Introduction: Craft Cannabis Confections

[DJ Silverchild]

Hi!  I am a small cannabis caregiver in Maine.  I'm not the typical caregiver, I focus on artisanal edibles like truffles and pate de fruit using local ingredients whenever possible.  I'm expanding, focusing on CBD products and even making some plain non infused items.  I face a lot of challenges and I have many questions.  I also have a lot of knowledge to give.  Thank you.

[kayb]

Interesting. I'll be intrigued to learn more. Welcome to the group.

[Tri2Cook]

Welcome aboard. While cannabis is of no recreational interest to me and no medical need for me, it'll still be interesting to see what you do. With the news that it will be legal for recreational purposes in Canada as of Oct. 17 of this year, I could see cannabis confections becoming a lucrative venture here in the near future.

[Kerry Beal]

6 hours ago, Tri2Cook said:

Welcome aboard. While cannabis is of no recreational interest to me and no medical need for me, it'll still be interesting to see what you do. With the news that it will be legal for recreational purposes in Canada as of Oct. 17 of this year, I could see cannabis confections becoming a lucrative venture here in the near future.

But apparently not legal for edibles for another couple of years.

 

 

[pastrygirl]

Bring on the challenges and questions!  Rules & regulations are going to vary by state - apparently in WA you can't be both the maker and the retailer, but in OR it's opposite, I have no idea about ME.  I don't buy a lot of edibles, but there's definitely a huge range.  There's a company here who actually uses good dark chocolate, I think a lot of producers use whatever is cheapest thinking consumers only care how high they'll get.  But the serving size is so small it's hard to imagine that food cost is a problem.  I still don't want to eat bad candy, even if it's just a bite - I recently got some CBD candies to help with cramps from hell; they had a burnt aftertaste, were kind of sticky and the hard candy had flowed and changed shape.  Not a product I'd be proud to put out, OK for medicine but crap as candy.  As with any other food product, I think packaging and labeling are going to be the biggest challenges just because there will be extra layers of regulation, testing, and info required.  Aside from finding kitchen space, that is - here there are limited areas where cannabis can be produced or sold (X hundred feet away from parks and schools), so cannabis kitchens are even more limited in availability.  So consult your lawyer regarding state of Maine requirements, otherwise we have lots of confectionery expertise here.

[Tri2Cook]

17 hours ago, Kerry Beal said:

But apparently not legal for edibles for another couple of years.

 

 

That's ok, I don't really see me getting into it anyway. I can't imagine it would be as simple as I made it sound to do it legally. 

[Lisa Shock]

I have experience making extracts, particularly into butter. You can get excellent results using stems and leaves, parts which some producers discard. You wind up with infused clarified butter which can be used in almost anything. It has a mild spinachy taste and pale green color, both of which disappear in baking. Anyway, welcome aboard!