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Use your crock-pot; start off on high (@300 degrees F) with 2 cups of water per stick and 1/3 of butter. This will yield about a stick or a bit more (1/2 cup) because some is lost during the filtering process.
Now add the bud -- in this case about a quarter of finely chopped prime outdoor AK47 cross. Don't forget those stems as they contribute too! You can use up to a ½ oz of bud per stick, or even more trim -- up to 2 or more ozs. Just be SURE to increase the water as you increase the amount of plant material.
Cook on high, stirring and mashing occasionally, for about 3 hours. Then reduce the heat to low (@ 150 degrees F) for a further 3 more hours. This will yield a dark oily liquid with the wet mass of leaf material mixed in.
To separate the plant matter, go to Walmart (or any fabric store) and purchase a length of cheesecloth -- it is cheap. Attach a TRIPLE LAYER of cheesecloth to a plastic cup large enough to hold the entire contents of the crock-pot -- be SURE the cup is large enough BEFORE you begin to pour!
Try to pour just the liquid through the cheesecloth, but invariably, some plant matter will fall onto the cloth -- no worries -- keep pouring. When all of the liquid is poured, use a wooden spoon or something similar and SLIGHTLY mash the plant matter in the pot and the top of the cheesecloth to squeeze as much butter as you can out of the material.... DO NOT SQEEZE TOO MUCH... just a bit... too much squeezing will put WAY TOO MUCH nasty MJ taste into the butter and WILL NOT improve the potency!
Set the cup in the refrigerator (NOT the freezer!) for a couple of hours -- the butter will gradually rise to the top of the water and harden into a greenish cake. Doing a good job of filtering will reduce the green shade, approaching a yellow, butter like color. This is GOOD!
Note this fresh, hot batch, I find that a pasta keeper is the best thing to use because it gradually widens toward the top -- this allows for easier removal.
Once the butter is VERY firm, take the cup out and stand over your sink. Hold your one hand over the top of the cup and invert the cup. The plug of butter will stay in the cup and hold the water in as well. Squeeze the sides of the cup (this is WHY you use a PLASTIC cup to begin with!) in the wastewater area, to coax the butter plug out the top. Carefully rinse any silty green slime off of the bottom of the butter plug -- this stuff is NASTY and contributes 90% of the icky taste.
If care was taken, the view form the ?water side? of the plug should yield similar to the one shown.
Here?s the 'air side' view of the same plug up close. You will never be able to clear the dark green color caused by the minute solution-suspended particles of plant matter (if you do, PLEASE share with me!), but the golden color edge is almost completely clear of the green matter -- ideal.
And finally, a shot of the cake re-melted (about 30 seconds to 1 min in the microwave) and ready for use in your favorite recipe! Even though the liquid has a dark green cast to it, it?s still almost free of plant matter... Enjoy!
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Eco Green 2011
