Everyone has strong feelings about the acidic, tangy, and pungent flavors in vinegar: you love it or you hate it, no middle ground. I personally love it, and I spend a lot of time experimenting with various infusions, tinctures, and extractions for culinary and medicinal uses. Naturally, I decided to make a cannabis infusion to take things to the next level. Keep reading this to learn how to make it and gain a few ideas on how to use it.
Why use Apple Cider Vinegar?
I recommend avoiding synthetic distilled white vinegar for anything you will ingest. It’s pH level is unfit for human consumption and it does not contain any of the living enzymes that naturally produced vinegars have. Personally I think it should only be used as a cleaning product!
You can use other types such as balsamic, red wine vinegar, or rice vinegar, but I recommend ACV as a way to have a base-level infusion that you can use for other purposes and add more ingredients after the infusion is done. It arguably has the most health benefits as well so it’s a winning choice all around. Make sure you buy an unpasteurized version to ensure you get all of the good stuff in it.
Here’s what you need:
- 32 oz organic unpasteurized vinegar
- 1 40-oz mason jar or BPA-free plastic jar with screw top
- ¾ oz high quality flower*
- Cheesecloth – enough to strain twice with clean pieces
- Patience 🙂
*To extract more terpenes and as much THC as possible, flowers are a better choice than plant matter. Especially considering you are using a weaker solvent than distilled alcohol. This will pay off in the final result.
- Preheat your oven to 225 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Grind the nugs and place them on a baking pan lined with foil, one layer spread evenly.
- Place in the oven for about 25 minutes to decarboxylate the flower. This has to be done to turn the THCA into THC to give you the psychoactive properties.
- Remove from the oven and let it cool.
- When cool, place the cannabis into the jar and cover with the apple cider vinegar. You want both the plant matter and the ACV to fill the jar, so adjust the size if necessary.
- Shake vigorously.
- Store in a cool, dry place for 2 weeks minimum. I recommend avoiding the fridge for now because that may slow down the extraction process, but if you live in a really warm area then definitely put it in the fridge and store it for 2.5 weeks.
- Give it a good shake every 2-3 days.
- Now you’re ready to strain the plant matter. Open the jar and cover with cheesecloth, then strain and pour it in another container.
- Discard the nugs and place the vinegar back in the jar.
- Cover with a new layer of cheesecloth and strain again
- Cover and store in the fridge
Now you’re ready to enjoy! There are many ways to use this vinegar infusion – add to salads, pickle your favorite veggies, incorporate it in marinades and sauces, add a bit to your favorite juice to get the medicinal benefits as well as a THC lift, and add other herbs to keep building on the infused properties.
With proper storage your vinegar will last for about 2 years.
