-
ICMag with help from Phlizon, Landrace Warden and The Vault is running a NEW contest for Christmas! You can check it here. Prizes are: full spectrum led light, seeds & forum premium access. Come join in!
Finish drying my bud in the freezer in my kitchen?!?
- Thread starter jus'plain'gill
- Start date
jus'plain'gill
Active member
Just wanted to thank the OP as well as everyone else on this thread, since thanks to it I have finally found how to get perfect dank buds every time, that remain perfect for the entire year after each harvest. Gone are the days of burping and hay smelling weed. Now my buds are always green and dank, and taste smoother and better than ever.
I followed instructions here and put them into the freezer once the putside is crispy but the sticks still bend. Then keep them in a tray in the freezer at its lowest temperature for about 11 to 15 days and then into large glass jars that remain in the freezer until empty. Buds can be smoked right away out of the freezer, but they are best the next day. Perfect buds every time. No more hay smell, no more endless burping and checking, just set and forget.
I could never go back to traditional curing, hygrometers and all that trouble..
Thank you!!
I followed instructions here and put them into the freezer once the putside is crispy but the sticks still bend. Then keep them in a tray in the freezer at its lowest temperature for about 11 to 15 days and then into large glass jars that remain in the freezer until empty. Buds can be smoked right away out of the freezer, but they are best the next day. Perfect buds every time. No more hay smell, no more endless burping and checking, just set and forget.
I could never go back to traditional curing, hygrometers and all that trouble..
Thank you!!
This thread needs to be a sticky. Most valuable single piece of info I've found on ICMAG yet. I definitely see myself buying a freezer just for drying bud.
I'm wondering tho..... Now that my buds are at the perfect humidity (20ish days) I'm thinking if now would be the time to vacuum seal the buds, so they won't get any drier... then place them back in the freezer for long term storage? 6+ months? 1 year?
I'd like to hear you guys opinions..
I'm wondering tho..... Now that my buds are at the perfect humidity (20ish days) I'm thinking if now would be the time to vacuum seal the buds, so they won't get any drier... then place them back in the freezer for long term storage? 6+ months? 1 year?
I'd like to hear you guys opinions..
2000pm
Member
If I had the stock and freezer room I would definitely do that. I have some of the buds pictured earlier that have been freezer cured (but room temp stored after) that are over a year old now and they smell/taste great. The freezer storage would have definitely preserved some of the more volatile terps though imo.
jus'plain'gill
Active member
I also think this thread needs to be pinned to the top. To this day, this thread is the only source of info I've seen on this subject outside of the original paragraph I read in that book a few years ago, meaning the idea is not well known. This information needs to be exposed to so many more people, it could be revolutionary imho.
This is what struck me when I first read about this process, the preservation of terpenes. I'm confident that the freezer cured and stored buds retain more medicinal and psychoactive compounds than they would have if cured and stored at room temp.
Take care everyone,
.JPG
jus'plain'gill
Active member
Sublimation for sublimely cured cannabis. Try it.
So I ended up taking the buds out of the paper bags in the freezer after 3+ weeks. I lost count.
Took out a bunch to last me a while, and put them in quart size mason jars. They were in great condition. Damn near perfect. The rest I vac sealed a qp at a time, and put back into the freezer.
Next time, I will let them dry an extra day before putting them in the freezer and I think it'll be absolutely perfect. The frozen buds that went into the jars were still a tad moist when they defrosted. But perfectly preserved nonetheless. This was easily solved by leaving the jars open for a few hrs over the next couple days.
When I get to the bottom of the jars, I'll crack one of the bags in the freezer and see how those buds are. This method can't be beat for a me. Great excuse for me to get a mini freezer for the garage.
Valuable thread here.
**** STICKY PLEASE ******
Took out a bunch to last me a while, and put them in quart size mason jars. They were in great condition. Damn near perfect. The rest I vac sealed a qp at a time, and put back into the freezer.
Next time, I will let them dry an extra day before putting them in the freezer and I think it'll be absolutely perfect. The frozen buds that went into the jars were still a tad moist when they defrosted. But perfectly preserved nonetheless. This was easily solved by leaving the jars open for a few hrs over the next couple days.
When I get to the bottom of the jars, I'll crack one of the bags in the freezer and see how those buds are. This method can't be beat for a me. Great excuse for me to get a mini freezer for the garage.
