Mason Jar/Coconut Oil/Crockpot cooking - Convenience & Perfection?

[swito]

Hi everyone,

I'm a brand new member to the forums (I just signed up), but I am not new to vaporizing or the various ways to use herb as I have had a silver surfer vaporizer for almost 6 years now (as well as having lurked through hundreds of forums from FC, GC, leafly, etc). I have done lots of research on various methods for cooking edibles, and I am a fan of recycling of my ABV to cook with. I have whipped up some brownies several times with a crockpot and butter letting it simmer for a day and I have always had fantastic results but I am now looking for the convenience and even more potency in my product.

To get to the chase, I am going to be cooking with fresh herb (20g to be exact) and I have some questions on making cookies with coconut oil in a mason jar. I have heard from friends and have read on several forums that cooking in a crockpot with a mason jar keeps things a lot cleaner, in terms of messiness on the counter and odor. I am not a fan of cleaning, but rather keeping things clean.

So this is my plan from what I've heard/read and have had explained to me, and I just want to run this by you guys/gals if some of the forum experts don't mind perusing my jargon spattered on here for my first post (even if you have never cooked before outside speculation is always welcome).

So STEPS:

1) Take large mason jar with 2 parts, the thin lid and piece to screw on to keep the lid under. Fill the jar with my 20g of fresh buds, then melt enough coconut oil to pour into the jar (just enough to cover the buds and maybe a little more for ease of stirring). Also add a teaspoon or two of sunflower lecithin for added potency when heating up the coconut oil (emulsion science woohoo). Put the lid on and screw the part over it, but not too tight as to allow pressure to escape (should I be burping the jar as well? I have read about several different stories where some people burp the jar, but others do not - just want to know because safety is always nice and so is an intact mason jar).

2) Fill up crockpot with water enough to cover the closed mason jar up to right beneath the lid, and put a dishcloth under the mason jar to prevent it from cracking etc on the ceramic of the crockpot. Place the crockpot on high to where the water is almost boiling but is not (around 205 degrees with a candy thermometer) and leave for 1 hour (THIS IS IMPORTANT: IS THIS CONSIDERED A DECARB PROCESS? BECAUSE IF SO THIS WOULD BE IDEAL FOR THE SMELL ASPECT, clarification would be appreciated. I do not want to have to decarb in my oven with aluminum foil or have the use of an oven at all, convenience would be to use only the crockpot and jar for cooking.)

3) After 1 hour, place crockpot on low and allow to sit for 16-24 hours (more time = more potency from my understanding). Since my mixture will be in a mason jar inside a crockpot with water double-boiler style, should I still be stirring the buds/oil in the jar? I would hope not, because if it is not necessary I do not want to burp my jar (to keep it safe), and also the smell aspect once again. I do not have to be sneaky, but I am considerate when cooking because my siblings do not enjoy the smell. I would think the mixing is not absolutely necessary because of the surface area of the jar keeps all the contents pretty compact.

4) After cooking in the crockpot on low for desired amount of time, take it out of the crockpot and clean all your stuff! Leave the jar to cool before straining it, all that good stuff. This is where another theory of mine comes in. I would like to use this bag to hold the buds inside the mason jar while I cook - http://www.republicoftea.com/the-peoples-brew-basket/p/v00978/ - so that way I do not have to take so much time straining it. Would there be any loss of potency this way? Also, I would think using this method would allow me to use the left over buds from cooking as a topical ball of goodness, correct? Lots of theories and preferred methods are welcome, but let's try to keep it to the mason jar method because convenience/less dish duty is the goal here.

5) After I have all my strained coco-oil goodness, should I freeze it? I've heard there is no need to freeze the coconut oil unless I've cooked it with water (therefore freezing it would allow the oil to separate from the water, and supposedly this makes for a cleaner tasting oil). This is where another question comes in. Is there any possible way I could use water in the mason jar with the coconut oil/buds? Using the double-boiler method with my crockpot, with water inside the jar as well (this would mean using less oil to compensate for the water being added, thus the end product should be a more potent coconut oil even though it would technically be less yielded product correct?)

