HARVEST: The Bomb (THC Bomb Auto)
We've finally arrived. The cycle of life continues.
The eyes popped open at 5:39. By 5:45 I was starting to mix the first bucket. One cup baking soda, one cup lemon juice, fill with three gallons of hot and two gallons of cold. That's not written in stone. You want tepid water. It will be tepid by the time you begin washing the buds.
I documented the process more thoroughly with Buddha's harvest. It went more quickly this time. Nothing like practice, eh?
The sun is just beginning to rise and all the cutting is done. Everyone is ready for a good trim.
Buddha wanted to be part of the party, so I got some of her harvest out.
Ahhhhh, everything in place.
I remembered I'd need some plates to collect the leaves. The gold one is for sugary leaves. Might as well sort them as I go.
There we go. Let's get started.
The first branch.
The trim is moving more smoothly this time. I understand how the leaves attach better, so it's easier to know where to look for it. Controlling the precision of the cut can be tricky sometimes.
This was my only mistake on that first branch.
How about a walk through the trim process? Start by removing all the larger fan leaves. You're looking for the ones with the longest stems. They won't have any trichomes to speak of, or so I've found with my girls.
Now, working from underneath, start removing the mid-sized ones. Be careful you don't clip off any blossoms. They will still have longer stems, but some of these may have trichomes, so check as you go.
Lastly, cut out any smaller leaves that you can easily remove. These will probably have trichomes, so be precise in your cuts, being as gentle with the plant as you can so as not to disturb any trichomes.
Leave all the rest attached. You can clean it up in a couple days when they get jarred up. The parts without trichomes and any leaves or popcorn buds encrusted with trichomes will be much easier to remove then as well.
The last branch.
A poignant moment.
Back to work. Off come the larger leaves.
Continuing the trim, onto the mid-sized leaves.
Trimming out the smaller leaves.
The trim is completed. Next step is bud washing. An impressive array.
The discarded and trimmed leaves. I like to let the ones without trichomes simply fall in a natural way and then appreciate the way they fell and the patterns they make in the end.
I left most of the sugary leaves on the branches. I'll be trimming them for edibles in two days, or at least the ones I decide to trim. I don't have any problem smoking a little greenery. The taste of homegrown is completely different from street crap.
These were my mistakes. That big one in the upper left was a serious mistake. I felt it as soon as the clippers did their snip. Too late now. Let's quick dry this one and all these tiny pieces in the oven to decarboxylates and then let them dry in the cup.
This is the extent of my necrotic leaves. There's another one around here somewhere I think, but I can't find it.
Something to smoke for a few days. Ahhhh.
On to Bud Washing!
Dip into the first bucket, a food-grade plastic with lemon and bacon soda in water. Gently agitate and swirl for 15 seconds minimum. There will be a tendency to rush this step, particularly with the smaller branches, bur resist! Keep at it for at least 15 seconds. I can't tell you how often I was close to the end and suddenly a gnat would break free and float to the top. 15 seconds minimum.
Second dunk and swirl is in hot and the third into cold.
Look at these photos and ask yourself why you're not washing your buds.
ClosedCircuit, this is the third wash, the cold one. You can see why I recommend you do all three washes. This cold one pulls off much of the residual lemon oil from the first wash. You don't see it in the second wash because it's warm and the oil mixes in better.
Here they are - drip drying. They'll stay here for two days. Tuesday morning they will be moved into the bedroom with any branches from Buddha still hanging.
Dale's Harvest Train pictures. No passenger cars this time. I didn't have time to get them out. I made up,for that by adding in some quick landscaping. It's time to get to Dale.
The pots look lonely. I'll order seeds and do my maintenance until then.
Here's a neat look at the main stem. Look at that healthy structure!
The job is done. Now to get out the door and get to Dale.
A nice thermos of coffee to temper the dismay of a nursing home. Dale wants to let it go a while longer. His pain is beginning to dwindle and he thinks he'll be able to devote his full attention to his therapy. Letting go of the anger and frustration. Let's approach this with our customary optimism and humor.
I can't begin to tell you all how much fun I had with these harvests. Even with the pressure of needing to dash out both times, it was the most rewarding experience. I sincerely hope you all enjoyed it too.
What is next, this is a very entertaining journal!
and then I munch out about 4 times.
