Grow Q&A: What Can I Do With The Pot Leaves I Trimmed Off?

Dear Dan, We grew a really nice crop this year and after harvesting and trimming, we were left with a decent amount of shade leaves and trim. A close look at the leaves reveals many trichomes. It would be a shame to waste all of these resin glands and I’ve heard I can make hash from them using ice water. Can you please let us know what our options are? – Lucy P.

Dear Lucy,
There are several things you can do with your sugar leaves. One of the simplest is to make dry sift. See Bubbleman’s article on page TK for info on how to make this type of extraction. Dry sift is easy to make, melts well and tastes amazing when free of impurities.

You can also use ice water, filter bags and a bucket to make ice water extracted hash. Some people call it bubble hash or ice wax. The key to creating a quality hash this way is to dry the product properly to get all of the moisture out of the hash.

I’m not going to suggest that you use butane or another explosive solvent to extract your trichomes because it is a dangerous process. Only experts in chemical extraction should attempt to make BHO or butane hash oil. Too many amateurs are blowing themselves and their houses up for me to recommend this to just anyone.

The final thing you can do is to cook with your sugar leaves. Once you’ve heated the leaves in butter or oil for a while, you can use that butter or oil to create a wide variety of edibles both sweet and savory. Just remember that edibles take up to an hour to kick in so be sure to eat a little bit at a time.

Have a grow question? Ask away at deardanko@hightimes.com

(photo of White Rhino courtesy of Greenhouse Seeds)