6) After all of this is done, my plan is to add the coconut oil in place of butter for a ghirardelli cookie box recipe. Last question, when I go to cook the cookies the recipe calls for the cooking temperature to be 350 degrees Fahrenheit. What I assume to be true is that THC has a point at 315 degrees fahrenheit where it starts to dissipate. This being said, should I cook at around 290 F to be safe? I want my product to end up as potent as possible for the buds being used, just trying to get a bunch of people super stoned on a camping trip with ideally one cookie per person.

Sorry for all the writing guys, I have just been doing a lot of reading from a lot of sources and want to possibly start a thread for the easiest/least odor-inducing form of crockpot cooking for coconut oil. I know there are other threads out there identical to this, but none of them have quite the clarification I need for this process. I'm also sure nobody likes trying to find a recipe 7 pages into a forum from an obscure post. I will keep you all posted when I go through with this form of cooking within the next month, and questions/comments of all types are welcome! Like I stated earlier, I am new to this forum so hey everyone I'm max and let's get this party started B)

 

[davesmith]

That's a lot of writing.

Don't seal your mason jar as you'll cause a vacuum and that's not good.
You should decarb in the oven really.
You can add water and remove after by freezing but I wouldn't use much less oil than covering the bud anyway.
Good luck.

Sounds like you've done plenty of reading so it should be fine. If your really worried about the results just follow tried and tested methods rather than trying to avoid steps. Either way I'm sure you'll get canna oil that'll get you high, it's really not that difficult.

Decarb is worth it imo , look for grey wolfs decarb graph to work out if your crock pot will decarb enough. I'm guessing not but I can't remember.

Atb

 

[swito]

That's a lot of writing.

Don't seal your mason jar as you'll cause a vacuum and that's not good.
You should decarb in the oven really.
You can add water and remove after by freezing but I wouldn't use much less oil than covering the bud anyway.
Good luck.

Sounds like you've done plenty of reading so it should be fine. If your really worried about the results just follow tried and tested methods rather than trying to avoid steps. Either way I'm sure you'll get canna oil that'll get you high, it's really not that difficult.

Decarb is worth it imo , look for grey wolfs decarb graph to work out if your crock pot will decarb enough. I'm guessing not but I can't remember.

Atb

So if I don't add the water I can skip the freezing step completely? I really don't care about the taste so much as the convenience. And I've read the graph before on I think UK420 but it is from 1990 and I think I've read other posts that conflict it so I really don't know anymore..

So for the decarb in the oven should I leave the mason jar open as well? I was thinking at about 220 F for about 40 min (there are some nugs I pressed in a hair straightener for oil mixed in there but still mainly green). Thanks for the response! I know it's a lot of writing but I have so many questions

 

[swito]

This is the chart I found that I think corresponds with what you're saying @davesmith

 

[zor]

I made some canacoconut oil this past weekend, used my slow cooker @ around 190F for two days. Used about 3/4s cup of coconut oil for 2oz of pulverized ABV. Strained it through a french press and I've got this wicked dark green oil (see the legs here)

The oil otherwise looks darker than coffee (coffee on the left, oil on the right)

Something happened in my brain during this session and I am quite sick of the ABV + coconut oil aroma/flavor, it is almost completely repulsive. I need to find a way to clean up the ABV taste, I've tried washing with water but foudn the final product to seem less effective in potency, might have been placebo though...

 

[zor]

Holy yuck, I tried the shit I made above and it tasted so putrid I couldn't even swallow it. I think I had some overly charred ABV which lends an awfully burned taste to the mix. Vile, vile, vile concoction here.

In order to salvage it, and to test potency, I think I'll just heat it up and make some cannacaps instead. Canacoco oil will be best made with fresh herb, I think.

