Our cover artwork this frosty month comes from Allie Reilly, a 26-year-old artist out of Eugene, Oregon, who is a first-time contributor but longtime reader and fan of the publication. “I’m so grateful to have brought this piece to life for this magazine! Combining things you’re passionate about is such a great experience,” Reilly told the Leaf. “I think the concept of this piece is so fun — a great take on the Grinch — and I had a blast creating it. The comic-strip style is inspired by newspaper comics with a pop art twist.”
ILLUSTRATION BY ALLIE REILLY @ALLIEREILLY_
CONTRIBUTORS
WES ABNEY, FEATURES
ANGELA-JORDAN AGUILAR, FEATURES
DANIEL BERMAN, DESIGN
BOBBY BLACK, DESIGN + FEATURES
JACKIE BRYANT, EDITING + FEATURES
TOM BOWERS, FEATURES
DAVID DOWNS, FEATURES
REX HILSINGER, FEATURES + PHOTOS
ELLEN HOLLAND, FEATURES
WIND HOME, ILLUSTRATION
MARK HOY, PHOTOS
MATT JACKSON, FEATURES
BENJAMIN NEFF, PHOTOS
JAMIE OWENS, FEATURES
ALLIE REILLY, ILLUSTRATION
SARAH SANDOVAL, SALES
TONY SIMONELLI, PHOTOS
TERPODACTYL MEDIA, FEATURES + PHOTOS
BRUCE & LAURIE WOLF, RECIPES
We are creators of targeted, independent Cannabis journalism. Please email us to discuss advertising in an upcoming issue of Oregon Leaf. We do not sell stories or coverage. Email makani@leafmagazines.com to learn more about our range of affordable print and digital advertising options to help support Oregon Leaf, the state’s longest-running Cannabis magazine!
Thanks
’Tis
for
picking up The Edibles Issue of the Leaf!
the season
for joyful giving, but we must not forget to treat ourselves this holidaze.
Edibles are the gift that keeps on giving, with hours of giggle s and relaxation before restful nights. These long-term effects are especially beneficial before endurance tests like Santa photos at the mall, rushed wrapping seshes or the ever-lovely office nondenominational “can we even say Merry Christmas” party.
Edibles are the OG party trick — and so much nicer than hitting the nog too hard. It’s way better to be the sleepy uncle than the buzzed brother trying to convince everyone of some esoteric conspiracy theory. Take it from me, as I approach three years of sobriety from alcohol. I attribute my strength to God first and then edibles — both of which have helped me through so many difficult times. My journey through sobriety has reconnected me with the plant as a patient, and I’ ve found the biggest benefits over time come from edibles and eating FECO/RSO.
When Cannabis first reemerged medically in the 1980s, it was Brownie Mary who started infusing edibles for AIDS patients and others who were terminally ill. I say “reemerged” because 100 years ago — and for much of human history — Cannabis was used medicinally. Mary’s brownies paved the way for the pot brownie stereotype but also for a form of medicine that endures to this day.
How lucky we are to have an immense variety of delicious, potent and consistent edibles. When I started the Leaf in 2010, the browni es and rice krispies came in X, XX or the dreaded XXX strength, with n o idea of THC percentages. Today, we can micro- or macro-dose with drinks, gummies and candy that deliver the same experience every time.
“HOW LUCKY WE ARE TO HAVE AN IMMENSE VARIETY OF DELICIOUS, POTENT, AND CONSISTENT EDIBLES.”
While we might use these gummies to tune out a relative, they’re also the perfect gateway into Cannabis — making edibles the gift worth giving this year. Every adult I know over 40 has issues with sleep, pain, anxiety, seasonal depression and a general feeling of “WTF happened to my joints?”
All of these symptoms and more can be alleviated with a Cannabi s-infused treat, and you never know who really needs a big dose of love and cannabinoids to truly feel the holiday spirit. You just might change their life with a gummy — I’ve seen it happen, which is why I’m so proud to share this issue with our Leaf readers — especially you! Happy Holidaze and Merry Christmas!
Former San Diego Magazine Managing Editor Jackie Bryant joins Leaf Nation to imagine the future of Cannabis.
WHEN HEMP CHANGED THE RECIPE
Edibles have always carried a certain promise. They’re approachable, discreet and endlessly adaptable — chocolates, gummies, drinks, and more. For years, they’ve existed somewhere between medical and recreational,thewellnessaisleandthe candy shelf. The modern boom began after the 2018 Farm Bill, which federally legalizedhemp— defined as Cannabis sativa containing no more than 0.3% delta-9 THC by dry weight. That one policy shift opened the door to an entirely new category.
WINNER
She’s My Cherry Pie
RUNNER-UP
Forbidden Fruit
IN THE YEARS SINCE, hemp-derived cannabinoids like delta-8 THC, delta-10 and more have shown up in gummies, chews and sodas sold everywhere from boutique apothecaries to gas stations. These weren’t the edibles found in licensed dispensaries; they were over-the-counter products marketed as “hemp.” For a while, it looked as if the dream of nationwide access to manageable, low-dose THC had arrived — arguments within the culture notwithstanding. Now, that future feels less certain. In November 2025, Congress advanced a spending bill that effectively rewrites parts of the Farm Bill, capping total THC at 0.4 milligrams per container and banning synthesized or non-naturally occurring cannabinoids in hemp products. Federal lawmakers and regulators are reexamining the loopholes that allowed intoxicating hemp edibles to flourish.
arguing that unregulated hemp companies undermine the broader legal Cannabis industry.
Consumers are caught in the middle. Millions have found edibles through hemp-derived products, drawn to their variable doses, predictable onset and broad availability. Yet the same qualities that made them accessible — minimal oversight and easy online sales — also made them inconsistent. As the rules tighten, some of those products will likely vanish, while others may reemerge under stricter testing and labeling standards.
"In November 2025, Congress advanced a spending bill that effectively rewrites parts of the Farm Bill, capping total THC at 0.4 milligrams per container and banning synthesized or non-naturally occurring cannabinoids in hemp products."
Proposals circulating in Washington would redefine “total THC” to include THCA and other compounds that convert to delta-9 THC when heated, erasing the practical distinction between hemp and marijuana. If those changes hold, much of the hemp-derived edibles market could disappear.
For brands that dove into hemp, it’s an unsettling moment. Companies built around hemp-derived THC are weighing whether to pull products, reformulate or move under state Cannabis regulations. Many have operated in good faith within the ambiguity of the Farm Bill; now they’re realizing that window may be closing. Critics of the recent hemp wave say operators exploiting the “loophole” deserve the fallout,
That evolution could be healthy. For years, potency has defined value in Cannabis, with higher THC seen as better. Lately, wellness culture, microdosing and a more mindful consumer base have started to challenge that logic. People want consistency and clarity over brute strength. The emerging idea of “functional THC” aims to meet that expectation by designing edibles around specific effects and balanced cannabinoid ratios.
Still, the regulatory shift will reshape the category. The wide-open era that followed hemp legalization is ending. What comes next is likely a smaller but more stable market — fewer products, clearer standards and a renewed focus on quality over novelty. Edibles have never stopped evolving, but this is the most uncertain chapter yet. The law that launched them is being rewritten, and the industry built on its ambiguity is learning to adapt. Whether that results in a more mature market or simply a new set of boundaries, one thing is certain: The future of edibles is still being defined.
FIRE FOLLOWER
2026 GENETICS PREVIEW
AMERICA’S more than 3.3 million home growers and those abroad have a really epic lineup of flavors to chase into 2026 in their backyard gardens and garage tents. Legalization has put more diversity at the fingertips of more growers than ever in human history.
Online seed banks, direct website sales and events — like Terpnami in San Francisco — make it easier to drop in on your particular terp wave. Here’s what we’re seeing.
WHITETHORN ROSE STAYS FRESH
Dank, fruity Forbidden Fruit terps used to be out of fashion among connoisseurs. But just like ’90s acid-washed denim, they’re back in a big way in the winner’s circles at contests and in gardens.
You can bet that 2026 will be filled with fresh crosses of Huckleberry Hill Farms’ Whitethorn Rose. The award-winning cross of Paradise Punch and Lemon OG is appearing in more gardens as the southern Humboldt County team spreads the genetics far and wide. New public versions include Mulberry Rose.
Huckleberry Hill Farms founder John Casali gave “WTR” to a handful of elite farms — including Ridgeline Farms (see Blueberry Caviar x Whitethorn Rose) and Canna Country (see Country Rose) — and told them to make some magic with them.
“There is a winner in there,” Casali said.
LANTZ
GOES GLOBAL
Ridgeline Farms’ award-winning Lantz strain (Green Lantern x Ridgeline Runtz) is no longer a closely held genetic, so expect it to gain even more momentum in 2026.
Ridgeline founder Jason Gellman released refinements of the California State Fair and California Leaf Bowl award-winning strain via the Tangled Roots seed bank.
Gellman has worked his Lantz strain to the Grape Gas strain to make the new Cookies strain Blueberry Caviar, as well as Blackberry Caviar. We expect those extremely loud “caviars” to dominate in 2026.
