Dear Mother,

Do you have a good (scalable) recipe for budder? I’ve read a lot of websites about it but I’m confused. I only have a small amount of trim (an ounce). Can I make a small amount of budder? And while I’m asking, what is “decarboxylization”? I keep encountering the word and I don’t know what that means. Please help.

— Make my budder better

Dear Budder Buddy,

The delicate process of making budder (a.k.a. cannabis-infused butter) can be challenging for some folks, so I feel you. But don’t worry. I am here to help you out, and I’ve called in a good friend of MERRY JANE’s to offer some expert advice. By the end of this column you should be on your way to the best budder ever!

JeffThe420Chef is a popular cannabis chef whom MJ has featured many times on the site. Trust me when I say he knows his stuff. And, he’s happy to help you figure out how to make the best budder.

Hop on over to the “butter and oils” page of his recipe section and you’ll be treated to a variety of recipes, from traditional “budder” to infused coconut oil, olive oil, and even avocado oil! If you’re like me and prefer step-by-step video instruction to printed recipes, you can watch Jeff’s tutorial for his light tasting canna-butter. In it, he mentions “decarbing.”

Jeff also has a calculator on his site that you can use to see what ratio of cannabis to fat (butter or oil) you need, and it is scalable to whatever amount you have to start with! That should help with creating small batches that fit your ingredient stash.

Now, let’s tackle your question about decarboxylization and what it all means. Jeff chimed in to help with this question just for you! 

“Raw cannabis contains THC-A, the non-psychoactive ‘acid’ precursors of THC,” explains Chef Jeff. “‘Decarbing’ (as it is commonly referred to), it a process which uses heat and time to remove the ‘A’ or acid molecule to activate the psychoactive effects, which converts THC-A into THC. When cooking or baking with cannabis, it’s best to infuse fully decarbed bud into butter or oil in order to maximize the potency and benefits of the THC in your recipe.”

To put it plainly, if you “decarb” your herb before you turn it into butter, it will get you hella high. If you watch Jeff’s canna-butter tutorial, he’ll show you how to easily decarb your herb in your oven.

Hopefully this helps and you end up with delicious and dizzying delicacies in your future! 

— Mother