 

[BabyFacedFinster]

Holy yuck, I tried the shit I made above and it tasted so putrid I couldn't even swallow it. I think I had some overly charred ABV which lends an awfully burned taste to the mix. Vile, vile, vile concoction here.

In order to salvage it, and to test potency, I think I'll just heat it up and make some cannacaps instead. Canacoco oil will be best made with fresh herb, I think.

This is what
I was afraid would happen with my ABV. Some of it got pretty dark from my Lotus vape. I might just chuck it.

I have access to enough herb these days that forcing down putrid shit is off my radar. Gone are the days of my youth where herb was hard to come by and I used to scrape some nasty shit out of my combustion pipes just to get high.

 

[DDave]

I used to scrape some nasty shit out of my combustion pipes just to get high.

Ah, the memories!

Once we were dry and a friend chugged some bong water thinking that would work.

IT DID!

In a sort of round about kinda way... he projectile vomited almost immediately and the rest of us laughed so hard we got dizzy and kinda felt buzzed!!

 

[MoneyVapeTheWorldGoRound]

So I am currently trying this method with about 28 grams of Avb. I don't mind the taste to much especially when made in scrambled eggs (the color of the eggs are a bit off though ). I have used enough oil just to cover the abv that I wrapped up in cheesecloth like a tea bag in a small mason jar. I currently have on low as I don't see a reason to decarb abv and I plan to leave in crockpot until I wake up in the morning which will between 12-14 hours. Just seeing if you gave it a try and if so what was your outcome? Also is there any pointers or advice anyone else can give? Thanks in advance for the help

 

[Rave88]

This is what
I was afraid would happen with my ABV. Some of it got pretty dark from my Lotus vape. I might just chuck it.

I have access to enough herb these days that forcing down putrid shit is off my radar. Gone are the days of my youth where herb was hard to come by and I used to scrape some nasty shit out of my combustion pipes just to get high.

Im reading this and I have tears in my eyes. How I wish I lived closed to you
Its still so damn illegal here, that it costs us almost around 35 bucks for weak ass schwag

 

[crawdad]

[/USER]

ive had a few of failed batches, not that i couldnt notice effects with the end product but was weak. that graph above i started using recently and have had two batches that were bad ass. i tried the mason jar deal a few times but the heat never got high enough imho inside. i got what i would describe as almost half the reaction that i was expecting based on how well it vaped/smoked prior.

now i heat 2 cups coconut oil up to 293-299 then pour in as much abv i can fit (that will get covered entirely) and try to maintain that temp for about 7-8 minutes max, perhaps 10-11 if the temp falls off for too long, etc. then off the heat and covered for about 45mins to an hour+ as it slowly cools. then, i strain it and put back on stove and dump more abv into it repeating the process until i like the color (when cold i should barely notice a green tint, its dark but not black). i aim to get 1 cup out of it and put it in brownie or cookie mix adding flour as needed to compensate for the oil. 320 for around 30 mins then shut off heat and let sit to cool down some in oven. 24+ hour deal on one edible, cant complain. can nibble small amounts for less effect. peace.

 

[pressure]

That's a lot of writing.

Don't seal your mason jar as you'll cause a vacuum and that's not good.

Atb

rut row....

I left my mason jar sealed tight in the cracker pot, with cocobut oil, and avb inside......and I left for work....

should I be worried?

 

[zor]

Heat expands the gasses inside the sealed jar and therefore increase pressure, @pressure...I hope your namesake won't cause any problems, but there's no telling. I brew beer and once I bottled a batch too soon and the yeast were still fermenting at a rate sufficient to create enough CO2 to blow off the caps and make a royal mess. Um, that was a useless anecdote...I hope things are ok, it's a function of time and heat, and mason jars are pretty damn robust. When you get home I would either carefully remove the jar from the crock pot and let it cool down slowly before opening it or just turn off the heat and let it cool that way. Please don't open it until it has cooled sufficiently!!