NEWER BLINGIER ‘CANDIES’
The center of gravity in strain flavors sits over so-called “purple candy-gas” — dark, sweet, pungent varieties often descended from Gelato and Zkittlez. Global icon Compound Genetics knows what the people want. This month, they launch a new line of candy-tasting versions of their hit strain Pave (Paris OG x The Menthol).
“People love the Pave, and Compound hasn’t really done a super-candy-centered line of it,” Ruby Wagner, Compound’s marketing coordinator, said.
HASH DUMPERS
You can’t talk about 2026 trends without zeroing in on “hash dumpers,” which are flower strains that yield 5% or more of hash when washed.
Bloom Seed Co. is the biggest name to watch in the hash farming space. Their Melted Strawberries (GMO x Strawberry Guava) really lit up the Los Angeles dabbing festival Puffcon in October. With strains like Too Much Lime (Jealousy, Z, Lime and Headband), which just won second place on Nov. 9 at Masters of Rosin, it’s very much Bloom Seed Co.’s season.
Award-winning journalist/author and former Leafly Senior Editor David Downs’ monthly genetics intelligence dispatch.
RETURN OF THE GASSY OGS
Fans of green bud — with that iconic, late-’90s, lemon-pine-fuel stank — have refreshed options in 2026.
DNA Genetics has a new RP43 (short for Richard Petty) that is “kush, kush and more kush,” Aaron Yarkoni, co-founder of DNA Genetics, said. Yarkoni doesn’t care that rappers prefer purple candy-gas. He’s pursuing green, super-strong dope.
“We’re trying to make green weed great again,” he said. “People still love OG.”
Breeder Josh D, popularizer of OG Kush, has at least four new OGs to grow based on his high-performance Josh D OG stud “The Smooch.” Metamorpheus F2 is The Smooch x The Smooch for the most OG in 2026.
EVEN MORE DIVERSE TERPS IN 2026
Lastly, 2026 promises a new era of diversity as more home growers choose personal favorites over hype.
Commercial powerhouse Purple City Genetics supports this diversity with strains like Bubble Tea, a Terpnami-only exclusive for home growers with a really unique Z terp. Bubble Tea ((Rainbow Belts x Caribbean Cookies) x Akira) doesn’t make the cut as a cash cropper, but that’s irrelevant to a terp chaser with a six-plant garden.
“That’s the fun part of home growing nowadays,” said Auryn McCafferty, co-founder of Purple City Genetics.
“WE’RE TRYING TO MAKE GREEN WEED GREAT AGAIN. PEOPLE STILL LOVE OG.” -DNA
MULBERRY ROSE
PHOTO BY HUCKLEBERRY HILL FARMS
Here’s what North America is doing in the garden this month: Finish trimming. Static sift your kief. Make hash. Press rosin. Bake edibles. Purchase seeds. Cover crop. Test soil for deficiencies. Cold Full Moon is Dec. 4.
DEC. 2025 POT FARMER’S ALMANAC
PLANTZ
PHOTO BY RIDGELINE FARMS
LANTZ PHOTO BY RIDGELINE FARMS
THE GOLDILOCKS ZONE FOR EDIBLES
Many Cannabis newcomers who have an aversion to smoking are eager to try edibles instead. But, as any seasoned stoner can tell you, the potency and duration of edibles can be wildly unpredictable; there are endless stories of people trying Cannabis infusions and getting uncomfortably high. I’ve been there more than a few times myself, and the solution to achieving optimal stoniness is, unfortunately, not as simple as counting the milligrams of THC that are ingested.
UNPACKING how edibles work is like unraveling a box of cords. When it comes to eating or drinking weed products, it is essential to understand that the way edibles are made is not standardized — and neither are their effects from person to person or even day to day. Cannabis edibles can be a potent medicine that helps ease our mental state and relieve tension in our bodies, but dialing in on the correct dose involves research and practice.
CARRIER INGREDIENTS AND NANOTECHNOLOGY
Cannabis is lipophilic, which means it dissolves in fat (lipids), and hydrophobic, a word that describes substances that do not mix with water. Raw Cannabis doesn’t have the same psychoactive effects as when it’s heated through decarboxylation. This scientific process converts the cannabinoids into the active forms that we know best, such as THC and CBD. In creating edibles, Cannabis flowers or leaves are heated and then combined with a carrier — such as oils, butter, glycerin, gelatin or alcohol — to increase the absorption of cannabinoids. Combining cannabinoids with fat makes them easier to absorb and increases the intensity of their effects.
“The best fat to infuse depends on the person,” Vanessa Lavorato, an edibles expert and author of “How to Eat Weed and Have a Good Time,” said. “Everybody has a different metabolism, allergies, tolerances, etc. A lot of people love MCT oil.”
The onset and duration of a high with edibles is also in flux due to how our bodies metabolize cannabinoids. Drinks and tinctures can be absorbed by the mucus membranes in our mouths, which makes the effects come on quicker because they bypass the digestive process. Nanotechnology, which manipulates materials at a microscopic scale, is also being used to create Cannabis edibles that result in quicker onset times. This process wraps cannabinoids in layers of water and fats to make them more readily absorbed or bioavailable.
THE SPECTRUM
Looking beyond which ingredients manufacturers use to activate the cannabinoids within edibles, how potent a gummy, cookie or THC drink might be involves consideration of the type of Cannabis that’s going into the infused product. Cannabis contains many cannabinoids, but it also has other biologically relevant substances such as terpenes, which contribute to the plant’s aromas, flavors and effects. Products that contain all of the components present in Cannabis and do not isolate them down to one element, such as THC, are known as “full spectrum.”
Edibles can be crafted with plant material (leaves and flowers). But because working with this plant material as a base can result in a weedy herbaceous taste that many people do not find appealing, edibles made with Cannabis concentrates — such as distillate, rosin or ice water hash — are more prevalent in the consumer marketplace.
“Concentrates make edibles easy,” Lavorato said. “The hash maker did the work of removing the resin from the plant, then either decarb first or directly whisk the concentrate into a warm fat.”
Lavorato’s book includes a list of concentrates, outlining which are already decarboxylated and explaining how to do so for the ones that are not.
“The cookbook focuses on flower because that is what most people have access to, and it helps to understand dosing to start with a lower potency input,” Lavorato said. “I like to give people options so everybody feels included.”
“The cookbook focuses on flower because that is what most people have access to, and it helps to understand dosing to start with a lower potency input,” Lavorato said.
To create consistent products and completely remove the herbal taste of weed, many edible companies develop products with distillate. Distillate is a purified Cannabis concentrate that removes additional chemical elements of the Cannabis plant, focusing solely on one selected cannabinoid, such as THC or CBD.
“I like to give people options so everybody feels included.”
I have found that when a gummy contains hash rather than distillate, it doesn’t matter if both contain the same milligrams of THC; the hash edibles are more potent. This is likely because hash is a full-spectrum product. Cannabinoid scientists, most prominently the late Raphael Mechoulam, explain that the compounds in Cannabis tend to work more effectively together than when they are isolated. This phenomenon is known as the “entourage effect.”
THE RECEPTORS
Understanding how Cannabis works begins at the cellular level. The plant interacts with receptors found in almost every organ in our bodies via the endocannabinoid system. Endocannabinoids are the chemical compounds we produce internally, and phytocannabinoids are those derived from plants. Both types of cannabinoids bind to chemical receptors to help keep systems in our bodies — like our nervous and digestive systems — in balance.
When we ingest Cannabis, it is metabolized by the liver before it enters the bloodstream. It also transforms its chemical makeup into 11-hydroxy-THC, which is more potent than the delta-9 THC that is created when Cannabis is inhaled.
“The effects of an edible on the human body are different for each individual,” Cannabis cultivation expert Ed Rosenthal wrote on his blog. “It depends on several factors, including weight, experience, hydration, recent food intake, and overall liver condition.”
Our individual physiques and diets are a big piece of the puzzle in understanding how edibles might work. Research shows that those who are on high-fat diets like keto or paleo may feel the effects of Cannabis more, and that these types of diets can be helpful for people with digestive issues, such as irritable bowel syndrome, because of the ways the diets affect endocannabinoid receptors within our gut.
What you’ve eaten before enjoying a Cannabis-infused beverage or snack also affects how strongly an edible feels. Cannabis infusions tend to have a more substantial effect on an empty stomach compared to after a full meal. Finally, there are unicorns among us. Some people seem immune to edibles’ effects, regardless of how many milligrams they consume. One theory explaining this phenomenon involves individual metabolic differences. It suggests that these individuals may have higher levels of the metabolic enzyme CYP2C9. The idea is that those who have more of the enzyme break down THC faster, which means that they don’t feel the effects of Cannabis when it’s ingested.
EASE INTO IT
Whether you’re trimming the tree or needing a break from it...
Whether you’re trimming the tree or needing a break from it...
