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ABOUT THE COVER
Amaranta Martinez, known as SUPERAMA, is a Venezuelan visual artist, Emmy Award winner, muralist and digital creator based in Miami. At the heart of her practice is the fusion of art and technology, creating experiences that go beyond the image itself. For The Psychedelia Issue, SUPERAMA channeled the Leaf's vision of a portal of perception — a figure standing at the threshold between ancient and future. But the portal doesn't stop at the page: Scan the QR code and follow the prompts, then point your camera at this month's cover to unlock an augmented reality experience and watch it come to life!
ILLUSTRATION BY SUPERAMA THESUPERAMA.COM/SHOP @SUPERAMA__
CONTRIBUTORS
WES ABNEY, FEATURES
DANIEL BERMAN, DESIGN
BOBBY BLACK, DESIGN + FEATURES
DAVID DOWNS, FEATURES
MAX EARLY, REVIEWS
WYATT EARLY, FEATURES
HAYLEY EWING, PHOTOS
REX HILSINGER, FEATURES + PHOTOS
ELLEN HOLLAND, FEATURES
MATT JACKSON, FEATURES + PHOTOS
JESSE JOHNSON, FEATURES
GREG MALCOLM, PHOTOS
TAYLOR MARTIN, FEATURES
AMARANTA MARTINEZ, ILLUSTRATION
TERPODACTYL MEDIA, FEATURES + PHOTOS
BAXSEN PAINE, FEATURES
TIAN SCHERER, FEATURES
CARA WEITSTOCK, FEATURES
BRUCE & WOLF, RECIPES
KATHERINE WOLF, FEATURES
JAMIE ZILL, PHOTOS
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Editor’s Note
Thanks for picking up The Psychedelia Issue of Maryland Leaf!
Psychedelics are power! Modern medicine is all about sacrifice and substitution. Doctors treat Americans with an ailment by trading one problem for a medication with a side effect. Healthcare is now compromising one aspect of health to try to save another This is especially evident in mental health treatments, which have utterly failed to turn the tide of depression, anxiety or the myriad issues treated with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors that are the modern version of lobotomies.
Psychedelics have the ability to rewire the brain and create new neural pathways and thought-behavior patterns, and they do so without any negative or compromising side effects. That is powerful medicine!
My belief that God gave us this Earth includes psychedelics and other entheogenic medicines. Our creator imbued psilocybin into mushrooms and dimethyltryptamine, aka DMT, into dozens of plants and animals, like the Sonoran Desert toad. Even man-made psychedelics, including LSD, come from natural sources, like ergot, a mold that grows on rye bread. And let’s not forget the healing power of Cannabis, the OG of psychedelics!
"PSYCHEDELICS REMIND US THAT WE HAVE MUCH MORE IN COMMON THAN THE LABELS USED TO SEPARATE AND DIVIDE US."
For hundreds of thousands of years, our species lived in tribal settings, where psychedelics played a critical role in coming-of-age ceremonies, social harmony and social structure. Imagine a tribal gathering with loving elders, family and community members as they guide a young adult on their first psychedelic journey
How much connection, bonding, shared community and interpersonal connections surely flowed through those ceremonies, touching everyone in the community. This is the power that the no-term-limit rulers in charge are scared of. That’s why we went from the 99% movement to an algorithmic march of division. Separating people by race, religion, gender, sexual orientation or politics serves those who seek division and control. When we are divided, we are weak. United, we are strong. Psychedelics remind us that we have much more in common than the labels used to separate and divide us. We must return power to our people and recognize that we are all part of one tribe, one species, living on a shared planet that is getting increasingly smaller.
Ethnobotanist Terence McKenna’s Stoned Ape theory promotes that psychedelics helped pave the way for the frontal cortex to grow in our brain, developing language centers and sensory-auditory connections that allowed language to develop.
Perhaps we’re only here because our ancestors took psychedelics. How ironic, then, that if we want future generations to thrive, we need to start tripping now! The future world depends on us setting aside differences and uniting. Luckily, there’s no better tool for connection, healing and community than the gifts God gave us with psychedelics.
GLOBAL SCALE
Mary Jane Berlin shows it's a small world after all
The scope and scale of the Mary Jane Berlin festival feel almost overwhelming. From sales of Cannabis seeds and clones to all sorts of weed-adjacent wares, the 10th annual event held in Berlin, Germany, boasted 75,000 attendees over four days in late June and was a maze of THC in transit.
ON THE first day of the show, Dani Walton — the head of U.S. sales and marketing for Spain-based Blimburn Seeds — helps me make sense of the industry consolidation that’s happening behind the scenes.
“Everyone works with each other; it has to be that way,” Walton said. “People think about competition; it’s more about collaboration. … The industry is smaller than a lot of people think. We have to work together.”
As part of its business model, Blimburn white-labels its Cannabis seeds and works with its partners to handle logistics and fulfillment. Walton won’t land on a specific number, but said a good number of booths at the Mary Jane show are being powered by Blimburn Seeds; it’s all part of the merging motion within the global Cannabis industry.
“You saw a boom, and now you're seeing a consolidation as the European markets mature,” Walton said, specifically referenc-
ing collaborations between European and North American brands. “With the first couple of years of legalization, you had everyone rushing to get in here, and now it’s a little more consolidation because Germany actually imports a lot of their Cannabis.”
Germany’s medical Cannabis market opened in 2017 and imported Cannabis flowers from nearly 20 countries in the first quarter of 2026, according to figures released by Germany’s medical Cannabis regulator, the Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices. Canada is by far the dominant supplier of Cannabis flowers to Germany, followed by Portugal and Denmark. Since 2024, there’s also another way for Germans to get weed. The country allows adults to grow up to three Cannabis plants at home through policies that include social clubs for growing and supplying weed to their members, which are supposed to only be for German citizens.
“If you would consider, like a Humboldt of Canada, it would be called the Kootenays,” Carmody told me. “It’s remote. It’s in the interior of British Columbia, kind of hard to get to from anywhere. And in the Vietnam War — when draft dodgers were escaping the war — they were looking for places to hide, and the Kootenays were one of them. They brought genetics with them and brought Cannabis culture with them, and that's why that area became a propagation point of Cannabis in Canada.”
In 2018, Canada became the second country in the world, after Uruguay, to allow Cannabis for adults. But before that, in 2014, Canada’s medical Cannabis policy allowed for the export of Cannabis that’s categorized under Canada's medical system.
