, take it out for a shake daily then after three days it will be ready to strain through a fine filter of muslin cloth squeezing out all the tincture then bottle as above.
Method
Slice the beans and chop up the tomatoes, onions and apples place them all into a large pan with a heavy base to save any burning. Pour in half the vinegar bring up to the boil and let it all simmer gently for about half an hour, stirring regularly.
With a small piece of muslin make a bag up of the chillies, ginger and hang into the pan. Add the sultanas allow to cook gently for an hour keep giving it a stir, then add the salt, sugar and the remaining vinegar stir well cook for another half an hour or so until the mixture is nice and thick. Remove the spice bag at the end of cooking and remove from the heat allow cooling a little then fill up your waiting clean warm jars.
Then add One and a Half dessert spoons of Cannabis tincture to each jar stirring in really well then covering the top with a little wax paper and a tight lid.
Do take the time to make some clear labels to warn any hungry takers.
Always keep the jars well out of reach of small hands, especially whilst the pickle sits in a cupboard and does its six week thing.
In six weeks time
Adults only
Around half a teaspoon is recommended for therapeutic use otherwise a teaspoon is a good place to start; Remembering if you eat too much with good cheese it may just turn you completely MAD!
Published in Weed World Magazine 84