27 full-gram prerolls
27 full-gram prerolls
For me, edibles provide a hard reset, as if everything has been powered down, allowing me to disengage from negative thought patterns. Almost all types of Cannabis will make me more introspective, creative and alert, and edibles are no different from smoking Cannabis for me in that regard. What I do experience after taking edibles, however, is a deep night’s rest, likely because they help me stay asleep during the night.
I used to be the type of person who could tolerate extremely high doses of edibles. For a few years, I ingested Cannabis edibles almost every day.
These days, my Cannabis consumption habits have slowed down, but I still really value the freeing feelings that an edible can bring on both in terms of my psyche and my physical body.
While the process of finding the right dose is always bound to involve a bit of trial and error, the key is to start with a small amount and scale up.
9 Indica 9 Sativa 9 Hybrid, all sealed for long-lasting holiday freshness. Includes matches. Includes cheer.
9 Indica 9 Sativa 9 Hybrid, all sealed for long-lasting holiday freshness.
OREGON LEAF BUDTENDER OF THE MONTH KEVEN HOPKINS
KEVEN HOPKINS is a store manager and budtender employed at Skunk Rx, a recreational dispensary located in Grants Pass. A longtime consumer of Cannabis, he grew up in Utah, where he saw the impact of prohibition and the War on Drugs very early on in his life. He was adopted by a family in Oregon at age 13, moved to the PNW and eventually joined the Army at age 21. Secondary to discharge from the military, Keven was prescribed a legion of medications to help support his medical symptoms.
“I LIKE FLOWER OVER ANYTHING ELSE, JUST BECAUSE IT’S FULL SPECTRUM. I FEEL LIKE IT’S A LOT EASIER TO CONTROL MY INTAKE WHEN SMOKING FLOWER COMPARED TO DABS OR CARTRIDGES.”
BUT AFTER just a couple of years, he realized he wasn’t happy with the pharmaceuticals he was on and decided to go a different route, obtaining his medical card and starting to cultivate his own home grow.
In 2015, Keven was offered his first Cannabis industry job creating prerolls for a wholesale company, and by 2016, he had moved on to budtending.
“My (current) title is store manager, but I feel stores manage a lot better if the managers are budtending, too,” Keven explained.
“I’m usually out there at least 2 1/2 to three days a week.”
While working with patrons, Keven asks how they are hoping to use prospective products, if they have any specific ailments they are trying to address and what kind of flavors they are into. He finds that those three questions help him provide more tailored recommendations.
As far as personal preferences go, Keven says he is mostly a flower smoker.
“I like flower over anything else, just because it’s full spectrum. I feel like it’s a lot easier to control my intake when smoking flower compared to dabs or cartridges,” he said.
While not the heaviest edible user, he finds CBN focused products effective for nighttime usage and sleep support.
In relation to strain selection, he has a special affinity for anything with Girl Scout Cookies in the lineage. Keven identifies Mac 1 as one of his favored selections that he could consume every day of the week, as well as Cap’n Crunch, a newer cross of Chimera and Cap Junky grown by Highly Cultivated, which has been one of his most purchased cultivars over the last year.
Outside of the Cannabis industry, Keven enjoys watching WWE wrestling and collecting Pokemon.
“I collect the cards, I work with the local card shop here in Rogue River to do PSA submissions and I play Pokemon Go with the community here at least twice a month.” He explained, “It’s one of the only spaces in the community where I see every walk of life be able to get together.”
He also fancies travel and attending live music concerts, including a recent Subtronics show he attended with his partner in Reno, Nevada.
When asked what he would want Leaf readers to know, Keven stated, “Don’t be afraid to ask questions, and don’t settle. There’s so many good shops and there’s so much good weed in the state, there’s no reason to not have a good experience.”
Just talking with Keven, it’s apparent that he puts an extraordinary effort into providing the very best experience possible for his customers at Skunk Rx, a huge credit to his passion for Cannabis as a medicine.
“It is really cool for a (client) to tell you how much they’re hating life, dealing with pain pills, this, that and the other. And then the next week they’re coming in, standing up straight and telling you how helpful you were,” he noted with a lighthearted chuckle. “I also just really love to get stoned, which helps.”
DEANZGREENZDEANZGREENZ
Walking into the Deanz Greenz Sandy Boulevard location is like stepping into a warm and welcoming barn where shelves shine, space stretches wide and staff greet you like old friends. Owner Dean Brundidge always had that vision and built the shop around a deeply Oregonian “barn country theme.” The moment you cross through the spacious lobby and onto the floor, you “feel relaxed,” just as Brundidge intended. People wander the roomy layout under bright skylights, often expressing “surprise at how big it is,” Garret Tupper, the chief logistics officer, shared.
THESE ROOTS RUN RUSTIC. Brundidge began as an Oregon Medical Marijuana Program grower back before adult use was passed. What started with simply “too much stuff” turned into a budding business. His first shop? “Smaller than this room right here,” he said from the comfort of the current employee lounge. From that tight little start, they hustled through two other locations, eventually planting ground and remodeling the spacious Sandy Boulevard location we see today. Like the shop’s warm wooden interior, the name came together naturally. Brundidge laughed that someone suggested “Dean’s Greens” with a Z on the end, and it “sounded good” to him.
That tiny sprout transformed into a 30-plus-person team and remarkable retention for a rotation-heavy industry. Tupper shared that he’s been there for nine years, with several other employees touting similar tenure. Everyone
came up through the ranks, which might explain the easy camaraderie caught behind the counter. “Good employees, you gotta keep ’em. You gotta pay ’em what they’re worth,” Brundidge said.
Inside, the ambiance is friendly, familiar and full of easy laughter. Regulars drift in from the block, but also from the nearby airport: Texas, Georgia and even Spain. Out-of-state folks tend to tip like they’ve discovered, as Tupper described it, a “hidden treasure” (and they may have). The folks traveling are “usually the biggest tippers because they’re just so surprised at the prices,” Tupper explained.
The loyalty program draws locals and regular travelers alike, with “25% off the first time they sign up,” Tupper said. Each day of the week, you can catch a bargain (and every morning/night at happy hours). But on Fridays, the place pulses with customers flocking
“ GOOD EMPLOYEES, YOU GOTTA KEEP ’EM. YOU GOTTA PAY ’EM WHAT THEY’RE WORTH . ”
to deals, like 25% off accessories and 30% off Urban Canna and Trichome Farms. The energy never feels hectic, thanks to the organized layout and extra space. Like any successful shop, it’s not all about the sales. Community and compassion rank high here. When a customer’s wife had cancer, the team and a distribution partner rallied, donating RSO for “about six months,” Tupper said. The team also runs an annual community neighborhood cleanup and keeps their Foster block (near another one of their locations) tidy and tended year after year.
Pivoting to products, shelves span from bargain buys to boutique buds. Grön gummies (also known as “Pearls”) shine as the star item, with Tupper calling them “the most popular edible we have,” especially among seniors. For those looking to light up for less, $15 prepacked half-ounces and shake fly out the door. The philosophy is clear: accessible Cannabis for every person and pay grade.
Looking forward, Brundidge explained that expansion dreams drift in and out, should a Beaverton opportunity emerge. But he’s “satisfied with three stores and keeping it small.” In the meantime, you can check out all three locations on Sandy, Division and Foster in Portland for the same warm atmosphere and service Deanz Greenz has been dishing out since 2015.
HIGHLIDAY2025 GIFTGUIDE
Want to find the perfect item for your special someone, even if that someone is you?
The Leaf staff filled out their holiday wish lists with a few o f their favorite items to help you deck the halls.
HEADSTASH
TACO PLATE ROLLING TRAY
Here’s an easy stocking stuffer that lets the recipient fill their favorite cones and prerolls. This rolling tray looks just like a plate of tacos with the trimmings, and it has a magnetic cover that makes the whole thing look like a styrofoam to-go box. It fits right in your bag for taking to the sesh.
HEADSPACEMARKET.COM | $9
ALM NO NO I'M NOT STONED T-SHIRT
Los Angeles-based designer and artist Tetsuzo Okubo’s brand A LOVE MOVEMENT spreads happiness through fashion. Using recycled cashmere, military materials and eco-friendly cotton, ALM creates statement pieces for your wardrobe. This shirt, which tells the world you’re not stoned, can be seen in person at their Roommate store in L.A.
ALM-LA.COM | $48
HAROLD LUDEMAN CHILLUMS
Everyone should learn how to smoke out of a chillum. They’re fun and easy to keep in your pocket, and they keep strangers' lips off your glass. Harold Ludeman, maker of some visually captivating glass, has a whole selection of killer chillums on his website ready to ship to your door.
HAROLDLUDEMAN.COM | $37
EDIE
HEMPER THEME BOXES
This is a great way to grab something fun for your smoking buddy. There are over 55 different box themes to choose from, so it won’t be hard to find something they’ll like. Each box comes with a curated selection of accessories to go along with the statement smoking piece.