Carmody is the co-owner of Kootenay Cultivar, and for the past year and a half, he has been selling 95% of the Cannabis flowers he grows in Canada to Germany. He started growing in his parents’ chicken coop as a teenager and said, “17-year-old me’s mind is fucking blown right now.”
“(Germany is) the best market in the world by a long shot,” he said. “The genetics that we have that we really sell a lot of in Germany is a strain called OJ Zainbow. So it’s Zainbow Mentz, but our pheno that we hunted and found has a really sweet, orange citrus flavor, and I called it OJ Zainbow.”
LET'S GET TOGETHER AND FEEL ALRIGHT
At this year’s Mary Jane festival, California-based Humboldt Seed Company debuted a seed collaboration with the family of reggae superstar Bob Marley. The seeds represent years of breeding work during which HSC partnered with local growers in Jamaica.
“If you make something of your own, usually you have time, then you want to perfect it, and it’s like your baby,” Nat Pennington, HSC co-founder and CEO, said.
“Theindustryis
smallerthanalotof peoplethink.Wehave toworktogether.”
Cannabis plants inherit traits from both of their parents, and like sisters in the same family, seeds can express different physical attributes. The time-consuming work for Cannabis breeders comes in stabilizing strain genetics to deliver a consistent product. But after that work is done, making a large quantity of seeds is easy, Pennington said.
-DaniWalton, headofU.S.salesand marketingforSpainbasedBlimburnSeeds
THE ‘HUMBOLDT OF CANADA’
After taking a dab with Walton, I walk out into the festival’s outdoor area and run into Tyeson Carmody, who was born and raised in the Kootenays, a wild mountainous area in southeastern British Columbia, Canada.
“California makes software; it’s like breeding (Cannabis),” Pennington said.
“You put a bunch of energy into breeding something, but you can just hit copy and paste to sell it. We put a bunch of energy into making a seed line, then when it comes time to multiply it, we've done our homework; now we just breed it.”
HSC’s explorations around the world to discover and preserve unique Cannabis genetics, documented on their YouTube channel, make the world feel smaller.
THE
CANNABIS
ECOSYSTEM GROWS
Simón Espinosa, founder of the Spanish-language Cannabis media platform En Volá, traveled from his native Chile to California this past summer to participate in HSC’s pheno hunt, where I last saw him.
Ellen Holland is a San Francisco Bay Area-based freelance writer, the former editor of High Times and the author of multiple books, including "Weed: Smoke It, Eat It, Grow It, Love It" (2024).
HSC'S NAT PENNINGTON TALKS WITH EN VOLÁ'S SIMÓN ESPIONOSA
When I meet up with Espinosa in Berlin, he arrives with the tale of taking Cannabis culture to the ends of the earth during a trip En Volá organized in October 2025 that brought 150 people to the Patagonia region, the southernmost tip of South America.
HumboldtSeed Companydebuteda seedcollaboration withthefamilyof reggaesuperstar BobMarley.
After Mary Jane, En Volá took a bus of Cannabis influencers from across the world to Demecan, one of the largest medical Cannabis providers in Germany, followed by a stay at a castle in Saxony.
“We found a castle in deep Saxony, which is where Romanticism was born,” Espinosa said. “I wanted to check it out personally, so I keep making shit up so I can go to places I like. … This started because I’m sharing my sponsors with my first ecosystem, who were other content creators who didn’t get to travel, and I told them, ‘It’s going to change your life, as it did to me.’”
En Volá calls these trips “Very Happy” and, through them, hopes to bring the worldwide Cannabis community closer together.
Trips like those organized by En Volá and events like Mary Jane show that as weed goes worldwide, partnership is the key to success. Together, they make it clear: The Cannabis industry is growing through collaboration and consolidation.
MARYJANE-BERLIN.COM
@MARY_JANE_BERLIN
HUMBOLDTSEEDCOMPANY.COM
@THEHUMBOLDTSEEDCOMPANY
KOOTENAYCULTIVAR.COM
@KOOTENAYCULTIVA
WWW.ENVOLA.CL
@EN_VOLA
FIRE FOLLOWER
Award-winning journalist/author and former Leafly Senior Editor David Downs’ monthly genetics intelligence dispatch.
THE LEGEND OF SEED JUNKY GENETICS'
CAKE STRAWS
GROWERS BIG AND SMALL in the U.S. have some updated Wedding Cake to bring back into their gardens all across the U.S. and beyond this year. One of the top breeders of all time — Seed Junky Genetics of Los Angeles — has improved their 2019 Leafly Strain of the Year, Wedding Cake, to make Cake Straws.
Cake Straws debuted online in May and in person at the Mary Jane Berlin conference in June. It currently sells online directly at seedjunkygenetics.com for $250 per pack of 10 regular seeds.
Seed Junky’s co-founder, J Beezy, told Fire Follower that the 7-year-old strain’s time is coming around again. (J Beezy has never released his full name, for security reasons.) A huge wave of Cake washed across the country in the late teens. Widespread production led to Cake strains that fell flat, and connoisseurs disengaged. But did they?
“People want Cake again,” J Beezy told me.
It’s true. I did the Good PizzZa podcast with host JP (who also protects his identity for security reasons) in Sacramento, California published June 29, and he said: “Wedding Cake is fire. … And a little cakey is not a good thing in today’s climate.”
JP continued, adding that Ice Cream Cake is “underwhelming compared to things out now. But Wedding Cake? Fuck that, bro, please bring Wedding Cake back.”
Wedding Cake mixes Triangle Kush and Animal Mints. The pale green bud can make you relaxed, horny and hungry, Leafly reviewers have said. Its layers of fuel cohere and flip into soft vanilla and cream.
“Fucking amazing. Great head high and gets the sex drive going. Tastes like vanilla icing. Need I say more?!” stated one Leafly reviewer.
At the core of Cake Straws — and all the new Straws crosses — is Sour Straws (Ztraws), which is reportedly Zkittlez, Kush Mints and Permanent Marker BX1. Those are three killers all on their own.
Z remains undefeated. Kush Mints helped launch Seed Junky. Permanent Marker BX1 comes from another Leafly Strain of the Year. It updates Jealousy, which is basically Gelato times 1,000.
Who knew Wedding Cake even had a pistil problem?
Cake Straws fits into tightly focused, twice-a-quarter genetics drops from Seed Junky. J Beezy makes and sells seeds “more for the flavors, and for the little guys. I enjoy doing it and giving home growers access.”
