Cannabis-Infused Olive Oil Is The Latest Health Food Fad
A drizzle here, a glug there: Olive oil is everywhere. But imagine if this innocuous, healthy condiment had an extra-special cannabis component — a weed wallop, if you will. As more states legalize marijuana, culinary innovators are working with this popular plant to create tasty edibles, and cannabis-infused olive oil is the latest treat.
It's pretty darn fun to play with! Use it in salad dressings, as a butter substitute, to spike a plate of pasta or even whip it into an ice cream base before freezing. The possibilities are endless, says Maya Elisabeth, founder of Om Edibles in California. She's also a cofounder of Whoopi & Maya, a medical cannabis-product purveyor she runs with Whoopi Goldberg.
"Olive oil is a naturally healthy fat that has a far superior nutritional value than other oils, plus you can add it to any meal," she says. "The inspiration behind our [cannabis] olive oil was to make something that was sugar- and gluten-free and really versatile, which means you can use it hot, cold or as a topical." That's right, rub this stuff into your skin and let the good times roll.
Elisabeth has been making her infused oil for close to a decade and is about to come out with a new line of products featuring Talking Trees Farm, an organic farm in Northern California near where she works. Armed with a California Medical Marijuana Identification Card, you can find the products at dispensaries all over the state. Choose from olive oils enhanced with CBD (a non-psychoactive compound derived from marijuana) or THC (or tetrahydrocannabinol, the compound that gets you high). You can also buy samples to see which is the right one for you, with a full-sized four-ounce bottle running $24 to $30.
Another new product on the California market: Yannick Crespo's Pot d'Huile, a high-end version of the cannabis condiment pressed from Spanish Hojiblanca-Arbequina olives and blended with a hybrid strain of marijuana called "Gorilla Cookies." You can buy it with a medical card and registration with either Pot d'Huile's cooperative or a popular delivery service called Vapor Room. Crespo spent a lot of time researching and perfecting his product and tells buyers to keep in mind that one milliliter is equivalent to one milligram of THC — a measurement, he says, that allows for easy dosage depending on the desired effect.
"People who have used one or two teaspoons of Pot d'Huile on salads or pasta have always felt a nice, pleasant buzz," says Crespo, who personally loves dipping bread in it or drizzling the oil on pizza, pasta and salad. "When I cook using the oil, I've made mushroom empanadas, a ham and gorgonzola quiche, and banana bread."
You can buy Pot d'Huile for $42.50 for the 100-milliliter bottle, or get a huge 375-milliliter bottle for $140. Crespo is even offering a chef's-size bottle by request, a clear indicator that the future of pot-centric supper clubs and other mainstream culinary cannabis trends is just beginning.
Once you decide what kind of oil you like best, start experimenting. Just make sure to know the dosage so you don't overdo it and end up on the couch eating Cheetos. Another important note: Make sure not to heat the oil above 350 degrees Fahrenheit, a temperature that will break down the CBD and THC properties of the marijuana. You don't want to cook off that pleasant buzz, right?