April is Earth Month, a perfect time to talk about reducing our carbon footprint.
Beyond recycling and carpooling, did you know there are ways to conserve when it comes to cannabis?
Thanks to the Ardent Nova and Ardent FX decarboxylator devices, eliminating waste and getting the most out of your cannabis is easy. The devices allow you to create infusions for making edibles, topicals, and beyond, and after the straining process, the leftover plant material from your infusion, aka raffinate, can be used too!We offer solutions to using every last bit like transforming it into pesto, infused capsules, and even an exfoliating hand and body scrub.
This not only stretches the amount of cannabis you use… but our devices allow you to use every part of the plant! Leftover stems, sugar leaf, trim, kief, concentrate, flower, popcorn nugs, etc. Nothing goes to waste and everything gets used - for our benefit and the planet’s!
Plus, the Ardent devices allow for waste-free infusion and the entire process is done in-unit.
Read below to find out how to make infused cannabutter and cannaoil alternatives, how to use the oils and raffinate (that would otherwise get thrown out!), and how to repurpose your infused oils and butters and give them an “infusion boost” with Ardent technology.
How to Make Cannabis-Infused Butter
Cannabutter is one of the most popular bases for weed edibles.
Just like regular butter, you can use this cannabis-infused butter to bake treats like brownies and cakes. You can also infuse chocolate or simply spread it on toast, among countless other options based on your preferences.
Making THC-infused butter is simple with the Ardent devices and this step-by-step guide.
You can also infuse other mediums in addition to butter. Read our cannabis-infused coconut oil recipe to learn more and check out our guide on how to make cannabis-infused ghee!
Repurpose Leftover Stems, Sugar Leaf, Trim, Kief, and More
You don’t have to only use cannabis flower for infusions, you can repurpose the ‘less desirable’ parts of the plant like leftover stems, sugar leaf, and more. These often get thrown out and we think that’s a travesty. Ardent’s decarboxylators and infusers allow you to get the most from every part of your cannabis. Click here to see how it’s done.
How to Reuse Your Oil or Butter
To cut down on waste and materials, try infusion boosting. This is the process of re-infusing oil with additional decarbed cannabis to make it more potent. Lab tested, this method is great for saving money and time. It also allows you to cut down on the extraction, like butter or oil, to minimize your carbon footprint.
What to Do With Raffinate?
Raffinate is the leftover cannabis material strained from your infusion. The “plant pulp” has already been activated to make infusions.
To explain this further, there’s two terms you need to know - extract and raffinate.
Extract is the oil, butter, or whatever else that contains the THC, CBD, or CBG you extracted from the flower.
And raffinate, what some people call cannabis ‘pulp’, is the starting material. When it comes to cannabis, it is the leftover flower strained out after the infusion process.
Many people throw this leftover material out. In the spirit of Earth Day, we’re happy to tell you the raffinate still has active cannabinoids. So don’t throw that stuff out!
To prove this point, we put it to the test. We checked how much of the cannabinoids was left in the raffinate, or ‘pulp’, after extraction - as shown in this article. It turns out extraction removes roughly 95% of the cannabinoids from the decarbed cannabis flower, so a small percentage of active THC, CBD, and more is still present.
Plus, the raffinate can soak up the oil or solvent used to extract during the infusion process. Use it for edibles and other DIY recipes!
To help you on your way, here’s some fun things you can do with the leftover material:
1. Reclaim the remaining oil.
After infusing, you can do it again to get the last bit of oil from the raffinate.
Pour boiling water over the leftover pulp. Let the butter/oil and water separate and, when it's cool, the remaining butter/oil will rise for collection.
2. Store the raffinate
Not ready to use the leftover material right away?
No problem - you can store it by refrigeration and/or freezing. Make sure to keep it in an airtight container, like the Ardent Vessel, or sealed Ziplock so it doesn’t get damaged.
3. Make edibles
It can be tricky to get the dosing right. So, start small until you’ve figured out the potency.
Some edibles you can make:
- Cannabis capsules: A super easy method to get the most from your decarbed-material. Fill capsules with the leftover pulp and enjoy!
- Cannabis coffee: Another easy recipe. Simply steep the leftover cannabis pulp in your coffee by using a tea ball! A great way to start your day. Add sugar, cream, milk, or whatever else to enhance the taste.
- Cannabis smoothie: Start with a tablespoon of raffinate and add it into a smoothie of your choice - keep experimenting to judge potency.
You can find more recipes for easy edibles here, many that can be used with raffinate. pulp.
Remember, decarbed cannabis is already activated. You could eat it as is, if you wanted to, and still get its effects. This means you can incorporate the raffinate into any recipe as you wish, from the ones we listed to brownies, cookies, dressings, salads, sauces, soups, guacamole… the sky’s the limit!
Just take care to start with smaller doses and work your way up to evaluate potency.