Shade Leaf consumption ~ Tinctures, Oils & Edibles

One thing you start to accumulate as you go on with your grow is “shade leaf”. This is the non-bud fan leaf that you trim off as time goes by as the plant matures. Also known as duffage, trim, shake depending on the neighborhood you grew up in.  It may not make the best smoke, but it’s easily converted to fun stuff like Tinctures, Oils & Edibles.

Before making stuff with your low octane herb you need to prepare it. It should be dry enough to smoke and screen sifted like the photograph at the top of the article. Measure out the herb needed and place it in a shallow pan (pie tin is perfect) and heat in a convection oven at low heat 250F for 30 minutes. This dessicates the weed and “decarbs” it. Decarboxylate is the full term. By doing this the goodies are more readily released in the various methods.

Tinctures

These are simple alcohol extractions.  150ml of Everclear 190proof grain alcohol and 10g of decarb’d shake weed.  Add helpful flavors–I’ve used ground Anise for black licorice, menthol crystals, cinnamon & cloves, cilantro & habanero, rosemary, coffee & vanilla extract. Place the contents in a recycled kombucha bottle ,cap & shake it and put it in the freezer for a week. Shake it once a day.

Remove from freezer and filter into smaller dropper/storage vials. Usually 1 eyedropper full under your tongue–hold it for as long as you can  before swallowing what doesn’t get absorbed.

Oils

These can be based on things like coconut oil if you bake or on glycerin & glycol for vape juice, sub-lingual drops or as a pain rub lotion.

I make my oil as follows:

Decarb 30g of shake/trim and add to 225 ml of grain alcohol in a mason jar or recycled kombucha bottle that’ll hold 500ml capacity.

I made a nice wintergreen flavor by also adding 5g menthol crystals, 1g star anise and 1/8tsp Cinnamon.

Let that set in the freezer for a week –stir daily.

Remove from the freezer and add 225ml of vegetable glycerin.

Place the jar/bottle in a crock pot slow cooker with the lid loose preferably on a back porch/ventilated patio. Place a dishtowel in the bottom of the crock pot with water in it so that the heat is more evenly dissipated . The crockpot should be left on low heat for 48 hours. Dont let it run dry. This will evaporate the alcohol and transfer the goodies to the glycerin as well as the heated glycerin extracting whats left from the shake.

Filter out the flavorings and decarb’d weed and you should have approx 225ml of glycerin extract. Match that amount with 225ml of Propylene Glycol and stir. You now have 450ml of minty tasty pot oil.

• Use in an E-cig or vape unit
• Put a drop under your tongue–it’s a blast breath freshener
• Drop some on leftover shake weed to spiff up the potency and smoke yourself an “oiler”
• Use it for aches and pains–sore back/pulled muscles rub

Edibles

Easy recipe–just get the Ghiradelli Brownie Mix at Costco. I package makes an 8×8 brownie pan. I use 16g decarb’d weed and just stir that into the batter so it’s all worked around. After baking it we cut it in 4 rows in one direction and 4 rows in the other for 16 even squares. That doses it to 1g per brownie–close enough for government work.