If you haven’t tried CBD yet, it might be worth looking into. CBD is believed to have dozens of incredible qualities for both mental and physical health. You can buy it in oil form or in a more delicious edible form.
Of all the CBD products out there, the CBD gummies are probably the favorites. They pack all the great qualities of best CBD into a tiny, delicious gummy bear. What’s not to love?
It’s easy to buy CBD gummies online through a reputable retailer, but if you’re bored and looking for something fun to do while potentially inventing a new great product, why not make them from home? There are many recipes that you can follow online to make your own gummies, or you can make up your own. Use this simple guide to help you get your gummies just right.
Understanding CBD
As any inventor of recipes knows, the best way to get a good product is to understand the science behind it. If you understand what an ingredient is, where it came from, how it interacts with other foods, and what it does for your body, you’ll get a better idea of how to make a batch successfully.
CBD is a derivative of the hemp plant. It’s one of 400 compounds of hemp that’s extracted using something called CO2 extraction. Using high temperatures and high volumes of pressure, CBD is taken from the rest of the plant and pressurized into a supercritical state. The easiest form of delivery after that is in oil or an isolate powder.
This is what you’ll need to make your gummies. CBD in oil form will contain more goodies from the hemp plant like terpenes, flavonoids, fatty acids, and other nutrients. Isolate powder is made purely of CBD without those extras.
If you’re using oil, your gummy recipe will need less liquid. If you’re using powder, it will need more. It’s also important to note that CBD oil is typically more potent than isolate CBD, so you’ll need to adjust the dosage accordingly.
Know Your Dosage
One of the biggest benefits of making your own CBD gummies is getting the dosage just right. CBD gummies purchased online are already pre-proportioned into doses, and it’s very difficult to measure one and a quarter doses, for example, when you’re dealing with oddly shaped gummies.
If you’ve found that 17.5 mg of CBD is the best dose for your needs, for example, you’ll have a hard time finding a gummy sold online that contains that dosage. Making your own is a great solution.
Determine the best dosage for you by experimenting with another form of ingestible CBD such as oil or capsules. Remember that the right dose will help to alleviate what’s bothering you without giving you unbearable side effects.
You’ll also need to understand the way that CBD breaks down in your gut. The stomach acids will break down the CBD, taking about 80 percent of the enzymes with it. Therefore, you’ll need a stronger dose for edible gummies than you would for oil, vape juice, or sprays.
Choose Your Ingredients Wisely
People love CBD because it’s a natural way to improve mental and physical health symptoms. But if you fill your gummies with highly processed ingredients, you lose some of those advantages.
A common ingredient in homemade CBD gummies is Jell-O mix. As far as processed ingredients go, this one isn’t the worst, but it’s not as good as using fresh fruit and fruit juice. Mixing in fresh fruit with unflavored gelatin is a great way to keep the taste fresh, delicious, and healthier than many of the gummies you’ll find on the shelf.
Most gummy ingredients are gluten and dairy free. If you’re looking for a vegan option, you can swap out the gelatin, which is usually animal fat based, for something like agar-agar powder, which works well and is animal friendly.
Grab Your Supplies
With ingredients in hand, you’ll need supplies to make a batch of CBD gummies. Typically, a recipe makes about 4-6 dozen gummies depending on the size and ingredients requested. So, you’ll need a silicone mold that holds about that many gummies. You can choose any shape you want! Bears, worms, fruit—anything.
If you don’t have a mold, you can also us a sheet pan. After the gelatin is set, you can cut out small, equal-sized pieces. This makes it more difficult to get the exact dosage you’re looking for in each square, but if approximate is good enough for you, it’ll do.
You’ll need a heavy saucepan and a whisk as well. The heavier the saucepan, the more even the ingredients will heat without burning. The whisk is also essential for the operation. Stirring all the ingredients properly is vital to ensuring the CBD is spread equally throughout the mixture, and the CBD dose will be equal for each gummy.
Watch the Heat
When cooking with CBD, you always have to factor in the heat. Gummies don’t use as much heat as other edibles, like brownies, but they’re still cooked in a saucepan to a boiling temperature in order to allow the gelatin to set.
When CBD reaches a temperature higher than about 320 degrees, it will begin to evaporate. The temperature at which water boils is 212 degrees, but if you’re not watching your pot, the temperature could rise before you get to it, exceeding 320 degrees and causing your CBD to evaporate.
Usually, the water need only reach the boiling point for the gelatin to set, so as long as you don’t allow it to boil for more than a minute or two, you shouldn’t have to worry about your CBD evaporating.
Store Your Gummies Properly
Obviously, you aren’t going to eat your gummies in one sitting—that would be very dangerous! So, you’ll need a way to store them properly. You’ll need an airtight container like a plastic food container with a lid or a thick zippered plastic bag.
Usually, the gummies will be good for about two to three weeks, but if you don’t use fresh ingredients, it will likely last longer. You can also extend the life of your gummies by storing them in the refrigerator.
You can’t beat the flavor of delicious, homemade gummies with all the best ingredients! It’s great to buy them online when you’re in a pinch, but it’s a joy to enjoy the made-from-scratch version.