 

[pressure]

Heat expands the gasses inside the sealed jar and therefore increase pressure, @pressure...I hope your namesake won't cause any problems, but there's no telling. I brew beer and once I bottled a batch too soon and the yeast were still fermenting at a rate sufficient to create enough CO2 to blow off the caps and make a royal mess. Um, that was a useless anecdote...I hope things are ok, it's a function of time and heat, and mason jars are pretty damn robust. When you get home I would either carefully remove the jar from the crock pot and let it cool down slowly before opening it or just turn off the heat and let it cool that way. Please don't open it until it has cooled sufficiently!!

what a nightmare. people leave out so much things, like leave the mason jar open!

 

[davesmith]

Let us know how you get on. I'd say turn e stove off and retreat to a safe distance until all is cool. Fingers crossed you don't come back to a kitchen covered in oil

 

[crawdad]

what a nightmare. people leave out so much things, like leave the mason jar open!

when i used mason jars i would lightly close it to keep in smell and "burp" them about every 45min to hour. nothing set in stone other than you when you get this right.

 

[swito]

Hey guys! Not sure who else has tried my method but for future reference to any readers, use sunflower/soy lecithin after the product has been strained and is still hot. Give it a good mix to blend and then refrigerate. When I originally added it at the beginning, the final product would not solidify completely because of the lecithin.

 

[HarmlessJohnny_5]

Ok, giving this a go. Bought an ounce to do things with (tinctures, oils, whatever, I wanna get my weed 'in' without vaping, then i'll vape a little, my lunge are just sssooo sensitive it's hell).

1/3 ounce broken up very small, put into mason jar, barley covered with coconut oil (it's all a very heavily loaded suspension basically)

Crock-pot with water past oil/pot level in mason jar (lid on very loose, this produces out-gassing that apparently vented then eventually this loss of heated and vaporized gas caused a vacuum as the pressure ring was still loose but the vacuum seal lid was very securely attached when I retrieved the jar next morning from the crockpot)

Ceramic thin dish with rag on bottom of crock-pot, jar standing on top of rag. slight boil seems to barly almost happen, temp assumed to be 210-212 deg F (99-100 C)

Cooking time is 9 hours (this lets all cannabinoids activate... I assume? without breaking down too much stuff..... I guess?)

Oil strained out firmly, more oil added, cooked for one more hour with regular agitation, this oil strained to a second cup (to separately see if I had much worth harvesting left in there after the first wash, and how much).

Temp is such that there is a definite mild ABV smell, got the same when I put some bud in an empty water bottle and left that floating in the crock-pot for 6 hours on high (first experiment, 3.5 grams, just ate the pot and it tasted HORRIBLY ABVed from the decarbing process).
I will shortly go get coffee filters and filter the two oils.
I had no lechtin and so have not used it but I will use sunflower lechtin next time and probably during initial extraction (this will help the extraction be more effective??).
I have thrown away the twice oiled and pressed marijuana leaving (1/3 oz worth) and intend to entirely imbibe the second batch of oil extraction and see what that does, I'll supplement it with micro dabs (again, weak lungs but OMG thank you FuckCombustion! for teaching me about e-nails. Love my cheapie $170 setup (first "real" percolator I've ever had, learned SO much here and my lungs are so grateful, plus get high more often and to a greater degree )

Looking forward but figured I'd better write this now, might not write afterwards depending on how this hits (and just finished my math final yesterday so it's time to take a 'personal day' ; ) )

 

[HarmlessJohnny_5]

is edit post a feature that you have to earn in some way or am I just too wrecked to figure it out lol (ate all 1/3 oz of coconut oil in the end)'


ahhh well it seems I can edit this one but not the previous one, sorry for post after a post that is also my post. 1/3 oz is probably too much for most, bit much for me probabl lol, well time to do a dab )

 

[MercurialVapour]

Ok soooooo...

