Issuu

THE ENLIGHTENED VOICE

#149 | NOV. 2026

HERBINGTON FARM APPLEGATE VALLEY, OR.

DEATH STAR INFERNO

The Harvest Issue

F RE E / L E A F M AGA Z I N E S . COM

INDEPENDENT CANNABIS JOURNALISM SINCE 2010

B L UN T

doug

ieblun

RY DAY

the HARVEST ISSUE

#149

[

NOV. 2026

issue

HALLOWEIRD

REHASHED

BONNIE BROOKS @THECANNAVVITCH

ZELO

SNOW SHERB

FEATURE | P. 46

SHANGRI-LA FARMS HALLE PENNINGTON

HASH BURGER

SLIM & LULU AND MAI TAI

RIDGELINE RESERVE

GROW TOUR

SHOP REVIEW

B reeding S uccess

40 YEARS OF BREEDING IN THE GENES Born on May 25, 1959, in a small Gaelic-speaking town in western Ireland, Brett seemed almost destined to become a master breeder. Raised on a farm by a botanist mother and a father who grafted fruit trees, