Freezing herb

[jawsh]

I have an opportunity to get roughly 2 ounces of bud for dirt cheap. The problem is... ever since being introduced to vaporization I go through an incredibly little amount of bud. This coupled with my busy work schedule means I really don't go through much bud.

I want to grab this as it will save me loads of money in the long run and lots of hassle of having to go out and grab all the time.

Anyways... The problem is there is no way I can nor would want to consume all this herb quickly. I would ideally like to preserve it by way of freezing it. After having browsed online however I heard this might not be such a good idea? I figure if I dry it out so that there is as little moisture in it as possible and I vacuum seal them in baggies they should keep for a long time... probably 6 months. My mom has kept turkeys in the freezer for around that much time and cooked them and they taste just like the day she bought em.. so I figure why not herb?

Anyways if anyone can provide some information or experience with freezing or preserving herb that would be amazingly appreciated!

Thanks in advance,

Jawsh

 

[Skunkypete]

Anyways if anyone can provide some information or experience with freezing or preserving herb that would be amazingly appreciated!

I put my herbs in the freezer all the time. No problems here. The only thing i read about is that freezing makes the trichomes fall off easier. Not really a problem if you have a grinder with a kief catcher. Of course I dunno about keeping it for extended periods but up to year should be fine if in a good container. Mason freezer jars work well.

 

[jawsh]

Thanks for the response. I'm looking to keep it anywhere from 6-8 months. Where can I grab some mason freezer jars from? sounds like a good idea

 

[digglover]

Target, Amazon, walmart, Big lots - Really any sort of "super store"

 

[chucku]

Depending on what is in your area also try Sears, Kmart, Bed Bath and Beyond, Meijer, Albertsons (or subsidiaries), Safeway (or subsidiaries).

 

[Pseudonymous]

I don't know, I imagine that it could really hurt the potency, especially since ice crystals would form and destroy the structure of the plant. I'm not positive though.

 

[Purple-Days]

Dry it, grind it, store in freezer jars. But store it frozen, don't get into anf out of it. Don't use the freezer as a stash IMO. Moisture will accumulate on cold material moved into warm air, so you will make you stuff damp, taking it in and out of the freezer.

Try a thrift store for jars. Screw Wal-Mart and Target, push some of that money toward some folks that need it, like the Salvation Army and the Vets etc. If you are gonna buy a case (12) get them at the local hardware, thise folks deserve it more than the big ass chain store. IMO !

 

[josh]

Weight get stored in the freezer. Daily use gets stored in my Lock & Lock plastic container. Maybe because it's regular Mexican brick weed but I've never noticed any degradation. Plus, with the freezer, I don't have to worry about mold.

Skunkypete...not sure about years? I had a nice batch that I kept in the freezer for about two years before I finally finished it off and the high was only slightly less than I remembered it being when I first got it but still very good.

 

[bluntfaced]

Fuck that just keep it in a jar in a dark room.

I smoked 2 year old weed the other day that had just been sitting in a bbaggie it was fine

 

[Skunkypete]

Skunkypete...not sure about years?

I'm not sure because I've never stored it that long not in the sense that i believe it would cause undue harm to the herb. I imagine it would keep a good long while in the freezer. Whatever quantity i have just never lasted that long

 

[jawsh]

thanks for input everyone. just got myself some freezer mason jars .

Why would it be a good idea to grind the herb before freezing it Purple-Days?

 

[vap999]

What causes the most degradation of active components is oxidation. Freezing is a good way of slowing oxidation, and that's the main point for doing it. A small container packed with very fine powder has much less air (oxygen) content than a larger one containing the same amount of non-powdered herb (and it can't hurt to minimize air/O2).