Valuable thread here.
**** STICKY PLEASE ******
So I've finally been able to give this method a shot. I was lucky enough to find this one paragraph tucked away in Rosenthal's book. Like it was one of hid best kept secrets so barely touched on it hoping noone would read it..lol. Anyway so far buds are looking good the trichomes have stayed attached nicely with minimal handling and it really does bring the brighter green color back into the buds. Good stuff!! Nice thread
F
Folate
I've been using this technique since this thread first began. I use small and large paper bags for the cure. I think this is a great addition to our collective and believe it should be a sticky. I think I'll try and go find a mod as this forum doesn't have a resident one.
Gil,I read in your first post to use a frost free freezer.
Is this still the case?
How could one modify the cure to use the other type of freezer, if at all?
Another idea that was brought up on the first page was to repeatedly take the frozen flowers out of the freezer. Freeze/defrost freeze/defrost and so on. I'm wondering if this has the potential to do harm. But at the same time it could be a nifty little hack to modify the technique...
Lastly, I too am of the opinion that the flowers strong smells return if you transfer the frozen cured to a jar for a few days.
Folate
Gil,I read in your first post to use a frost free freezer.
Is this still the case?
How could one modify the cure to use the other type of freezer, if at all?
Another idea that was brought up on the first page was to repeatedly take the frozen flowers out of the freezer. Freeze/defrost freeze/defrost and so on. I'm wondering if this has the potential to do harm. But at the same time it could be a nifty little hack to modify the technique...
Lastly, I too am of the opinion that the flowers strong smells return if you transfer the frozen cured to a jar for a few days.
Folate
jus'plain'gill
Active member
Thanks for sharing your experiences! I hope more and more growers will be up for trying this method after they have seen more and more positive responses. I'm telling ya: once you go freezer, you'll be a believer!
To answer your Q's... Yes I still use the same frost free freezer. I am not sure how (or even if) the curing process would work in an older freezer that isn't frost free. Frost free freezers run a cycle that melts the ice (evaporated moisture that has refrozen on the coils) and usually expels it through a duct in the bottom of the unit. I imagine it could work in a big chest freezer that is not frost free but you would probably just have to remove the ice build up manually. I do think that would work although I'm not sure how well or easily...
I have not heard of, nor can I imagine, the benefits of thawing and refreezing your product multiple times in order to achieve a quality cure. Maybe I misunderstood this question?
Thank you for repeating the fact that your buds will retain their odor very well, all that is needed is for them to "sweat" outside of the freezer for as little as a few hours and certainly within a couple days.
And THANK YOU again for calls to pin this to the top as a STICKYed thread, I think its important
Take care all,
.jpg
F
Folate
Thanks Gil
BushDr.'s post on the first page of this thread, #15.
My interpretation of the idea would be drying the flowers dry enough to cure. Throw in freezer for a spell, then remove for a couple of hours. Throw into the freezer again. Repeat one or more times.
Marlo's post #290. His flowers were just a smidge on the wet side after taking out of the freezer. From that point letting the water that was frozen evaporate out, then refreezing to pull a bit more water to the surface, and again removing from freezer to evaporate out. Kind of like burping the jars.
Presumably this would work best with flowers that were just a bit too moist to be considered perfect timing for freezer or jars.
At the very least I'm trying to theorize whether this trick (which I've done) has tangible pros or cons.
Folate
BushDr.'s post on the first page of this thread, #15.
My interpretation of the idea would be drying the flowers dry enough to cure. Throw in freezer for a spell, then remove for a couple of hours. Throw into the freezer again. Repeat one or more times.
Marlo's post #290. His flowers were just a smidge on the wet side after taking out of the freezer. From that point letting the water that was frozen evaporate out, then refreezing to pull a bit more water to the surface, and again removing from freezer to evaporate out. Kind of like burping the jars.
Presumably this would work best with flowers that were just a bit too moist to be considered perfect timing for freezer or jars.
At the very least I'm trying to theorize whether this trick (which I've done) has tangible pros or cons.
Folate
Ok, so today I cracked open one of the qp bags of GG#4 I sealed and left in the freezer. The smell was amazing as soon as I cut the bag open. Grabbed a nug and proceeded to roll me a fatty. Perfect! absolutely perfect. Sticky, stinky, and beautiful. Looks like I chopped it a week ago. Trichs all in tact, amazing bag appeal. Broke up easily, but immediately stuck to my fingers. Smoked very smooth and stayed lit the whole time. Not even 10 mins out of the freezer.