After a period of research, SWIM recently decided to take a tentative dip into the wild world of edibles and dusted off the primarily-redundant Crock Pot to use for something other than cooking (pretty awesome btw) spaghetti bolognese.

SWIM has had pretty good results so far with coconut oil infused with all those oil-soluble wonders from varying ratios of (1 Hour@220-240F tight foil-wrapped oven-decarbed) plant matter, polm/pollen (local hash which 'fluffs up' after heating and crumbling - unsure of exact potency - approx. 5-10%) and AVB.

Crock Pot water-bath double boiler method (with lecithin), just enough oil to saturate finely-ground material plus a little more to allow for evaporation/loss through straining (lightly-lidded inner container to minimise evaporation), low heat on crock pot for 2-4 hours with the odd sporadic increase to high heat setting. Strained/filtered with double-folded muslin.

SWIM puts the oil in gelatin capsules and well, thinks that these are just a unbelievably fantastic thing! (Would recommend to ANYONE that was thinking of experimenting with this sort of affair!)

SWIM has accumulated about 6.5oz of AVB of all kinds of stuff (polm, good hash and varying grades of flower) that has been well stored and was wondering if the AVB oil could be made more concentrated if the plant material was strained out after 2 hours and then more 'fresh' AVB was added to the oil before a final strain.

Theoretically would this form a stronger oil? Has anyone experimented with something like this?

 

[HarmlessJohnny_5]

Ok, giving this a go. Bought an ounce to do things with (tinctures, oils, whatever, I wanna get my weed 'in' without vaping, then i'll vape a little, my lunge are just sssooo sensitive it's hell).

1/3 ounce broken up very small, put into mason jar, barley covered with coconut oil (it's all a very heavily loaded suspension basically)

Crock-pot with water past oil/pot level in mason jar (lid on very loose, this produces out-gassing that apparently vented then eventually this loss of heated and vaporized gas caused a vacuum as the pressure ring was still loose but the vacuum seal lid was very securely attached when I retrieved the jar next morning from the crockpot)

Ceramic thin dish with rag on bottom of crock-pot, jar standing on top of rag. slight boil seems to barly almost happen, temp assumed to be 210-212 deg F (99-100 C)

Cooking time is 9 hours (this lets all cannabinoids activate... I assume? without breaking down too much stuff..... I guess?)

Oil strained out firmly, more oil added, cooked for one more hour with regular agitation, this oil strained to a second cup (to separately see if I had much worth harvesting left in there after the first wash, and how much).

Temp is such that there is a definite mild ABV smell, got the same when I put some bud in an empty water bottle and left that floating in the crock-pot for 6 hours on high (first experiment, 3.5 grams, just ate the pot and it tasted HORRIBLY ABVed from the decarbing process).
I will shortly go get coffee filters and filter the two oils.
I had no lechtin and so have not used it but I will use sunflower lechtin next time and probably during initial extraction (this will help the extraction be more effective??).
I have thrown away the twice oiled and pressed marijuana leaving (1/3 oz worth) and intend to entirely imbibe the second batch of oil extraction and see what that does, I'll supplement it with micro dabs (again, weak lungs but OMG thank you FuckCombustion! for teaching me about e-nails. Love my cheapie $170 setup (first "real" percolator I've ever had, learned SO much here and my lungs are so grateful, plus get high more often and to a greater degree )

Looking forward but figured I'd better write this now, might not write afterwards depending on how this hits (and just finished my math final yesterday so it's time to take a 'personal day' ; ) )

second batch of oil added extracted almost nothing and what it did take was probably just what I did not properly squeeze out beforehand. I think that even in the crockpot on high, I was not even close to 212 degrees in that jar, more like 160-180 deg F, according to meat thermometer I not have. Perhaps this batch will be stronger and i will get more effect with less. I got strong effects last time but I ended up consuming it all, waiting about 1 to 2 hours per consumption.

Of course if I did a micro dab what the edible effect was present i was just rocked off my feet. I am going to get some soy lechtin (and will find sunflower lechtin in future).