Seed Junky has a 50,000-square-foot converted rocket factory in Northridge, California, where they keep refining, refining, refining.
Seed Junky has a 50,000-square-foot converted rocket factory in Northridge, California, where they keep refining, refining, refining. They'll continue enhancing the smell, taste, size, color, potency and growth characteristics of stuff that’s already the best.
J Beezy can look at a flawless bud and see future fixes. For example, he shared how Cake Straws fixed an issue with Wedding Cake’s pistils while adding more greasiness, color and what he refers to as “dank.”
The company’s main revenue comes not from seeds, but from selling flower in California and licensing their intellectual property — including the genetics and know-how — to partners in New York, New Jersey, Michigan, Illinois, Arizona, New Mexico, plus Germany, the United Kingdom and Australia.
Also, don’t miss Straw Burst (Tropical Burst x Sour Straws) released July 1.
TAP THAT PACK MORE OF SEED JUNKY’S LATEST OFFERINGS
Lastly, for those hoping to capture some of the renewed hype from Seed Junky-bred strain Giraffe P****, check out the re-release of Zebra Ztripez (Z Animal BX1). Giraffe P**** originally came out in 2016 as Malibu, and then Z Animal in 2021. Doja Pak renamed it the vulgar animal part, Giraffe P****. The infamous Giraffe swept six top awards at the 2026 California Zalympix in June.
J Beezy encourages everyone to hunt their own elite selection. He said that lurking inside his packs are better strains than what he has found.
“There’s stuff here that’s better than Giraffe P****,” he said. “It all comes down to selecting it.”
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DANIEL WHITE
HEALTH FOR LIFE 4741 RIDGE ROAD, NOTTINGHAM, MD
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AFTER GRADUATING FROM TOWSON UNIVERSITY with a bachelor’s degree in electronic media, Daniel White is going back to school. Not just any school, though. White is training to become a certified Ganjier to further his Cannabis education and be the best he can for the patients he serves. He describes his two years in the industry as “nothing short of sublime,” spending that time building his knowledge with the help of his team at Health for Life in White Marsh. When White isn’t at the dispensary, he is either playing soccer, enjoying time outdoors or firing up the PC or Xbox for a gaming session.
HOW DID YOU PREPARE FOR CERTIFIED GANJIER TRAINING? Mainly brushing up on terpene information and specifics related to those terpenes, such as how they make you feel, and what they smell and taste like. In addition to the big three — limonene, myrcene and caryophyllene — we’ve also had newer terpenes showing up in more prevalent numbers, like bisabolol. Rounding out the information and learning about every terpene under the sun has been my main point of focus.
WHERE DOES YOUR PASSION FOR NATURE ORIGINATE?
I went to Sparrows Point High School and was in the environmental studies program, which is where it all started. We literally just had a forest and body of water out back of the school, and some courses would be 90 minutes canoeing. We did experiments on water quality and what lives in the water, which never failed to capture my attention. Then, in my early 20s, Cannabis became a part of that experience, finding the same woods and smoking as a part of the journey.
YOU LOVE TO PLAY SOCCER. DO YOU FIND A LOT OF CANNABIS CONSUMERS IN THAT WORLD?
There are definitely Cannabis consumers in that world, but I’d say it's more hush-hush than in other circles. I try to be as open as I can about it, telling the team I play for what I do for work and being up front about my Cannabis consumption.
I see the benefits and always smoke about an hour before each game to lock in mentally. One of my favorite pregame strains is Highaleah due to the high level of terpinolene.
“I DO THINK THERE IS ROOM FOR PSYCHEDELICS IN THE HEALING WORLD.”
WHAT SENSE OF PURPOSE DOES THIS INDUSTRY GIVE YOU? A purpose for helping people, and I’ve rediscovered what it means through my work. I’ve done a lot of retail work in general, but this is the first retail environment I’ve been a part of where helping the patient is the No. 1 priority. It means a lot to me to be taking care of and helping people while educating them further on Cannabis. Not everyone knows the specifics of why certain cannabinoids and terpenes do what they do, and I love to show them why.
WHO WERE YOU ROOTING FOR IN THE 2026 WORLD CUP? I know people would like me to say USA, and while my heart says USA, my brain says France. Kylian Mbappé is my favorite player. He is the same age as me, and I’ve watched him since he burst onto the scene at the age of 18. He’s had a hell of a career, and I think he owns this tournament.
HAVE YOU EVER EXPERIMENTED WITH PSYCHEDELICS? I have only ever done small doses of psilocybin mushrooms, and I do think there is room for psychedelics in the healing world. Not even just psychedelic mushrooms, but many types of edible mushrooms have medicinal value. I’m not as sure on lab-made drugs, like LSD, but the natural ones, like mushrooms, definitely are piquing the interest of many people in the world of medicine right now.
THERYVANTA
MIDDLE RIVER’S NEWEST DISPENSARY comes in the form of a sleek black building with stone trim tying it together. Inside, you’ll find an all-black interior with lit-up cases filled with glass art, product displays and accessories for all the stoners out there. As the first location for The Ryvanta, this is a Marylander-owned, equity license dispensary that regularly partners with other social equity brands to elevate the industry. Keep an eye out for their monthly vendor villages, where different brands are invited to interact with patients and customers and offer heavy deals on those brands’ products.
SETTING AND VIBE
While this store is more than capable of handling the needs of medical patients, it feels like the vibe is geared toward the ever-expanding recreational side of things. They had everything from Labubu bongs to World Cup trophy bongs and even some functional glass art guns. The bright chandeliers paired with the dim surrounding lighting give this shop a Cannabis club feeling. As we strolled through the product displays, chatting with employees, it was clear how passionate they were about Cannabis.
FLOWER
The wide variety of flower available at The Ryvanta is impressive, especially considering that this shop has only been open for a few months. The team has clearly developed strong relationships with Maryland’s top growers to make sure their customers find what they are looking for. Check out the store’s online menu to find the best time to take advantage of the many flower deals they offer.
CONCENTRATES
Concentrate selection is the pinnacle of every dispensary menu, showing how deeply they are invested in their customers and their needs. I was thrilled to see some of Maryland’s newest offerings, like live resins from Too Loud, a brand that is quickly making a strong name for itself on the market. Diamonds and sauce, batters, budders, rosin, hash and much more regularly circulate on the menu here.
