For all you culinary cannabis virgins out there, I feel you. Although I was in my 20s when High Times let cannabis out of the bag with its culinary-focused "Psychedelic Kitchen" spotlight, I have never worked with weed in the kitchen. Nor have I (knowingly) consumed the ubiquitous pot brownie, even though I am of the age when the home-baked stoner sweet was popular. For newbies unwilling to waste weed and disinclined to eat something that tasted like our lawns, basic cannabis-oriented cookbooks provide a great place to start. For serious stoners, there are plenty of elevated culinary books, too.
EDIBLES FOR BEGINNERS: A CANNABIS COOKBOOK
Pot brownie fans have a friend in Portland-based Laurie Wolf, whose recipes have been featured in such heady publications as Dope Magazine, High Times, and The Cannabist, including for award-winning pot brownies. Wolf is joined by daughter-in-law, Mary — together they comprise laurieandmaryjane.com — in this ganja guide to making magical almond cookies, doped-up deviled eggs and more. The authors cover the basics, from identifying parts of the plant, extracting the fun stuff through a process called decarboxylation or "decarbing," and converting the extractions into such marijuana cooking mainstays as tinctures, oils and flour.
BONG APPÉTIT: MASTERING THE ART OF COOKING WITH WEED
When you're ready to move beyond the basics, check out this collaboration between the editors at Vice Media's MUNCHIES food website and cannabis industry pioneers like Elise McDonough, a former High Times staffer and cookbook author. The book is based on a James Beard-nominated Viceland TV show of the same name with episodes like "Puff, Puff, Pastry" and "Eggs and Bakin.'" Some of that swagger is evident in the cookbook, with recipes aimed at those with access to high-falutin' stuff like distillates, tinctures and terpenes. But there are plenty of simple recipes for newbies and those living in hemp holdout states (like Idaho) who might only have access to basic buds. Find the show at vicetv.com and the book at bookshop.org and other outlets.
THE CBD COOKBOOK FOR BEGINNERS: 100 SIMPLE AND DELICIOUS RECIPES USING CBD
If getting high isn't part of your jam, try a little CBD-infused nut butter on your morning toast to take the aches away. Seattle-based Mary J. White's straightforward approach explains how one can have pain-relieving CBD without THC, the chemical that lifts you above your pain into a state of temporary euphoria. You're still working with cannabis albeit cannabis ruderalis, better known as hemp. And if you want to try recipes for baked artichoke dip or infused maple syrup with the other types of cannabis, you'll need to figure out dosage yourself...one tasty bite at a time. Visit maryjwhite.com.
CANNABIS DRINKS: SECRETS TO CRAFTING CBD AND THC BEVERAGES AT HOME
Market research suggests that 2022 will be a year of record cannabis growth: $30 billion or more in sales. A big bite out of the pie isn't a bite at all but a sip, with cannabis-forward beverages leading the way. The author of Cannabis Drinks, Jamie Evans, is founder of The Herb Somm whose brand is equal parts Giada De Laurentis and Martha Stewart. Evans provides recipes for jazzed up juices, both canna-cocktails and mocktails, and assorted other beverages. Start your day with a marijuana milkshake or tame that throat tickle with an infused tea. This book is full of beautifully photographed drinks for every occasion. Visit theherbsomm.com. ♦