 

[Madri-Gal]

rut row....

I left my mason jar sealed tight in the cracker pot, with cocobut oil, and avb inside......and I left for work....

should I be worried?

Hi everyone,

I'm a brand new member to the forums (I just signed up), but I am not new to vaporizing or the various ways to use herb as I have had a silver surfer vaporizer for almost 6 years now (as well as having lurked through hundreds of forums from FC, GC, leafly, etc). I have done lots of research on various methods for cooking edibles, and I am a fan of recycling of my ABV to cook with. I have whipped up some brownies several times with a crockpot and butter letting it simmer for a day and I have always had fantastic results but I am now looking for the convenience and even more potency in my product.

To get to the chase, I am going to be cooking with fresh herb (20g to be exact) and I have some questions on making cookies with coconut oil in a mason jar. I have heard from friends and have read on several forums that cooking in a crockpot with a mason jar keeps things a lot cleaner, in terms of messiness on the counter and odor. I am not a fan of cleaning, but rather keeping things clean.

So this is my plan from what I've heard/read and have had explained to me, and I just want to run this by you guys/gals if some of the forum experts don't mind perusing my jargon spattered on here for my first post (even if you have never cooked before outside speculation is always welcome).

So STEPS:

1) Take large mason jar with 2 parts, the thin lid and piece to screw on to keep the lid under. Fill the jar with my 20g of fresh buds, then melt enough coconut oil to pour into the jar (just enough to cover the buds and maybe a little more for ease of stirring). Also add a teaspoon or two of sunflower lecithin for added potency when heating up the coconut oil (emulsion science woohoo). Put the lid on and screw the part over it, but not too tight as to allow pressure to escape (should I be burping the jar as well? I have read about several different stories where some people burp the jar, but others do not - just want to know because safety is always nice and so is an intact mason jar).

2) Fill up crockpot with water enough to cover the closed mason jar up to right beneath the lid, and put a dishcloth under the mason jar to prevent it from cracking etc on the ceramic of the crockpot. Place the crockpot on high to where the water is almost boiling but is not (around 205 degrees with a candy thermometer) and leave for 1 hour (THIS IS IMPORTANT: IS THIS CONSIDERED A DECARB PROCESS? BECAUSE IF SO THIS WOULD BE IDEAL FOR THE SMELL ASPECT, clarification would be appreciated. I do not want to have to decarb in my oven with aluminum foil or have the use of an oven at all, convenience would be to use only the crockpot and jar for cooking.)

3) After 1 hour, place crockpot on low and allow to sit for 16-24 hours (more time = more potency from my understanding). Since my mixture will be in a mason jar inside a crockpot with water double-boiler style, should I still be stirring the buds/oil in the jar? I would hope not, because if it is not necessary I do not want to burp my jar (to keep it safe), and also the smell aspect once again. I do not have to be sneaky, but I am considerate when cooking because my siblings do not enjoy the smell. I would think the mixing is not absolutely necessary because of the surface area of the jar keeps all the contents pretty compact.

4) After cooking in the crockpot on low for desired amount of time, take it out of the crockpot and clean all your stuff! Leave the jar to cool before straining it, all that good stuff. This is where another theory of mine comes in. I would like to use this bag to hold the buds inside the mason jar while I cook - http://www.republicoftea.com/the-peoples-brew-basket/p/v00978/ - so that way I do not have to take so much time straining it. Would there be any loss of potency this way? Also, I would think using this method would allow me to use the left over buds from cooking as a topical ball of goodness, correct? Lots of theories and preferred methods are welcome, but let's try to keep it to the mason jar method because convenience/less dish duty is the goal here.