EDIBLES
This menu has it all, from local CBD companies offering tinctures, gummies, coffee pods and caramels to the staple edibles we all expect to see. Fingerboard Farm has a huge presence in this dispensary, providing the CBD products that make any Cannabis consumers regimen complete. This shop’s crew is creating a space for new social equity brands to shine, offering the latest brands at affordable prices. Making it easy for people to try new products is important for the success of the industry as a whole, and The Ryvanta does just that.
"I WAS THRILLED TO SEE SOME OF MARYLAND’S NEWEST OFFERINGS, LIKE LIVE RESINS FROM TOO LOUD, A BRAND THAT IS QUICKLY MAKING A STRONG NAME FOR ITSELF ON THE MARKET."
MELLOW FELLOW
STRAWNANA ALL-IN-ONE
For an indica-leaning hybrid, the flavor of this vape is fruity and true to its name, tasting like a freshly blended strawberry banana smoothie. Their packaging was also something that stood out to me, as it’s reminiscent of an etched piece of metal on the outside of the box. As a new brand to the market, I really enjoyed the flavor of this vape, and the high was exactly what I expected from this strain: clear-headed relaxation that did not give me a couch lock feeling. WWW.STAYMELLOW.FUN
ANNA SPOLLEN
It’s been said that being active leads to feeling better and functioning better in more ways than one. Between hitting the gym, sometimes multiple times a day, catching any live music she can and traveling between three different stores as part of her job, Anna Spollen takes that advice quite literally. Having hobbies, like fitness and going to shows, helps balance the day-to-day with something different and keeps her in touch with herself.
“YOU NEED SOMETHING to go to instead of staring at your computer screen. I’m in a tiny little apartment, so what can I do to get myself going?” she said. “In a way, it almost keeps you young.”
Moving around has been something she’s known a thing or two about since she was young. Born and raised in Virginia Beach, Virginia, she and her older sister were homeschooled by their grandmother after a medical scare led to Spollen being held back a year. When her family moved to Severna Park for her father’s job, her new home felt familiar, being by the water, but it took some adjusting. The family moved back to Virginia Beach for a short time before coming back to Severna Park permanently so Spollen’s newborn baby brother could receive specialized medical treatments. Spollen said when she moved back here, she made a promise to be “authentically” herself and more outspoken than she was before.
“I was always one of those kids who was super sheltered,” she said about starting to attend public school. “I quickly made a lot of friends, and some of them followed me throughout my years in Severna Park.”
With her father’s line of work and family enacting strict house rules, Cannabis was something Spollen was told to stay away from. But when she tried it, she said it was a way to help her with sleeping and a racing mind. She added that it also helped with the mental pressure she felt from expectations her family had for her, especially with helping raise her younger siblings, who were also in and out of doctors’ offices.
“I had an ex who was extremely addicted … I was so scared and didn’t want that to happen to me.”
With tensions between her and her parents eventually coming to blows, Spollen moved in with her grandmother. The environment was looser there, and she quickly took advantage of the newfound freedom.
“She was more so like a mom to me. She picked me up when I was falling down so many times and held my hand through a lot,” she said. Spollen added that her grandmother was accepting of her use of the plant and, in a sense, helped shape her way into the Cannabis industry.
Not long after settling in, Spollen was involved in a car accident that left her bedridden and unable to graduate high school in person with her class.
In 2022, Anna took home tophonorsattheMaryland Cannabis Awards, where she was hailed as "Favorite Female Patient Counselor."
In 2024, she was awarded "Favorite Maryland Cannabis IndustryWorker."
“Trying it really was a turning point for me,” she said, adding that Cannabis helped steer her away from the temptation of other substances that were being passed around among her peers in Severna Park.
“It took probably about a year to learn to walk again,” she said.
After graduating and recovering from the accident, Spollen found herself moving between jobs, like bartending, and at markets, often contemplating if she should’ve taken a safer career path like the rest of her family.
Her passion for Cannabis never waned, however, and she applied for a budtender position at Nature’s Medicine and was hired soon after.
Spollen said she became a sponge during the first few months of the job and worked her way to earning the first of two trophies — Favorite Female Patient Counselor in 2022 — at the Maryland Cannabis Awards. She ended up taking home the Favorite Maryland Cannabis Industry Worker award at the same event in 2024.
“I’d always been so passionate for Cannabis just seeing how much it shaped my life,” she said. “The joy of these people genuinely coming in to see me and want my recommendations … I told myself this is worth it, and just knowing I am making an impact, that was cool.”
After about a year of budtending at Nature’s, Spollen moved between a few different dispensaries and positions. She shifted to working in social media management, then to an extended stint as a lead wellness guide with MariMed.
“I’d always been so passionate for Cannabis just seeing how much it shaped my life,” she said. “The joy of these people genuinely coming in to see me and want my recommendations … I told myself this is worth it, and just knowing I am making an impact, that was cool.”
CANNABIS FOR A BETTER LIFE
That led her to being a retail marketing manager before she finally settled into her current position in marketing with Holistic Industries.
“I loved being a budtender, but I have so much more to offer,” she said about moving up in the industry.
“I’ve always been customer-facing in a way. I always want to help people, and I like to make people feel like this is something bigger than just a corporate company.”
Before jumping into the Cannabis industry, Spollen would Hula-Hoop between shifts at work and in her downtime at festivals, recording tricks for a dedicated Instagram page to show her skills. Even though the page has since been revamped with different product reviews, the content nonetheless shows Spollen’s hustle outside of work to keep herself busy, which is her escape from work.
“Sometimes I’ll bring my hoop to the gym. I’m so focused on PRs. I’m a geek at the gym,” she said. “Unfortunately, I do have an addictive personality, and addiction runs in my family, so I have to watch myself from doing too much.”
As a consumer who prefers dabs, Spollen’s ideal terpene profile consists of something more sedating — specifically something linalool-heavy — that helps with her migraines. She also said she keeps a pack of edibles in her gym bag as part of her workout recovery, and they also help her get to sleep.
Before attending this interview, Spollen got a workout in at the gym and said afterward that she must pivot right into a work meeting. It’s constant motion for her, no matter the day. She said that when she feels like she wants to stop, she channels the doubt instilled in her from her parents and gets back on track, in part, due to her persistence.
“That’s also probably a downfall,” she said, adding that playing sports early in life made her competitive and eager to prove herself. “My dad loves Frank Sinatra, and I always quote him in little ways. I wanted to show them, as that Frank Sinatra song goes, ‘I did it my way.’”
PAPAYA JUICE PAPAYA JUICE COLD CURE LIVE ROSIN
Culta is stepping up its already top-shelf game with its East West live rosin line, which is enticingly exemplified by the Papaya Juice Cold Cure Live Rosin.
