Theoretic

Hey Guys and Gals,
I am growing to like this lovely forum. Seems to be one of the few places where "dumb" or newbie questions get smart answers, and not smart-ass-ery... So, braving the wilds of the internet, I ponder out loud about my latest query: Storage and Shelf Life of MJ.

Looking around the forum and other sites it seems that there is no absolute consensus among growers. Some say you simply put buds in a zip lock bag and put it in a drawer in the basement. Others insist on vacuum packing the buds and putting them in a freezer or fridge. Some say the same about hash, but I cant find any info on storing oil...

So what I am wondering is:
What is the best way to store buds, hash and oil?
And what is the “shelf life” of B/H/O if just stored in a drawer (bud and hash in zip lock bags, oils in <insert choice of oil receptacle here>) versus other storage options?

I realize it maybe a odd question, but I'm what you might call a “in-frequent” smoker... One week I don't touch the stuff, another week I puff away like the little engine that could. And I would hate to have parts of my eventual-grow degrade on a shelf...

Edit: A few glaring mistakes.

// Theo

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Tilting at windmills is a full time occupation. Never give up, never give in.

ILLEGAL-SEED

i never use bags. not really airtight. also vaccum seal is a no no for me. crushed bud is just like brickweed.

some type of jar in a cool dark place is best. for long periods, put it in a jar, vaccum seal the JAR, and put it in the freezer.

for long periods of storage, darkness, no heat, and not moving around a lot are key.

just make sure its complety dried!

Sso

since supposedly a year old cured weed is the best.

wouldnt you store the jar in a cool dark place till then *or till what you think is the maximum time for taste *by testing*

and Then put in a freezer/fridge?

wheelchair

Im not sure how long the best cure is but 1 year is way to long it will start to lose potency

ILLEGAL-SEED

ummmmm, not if its stored right.

sitting outside in the sun, yes. proper storage, no.

xjo

I would say the best place for oil would be the freezer

I just last night found a bud I had stored in one of my curing jars, man does 1yr old grapefruit taste good and it knocked me on my ass. Dark cool places in jars is how I store mine...

Xjo

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Theoretic

ILLEGAL-SEED: I can see how vacuum packing the jar is preferable to making a brick. Buying my smokables at the moment, so long term storage hasn't been much of an issue thus far.

XJO: Just put the oil in a container and put in the freezer? Wouldn't that cause damage due to the “liquid” content of the oil? Then again, one of the hash tutorials I stumbled across requires the hash to be stored in a fridge for 12 hours, so maybe I have the wrong end of the stick there.

Been reading some more around the web and it seems like most people prefer jars (most say masonry jars by the looks of it...). But what form of vacuum sealing the jar is best? There is the cold-vacuum which requires a pump or other equipment. Then there is the old hot-vacuum which heats the jar in order to create the seal. I have never used anything other than hot-vacuum when making jams and such, but will that harm the bud?

Lots of questions, but that's supposedly how to learn...

// Theo

__________________
Tilting at windmills is a full time occupation. Never give up, never give in.

kawliga

For bud, my method is to cure after harvest and then I vacuum seal in quart or gallon mason jars. I put the jars in a cardboard box and store in a cool dry dark place. I have had zero loss on potency for bud stored over 14 months with this method....I used to store in freezer but found this is not necessary. As a matter of fact, dependant on the bud moisture content when I put it in the jars...it stays as fresh as the day I packed them....I even have to dry them out a little more when I take it out of the jars to use in my vaporizer, but I have never had any mold issues...

Oil I store in baby food jars, tightly sealed and again, set in a cool dry dark place.

Hash: Wrap double layer of plastic wrap, and keep inside paper bag...once again, cool, dark, dry storage place.

kawliga

Theoretic,
I use the cold method of sealing. But I have also noticed that even without sealing, and just closing the lid tightly....that when I open the jar it pops....key is to ensure the jars are not right full to the top, and also to ensure there is no "debris" on the rubber part of the flat sealing lid....otherwise air will get in a diminish the quality greatly...

xjo

The only prob I could see, and I could be wrong mindyou, would be freezerburn. Small sealable bags of oil stored together with no air in them would negate this.......I think.............be a pita to get out tho......

Xjo

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