HEMPER.CO | $100
It doesn’t matter if you’re hiding your stash from a roommate or a landlord or just keeping your space tidy, everybody needs a good stash spot for their weed. This clever piece by Nothing Personal hides your stuff inside a stack of fake video game and DVD boxes with copyright-exempt titles. THENOTHINGPERSONALSHOP.COM | $85
Edie Parker puts out smoking accessories synonymous with style, grace and a cute-butclassy feminine flair. The Fresh Sesh Gift Kit offers an affordable starter for the sweetie on your list. It includes an Edie Stripe Gum Lighter, a metal One Hitter, a Marker Doob Tube and a silicone ashtray. Check out their website to see all the glamorous, high-end pieces.
EDIE-PARKER.COM | $35
OOZE PEEL BANANA BATTERY
It’s time to give your “Pendall Jenner” a glow-up with Ooze’s golden banana battery for your 510 cartridges. Choose from five heat settings, a range of 2.2 to 4.2 volts and six unit
PARKER FRESH SESH GIFT KIT
HIGHLIDAY2025 GIFTGUIDE
MANTELPIECE
THE VASE
“A timeless vase and a discreet bong all in one” — that’s the way Mantelpiece describes this chic gift that hides right in plain sight. The circular vase section slides right over the bong portion and fits together like a pair of fighting Japanese robots. The company is also releasing an emerald green version.
YOURMANTELPIECE.COM
$300
smokin' gifts // under $350
DR. DABBER GHOST²
A glow-up for Dr. Dabber’s 2013 flagship product, the Ghost² is designed for the perfect portable dab. About the size of a Geek Bar, this unit has five temperature settings, provides around 20 cycles when fully charged and uses the same dynamic heating modes as their larger Switch² device. Plus, it’s a nice price for such a dynamic device.
DRDABBER.COM | $119.95
RYAN FITT GLASS
PIVOT PILLAR
Premiering at Puffcon, glass artist Ryan Fitt’s latest addition is a must-have attachment for your Puffco Pivot. The Pillar uses Fitt’s metal locking ring to transform your pocket device into a full-sized bubbler. With an inline perc rubber base and a carb, the Pillar creates a new experience for home use.
RYANFITT.COM
$200
ARSENAL
ARC GT4
Vaporizing flower is the best way to truly taste the terpenes and keep your lungs happy. Zeus Arsenal’s new model includes nine preset temperatures, allowing you to get the most out of your flower. This device makes it easy to vaporize on the go while still having the same comfortable experience you do at home. Also available in Gold. ZEUSARSENAL.COM
It’s the age of robots, and like some mechanical spider, iRobud spins a joint around a core of your own ground flower. It can roll a jay in 30 seconds, about the same time it takes a Keurig to make your coffee.Choose your size and density right from the app. IROBUD.COM | $499
$635 ZEUS
POWER PAT BUBBLE CAP
One of the most popular carb caps of the hash community, the telltale shape and incredible function have become signifiers for someone investing in their glass collection. We asked the best way to secure a cap, and Power Pat told the Leaf that people can “message me to see if they’re on the naughty or nice list.”
@_POWERPAT | PRICING UPON REQUEST
GOOD ART THE DOOBIE BROTHER V2 ROACH CLIP
When your grandparents used to use that chip-bagstyle clip on their joints, did they ever imagine we’d be puffing hash donuts with sterling silver in the future? Crafted by hand in Los Angeles, Good Art’s roach clip looks amazing as a chain or a bracelet, and it can be customized with one of three styles. GOODART.COM
IROBUD JOINT ROLLING ROBOT
FOCUS NORTH GARDENS
GREASE FIRE LIVE HASH ROSIN
There’s been some super impressive work coming out of Focus North Gardens in Eugene. Already known for its living soil flower and flavorful rosin, the new batches of Bubba Sky OG, Candy Mike and haze-forward Captain’s Quarters have all proven to be solid choices for a discerning dabber. But if gas is what you seek, Grease Fire is a nostrilflaring bucket burner that simply cannot be contained.
TODAY’S GREASE FIRE is a cut-only strain selected by Pure Melt and bred by Symbiotic Genetics and Lokey Farms. In 2024, Lokey and Symbiotic dropped Grease Fire as part of their collaborative Gassy Taffy line. Amazing as both flower and rosin, Symbiotic called it some of the best genetics they’d worked with to date. One half of this bold cultivar is made up of pheno #11 of Symbiotic’s Grease Bucket, a GMO x Banana Punch #9. Dubbed the Plumber’s Cut by Pure Melt, they wrote to tell us #11 began from Symbiotic seeds they popped, and then the seedlings were gifted to a plumber who grew them to 14 feet tall. Forced to cut them down, Pure Melt agreed to flower out a few cuts of his favorite one. With banana-heavy flavor and GMO yields, this stellar find was named in homage to the man who started it all.
“... if gas is what you seek, Grease Fire is a nostril-flaring bucket burner that simply cannot be contained.”
The other half of the equation is Gassy Taffy. Known for its strikingly strong fuel smell, it combines GB6, a phenotype of Gorilla Breath hunted by Lokey, with Hylife. Together with Grease Bucket, the two produce what Pure Melt described in an Instagram post as “super intense gas with the slightest hint of sweetness inside those overwhelming gas fumes.” Having absolutely flown through this jar, I can say that’s a damn accurate assessment.
Officially described as having unreal terps, the #6 Pure Melt selected produces some outstanding rosin, if for no other reason than the way it fills up a whole room with the smell.
Colby Wise at Focus North told the Leaf he had heard great things about this strain, so he snagged the cut from Pure Melt. “It reminds me a lot of the Sherb Cocktail but washes better,” he added.
This round clocked in at an impressive 10.5% terpene content, and it shows. When you crack the lid, heads will start to look around as people try to figure out what that intense, gassy smell is.
There is a touch of delicious sweetness laced with the odor of high octane. Fair warning, more than just for gas heads, Grease Fire is easy to dab over and over again, so watch yourself before you find there’s nothing left for the next sesh.
GASSY TAFFY) #6 BY FOCUS NORTH
COLD CANDY IS A CROSS OF LAVA CAKE × LEMON ZERBERT CULTIVATED BY SURFR CANNA CO. (ALSO KNOWN AS SURFR SELECT) AND SELECTED IN HOUSE BY THE BREEDING BRANCH SURFR SEEDS. THIS SMALL-BATCH BUD IS GROWN IN ORGANIC LIVING SOIL ALONG THE HOOD RIVER IN A TIER 1 INDOOR FACILITY WITH 84 FLOWERING LIGHTS ACROSS FOUR ROOMS.
OWNER AND GROWER Michael Reed is riding the waves of Oregon’s rec market and anyone acquainted with these rocky waters knows consistency and quickness are key. In this regard, the cultivar carries SURFR smoothly to shore. Reed says that Cold Candy is a, “fast-finishing cultivar and is done at eight weeks on the dot. It handles a lot of light easily, absolutely cakes on the trichomes and loves to show some purples and maroons late into flower.”
With its thick blanket of trichome coverage, robust, rounded nug structure, and confetti of colors (khaki greens, greys, and hidden flares of grape and mulberry purple), it stands out in shelfappeal.
The tacky first crunch of the nug cracking open reveals a nose nestled in mineral, leather and petrol. A quick peek of peppered steak slips through but quickly melts away to reveal something we thought was purely a placebo effect at first. In what comes through as more of a sensation than a scent, there’s a tangible “cold” to this nose. It’s fresh and stimulates the senses in a way different from typical aromas — much like menthol — but without any hint of mint or lingering essence.
That effect carries through inhalation, igniting a deeply felt hit in the lungs that only reinforces the ride. Speaking of rides: buckle up and bring your shades. Cold Candy will hit you in the eyes first — like a mad Muhammad Ali on a Monday morning — filling the scene with a warm bokeh blur that feels like flying through a crisp mist.
COLD COLD
“In what comes through as more of a sensation than a scent, there’s a tangible “cold” to this nose. It’s fresh and stimulates the senses in a way different from typical aromas — much like menthol — but without any hint of mint or lingering essence.”
CULTIVATED
BY
SURFR CANNA CO.
SURFRSEEDS.SURF @SURFRCANNACO
CANDY CANDY
How Grön found its sweet spot TEMPERED FOR SUCCESS
Apple is a name that evokes sweetness, and Christine Apple — founder and CEO of Grön (pronounced Groon) — has been cultivating a similar reputation with patience and persistence for the past decade. What began as a humble, unplanned plant passion in her home has blossomed into a beloved Oregon edible brand and a sensation spanning eight states and Canada. >>CONTINUES NEXT PAGE
Tempered for Success
How Grön Found Its Sweet Spot
We visited Grön’s Portland headquarters and production facilities to hear about CEO and founder Christine Apple’s journey — from basement beginnings as a hungry architect and underground chocolatier to pioneering the first Fair Trade Certified Cannabis chocolate. Today, the brand is celebrating 10 years in business, has grown to employ 291 people and proudly produces an assortment of sweets (in addition to smooth signature chocolates). Grön has spent a decade designing delicacies and dosages for consumers of every level, from juicy, medicated Pearls to crunchy, candy-coated chocolate Pips.
LEAF: AS A FOURTH-GENERATION TEXAN, WHAT BROUGHT YOU TO OREGON IN 1999?
Apple: I came for a job after graduating from architecture school in Texas. Architects didn’t make much money, and Portland was the only city I could afford after interviewing in San Francisco, Portland and Seattle. I made $13 an hour as an architect with a master’s degree and rented a small apartment in Northwest Portland.
TEXAS IS A VERY DIFFERENT SOCIAL SCENE! HOW DID YOU STUMBLE INTO THE OREGON CANNABIS COMMUNITY?
After a divorce, I was working at the architecture firm and started dating someone in the Cannabis industry. At 39, I had never touched or seen a plant, but I fell in love with it and began growing in my basement thanks to a medical card.
I cried when I cut my first crop. I wasn’t into inhalation, so I explored other ways to use the plant to replace alcohol.
WHAT INSPIRED YOUR DIVE INTO CHOCOLATE?
I loved food, was creative at heart and saw an opportunity. During the medical days around 2013 and 2014, I experimented with canna-butter and everything else on the market. Once RSO became available, dark chocolate became the vehicle where the flavor could be masked with coffee and salt.
YOUR ARCHITECTURAL BACKGROUND MUST PROVIDE STRONG PLANNING SKILLS. WAS THE BRAND YOUR PLAN FROM THE BEGINNING?
The brand began without a business plan and was driven entirely by love. I tried quitting a few times since I had another baby and was still working as an architect. This was my secret job, and I worried about being outed in that era — afraid my daughter’s friends wouldn’t be allowed at the house. I made products at night in the basement.
WAS THE JOURNEY ALWAYS AS SMOOTH AS YOUR CHOCOLATE?
We made plenty of mistakes. We heavily pursued CBD in 2017, thinking that was the industry direction, and nearly lost the business when federal regulations shifted and the CBD market destabilized.
Looking back, one major moment came in 2014 when adult use passed in Oregon, and medical producers were suddenly allowed to bring 30-milligram edibles to retail. That announcement created a full race to market. We had one month to produce, test, package and deliver the product. We made 60,000 small chocolates. No one else managed to do it. That success allowed us to reinvest the revenue, and we’ve stayed scrappy, lean and agile ever since.
LET’S TALK ABOUT THE BRAND NAME AND ITS SUCCESS, DESPITE A DECADE OF MISPRONUNCIATIONS!
“Grön” means “green” in Swedish. After studying architecture in Texas, I spent a year in Copenhagen, and the word always stayed with me. Back in 2014, I had to submit a chocolate bar for testing and was told it needed a name. I brainstormed on a whiteboard in my bedroom, looking for something meaningful. Many premium chocolate brands use European words that are hard to pronounce, so I leaned into that tradition. The name simply means “green,” tied to sustainability and the plant. People mispronounce it constantly, but that has become part of the charm.
“Oregon is where we test products and strategies because the consumer base is highly educated.” -Grön CEO & founder
Christine Apple
HOW WOULD YOU SAY THE OREGON MARKET DIFFERS FROM THOSE IN OTHER STATES AND CANADA?
My heart belongs here. Oregon is our legacy market, our anchor and still our most successful state. Despite the challenges many brands face here, Oregon has been good to us. Growing up as a brand in Oregon gives us a competitive edge. We had to be scrappy and fight hard, and that prepared us for every other state. Oregon is where we test products and strategies because the consumer base is highly educated.
IT’S NO SECRET THAT OREGONIANS LOVE HYPER-LOCAL, ETHICALLY SOURCED PRODUCTS. WHAT MAKES YOUR EDIBLES SUCH AN OREGON STAPLE?
Jacobsen sea salt from the Oregon Coast tops all our chocolate bars. Our chocolate is Fair Trade certified, and we were the first Cannabis company to achieve that. Cacao is a dwindling resource, and Fair Trade Certified supports ethical labor practices. We absorb the higher ingredient costs because quality matters. We use organic ingredients, natural flavors and colors, and partner with True Terpenes in Portland for custom flavor and terpene blends. Sugar is sourced locally — across eight states and Canada.
ANY DREAMS OF A WILLY WONKA-STYLE FACILITY WHERE RETAIL AND PRODUCTION COLLIDE?
We tried that during our CBD era. We had a cafe, tours and a storefront, and it was wonderful. But current regulations make it impractical. A retail space is still a dream, but not our focus. Our strength is doing one thing well and staying committed to that.
Nacheaux & Mary Jones Soda
Nacheaux is a Portlandbased mobile food cart specializing in creative, outside-the-box iterations of conventional cuisine, bending the boundaries in categories like burgers, BBQ and desserts. An approachable truck known for its signature teal coloring and unicorn mascot, the food has all the elevation and attention to detail of fine dining but with the accessibility and informality of a street vendor.
SODA
ANTHONY BROWN, co-owner of Nacheaux along with his wife Stephanie, is a familiar face around the city, popping up at Pride Fest, Comic-Con and events and games at the Moda Center; he’s even pulled up at Leaf Bowl, Leaf Magazines’ annual competition. Culinary-competition fans may also recognize him from his appearance on Food Network’s “Guy’s Grocery Games,” where he navigated multiple rounds of supermarket cooking chaos.
Nacheaux, we primed our palates with a can of 100-milligram Mary Jones Orange Cream Soda.
Featuring a familiar tangy orange flavor with a smooth vanilla finish, the taste is reminiscent of an orange creamsicle with a slight herbal accent from the THC inputs. Imparting a weighty body high with a cerebral floating feeling, the edible left us superbly stoney and eager for the upcoming feast.
Since March 2020, Nacheaux has set up shop in locations ranging from food cart pods to brick-and-mortar restaurants, and in 2023, Anthony debuted the mobile truck he currently uses to bring his craveable creations to the public. Over time, he’s launched various spin-offs under the main brand, including Fast Feathers, Crumb Bum, Boss Po’Boys and, most recently, Nacheaux Stack Subs, each with a focus on curated culinary experiences. The constant menu reinvention and diversity of food options have helped build an organic, almost cult-like following that puts its trust in Anthony’s vision beyond an individual product.
In many ways, cooking is an art form, which makes Anthony something of a modern-day Dalí. “I always like to skirt the lines of what things are,” he explained. “I like to challenge what an item actually is, and that’s where I feel like the creativity is.”
Before moving into the uncharted waters of gastronomic genius with
First off the grill was a Nacheaux Bacon BBQ Smash Burger. It was dripping with sauce and cheese and the definition of culinary eye candy, from the avalanche of impeccably crisp bacon chunks to the allencompassing Nacheauxsignature cheese skirt orbiting the sandwich like a golden halo. Biting in unleashed an insane amount of flavor that was a masterclass in texture and layering: the crunch from the griddled skirt juxtaposed with the softness of the toasted bun, the juiciness of the double smashed burger patties melting atop the tongue, the creamy tang from the garlic Parmesan campfire sauce and the zestiness of the pickles cutting through the fat profile perfectly. The burger flooded our taste buds with a richness that had us coming back for bite after bite until it was gone.
Next, we were fortunate enough to check out one of Anthony’s newest creations: an Eggo Breakfast Burger. A true-to-form brunch fusion dish, the smash burger utilizes toasted Eggo waffles for buns and is topped with a
freshly poached egg that is both ooey and gooey in the best way possible.
The yolk pours over the sandwich as soon as it’s picked up, mixing with the rich and savory beef and producing a decadent meal experience that’s 100% worth getting a little messy for.
We ended our culinary odyssey at the sweetest place possible — dessert. Anthony provided a flight of ice cream from his line, Cloud Cream, for us to try. Flavors included a distinct purple ube cheesecake with giant chunks of actual cheesecake; a unique bacon jam mix with residual heat from cayenne pepper on the back end; a lemon cardamom option topped with Biscoff featured both spiced and sweet qualities working in harmony; and a pineapple orange guava blend complete with salty toffee and velvety marshmallow fluff.
Each offering had a silky texture that lit up the senses with every bite.
Cloud Cream represents a sugary treat with all the decadence of traditional ice cream but without its typical heaviness.
All in all, the combination of Nacheaux’s cooking and Mary Jones THC sodas made for a stellar High Eats matchup. It shows that the union of cuisine and Cannabis can be an especially potent pairing. Food is both a unifier and a love language, and Anthony and his family have found a way to connect with customers and build a community through that universal experience and shared passion. They’ve managed to bring people together under a banner of commonality, creativity and a hunger for something outside the conventional.
The next time you see the Nacheaux truck or its associated brands pop up in the wild, don’t hesitate to give them the opportunity to take your taste buds on an unforgettable voyage.
CLOUD CREAM FLIGHT BACON BBQ
Reviews
JOURNEYMAN
PEACH HASH ROSIN
LEMONADE
Taking the form of a pocket-sized bottle of liquid, Journeyman Cannabis drinks are as inconspicuous as they are effective. Filled to the brim with hash rosin and peach lemonade flavoring akin to natural fruit juice, this potent potable generates a sour, lip-puckering aftertaste. In terms of high, the refreshment is balanced and cognitively uplifting, and it induces feelings of euphoria and bliss. Best taken as a quick shot or mixed in to enhance another beverage, it’s both a versatile and tasty means of medicating. When life gives you lemons, get a Journeyman and make it a party.
A unique product billed as both a Cannabis and wellness edible, the Canna Blendz Chocolate + Cannabis & Mushrooms bar contains both live resin and adaptogenic mushrooms. Made with 55% cacao, these luxurious confections are mouthwatering from the moment the package is opened, and the smell of dark chocolate assaults the senses. The indica variety with reishi mushrooms induced a relaxed mood state and a feeling of physical weightiness in the body after indulgence. As sumptuous as they are scrumptious, these desserts are both a gourmet treat and a stellar choice for winding down after a long day.
Presented as a full-spectrum Cannabis elixir, the Nano Quad from High Desert is a tincture with a 1:1:1:1 ratio mix of THC, CBG, CBD and CBN. The taste of the solution is sweet and citrusy with a medicine-like quality that hearkens back to childhood days of bubble-gumflavored cough syrup. Quite the palatable expression, the formulation can be dropped under the tongue via the provided pipette or incorporated into a drink of choice at whatever milligram needed. Given the blend of alternate cannabinoids, the potion has a centering effect beneficial for things like sleep, pain and anxiety.
@HIGHDESERTPURE | HIGHDESERTPURE.COM
Gumdrops come encrusted in sugar and look like they were picked straight off a gingerbread house. More tropical than seasonal, the Passion Orange Guava flavored gummies are sublimely sweetened, distinguished by an authentic fruit aftertaste that practically stains the tongue. Each edible has an easygoing effect that reduces feelings of muscle tension and body aches without any noticeable intoxication. Given the dosage of 50mg of CBD and 1mg of THC in each piece of candy, these consumables are a great option for functional medicating, especially for individuals whose bodies are sensitive to higher THC concentrations. @QUALITYDRUGSCANNABIS
MYQUALITYDRUGS.COM | 50MG CBD, 1MG THC
Reviews
TREASURE VALLEY CANNABIS COMPANY FINEST
PINEAPPLE SATIVA GEMS & COINS JELLIES
True to the name, Treasure Valley Cannabis Company is popping the treasure chest open on these new shimmering, golden jellies. They’re made in-house in Ontario using distillate for a consistent and delicately medicated fruit flavor. The chewy center of the sugar-coated pineapple jelly transports you to a warm beach, like a cool sip of piña colada on some foreign coast far from Oregon’s rainy shores. A sativa-leaning input provides a persistent yet peaceful buzz that beckons you back to the bag after each bite. These bright, playful treats are like a packaged tropical vacation, perfect for escaping the PNW chill. @THE_REAL_TVCC | TREASUREVALLEYCANNABIS.COM | 99.60MG THC
DR. FEEL GOOD CANNABIS INFUSED GUMMIES
SOLVENTLESS PINEAPPLE PASSIONFRUIT
Dr. Feel Good’s Pineapple Passion Fruit Gummies are tiny, solventless squares made with hash rosin and covered in granulated sugar. Soft, fruity and easy to eat in abundance, these irresistible jellied candies taste exactly like a piña colada. Featuring nanoemulsified inputs, the onset is incredibly fast, typically kicking in within about 10 minutes. Described as an indica, the edibles provide significant physiological relief coupled with a tangible cerebral buzz. Vegan, gluten free and with no artificial flavors or colors, Dr. Feel Good is making folks feel alright with a prescription for clean Cannabis consumables. @THE.DR.FEEL.GOOD | DRFEELGOODTHC.COM | 95MG THC
GATEWAY TANGERINE GUMMIES
Nectar has a robust lineup of in-house brands, including the two you’ll see in collaboration here. These gummies are a live resin offering from The Refinery, the successful and widespread dispensary you’re likely already familiar with. Inside the package, you’ll find a gateway to glamorous ingredients, with real fruit puree, beet sugar and vegan inputs. The tangerine flavor is an energetic, uplifting experience packed into a soft, sugar-coated block gummy that peels apart for better dosing.
PRIVATE STASH BLAST HOLIDAY CHEW SPICED APPLE CIDER
Just in time for the holidays, Private Stash has added a seasonal edible to its lineup of THCbased treats. Blast Holiday Chews are candy-canetopped taffies akin to a Starburst or a Now and Later made with actual bits of peppermint. The texture is ideal, providing a satisfying amount of chewiness before melting on the palate and dissolving into sweetness. A Yuletide goodie that hits harder than a reindeer on Christmas Eve in terms of potency, these unassuming stocking stuffers pack quite the punch. PRIVATESTASHCANNABIS.COM | 100MG THC
KEEF XTREME CANNABIS INFUSED
CLASSIC SODA PINEAPPLE X-PRESS
Keef is one of the most prolific brands producing Cannabis-infused soft drinks in Oregon. Stocking a wide array of nostalgic selections like C.R.E.A.M. cream soda and Bubba Kush Root Beer soda, the carbonated Cannabis beverages mirror real-life products but with a range of THC-enhanced options. The 100mg Pineapple X-Press is one such example, complete with indelible, tongue-tickling notes of tart fruit and sweet sunshine on each swig. Beyond being a fun libation, the higher dosage drinks can be deceivingly intoxicating with a lack of moderation resulting in insurmountable couch lock and an outof-this-world head buzz. @KEEFDRINKS
KEEFBRANDS.COM | 100MG THC/CAN
HELIA FIELDS X LAURIE MARY JANE FIRESIDE MARSHMALLOW BROWNIES
Move over, Betty Crocker! Helia Fields and Laurie + MaryJane are dropping freshly baked heat in the form of their Fireside Marshmallow Brownies. Rich and indulgent, these desserts are delectable confections made of marbleized chocolaty goodness interspersed with melted marshmallow chunks. Delightful sweets in their own right, they can be warmed up in a microwave or added to dishes like ice cream for a truly elevated munchie experience. Each container comes with two 50mg pastries that can be split into smaller doses as needed, but this is one edible that will be hard to put down after just a single bite. @LAURIEANDMARYJANE
LAURIEANDMARYJANE.COM | 100MG
THC/PKG (50MG X TWO BROWNIES)
Jingle All The Way
CHOCOLATE DRIZZLED PINEAPPLE RINGS
Servings: 12
12 dried crystallized pineapple rings 2/3 cup chocolate chips
4 tablespoons canna-butter or canna-oil
1/3 cup sprinkles of your choice
1. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, and arrange the pineapple rings in a single layer.
2. Place the chocolate chips in a microwave-safe bowl. Heat in 20-30 second intervals, stirring after each, until fully melted and smooth.
3. Stir in the canna-butter or canna-oil until completely blended.
4. Use a spoon to drizzle the melted chocolate over the pineapple rings in thin lines or zigzags. You can drizzle heavily or lightly, depending on how much chocolate coating you want.
5. While the chocolate is still wet, scatter sprinkles over the tops of the rings.
6. Refrigerate the tray for about 10-15 minutes, or leave it at room temperature until the chocolate hardens.
MAGIC MARSHMALLOW CUPS
Servings: 6, two per person
12 large marshmallows
1 cup chocolate chips
2 tablespoons canna-butter or canna-oil
6 pretzel twists, extra for breakage 1/2 cup chopped peppermint candies
1. Break each pretzel twist into thirds so you end up with 12 curved handle pieces, and set them aside.
2. Melt the chocolate by microwaving it in 20-30 second intervals, stirring between each one until smooth.
3. Stir in the canna-butter or canna-oil until fully incorporated.
4. Spoon a dollop of the infused chocolate onto the top of the marshmallows, and sprinkle with the chopped peppermint.
5. Set each marshmallow chocolate side up on parchment paper.
6. Attach a pretzel handle to each marshmallow by dipping the end of the pretzel piece into the melted chocolate and pressing it onto the side of the marshmallow. Hold briefly until it stays in place.
7. Allow the marshmallow cups to set in the refrigerator for about 10 minutes or at room temperature until the chocolate becomes firm.
CAPTIVATING CARAMEL XMAS CORN
Servings: 12
3 cups caramel corn
2 tablespoons canna-butter or canna-oil 1 cup red M&M’s
1 cup green M&M’s
3 white KitKats, broken into pieces 1/2 cup butterscotch chips 1/2 cup chocolate chips
1. Place the caramel corn, red and green M&M’s, pretzels, broken white KitKat pieces, butterscotch chips and white chocolate chips into a large mixing bowl.
2. Melt the canna-butter or canna-oil in a small microwave-safe dish using short intervals until fully liquid.
3. Drizzle the melted canna oil or cannabutter over the mixture. Toss gently with a spatula until everything is evenly coated.