THE PAPAYA JUICE GENETICS — exquisitely preserved by the Culta solventless team — are a cross between Papaya and GMO. Our state has been yearning for an increasing selection of live rosin solventless dabs, and Culta is here with its Papaya Juice rosin to absolutely knock the ball out of the park.
The creamy, peak sorbet-like texture is bursting with aromatic notes. My nose is overwhelmingly hit with candied fruits, but as the initial jar pop settles, a deeper, spicier garlic and fuel aroma wafts up and accentuates the fruit. Tropical tree fruits dipped
in herbal tincture come immediately to mind in ways that only Cannabis concentrates can really make exciting.
The flavor profile is almost a complete flip-flop. The banger hits put forward strong GMO gas notes with an herbal mouthfeel, followed by hints of fruitiness in the background of the profile.
The mouthfeel of this live rosin is super, a testament to the overall quality craftsmanship that goes into producing top-shelf solventless dabs. For the connoisseurs in Maryland, the Culta team has captured, preserved and made an incredible medley of live rosins that are represented here in the Papaya Juice.
Papaya Juice — with its tropical fruit, heavy, candied qualities that reflect strong inklings of its GMO heritage — is an absolute must-dab for midsummer. You can find this rosin on the Culta website, and while you’re there, check out some of the best its product lines have to offer. CULTA.COM | @CULTAIG
"THE MOUTHFEEL OF THIS LIVE ROSIN IS SUPER, A TESTAMENT TO THE OVERALL QUALITY CRAFTSMANSHIP THAT GOES INTO PRODUCING TOP-SHELF SOLVENTLESS DABS."
"WHILE THERE IS A DISTINCT FRUITINESS, THE GAS NOTES ABSOLUTELY DRIVE THEIR WAY UP THE NOSE AND INTO THE MINDS OF CONSUMERS."
GRAPE GAS
The August Strain of the Month is Grape Gas from Fade Co., a national hit that is locally popular. Grape Gas is a classic myrcene-dominant hybrid that is beloved in the market, and we all know how Maryland appreciates a fruitfilled variety.
THE GRAPE GAS is just that: a fruitcandy profile underscored with gas and fuel notes that are quintessential Cannabis markers. Fade Co. has certainly done their research to give the market what it craves.
Known for its grape-candy notes, the Grape Gas batch we tried is not light on the gas side of the profile. While there is a distinct fruitiness, the gas notes absolutely drive their way up the nose and into the minds of consumers.
The high was on the heavier side with a slight amount of fog and the general calm that comes with such a classic profile. For the chronically pain-minded folks, this could be a true staple.
For everyone else, the Grape Gas is still an absolute banger of a bud.
We could all use a heavy smack to the brain that sits us down and opens our minds once in a while.
Fade Co. has an amazing team of Cannabis workers. They absolutely work their tails off to hit the marks that the market wants and push their products through to the finish line for all of us to enjoy. A big shoutout goes to the team that cultivated the Grape Gas line.
Microdose Your Way to a Macrodosed Life
small dOse huge impaCt
While people have been self-medicating with psychedelics for decades, interest has recently expanded into mainstream medicine, with researchers exploring their potential to treat conditions such as depression and PTSD. At the same time, microdosing has gained popularity among everyone from Silicon Valley biohackers to perimenopausal moms seeking subtle cognitive and physical enhancement in everyday life. Although anecdotal reports on the topic are abundant, clinical research is still catching up.
MICRODOSING often involves taking a sub-perceptual dose of psilocybin or LSD, typically 5-10% of a common recreational dose, to produce subtly enhanced effects without cognitive distortion. By contrast, macrodosing requires perception-altering doses that can induce ego dissolution, a sense of interconnectedness and lasting psychological benefits, particularly in trauma therapy. However, full doses may also cause nausea, anxiety, paranoia and the classic “bad trip.”
Research on microdosing has yielded mixed results, partly because optimal dosing remains unclear. In “Microdosing for Health, Healing, and Enhanced Performance,” authors Dr. James Fadiman and Jordan Gruber argue that effective microdosing follows a Goldilocks principle: finding the sweet spot, where the dose is neither too high nor too low.
PSILOCYBIN
Magic mushrooms include over 200 species that contain the psychedelic compound psilocybin. The active psilocin molecule looks very similar to serotonin.
EFFECTS
-Enhanced creativity
-Deepened empathy and connection
-Calm and introspection
-Mood elevation
-Chronic pain tolerance
-Increased neuroplasticity to break bad habits (Lasts 4-6 hours)
A MICRODOSE is a subthreshold dose, landing just before a shift in consciousness. When you start to feel that slightly altered state, that is the threshold dose. Finding your ideal microdose depends on your metabolism and the potency of the mushrooms. Using a digital milligram scale, start with 0.1 grams of dried, ground mushrooms and increase by 0.1g on separate subsequent dosing days until you start to notice effects. A microdose is the amount just below that threshold. For Psilocybe cubensis, most microdoses fall between 0.10.5g. The body builds a tolerance to psilocybin, so a couple of protocols have been proposed to keep the microdose effective.
The Fadiman Protocol: Dr. Fadiman proposes dosing on day one, skipping the next two days and then dosing again on the fourth day, following this for 4-6 weeks.
The Stamets Stack: famed mycologist Dr. Paul Stamets suggests taking doses combined with lion’s mane and niacin for five days, then taking two days off for 4-6 weeks.
While psychedelic mushrooms have been used ceremonially for thousands of years, Lysergic Acid Diethylamide (LSD) was discovered in 1943 when its potent psychoactive effects were accidentally revealed during ergot fungus research. Although its mechanisms are not yet fully understood, LSD is also believed to affect serotonin.
LSD is chemically synthesized, so dosing is easier than with mushrooms. LSD can be distributed on microdots, gelatin strips or blotter paper. A standard microdose is 10 to 20 micrograms. Experiment in incremental doses starting at 5μg to find your sweet spot. Absorbed sublingually, effects can be felt within 30 minutes.
EFFECTS
-Mental clarity
-Enhanced energy/stamina
-Increased motivation
-Uplift in creativity
-Mood elevation
(Lasts 8-12 hours)
Dr. Fadiman recommended a dosing protocol for LSD as well: Dose the first day, take two days off, then take another dose on the fourth day, following this for 4-6 weeks.