If you really want to preserve your herb, dry and powder it, put in a piece of dry ice (frozen carbon dioxide; an inert already-oxidized gas); if you can, break up and mix the dry ice with the powder; seal this up (but leave a small vent for CO2 gas to escape) and freeze it. A day or 2 later, pull it out, quickly compress the powder down and add a small piece of dry ice (to drive off the air now at the top), and come back later and permanently seal it. You should have an inert atmosphere, and a minimal amount of this due to compressed powder. Combined with freezing, this is about the best that can be done, other than cryogenic (much colder) storage. I have never had the need to do this, but it's pretty simple and should work. Dry ice should be available (look in the Yellow Pages or equivalent). It is commonly used for shipping frozen foods, preserved specimens, etc., and is often sold as prepackaged as blocks in bags or boxes.

 

[Purple-Days]

Vap999 has a brilliant plan, and science behind it. Best long term storage scheme I have seen yet.

A very BIG CAUTION : Vap999 hit on this but it should be emphasized (IMO). Dry ice turns straight to gas at normal pressures* and the volume of that gas is MUCH, MUCH greater than it's frozen volume. If you seal a glass jar before the ice has sublimated you will have a glass hand grenade. Believe me, I worked (and played) with the stuff for many years.

Just be careful and do like Vap999 says, leave a vent. BTW CO2 gas is heavier than air, and the expansion of the CO2 gas will displace any room air in the jar, so a second ice application may be un-needed, but still it can't hurt. Just don't seal the thing all the way up till all is stable.

* I have seen liquid C02, clear as water. And yes, I was holding a plastic CO2 grenade. Crazy :/

 

[Kimosabe]

What say ye to a vacuum bag sealer and freezer approach to whole bud?

 

[darbarikanada]

https://www.thestranger.com/slog/2019/03/18/39630072/whats-the-best-way-to-store-weed-long-term

"Adding to our pot preservation knowledge base is a new study from Italian scientists, who showed admirable restraint by using various methods to store various weed and hash for four years, in order to determine which was best for preserving the THC. As reported by Marijuana Moment, the scientists collected various high-potency hash and flower from law enforcement agencies, tested it for THC, CBD, and CBN, and then stored the weed in several ways: at room temperature, in a refrigerator, and in the freezer.


Per Marijuana Moment: "The testing conditions differed by light exposure (whether it was light or dark 24 hours) and storage temperature (including at room temperature, refrigerated at 4 degrees Celsius or frozen at -20 degrees Celsius). Over the span of the study period, the samples were tested 14 times."

The scientists discovered that the cannabis which was stored at room temperature, in both the light and dark conditions, had a reduction in THC by 13 percent (light) and 11 percent (dark). As THC denigrates, it converts into CBN, so those numbers went up as well.

The refrigerated cannabis showed a slower rate of THC loss, although after four years, what was stored at room temperature and in a refrigerator had lost nearly 100 percent of its THC. The cannabis which was stored in the freezer, however, retained virtually all of its THC, and experienced minimal degradation."

freezing works. just make sure the container is moisture-proof.

 

[bluenavey00]

I just use air tight glass jars. Store the glass jars somewhere which is totally dark, I keep them inside a laptop bag in my cupboard.

I’ve had weed which is over 12 months old and it still felt just as potent. The chlorophyll degrades first, so the weed is a little less green, more of a pastel colour.

 

[Deleted Member 1643]

Gotta mention freeze-drying. You're almost there. Just add some Damp-Rid (calcium chloride) to the bottom covered by a paper coffee filter or similar (CaCl2 is non-toxic, but the flavor is reported to be unpleasant). Then vacuum seal and freeze. No oxygen or water to worry about. Should last indefinitely. You'd need to rehydrate with a Boveda pack before use.

Don't usually freeze-dry for storage - do it to dry flower without heat before extraction. No matter how long it's been in the freezer (up to one year), it looks and behaves just like when it went in.

 

[stinkytofus]

Airtight mason jar, dry ur buds a little, shouldnt be too moist, too moist you risk getting mold, put oxygen absorbing pack in there, seal it shut and put it in dark area, somewhere cool, if u about to use it, like soon, a week or few weeks from now, i use a separate jar with boveda packs and oxygen absorber, when i want to vape i take it out of the one with boveda pack