Welcome to Living in the Weeds, a series that explores the experiences of neurodivergent people who consume cannabis.
Today’s guest is Tesha Lawrence, AKA Girly with a Side of Cannabis. Tesha is a social media manager, virtual assistant, and recipe developer – especially for edibles.
We talk about:
- How Tesha’s ADHD symptoms manifest in her life and how she deals with them
- Making edibles. The good, the bad, the ugly, and the easy.
- Sweet versus savory edibles
- Why Tesha prefers to infuse ghee over butter
- The applications of smoking versus edibles (and layering cannabis doses)
- How to balance the cannabinoids in your edibles, using CBD and CBG to balance the effects of the THC
- Lucy’s early experience with edibles in the 90’s (you won’t BELIEVE how she used to make brownies!)
- Adding terpene extract into your edible recipe
Ready to start tracking your cannabis consumption? Grab one of Lucy’s Tracking Journals here and save 10% off at checkout with code CANNABISWRITER.
Why I Love This Episode
Embarking on a journey into the world of cannabis is an enlightening and often amusing experience. Talking with Artesha brought up humorous edible stories, tips and tricks for the stoner in the kitchen, and a few expert insights into making your edibles better.
Navigating Edible Adventures
Artesha is a recipe developer and specializes in homemade edibles – so of course we had to take a deep dive in edibles. Lucy regaled us with horror stories of edibles from the 90s, where making weed brownies was a literal experience that involved adding a pound of raw weed into the brownie batter. The result was an herbaceous brownie with once-decarb’ed weed (today’s edibles typically decarb the weed and extract the plant matter before adding it into a recipe – so you don’t bite into an entire nug!)
Artesha broke down the differences between infusing butter and ghee, explaining why she prefers ghee and how after infusing, she’ll often add milk solids back into the ghee to give it more of a butter texture. When I make homemade edibles, I tend to infuse butter because I don’t like the taste of ghee, but after hearing from Tesha, I’m interested in trying ghee infusions.
Tesha also shares some of her favorite beginner-friendly edible recipes, including “cake cookies”, a new way to use boxed cake mix without needing to make a full cake. (Since recording this, I’ve been fortunate enough to try some of Tesha’s cake cookies – and she’s onto something delicious!)
Mastering the Art of Dosing Edibles
A crucial component of our cannabis journey is the mastery of dosage, an art that plays a pivotal role in ensuring a safe and enjoyable experience. Most seasoned stoners have at least one story of a bad edibles experience, where they over-consumed and got sky high (myself included – check it out here)
To avoid getting people sky-high from her edibles, Tesha takes a few precautions. She has an at-home THC testing machine to measure the strength of her infusions. She carefully tests and then portions the infusion out to her edibles mix. No stoner is sending their homemade edibles to a lab to be tested, but if you’re someone who loves edibles, investing in a testing machine may help you dose more appropriately.
Tesha and Lucy also explore the use of other cannabinoids in edibles, including CBD and CBG, and adding terpene extract into edibles – something I didn’t even know you could do!
Personalizing Your Cannabis Experience
While Tesha is passionate about her edibles, her main mode of consumption is still smoking – something Lucy and I can relate to. We dive into the concept of “layering” cannabis doses and when that can be useful. Tesha shares how she’ll often layer at bedtime, taking an edible and hastening its effects by smoking a bowl. Lucy agreed that this method of consumption is useful for her as well to fall asleep. While I don’t typically “layer” my cannabis experience at night, it is something I enjoy doing when taking edibles so I don’t have to wait as long to feel the effects.
We recognize that everyone’s endocannabinoid system is unique and it underscores the importance of individual experimentation in finding the right balance. From combating anxiety to achieving a body-high, the versatility of cannabis in addressing diverse needs is highlighted. This echoes a broader sentiment within the cannabis community, emphasizing the necessity for a personalized and nuanced approach to consumption.
Embarking on a cannabis journey is not just about getting high; it’s about a continual exploration of flavors, effects, and personal preferences. From early brownie blunders to the exciting frontier of terpene-infused creations, our discussion with Tesha offers a glimpse into the ever-evolving landscape of cannabis enthusiasts. As we continue our odyssey into the cannabis realm, let’s embrace the humor, the mishaps, and the scientific curiosity that propels us forward. After all, it’s not just about the destination; it’s about savoring every step of the journey.