These holiday treats are guaranteed to brighten your day. They’re simple to make, delightful to look at and perfect for adding a playful touch to an adults-only table. These treats are crafted to bring a smile and deliver a light, enjoyable lift — never too much, just enough to spark a few giggles and surround your evening with cozy holiday cheer. With the world feeling a little wild lately, these treats invite you to bring the good vibes indoors and hold them close. They’re infused with Pruf Cultivar’s Doom Berries, a potent, flavorful indica born from Nehruvian OG and Rascal Berries. It’s wonderfully tasty, offering a fun-spirited experience and a chocolaty aroma reminiscent of a beloved childhood cereal — a nostalgic twist for grown-up festivities. Laurie@Laurieandmaryjane.com
4. Spread the mixture onto a parchment-lined baking sheet, and let it sit for 1015 minutes so the coating settles and the mix becomes slightly crisp.
5. Melt the chocolate by microwaving it in 20-30 second intervals, stirring between each one until smooth. Drizzle over the mixture, and cool until the chocolate is set.
6. Transfer to a serving bowl or store in an airtight container.
KUSHMAS DECOR
There is a moment every year when the air turns crisp, the trees fall quiet and the scent of wet pine lingers in a way that feels older than memory. The season shifts, and suddenly the world begins to mirror something ancestral — something carried forward long before malls, hyper consumerism and elaborately packaged gifts.
OUR ANCESTORS welcomed winter with their hands in the elements, harvesting herbs and gathering foliage, twisting evergreens into circles meant for protection, gratitude and honoring the cycles of life. These wreaths weren’t ornaments; they were offerings to the land and reminders of our place within it.
Winter has always had a way of slowing us down and calling us inward. Every true OG knows that call — the moment when the pace drops, the senses open and you feel the presence of something older guiding you back to yourself. And sometimes it arrives as simply as a ganja chalice passed your way: an invitation to pause, breathe in gratitude and reconnect with your creative, free, Indigenous spirit.
This is the season of wild-harvested creation.
DIY GUIDE
What you’ll need:
- An open heart
- A creative mind
- Clippers/garden shears
- Gardening gloves
- Wire wrap
- Ribbon or twine
- Double-sided tape
- A circular base frame
- Foraged foliage
- Aromatic herbals
- Pinecones
- Seasonal berries
- Cannabis nugs
1. Prepare Your Foraging Spirit
Before heading out, pause, breathe and offer gratitude to the land, the ancestors and the plant relations joining your creation. This moment turns a craft into a ceremony.
Bring: Clippers
Gloves
Garden or winter boots
A basket or waterproof bag
Rubber bands or twine
A drop-proof 16-ounce nontoxic vessel or a
RE:STASH jar
When we craft with nature, we honor a lineage of makers who shaped beauty out of what the land generously offered. Their traditions were never complicated. They were heartfelt, handmade and rooted in a community’s relationship with Earth Mother.
Rekindling the instinct to forage, gather and create with what’s already around us is a practice that reawakens the Indigenous creative within—reminding us that creativity has always been ceremony, and ceremony has always been tied to land.
Let this be your invitation this holiday season to reawaken the wild artist inside and strengthen your bond with the living land that sustains us. Step away from the mass-produced and back toward what is Earth-grown, seasonally available and resonant with living spirit.
2. Harvest With Respect
Gather what nature freely offers: fallen branches, evergreen sprigs, pinecones, seed pods, cedar tips, juniper berries, mistletoe, rosemary and aromatic herbals. If you harvest from a living plant, take only what’s needed and offer gratitude. As Hawaiians, we say “Ho‘oponopono” three times — “I’m sorry, please forgive me, thank you, I love you.
3. Build Your Base
The circle is our oldest teacher — moon, seasons, drumbeat, medicine wheel. Shape your wreath using grapevine, willow branches, fallen sticks or a biodegradable frame. Twist gently and let the natural curve guide your shape. Imperfection feels alive.
4. Layer Your Greens
Wrap evergreen, cedar, holly or rosemary around your frame, securing with twine or wire. Let botanicals overlap like pinecone scales to build fullness and structure.
5. Infuse the Green
A holiday wreath isn’t complete without a touch of Cannabis. Eastwood Gardens of Portland, Oregon, blessed us with fresh-cut Runtz Horchata fan leaves and frosty nugglage for a dank seasonal glow. Cluster Cannabis fan leaves using double-sided tape, then tuck trimmed nugs into greenery and secure with wire wrap.
6. Incorporate Winter Offerings
Add pinecones, rose hips, sage, cinnamon sticks, dried citrus or ornamental pods. Secure each piece well.
Symbolic blessings:
Cedar for protection | Pinecones for rebirth Juniper for cleansing | Rosemary for remembrance Cannabis for creativity, healing and community joy
7. Bind and Bless
Wrap a final line of fishing wire, ribbon or twine to hold everything in place. Create a loop for hanging. Hold your wreath, close your eyes and whisper your intention: “May this wreath offer peace, joy, creative inspiration and a spirit of healing to all who behold it.”
8. Display With Pride
Hang it on your door, in your home, above your altar or in your sesh nook. Let it remind you that creativity is medicine and winter offers wild gifts.
Happy holidays, OGs. As we move into a new year, remember: Every season is a chance to “Elevate Your Fate and Re:Indigenate.”
QUALITY IN EQUALS QUALITY OUT
RYAN ROSBURG
Ryan Rosburg is 46 now, but he was just 15 years old when he started melting glass. As a child, the now-glass artist was obsessed with fire and drawn to anything creative, so it was a natural progression for Rosburg’s artistic output to be led by the torch. Or, as Rosburg put it, “If I’m really honest, I would say that after I smoked weed for the first time, I really wanted to make things to smoke weed out of.”
HE SAID his biggest influences early on were sculptural soft glass legends like Lucio Bubbacco and Milon Townsend. He was inspired by the way they worked with scale and the attention to detail in the figurines they made.
Another major inspiration for Rosburg was the 19th-century duo from Bohemia in the Czech Republic, brothers Leopold and Rudolf Blaschka. The glass artists are best known today for their botanically correct models of plants that were commissioned for, and still remain at, the Harvard Museum of Natural History. In one amazing feat, they created around 4,400 glass models that represent over 830 plant species.
That inspiration took root for him in Colorado, where — while growing up and after just getting on the torch — Rosburg was fortunate enough to make the acquaintance of glass artist Homer Hoyt. Hoyt is worldrenowned for authoring his 1989 book, “Glassblowing: An Introduction to Solid and Blown Glass Sculpturing.”
He became a mentor of sorts to Rosburg, who said Hoyt was “helpful with advice and really kind. He was older in those days, but still very sharp and present. My first reamer and graphite tools were handed down from him.”
Rosburg continued to develop his craft in Colorado until 2016, when he landed at The Whiteaker, an arts district and well-known mecca for glass artists in Eugene, Oregon.
He’s still there today, continuing down the rabbit hole, where his use of borosilicate glass and flameworking creates stunningly realistic pieces of art that supersede many others who attempt the same craft. The first piece I saw of his was an extremely realistic miniature burger pendant. I was blown away by the level of detail and proportion; needless to say, I’m still a fan to this day.
These days, his repertoire includes all manner of edible delicacies and anatomically correct sculptures. In the future, he said he plans to continue expanding his portfolio to include more expressive works — kind of like storytelling in a way — in whatever direction his imagination leads.
While talking to Rosburg, I had to ask, “What are your visions for the future of the glass art industry?” He said it’s a “big question.”
“I really have no idea what’s in store for the future of all things, but I do know that people will always keep doing it,” Rosburg said. “There will be glass art, glass pipes and the people who enjoy making them, plus the people who support it. There will also be those who don’t support our industry, and we’re still under the thumb of hands much bigger than our own.”
“Our reach is limited and still pretty underground. I see that every time I watch a current movie and see an old acrylic bong that just looks like the old, outdated relic that it is,” Rosburg said, adding that it’s likely how many people still view the pipe industry today.
“A device for burnouts and the reckless left over from the hippies of the ‘60s and ‘70s,” Rosburg said. “Movies are an effective zeitgeist for trends, and it seems we really haven’t quite made it to the stage yet.”
@ROSBURGGLASS
T.K. HAPPA COLLAB
dirty banana
Tropical Cream with a Funky Kick
E ects: Euphoric, Relaxing, Heavy
Flavors: Ripe Banana, Mint Cream, Earthy Kush
Aroma: Funky Banana, Sweet Gas, Herbal Mint
Lineage: Kush Mints X Banana OG
To Alice, With Love
When The Alice B. Toklas Cookbook was released in 1954, it contained what’s believed to be the first Cannabis recipe ever published in the modern age. For that, many consider its eponymous author an early icon of the marijuana movement. But the true story behind that infamous recipe — and Alice B. Toklas’ reputation as the “Mother of the Pot Brownie” — may surprise you.
Originally from San Francisco, Alice Babette Toklas was the daughter of affluent Jewish merchants who had emigrated from Poland in 1865. The family moved to Seattle in 1890 but returned to the Bay Area after her mother died of cancer in 1897. At just 19, Alice became the woman of the house — cooking and cleaning for her father, brother and uncles.