Psychedelics are microdosed in cycles to maintain mental balance, or simply used as needed for a creative boost or to tap into a flow state. Whether choosing psilocybin for grounding or LSD for subtle cerebral elevation, the key is finding the dose that works best for you.
pSychedelIa neWs
EVIDENCE CHANGING MINDS IN D.C.
IN 2021, psychedelic researcher Albert Garcia-Romeu said the next five years of clinical data could help convince leaders at institutions like the National Institute on Drug Abuse and the National Institutes of Health that psychedelics had legitimate medical value.
Five years later, the Johns Hopkins University scientist believes that evidence has begun to do exactly that.
“Did it hold up? It sure seems like it has,” Garcia-Romeu said, pointing to comments from Nora Volkow, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, during a recent presentation at the American Psychiatric Association’s annual meeting in San Francisco.
“If I can’t change my views based on evidence, then why do science at all?” Volkow said while discussing psychedelics.
For Garcia-Romeu, the shift represents the result of years of researchers building evidence one study at a time.
“If I can’t change my views based on evidence, then why do science at all?”
Early psychedelic trials often involved small groups of 12, 15 or 24 participants. Today, studies are expanding to include 80, 100 and even several hundred participants, incorporating stronger controls and larger datasets.
“There’s a lot more to be done, but I think we got over a big hump,” Garcia-Romeu said. “The first hump was to simply get the money to do these small studies. Then the next hump was to collect enough data in controlled clinical trials and to see if this data still holds up.”
As the evidence continues to accumulate, Garcia-Romeu believes psychedelic medicine is approaching a pivotal moment.
“Once we get that level of accumulation of data, this is where you reach the tipping point,” he said. “These could truly become new medicines in the next one to two years.”
After 14 years studying psychedelics, Garcia-Romeu said it has been remarkable to watch the field move from small research projects in Baltimore toward a much larger scientific effort.
“We’ve got the potential to move from our little studies here in Baltimore to doing them nationally or all over the world,” he said.
CALIFORNIA STUDY OFFERS NEW WINDOW INTO PSILOCYBIN'S EFFECTS
RESEARCHERS at the University of California, San Francisco and Imperial College London found that a single dose of psilocybin produced measurable changes in the brain that lasted up to a month.
Published in Nature Communications, a peer-reviewed scientific journal that showcases research across the natural sciences, the study followed 28 healthy volunteers who had never taken psychedelics, using EEG, MRI and other imaging techniques to track changes before, during and after a 25-milligram psilocybin experience.
“...28
healthy volunteers who had never taken psychedelics...”
Researchers found increased brain “entropy” — a measure of varied neural activity — during the psychedelic experience, which was linked to greater psychological insight and improved well-being one month later. The findings provide new clues into how psilocybin may create lasting therapeutic effects for conditions including depression, anxiety and addiction.
JOHNS HOPKINS EXPLORES PSYCHEDELIC THERAPY FOR VETERANS
AT JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY in Baltimore, Maryland, researchers are examining whether psychedelic-assisted therapy can help veterans living with post-traumatic stress disorder through the PAM-VET study.
The Phase I clinical trial is exploring supervised sessions combining MDMA and psilocybin, alongside psychological support, to evaluate changes in PTSD symptoms and quality of life among military veterans.
The work comes amid an ongoing search for better treatments for trauma-related conditions, with nearly 6,400 veterans dying by suicide in 2023, according to Department of Veterans Affairs data. Researchers hope studies like PAM-VET can help determine whether psychedelic-assisted approaches may offer new options for veterans who have not found relief through traditional treatments.
$3.8B
Psychedelic medicine reached another milestone this month as pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly and Company announced plans to acquire AtaiBeckley in a deal worth up to $3.8 billion. The acquisition would give Lilly access to BPL-003, an intranasal formulation of the psychedelic compound 5-MeO-DMT currently in late-stage clinical trials for treatment-resistant depression.
MASSACHUSETTS EYES NORTHEAST’S FIRST PSYCHEDELIC THERAPY PILOT
MASSACHUSETTS could soon become the first state in the Northeast to authorize a regulated psychedelic-assisted therapy program. Earlier this month, the House approved H.5576 with overwhelming bipartisan support, creating a five-year pilot allowing up to three licensed mental health clinics to provide supervised psychedelic-assisted therapy using naturally occurring psychedelics. The proposal now heads to the Senate before potentially reaching Governor Maura Healey’s desk. If signed into law, H.5576 would make Massachusetts just the second state in the nation to establish a state-authorized framework for psychedelic-assisted care, following Oregon’s pioneering psilocybin services program.
During the pilot, participating clinics would collect treatment and safety data to help lawmakers evaluate patient outcomes, regulatory safeguards and whether the program should expand statewide.
at Tack of The Blobs
Psychedelic mushrooms have been known to alter perceptions, and mutations have been known to alter our comprehension of psychedelic mushrooms. The latter has resulted in wild-looking shrooms that have also proven extra potent.
Uncovering Psychedelic mushroom mutations
THERE ARE ASPECTS of Psilocybe cubensis and other species that the average layperson may know about. The stems often turn blue or black when bruised, for example. But certain morphologies are more unusual, like all-white albino mushroom strains or blob mutations.
Blob mutations may display fins, coral, brain and finger formations. They do not have stems, gills or drop spores. Instead, they have been cloned after appearing in a wild-type sporulating culture. As of now, blobs are selected for, not bred, but liquid cultures have been isolated from the various structures, like the fins and coral. These should, in theory, produce a blob morphology, but they may not yield the same outcome in different environments.
Christopher Pauli, CEO of Tryptomics, explained more about this interesting fungus to the Leaf.
“It’s not truly understood, like, are all blobs this same mutation causing the same phenotype, or is this multiple different mutations that could happen that all lead to this weird morphology to occur?” Pauli said.
The molecular biologist has theories about the origins of blob formations, but has yet to test them. This morphology has been observed in Psilocybe cubensis, Psilocybe natalensis and Psilocybe aztecorum species, but some isolated mutations have reverted back to having gills. This indicates it may be an environmental or viral response, or even polyploidy, rather than a DNA mutation. Pauli has theories, but there is not much research on how these mushrooms form.
Why should they get into it? Because most blob mutations have tested with higher potency compared to the fruiting body counterparts they mutated from. The same thing that makes it hard to replicate blobby shrooms may be what makes them hit so hard. When mushrooms drop spores, they lose potency. But nongilled blobs may not turn off the alkaloid production genes after sporulation. This allows them to become increasingly more potent. If it is a virus causing this mutation, it is a good one. Some blobs are even showing higher dry-weight yields per flush.
ushroOm lIngO
MORPHOLOGIES
The structures and forms that certain mushrooms take.
