Aggrey - The art of weed butter: a step-by-step guide to becoming a cannabutter master

THE ART OF
WEED
BUTTER

A Step-by-Step Guide to Becoming a Cannabutter Master

MENNLAY GOLOKEH AGGREY

Text copyright 2018 Mennlay Golokeh Aggrey. Design and concept copyright 2018 Ulysses Press and its licensors. All rights reserved. Any unauthorized duplication in whole or in part or dissemination of this edition by any means (including but not limited to photocopying, electronic devices, digital versions, and the internet) will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

Published in the United States by:

ULYSSES PRESS

P.O. Box 3440

Berkeley, CA 94703

www.ulyssespress.com

ISBN: 978-1-61243-887-0

Acquisitions editor: Casie Vogel

Managing editor: Claire Chun

Editor: Shayna Keyles

Proofreader: Renee Rutledge

Front cover design: David Hastings

Interior design and production: what!design @ whatweb.com

Photographs: Sandra Blow except Jake Lindeman front cover, back cover, and on

Distributed by Publishers Group West

NOTE TO READERS: This book has been written and published strictly for informational and educational purposes only. It is not intended to serve as medical advice or to be any form of medical treatment. You should always consult your physician before altering or changing any aspect of your medical treatment and/or undertaking a diet regimen, including the guidelines as described in this book. Do not stop or change any prescription medications without the guidance and advice of your physician. Any use of the information in this book is made on the readers good judgment after consulting with his or her physician and is the readers sole responsibility. This book is not intended to diagnose or treat any medical condition and is not a substitute for a physician. The author and publisher disclaim liability for any medical outcomes that may occur as a result of applying the methods suggested in this book.

This book is independently authored and published and no sponsorship or endorsement of this book by, and no affiliation with, any trademarked brands or other products mentioned within is claimed or suggested. All trademarks that appear in ingredient lists and elsewhere in this book belong to their respective owners and are used here for informational purposes only. The author and publisher encourage readers to patronize the quality brands mentioned in this book.

For the matriarchy in the Aggrey family and the women in weed who have raised me. For Vivian Aggrey, for Leethia, for Jaynell, for Johnna, for Dierdre, and for the earth we live on.

May we steward the land and continue to grow the plants and cook the food that heals us.

Contents

Preface

My name is Mennlay Golokeh Aggreya mouthful, right? Im not a fancy chef, just a simple home cook with 13 years of experience as a professional in the legal cannabis industry. It was inevitable for me to begin infusing weed into some of my favorite everyday meals. And this harmonious marriage of the two has been so beneficial in my life that I want to share my journey with you.

Ive grown a considerable amount of cannabis in my life and bushels upon bushels of my own food. These practices have given me a good glimpse into the process of what it takes to bring food to the table, and weed into a joint. It has given me a deep gratitude for this line of work and the strong belief that access to fresh food and cannabis is not only naturally healing, but a crucial human right.

My Journey

My affair with cannabis began in my youth, when I was suffering from a lot of depression. I was living away from home at a boarding school established to help intelligent kids from low-income families achieve. Weed was my first boyfriend, and in the face of the stereotypes, it kept me from drinking and doing drugs. What I found in cannabis was a vehicle to get outside of my head and into enjoying the abundant gift of my young life.

In 2005, work and weed first intersected when a long-distance college romance brought me to Humboldt County, California. Five hours north of San Francisco, this county dwells at the tip of Northern California. Home to a misty, foggy coast outlined by redwood trees, some of the oldest trees on our planet, I nestled into my first home as an adulta small cottage with a fireplace, and an outdoor vegetable garden surrounded by wildflowers, butterflies, and hummingbirds. Despite working full-time and above minimum wage, money was tight. So when the first fall harvest season came, I accepted an offer and an opportunity to make some money on the side trimming weed. As someone who has always had a deep appreciation for plants and their presence in my life, I found that being surrounded by the actual marijuana plants put me at ease simply by existing for long periods among them.

With time, I gained enough funds, experience, and clout to eventually sponsor my own transformation as a legally compliant grower. I dove into growing medical cannabis as a full-time career. The experience was much like being a scientist, farmer, nurturer, and outlaw, all wrapped into one. My inner circle and community was mostly comprised of female-identifying growers. At that time, women in the cannabis industry were seen as accessories; the stereotype was that women dated the men who grew. We, however, were more than that. And to say I got my hands dirty is an understatement. I hauled around actual tons of dirt and fertilizer, brewed my own buckets of tea with vats of bat and fish guano for my plants. I learned the organic techniques of caring for the cannabis plant, the intricate ways to battle pests, and tricks to organically achieve larger yields. We women traded tips, an essential building block that soon made us experts. With our very own hands, we were growing cannabis for countless patients through co-opted licensed medical distributors. This network of powerful women raised me. These women are still the most influential and important people in my life. Growing cannabis in those years taught me trust, loyalty, science, mathematics, entrepreneurship, confidentiality, and humility.

In spite of my success, the risks of growing weed were still significant even under the California cannabis laws that were made to protect medical consumers and the growers providing their medicine. The difficulties for a cultivator, especially as a person of color, turned me into a recluse. I kept a low and humble profile, but even so, I was often evicted illegally from my home with very little notice.

My fears came to a head one day when my next-door neighbor threatened to call the police about what he described as suspicious activity in my home. I was floored. Are you growing weed? he asked. My growing operation was legal; I had the certificates hung up on the walls, like the diplomas in a psychologists office, to prove it. It was strange to me that my neighbor would accuse me like this; the same neighbor whom I would chat with about life and help with yardwork, cleaning up weeds as a gesture of kindness to him and the sick, elderly wife he cared for. The day he confronted me was the day everything changed. Within 30 days, my entire operation was torn downeverything I had worked so hard for was gone, including my home.

My foundation as a cultivator existed in a time when growers and cannabis entrepreneurs werent able to freely talk about their professions. We were all careful, as very real consequences hovered around us. Now I work with weed in the open, and my clients are comprised of cannabis firms with women in leadership roles. Being transparent about my work within this community has been cathartic, and theres no greater joy.