After the great earthquake and fires of 1906, Toklas met Leo and Sally Stein, art collectors who had emigrated to Europe years earlier. Enraptured by their romantic tales of Parisian life, she and her friend Harriet Levy left for France five months later. Within 24 hours of arriving in Paris, Leo introduced Toklas to his sister, modernist writer Gertrude Stein — and it was love at first sight.
THE ODD COUPLE
In the months that followed, Stein and Toklas became inseparable. The two women had much in common: Both were well educated, well traveled, and from wealthy Jewish families in California. Yet they seemed an odd mismatch: Stein was a large, confident, gregarious woman with short gray hair, while Toklas — who sported a brown “Joan of Arc” haircut — was described in one of her book’s introductions as “tiny, birdlike, and self-effacing… stunningly ugly, with a huge beak of a nose and an unabashed black mustache.”
Despite their differences, however, their affection was undeniable — so much so that, while on a trip to Normandy in 1908, Stein proposed to Toklas. From then on, they considered themselves married and were remarkably open about their love in a time when homosexual relationships were mostly kept under wraps.
In September 1910, Toklas moved in with Stein, becoming not only her lover, but also her housekeeper, cook, secretary, editor and muse — managing her affairs so she could focus on her writing. Together, they turned their two-story, museum-like home at 27 Rue de Fleurus into the Bohemian era’s most renowned artistic and literary salon — a social hub where the cultural elite (including Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, T. S. Eliot, Henry Miller, James Joyce, Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse and Paul Cézanne) would gather to drink, dine, converse and collaborate. These symposia were typically catered, but on occassion Toklas would cook, and quickly earned a reputation as a maestro in the kitchen. In fact, legendary gourmet James Beard once said of her, “Alice was one of the really great cooks of all time.”
FAME & FINALITY
Over the next two decades, Stein’s notoriety continued to grow throughout Paris; Toklas, however, remained relatively unknown. But that would change in 1933 with the publication of “The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas” — a facetiously titled memoir written by Stein, but in Toklas’ voice. It became Stein’s first bestseller, leading to a 1934 book tour in America and international fame for both women.
During World War I, the women delivered medical supplies to support the troops. During World War II, they managed to evade the Nazis by hiding in the south of France and selling art to survive. Sadly, though she escaped the horrors of the Holocaust, Stein could not escape the ravages of stomach cancer; on July 27, 1946, Gertrude Stein died during surgery, leaving her common-law wife of nearly 40 years a widow.
IT’S A COOKBOOK!
Because Stein’s “marriage” to Toklas wasn’t legal, her relatives took control of the estate. And though Stein had willed her invaluable
BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY
FROM FRISCO TO FRANCE
First hardcover edition - London 1954.
art collection to Toklas, she couldn’t sell any of it without the trustees’ approval. As a result, 75-year-old Toklas was left broke and desperate.
In hopes of generating income, she inked a deal with Harper and Brothers in 1952 to write “The Alice B. Toklas Cookbook.” Far from an ordinary cookbook, it would be an eccentric epicurean anthology filled with anecdotes about her adventures with Stein and their famous friends, poetic descriptors and wry humor. What’s more, most of the recipes were, according to biographer Janet Malcolm, “too elaborate or too strange to attempt.”
As her March 1953 deadline approached, Toklas realized she was falling short of her 70,000-word goal and began soliciting submissions from friends. It was one of these 80-plus “Recipes From Friends” that would soon make her work the most infamous cookbook in history.
MOROCCAN MAJOUN
Brion Gysin was a gay British writer and artist living in Paris who had known Toklas back in the salon days of the 1930s. In 1950, he reconnected with her, and she encouraged him to live with composer and author Paul Bowles in Tangier, Morocco — an “international zone” that had become a hotbed of hedonism and free expression for artists and libertines from across the globe.
Artist/author Brion
Shortly after moving there, Gysin hooked up with a painter named Mohamed Hamri. It was Hamri who allegedly introduced Gysin to smoking kif, as well as a decadent delicacy infused with kif called majoun. A pastry made from dried fruits, nuts, honey and spices, majoun is regarded as one of history’s first Cannabis edibles (dating back to the 11th century). In early 1954, Gysin and Hamri opened a cafe for outlaws and expats called 1001 Nights, where they reportedly served the Cannabis confection to their counterculture clientele. And so, when Toklas reached out to request a recipe for her cookbook, Gysin — ever the provocateur — decided to have some fun with the old lady.
WHAT THE FUDGE?!?
Gysin renamed his majoun recipe “Haschich [sic] Fudge (which anyone could whip up on a rainy day)” and wrote a sensational, tongue-in-cheek introduction:
“This is the food of Paradise — of Baudelaire’s ‘Artificial Paradises’ [a reference to the French poet’s essays
Toklas’ name became synonymous with pot brownies, despite the fact that the confection described in her cookbook bears no resemblance to a brownie.
about his experiences on hashish and opium] … Euphoria and brilliant storms of laughter; ecstatic reveries and extension of one’s personality on several simultaneous planes are to be complacently expected.”
Listed among the ingredients was “a bunch of canibus [sic] sativa,” which Gysin noted might not be easy to come by.
“Obtaining the canibus may present certain difficulties, but the variety known as canibus sativa grows as a common weed, often unrecognized, everywhere in Europe, Asia, and parts of Africa; besides being cultivated as a crop for the manufacture of rope. In the Americas, while often discouraged, its cousin, called canibus indica, has been observed even in city window boxes. It should be picked and dried as soon as it has gone to seed and while the plant is still green.”
He also cautioned that this fudge “should be eaten with care. Two pieces are quite sufficient.”
PUBLISHER PANIC
Now, contrary to popular belief, Toklas had almost no knowledge of Cannabis or hashish. In the 2002 book “Kiss Me Again,” she admitted to author Bruce Kellner she’d never tried marijuana and that Stein had tried it only once and had disliked how it “disoriented her thinking, and that frightened her.”
Unaware of Gysin’s prank, Toklas naively included the recipe in the manuscript and sent it to her publisher. It was only after Time magazine’s cheeky review appeared in October 1954 — mere weeks before the book’s publication — that she realized what had happened.
“The late poetess Gertrude Stein… and her constant companion… Alice B. Toklas used to have gay old times together in the kitchen,” the review read. “Perhaps Alice’s most gone concoction (and also a possible clue to some of Gertrude’s less earthy lines) was her hashish fudge.”
The publishers panicked; the U.S. Congress had just recently passed the Boggs Act, establishing harsh mandatory sentences for Cannabis-related offenses. Harper wired the attorney general’s office to ask if publishing a Cannabis recipe was illegal. It was not, but they pulled the recipe from the American edition anyway to avoid potential liability. The U.K. edition remained intact, however, and became an overnight sensation. It was so popular, in fact, that some accused Toklas of including the hash recipe as a publicity stunt.
WE LOVE YOU, ALICE B. TOKLAS
It wasn’t until the second U.S. edition came out in 1960 that the recipe became available to Americans. That edition was also a smash hit — selling 7,000 copies in the first month and prompting two subsequent printings.
The book became a touchstone of sorts for the burgeoning counterculture – reportedly prompting
invitations for Toklas to cook and read at various hippie gatherings, and even inspiring a movie: the 1968 cult classic “I Love You, Alice B. Toklas,” starring Peter Sellers. In this rom-com farce (arguably the first stoner film), Sellers plays an uptight lawyer who converts to freakdom after eating a batch of weed-laced brownies and falling for a beautiful young stoner gal. It’s because of this film that Toklas’ name became synonymous with pot brownies – despite the fact that the confection described in her book bears no resemblance to a brownie and contains no chocolate. (The first published recipe for hash brownies actually appeared in 1966’s “The Hashish Cookbook.”)
Nevertheless, by the end of the decade, Toklas had become an unlikely icon of the Cannabis-fueled counterculture. Some have even claimed that the term “toke” was derived from Toklas (it wasn’t – it comes from the Spanish verb tocar, meaning to “tap” or “hit”).
DEATH & LEGACY
Sadly, Toklas didn’t get to enjoy her hippie hero status for long; on March 7, 1967, just over a year before the release of the film bearing her name, Alice B. Toklas died at the age of 89. She was buried in the same plot as her beloved Gertrude in Paris’ Père Lachaise Cemetery, with her epitaph inscribed inconspicuously on the back of Stein’s headstone.
“The Alice B. Toklas Cookbook” has since become one of the bestselling and most influential cookbooks of all time, earning Toklas a place among the culinary greats. She is also a hero of the LGBTQ+ movement – honored in her hometown of San Francisco with both a political organization (The Alice B. Toklas LGBTQ Democratic Club) and a section of Myrtle Street named after her. And yet, whether justified or not, it’s her reputation as “Mother of the Pot Brownie” for which she’ll always be most remembered.
For our podcast and more Cannabis history content visit worldofcannabis.museum/cannthropology.
Photo of Alice B. Toklas and partner Gertrude Stein in their salon; taken by the famous artist Man Ray in 1922.
Above: Making pot brownies in the 1968 film “I Love You, Alice B. Toklas.”
Right: Promotional poster for the film with Alice’s recipe featured at the top.
