Long term bud storage?

Outdoor
#1

Plants are cut, dried and are curing in glass jars. My supply will last me well over a year.

I had a bad harvest last year, so I was living off of 2019 crop until it ran out this month. I noticed a decline in effectiveness as it got to 18 months old or so.

I stored in glass jars down the basement. I also had a lot of alcohol tincture made. The tincture retained its quality better. I’d like to do better this year.

Will freezing buds in vacuum bags preserve the quality better? Will keeping my alcohol tinctures in the freezer be beneficial? How about oil-based tinctures? If so, I’d want to put some aside now while it’s fresh instead of waiting until it has degraded and trying to preserve then.

I’m looking forward to what the smart people here have to say.

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#2

Bruce, Freezing the cure will retain the potency and slow down the changes. The COLDER the freezer, the less degradation of thc or change or cbn
DO not jostle it or expose to light / air. If you can vacuum seal it, even better as air will denigrate the product

Oil, alcohol,more thc, thv, cbd, cbn is extracted from tinctures than you can get smoking which is why they are usually better. Keep in the dark, no air and yes, store in freezer
Make sure you decarboxylate before making the tincture / edibles

#3

How do you make your tincture? Do you have a recipe?

#4

tincture
alcohol or oil or butter base?
I do alcohol…the best of al the solvents
https://smile.amazon.com/X-X-F-B-XTRACTORS-Distilled-Perfection/dp/B07VMZDFKC/ref=sr_1_8?crid=2E59KACYZ6M3P&dchild=1&keywords=grain+alcohol+200+proof&qid=1634263109&sprefix=grain+alcoho%2Caps%2C208&sr=8-8

I decarboxylate my herb (grind, cook at 280°F for 28 minutes in a shallow pan (basically toast it)
grind it as much as possible
place in a jar, cover so that the alcohol is 1 inch over the herb
cover, shaek daily (few times) keep in a dark place, for about 2 weeks
strain with cofee filters
you got tincture
there is a formula for how much herb (buds, shake, etc) to determine strength
I usually use about 1/2 to 1 eyedropper as a test
water it down or mix with something
takes about 20 minutes to hit

7 Likes
#5

GREAT INFO!
I followed the link but since it was Amazone I visited XFB website.
I gal $90 + UPS
Can’t wait to experiment! Thanx

1 Like
#6

I posted an Amazon link as the ship was faster and cheaper
Not sure you need a gallon, the 32oz works as a good test

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#7

Like Bruce, I was smoking 2019 until a few weeks ago
2020 was a good harvest but poor taste AND half produced seeds.
So I have a fair amount to experiment with the ‘tink’…
Will this method work with keif?
As far as the ‘Amazone’ goes I try to find an alternative source or do without.
And a Gallon should last through next year at least.
Alcohol if I remember has a great shelf life if sealed…
I think I still have some Everclear from the “Pot Oil” days

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#8

Kief would be better than whole bud for tincture making. You are trying to dissolve only the goodies, leaving the plant matter behind. Much less plant to discard with kief.

You’re lucky to have kief to make it from, that would taste very clean.

My tincture is green and has plant residue. I’d love to try making kief, but it seems too extravagant to me. They say after collecting the kief, use the residue to make tincture! That leads me to thinks the process is wasteful.

And my tincture is effective, which is by far the most important characteristic.

I carry it around to offer people a lift in their beer or cocktail…

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#9

Made up a bunch of tincture yesterday. For once I decarbed everything at the same time, stinking up the house only once.

I used all lower buds from my plants, keeping the tops for smoking/vaping.

IMG_20211026_141538329
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#10

Bruce
my friend decarbed the other day and she had a decarb party…they id SHOTS!..in a shot glass. Told me she was ripped for a little over 2 days. Her boyfriend had to go to emergency room
I will be interested to hear your take on the Durban

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#11

I got a bunch of the grove bags…we will see how they work long term as well as short term.

#12

@Mrb53004 Holy shit, shots? 1-1/2 fluid ounces! I do 1/4 teaspoon of decarb and that’s enough. Never mind trying to swallow that much weed.

The Durban Poison is perfect, I love the energizing sativas. Wake and bake!

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#13

As the holidays get closer, I’m going to stuff my decarb box with a mix of aging bud, trim, and so on, grind it up and get it jiggly with the 195 proof alcohol. Mix the resulting dragon with another batch that’s been marinating a few months, strain out the solids, and evaporate the solvent off completely in clean glass, until all that remains is damned near straight activated concentrate. Forget the dropper, this one wants to be dosed like honey on a glass rod. That’s a stocking stuffer. Grin.

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#14

And HOW do you evaporate? Just an open container or do you apply heat?

#15

I’ve done it both ways. As long as we are wary of ignition sources, and heat the dragon by warming the glass with water, it’s pretty hard to burn the house down.

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#16

thanks…with 190-200 Proof, burnin down the house was always a concern
Burning Down the House