5) After I have all my strained coco-oil goodness, should I freeze it? I've heard there is no need to freeze the coconut oil unless I've cooked it with water (therefore freezing it would allow the oil to separate from the water, and supposedly this makes for a cleaner tasting oil). This is where another question comes in. Is there any possible way I could use water in the mason jar with the coconut oil/buds? Using the double-boiler method with my crockpot, with water inside the jar as well (this would mean using less oil to compensate for the water being added, thus the end product should be a more potent coconut oil even though it would technically be less yielded product correct?)

6) After all of this is done, my plan is to add the coconut oil in place of butter for a ghirardelli cookie box recipe. Last question, when I go to cook the cookies the recipe calls for the cooking temperature to be 350 degrees Fahrenheit. What I assume to be true is that THC has a point at 315 degrees fahrenheit where it starts to dissipate. This being said, should I cook at around 290 F to be safe? I want my product to end up as potent as possible for the buds being used, just trying to get a bunch of people super stoned on a camping trip with ideally one cookie per person.

Sorry for all the writing guys, I have just been doing a lot of reading from a lot of sources and want to possibly start a thread for the easiest/least odor-inducing form of crockpot cooking for coconut oil. I know there are other threads out there identical to this, but none of them have quite the clarification I need for this process. I'm also sure nobody likes trying to find a recipe 7 pages into a forum from an obscure post. I will keep you all posted when I go through with this form of cooking within the next month, and questions/comments of all types are welcome! Like I stated earlier, I am new to this forum so hey everyone I'm max and let's get this party started B)

This all seems complicated, so I will get past most of it, and focus on the baking temp for cookies. If you bake at 290* instead if 350*, you will get a hard, dry, cookie. I'd hate to see you ruin the cookie in the end, after so much work.

 

[Vital]

second batch of oil added extracted almost nothing and what it did take was probably just what I did not properly squeeze out beforehand. I think that even in the crockpot on high, I was not even close to 212 degrees in that jar, more like 160-180 deg F, according to meat thermometer I not have. Perhaps this batch will be stronger and i will get more effect with less. I got strong effects last time but I ended up consuming it all, waiting about 1 to 2 hours per consumption.

Of course if I did a micro dab what the edible effect was present i was just rocked off my feet. I am going to get some soy lechtin (and will find sunflower lechtin in future).

Here is a bit of information that I hope you find useful:

When looking for Sunflower Lecithin, try and find "Organic" Lecithin. "All natural" is NOT the same as "Organic".

What Is Organic, Exactly?
The USDA states that the goal of organic foods and organic farming is to "integrate cultural, biological, and mechanical practices that foster cycling of resources, promote ecological balance, and conserve biodiversity."

Put simply, if you see the "USDA Organic" or "Certified Organic" seal on your food, the item must have an ingredients list and the contents should be 95% or more certified organic, meaning free of synthetic additives like pesticides, chemical fertilizers, and dyes, and must not be processed using industrial solvents, irradiation, or genetic engineering, according to the USDA. The remaining 5% may only be foods or processed with additives on an approved list.

"Certified Organic" isn't the only label you'll see though. You may also see "100% organic," which means all of the ingredients must meet the guidelines above, or "made with organic," which means that the ingredients must contain 70% or more organic ingredients, the USDA seal cannot be used anywhere on the package, and the remaining 30% of the ingredients may not be foods or processed with additives on a special exclusion list.

Violations of the USDA's organic labeling rules can earn companies civil penalties of up to $11,000. If that seems small, it should. The low penalties and the volume of organic products flooding the markets have led to skepticism that the USDA is properly enforcing the label, inspecting foods, and punishing violators. Some worry that "organic" has turned into a marketing term with little meaning. Still, when you buy organic goods at most stores and from most known brands, you can be largely sure that it meets the guidelines.

This link has a breakdown of all the different "organic" labels you might see on a product: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/07/02/AR2009070203364.html?noredirect=on

For more information on the USDA's organic labeling program, check out this fact sheet, the full federal regulations for organic terminology, or visit the USDA's organic certification portal. If you're not in the United States, the Organic Certification wikipedia page has information on how the certification varies from region to region.