What do you do with all of the leftover cannabis pulp after you've made an infusion and strained out the oil or butter? I'm excited to tell you that there are actually several different things that you can do with it. After all, waste not, want not! In this blog post, we will discuss some of the things you can do with your leftover cannabis sludge, pulp, or raffinate.
What is cannabis pulp?
Have you ever noticed how the cannabis space seems to have its own language? Sometimes I feel like I need to carry around a Cannabis-English dictionary.
Let's clear up some words before we dive in.
Pulp is the plant material you'll have left over when you make a cannabis infusion after you squeeze as much oil or butter out of it as possible. You'll sometimes hear it called raffinate or sludge as well. I personally think it's the worst word. "Hey, do you want some SLUDGE in your tea?" Doesn't that have a nice ring to it?
Why should I keep the cannabis pulp?
The main reason to keep your cannabis sludge is that there are still traces of medicine in it. Even if you squeeze the absolute hell out of it like this, the pulp can still contain quite a few beneficial cannabinoids like THC and CBD.
I often save up several batches worth of pulp in an airtight container or zip-lock bag in the freezer before putting it into one of these great ideas below.
Saving the sludge and using it for other purposes is a fantastic way to get ALL the medicine out of your plant material and save some money in the process. If you've been here for a while, you know I'm a huge fan of saving as much money as possible on this awesome plant.
How Can I Use Cannabis Pulp?
These are just some starting ideas for you. Once you see how it can be used, I bet you'll think of a bunch as well. Please let me know in the comments below what YOU love doing with leftover cannabis pulp!
Here are my top SEVEN favorite things to do with cannabis raffinate:
High Chai - My absolute favorite thing to do with sludge is to make a big pot of High Chai (and not just because it rhymes). Simply make a little cheesecloth satchel filled with sludge and let it sit in a pot of chai tea for a few minutes. The hot water will bring out the canna-oil in your satchel and give you a nicely medicated cuppa.
Baking: If you grind your cannabis well before infusing it into oil, you can often just dump some of the raffinate right into your baking. This is an especially good idea for brownies because chocolate hides the taste well. Or, make some of my favorite cannabis-infused granola and throw some pulp right in with the oatmeal mixture. Granola is great for cannabis pulp because it already has different textures and tastes.
De-stress bath soak: This is similar to the High Chai, except you're putting the satchel in your bathtub, not your teapot. The oil makes the tub a bit slick, but it's fairly easy to clean up, and the resulting bath helps your muscles relax.
Face Scrub: I like to mix sludge 1:1 with coarse sugar and use it as a face scrub. Simply massage your face and neck with the mixture, allow it to seep in for a couple of minutes, and then rinse. Cannabinoids may help with acne, eczema, psoriasis, and other skin conditions.
Smoothies - add it to your smoothies - it will add fiber, vitamins, cannabinoids, and nutrients to your morning routine.
Salad dressing - simply add a scoop of raffinate to your homemade or store-bought dressing for a little extra kick.
Cannabis-infused hummus - combine chickpeas, tahini, lemon juice, garlic, and olive oil in a food processor, then blend in the leftover pulp until desired consistency is reached
So there you have it! Seven different things that you can do with your leftover cannabis pulp. If you're looking for even more ideas, sign up for my newsletter. I'll keep you updated on the latest and greatest in the world of cannabis!
Did those ideas get your gears turning? What do YOU do with your cannabis sludge? Please share in the comments.
And, if you love cooking with cannabis, you need to check out my YouTube channel. Over there, I have video tutorials on making all sorts of things out of cannabis super simply in the kitchen.
Happy sludge saving!
With love,
Andrea