Making jam is a great way to preserve fruit and create a sweet, multi-purpose product in the process. In addition, by adding cannabis to the mix, you can extend the life of your cannabis and prevent that old, mushy fruit from ending up in the landfill. Since canna-honey is a base for cannabis jam, this recipe is divided into two parts. First, we’ll walk you through how to make cannabis-infused honey, and then we’ll move on to how to make the jam. (Want to make cannabutter, instead? We cover that here.)

Note: Before you dive into these recipes, you’ll have to decarboxylate your cannabis. This ensures that your cannabinoids are bioavailable and “activates” important cannabis compounds, like THC. We walk you through the decarboxylation process in this blog. 

Step 1: How to make cannabis-infused honey 

Here’s what you’ll need to make canna-honey: 

• 1 oz decarboxylated cannabis 
• 5 lbs honey 
• Cheesecloth or pantyhose 
• Stockpot 

Fortunately, infusing honey with cannabis is pretty easy. It does take about 24 hours, but most of that time is hands-off. First, place the cannabis in the pantyhose or cheesecloth and use cooking twine to tie it securely closed. Next, place the cannabis-filled pantyhose and honey into a heavy-duty stockpot and let it simmer on low for five hours. Allow the honey to cool for 24 hours. Remove the cannabis, squeeze out excess honey, and discard. Your honey is now infused with cannabis! 

As you probably noticed, this recipe makes quite a bit of cannabis-infused honey -- much more than you’ll need for this recipe. Feel free to adjust the recipe ingredients accordingly if you’d like to make less honey, but keep in mind that you can use cannabis honey for a variety of things (i.e., it’s not bad to keep a little on hand if you cook with honey in other recipes.)

Step 2: How to make cannabis jam 

Now that you’ve made canna-honey it’s time to gather up your fruit and other ingredients and get started with the jam. Here’s what you’ll need: 

• ¼ cup canna-honey 
• 4 cups of fruit of your choice (you can use any fruit you’d like, but we find that strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, and apricots work especially well in jam.)
• 3 cups sugar
• ¼ cup lemon juice 
• 2 mason jars 
• Stockpot 

If you’re cooking with larger fruits (strawberries, peaches, etc.) you’ll need to make sure your fruit is cut up into small pieces. Once your fruit is cut into smaller, one-inch chunks, it’s time to roll up your sleeves and get to work. 

1. Place sugar and lemon juice in the stockpot and heat on low. If the mixture is turning brown, the heat is too high. Simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring constantly until the mixture turns into a syrup-like consistency. Depending on your stove, this may take longer than 10 minutes. 
2. Stir in the fruit, using a fork or spatula to break it down. Cook for about 20 minutes; a longer cook-time will create a smoother jam, while a shorter cook-time will result in chunkier jam. It’s up to you and your preference, just make sure to keep an eye on it so it doesn’t burn! 
3. While the jam cooks, divide the ¼ cup canna-honey evenly between the two mason jars. (There should be about two tablespoons of honey in each jar.) 
4. Once you’re satisfied with the consistency, remove the fruit from the heat and divide it evenly between the two jars. Stir evenly so the canna-honey is evenly distributed throughout the jar. 
5. Allow it to cool to room temperature before storing in the fridge. 

Notes about cannabis jam 

The best thing about this jam is that it can be customized to your taste. You can use different kinds of citrus as the juice base (i.e., substitute lime or orange juice for lemon juice), mix and match fruits (peach blueberry is a great combo!), or add some zest to the jam along with the fruit. You can even use frozen fruit if you’re craving canna-jam outside of the main produce season -- just add some extra cooking time as the fruit will need extra time to break down. 

So, now that you have cannabis jam, what can you use it for? Well, basically anything you’d put regular jam on -- toast, scones, waffles, or you can even enjoy it on its own. Feeling adventurous? Try mixing it with sparkling water or juices for a twist on a mocktail. Just make sure that you’re only using the jam for your own medical purposes -- sharing or gifting cannabis jam or other cannabis products is illegal in Maryland and in many other states! Always, always, always follow the cannabis laws in your state. 

Cooking tips to keep in mind 

Whether you’re new to cooking with cannabis or have tried a few recipes, there are a few cooking mistakes to avoid, including: 

• Using raw flower - Cannabis needs to be heated to a certain temperature before it can be added to a recipe. For best results, never add “raw” flower to a recipe. 
• Over-grinding flower - Cannabis needs to be ground before it can be added to a recipe, but avoid over-grinding. The more powdery cannabis becomes the more chlorophyll and plant matter is released, resulting in edibles that taste pungent and grassy. 
• Not stirring enough- You’ll need to keep stirring your cannabis, otherwise you risk inconsistency in the flavor, texture, and potency of your edibles. 

You can check out even more edible cooking mistakes in this blog, and learn more about edibles by checking out our Edibles 101 guide.