I left the bag open while it defrosts. I'm sure its gonna start to stink more as the day goes on. I'll get a better idea of the moisture content when its all thawed out, but this first nug was great.
Using the freezer cure. Then vacuum sealing and refeezing, is it for me. This bud would probably stay perfect for years.
In the past, my bud would change in the weeks and months after harvest. Sometimes for the better, sometimes not. But I always looked forward to the bud from my next harvest. From now on I will always have fresh perfect buds all year round, while only doing 2 grows a year.
I left the bag open while it defrosts. I'm sure its gonna start to stink more as the day goes on. I'll get a better idea of the moisture content when its all thawed out, but this first nug was great.
Using the freezer cure. Then vacuum sealing and refeezing, is it for me. This bud would probably stay perfect for years.
In the past, my bud would change in the weeks and months after harvest. Sometimes for the better, sometimes not. But I always looked forward to the bud from my next harvest. From now on I will always have fresh perfect buds all year round, while only doing 2 grows a year.
City Twin
Member
Good On You Marlo. And thanks for the reports.
And BONUS!! I'm back just in time to congratulate Gill on finally getting this sticky subject stuck up top, where it belongs. (Edit: And it only took 4 Years. Happy Anniversary also!)
Thanks everyone for advancing this simple technique to the population.
Stay Safe and Be Well, CT
And BONUS!! I'm back just in time to congratulate Gill on finally getting this sticky subject stuck up top, where it belongs. (Edit: And it only took 4 Years. Happy Anniversary also!)
Thanks everyone for advancing this simple technique to the population.
Stay Safe and Be Well, CT
Last edited:
F
Folate
Congrats Gil!!!
City Twin, thanks for bringing it to my attention!
Folate
City Twin, thanks for bringing it to my attention!
Folate
) back.
S
sourpuss
Think the process shoulf be a little more detailed.
Imo,
Buds in freezer should be exposed to the freezer air for sublimination. Not airtight in a jar unless its for long term storage and r sufficiently dry. Upon removing buds from the freezer its wise to seal them as they return to air temps. Preferably the cold jar they were sitting in the freezer. Or they suck moisture from the air as they warm up defeating the purpose.
Something im playing with now is fridge drying/curing. Not freezer. I have humid summers. The cold air in the fridge cant hold water so the humidity is way lower. The cold air keeps things fresh. The vacuum of the fridge keeps smells in. Although that smell will come out big time when you op3n it. I find the speed of drying is very quick doing this and needs to be watched every couple hours. Ill let it sweat for a while in between a couple hours here and there in the fridge and it works nice.
Anyone have xperience with cutting flowers and directly drying in the fridge? Tried and got scared it would take forever.... did it regular hang dry then paper bag and in the fridge.... not freezer..... stays in the fridge till its dry... day or two usually... white ash....
And I quit checkin every couple hours... I check morning and night.... twice a day... havent overdried yet... seems to hold steady at a certain humidity... could be wrong tho.... buds r so fresh and tasty and burn clean white ash....
Imo,
Buds in freezer should be exposed to the freezer air for sublimination. Not airtight in a jar unless its for long term storage and r sufficiently dry. Upon removing buds from the freezer its wise to seal them as they return to air temps. Preferably the cold jar they were sitting in the freezer. Or they suck moisture from the air as they warm up defeating the purpose.
Something im playing with now is fridge drying/curing. Not freezer. I have humid summers. The cold air in the fridge cant hold water so the humidity is way lower. The cold air keeps things fresh. The vacuum of the fridge keeps smells in. Although that smell will come out big time when you op3n it. I find the speed of drying is very quick doing this and needs to be watched every couple hours. Ill let it sweat for a while in between a couple hours here and there in the fridge and it works nice.
Anyone have xperience with cutting flowers and directly drying in the fridge? Tried and got scared it would take forever.... did it regular hang dry then paper bag and in the fridge.... not freezer..... stays in the fridge till its dry... day or two usually... white ash....
And I quit checkin every couple hours... I check morning and night.... twice a day... havent overdried yet... seems to hold steady at a certain humidity... could be wrong tho.... buds r so fresh and tasty and burn clean white ash....