SPORULATION
The production of spores from vegetative cells by fungi, bacteria, protozoa and plants.
POLYPLOIDY
This is when a whole genome duplicates during evolution (commonly desired in domesticated crops).
GUTTATION
The process by which plants and fungi push liquid metabolite drops from their tissue.
The brains, coral and fins look otherworldly, and some new formations have joined the family in the last few years. Toque F8, isolated from the Psilocybe cubensis strain Tidal Wave, has become highly coveted for its potent nerds morphology. It resembles the candy, and a unique little “hat” appears on the fruiting bodies. Guttation, a process commonly observed in bleeding tooth fungi Hydnellum peckii, has also popped up recently. Turns out, the resulting liquid could prove useful.
“We find those metabolites have antibiotics, anticancer compounds, all kinds of, you know, cool properties with what compounds this mushroom produces and excretes. And so we have seen some cubensis do more of this blob formation, but with like divots in it, and it produces a lot of mutation. And so that’s kind of one of the newer mutants that we’ve been able to see,” Pauli shared.
Sometimes a freak makes the cut, and when a hobbyist takes note, psychedelic enthusiasts are blessed with new, exciting anomalies that may also have impressive effects. And, if the resources flow in the right direction, biologists may find even more beneficial properties. For now, it is proven that these things look pretty cool.
TRYPTOMICS.COM
@TRYPTOMICS
@FCGENETICS3.0
@MOUNTAIN_HARVEST_MYCO
TOQUE F8
I’m sure we have all been out there and seen the sun shine through a blanket of moisture to create a rainbow. In our minds, we all wonder where it ends and if there is a pot of gold. Artist Kevin Kuhn, better known as Karma Glass, is most likely what you’d actually find at that end of the rainbow. His intentions are clear, positive and enduring. He is a particular kind of being, one that follows intuition with intention.
WHEN WE ASKED him about his chosen colorway, he said: “When we think of visionary art, we think of grandiose, the 22-petal lily across the room. With my ‘Karma Stack,’ I'm trying to distill down the psychedelic realm to the baseline of the experience to see what you can bring into this dimension.”
Kuhn continued, “You think of the rainbow trails you’ll see during a vision and the auras that you are able to read off of people. And that’s why tie-dye is so pervasive in our community, (it) is because it’s exciting to look at while you are having an experience. What I’ve tried to do is distill down this kind of loving experience of glass that is inclusive over exclusive. When you come to a show or have a viewing with my art, it’s meant to draw you in. Come celebrate, do a dance, enjoy the energy. That's what I stand for, and that's what my collector base stands for. A bit of the ‘One Love’ nature, I’m trying to distill that essence down to a technicolor pattern for all to experience.”
From some of the largest names in the industry to the new glassblower next door, Kuhn has felt fortunate to collaborate with many artists. He views it as a mandatory effort to keep art growing in all facets.
Kuhn is not one to name-drop; he truly sees each experience as its own and learns and grows from them. When we asked him about the many collaborations he has been a part of over the years, he told us a story about the Pygmy people, the Indigenous tribes that survive in the remotest-ofthe-remote jungles of the Congo. They have a saying, a proverb, that has inspired and influenced his entire career: “If you want to go fast, go alone; if you want to go far, go together.”
KARMA GLASS
KARMAGLASS. BIGCARTEL.COM @KARMAGLASS420
"That's what I stand for, and that's what my collector base stands for. A bit of the ‘One Love’ nature, I’m trying to distill that essence down to a technicolor pattern for all to experience.”
“Work with others” is more than a mantra for him; he truly believes in always having your heart open to creating with the next artist you encounter.
“The more isolated we are, the less we truly learn,” he stated. We went on to talk about life and growing up. Kuhn put it perfectly when he said, “I sit at all the lunch tables. I’ve never really met a stranger, and that is my mentality in life.”
This year, Kuhn is traveling west in preparation for his fall opening, “Vibratious,” which will be held in the Asheville, North Carolina, area. Stay tuned for more details on his social media.
KARMA
GLASS X SCOZ
KARMA
JAMIE
JAMIE ZILL @JLZILL
CANNABIS IS FOR USE ONLY BY ADULTS 21+ OR QUALIFYING MCA PATIENTS.
NEW HOURS
TWO
DIFFERENT SALES FLOORS
Betting on a Shah thing
How Maryland cannapreneur Kal Shah built his businesses back from the ground up
Kal Shah had already called roughly 50 people. He needed close to $1 million to buy a building, construct his first Maryland dispensary and keep enough cash in reserve to open. But Cannabis remained federally prohibited, conventional lenders wanted little to do with the project and the contributions he gathered were not enough. Then a family friend suggested another source: borrowing against the cash value of his family’s life insurance policies.
TEN CAREFULLY PROTECTED family policies — belonging to Shah and his immediate family members — became the bridge between him and a life-changing endeavor.
Together, they borrowed $675,000. Shah added his personal savings.
“We went all in,” he said of his 2017 gamble. The money helped finance True Wellness in Aberdeen, Shah’s first dispensary. He owned 60%, while an equity partner held 40% and shared the costs. The all-in investment — including the building, construction and operating reserves — approached $1 million.
Shah does not describe the decision as reckless. The family still had an operating Subway sandwich shop and liquor store businesses, and the Aberdeen real estate carried value if the dispensary failed. But the risk was real: construction costs, interest, operating capital and years of accumulated family security were tied to a business the banking industry still treated as untouchable
Before asking his family to back him, Shah traveled to Colorado, California, Michigan and Canada to study developed Cannabis markets. He spoke with experienced operators, examined the numbers and learned the mechanics of a young industry.
“I had done my due diligence,” he said. “And I felt if all the cards were dealt correctly, I would win the hand.”
Shah, now 44, came to the United States from India with his parents when he was 9. The family first settled in Daytona Beach, Florida, before moving to Maryland in 1996. His father had worked as an accountant in an Indian textile factory before taking various jobs in America.
“I’ve seen the struggles of a first-generation immigrant firsthand,” Shah said. “It instills a lot of grit, a working mentality into you.”
Shah studied computer science at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County and later spent 14 years as a web developer at Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (JHUAPL). His workday rarely ended there.
In July 2003, Shah and his family opened a Subway franchise in Windsor Mill. A liquor store followed beside it that December. Shah would leave JHUAPL around 5 p.m., eat dinner, change clothes and report for a second shift.
He often returned home around 10:30, slept and started again the next morning.
“I was burning the candle at both ends,” he said. “Fourteen hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year for a few years until the new businesses were fully established”
Shah’s interest in Cannabis began with the numbers coming out of Colorado. Once inside the industry, however, his relationship with the plant changed.
He had spent years selling products he rarely or never used. As a vegetarian, he could eat little beyond Subway’s Veggie Delite. Despite more than two decades in the liquor business, Shah said he has never consumed a drop of alcohol in his life.
Cannabis, however, became personal. Years of lifting cases, stocking shelves and working long retail hours had taken a toll on his back, knees and legs. Shah began ingesting Cannabis to manage pain, sciatica, muscle tension and sleep. He also heard patients describe reducing their reliance on prescription medications.
“With Cannabis, it went from a business to something I enjoy and love doing,” Shah said. “I found my calling.”
True Wellness eventually folded into a larger, fourdispensary operation in Maryland backed by partners out of Arizona. Shah held a smaller stake in that broader company, a move that brought scale but also left him exposed to financial pressures outside his direct control.
The family had nearly repaid the original lifeinsurance loans. But when Shah needed capital to buy a stake in the former Ethos dispensary in Catonsville, he returned to the policies for another $400,000 — not with the thrill of a first leap, but with the urgency of rebuilding.
“The life insurance policies saved my ass again,” he said with a laugh. “It was my own money, but I had to use it.”
The Catonsville location became Summit Wellness, placing Shah back near the Maryland community where he attended school and built his earliest businesses.
Today, Shah remains closely involved in Summit Wellness and Waave. He wants customers — especially those new to Cannabis — to encounter more than a transaction.
“I’m here to create an experience. … I want the human touch of walking in and really connecting with a patient-care specialist,” he said.
His businesses have also organized schoolsupply drives, collected roughly 2,000 pounds of food and about 250 winter coats and accessories for local shelters and sponsored expungement clinics.
“When you’re down-and-out, it’s really hard to get back up,” he said. “That immigrant mentality kicked in. You have to get up. You have to find the grit.”
In 2023, the four stores were sold to a multistate operator, but Shah said the deal did not put money in his pocket. The Arizona-backed company was struggling to service its debt, he said, and his equity was swallowed by the fallout.
Shah called himself collateral damage.
“I lost almost everything,” he said.
The setback sent him into a depression that lasted roughly six months. His family, Hindu faith and belief in Karma helped steady him.
“When you’re down-and-out, it’s really hard to get back up,” he said. “That immigrant mentality kicked in. You have to get up. You have to find the grit.”
Waave, the Greenbelt dispensary Shah opened in 2020, gave him something to stand on.
Shah is actively involved in industry associations and Cannabis lobbying efforts, and he mentors new licensees.
He cautions aspiring entrepreneurs against confusing a Cannabis license with guaranteed success — or assuming good intentions alone will create community impact.
“This isn’t a build-it-andthey-will-come business,” he said. “This is like raising a child. You have to put a lot of time and energy into building the business.”
The industry, he added, requires constant innovation. What worked six months ago may no longer work today.
Shah’s own journey has demanded the same.
For all the stores, expansion plans and money at risk, the legacy he wants remains simple.
“I want to be known as the local guy who gives back to the place he came from. I also want to see this industry grow into something much bigger for everyone involved,” Shah said.
Shah is currently expanding by opening his first dispensaries in Woodbury Heights, New Jersey, and New Castle, Delaware, along with continuous expansion in the Maryland market.
SUMMITDISPENSARY.COM MDWAAVE.COM
summer Stoned
ZONED ZEST GRIDDLE HIGH MINI PANCAKES
GRIDDLE HIGH MINI PANCAKES
Serves 5, about 25 pancakes 3/4 cup milk
5 teaspoons melted canna-butter or -oil
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons maple syrup
2 teaspoons baking powder
1. In a medium bowl, combine the milk, canna-butter or -oil, vanilla, egg and syrup.
2. In a small bowl, combine the dry ingredients and gently mix into the batter. Don’t overmix, just until smooth.
3. Heat a medium-sized skillet to medium. With a ladle or spoon, drop the batter into the pan to form a circle with a 2-inch diameter. Don’t overcrowd the pan.
4. Cook for about 2 minutes until bubbles form, then turn and cook for an additional minute. Golden brown is the dream.
5. Serve immediately or keep warm briefly in a very low oven.
6. Top with maple syrup and fresh summer fruit.
CANNA CRACKERS
Serves 2
3 whole graham crackers, 6 crackers
1/2 cup Nutella or other variety chocolate spread
2 teaspoons canna-oil
1 banana Dash lemon juice
1. Slice the banana, toss with lemon juice and pat dry. Set aside.
2. Place 2 half crackers on your work surface.
3. In a small bowl, combine the Nutella with the canna-oil.
4. Spread half of the Nutella between the 2 crackers. Top with banana slices.
5. Place another cracker half on top of the bananas.
6. Repeat the process with the remaining crackers, infused nutella and bananas. You might want to do the second layer on the work surface and then top; much less squishy.
So, I was in an Electric Lettuce in Sellwood-Moreland, Portland, one of my favorite dispensaries and neighborhoods. Wanting to get lots accomplished and be delightfully high, I decided to try a 50-50 hybrid. The “bud-ista” recommended Island Pie from my go-to brand, Pruf Cultivar. It was just what I was looking for: fresh, fruity, sweet and upbeat with a pleasant head and body feel. The strain was easy to cook with, lending an appealing lightness and some fruit — easy August. laurie@laurieandmaryjane.com
7. Wrap the finished product in foil, pulling it up around the individual firecrackers. Place near the fireplace, camping grill, or in an oven at 375 F for 10 minutes. Open carefully.
ZONED ZEST
Serves 2
1 large navel orange
2 scoops vanilla
1 cup fresh strawberries
2 tablespoons honey or sweetener of your choice
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 teaspoons canna-oil
1. Slice the orange into 2 equal halves. Using a grapefruit spoon, scoop out the flesh from the orange and set aside.
2. Place the orange halves on a small freezer-safe tray and freeze for at least an hour.
3. Allow the ice cream to sit out just enough for you to scoop.
4. Remove the frozen orange shells from the freezer. Place a scoop of ice cream in each half, and return to the freezer.
5.
6. When you are ready to serve, place the oranges on plates and spoon the
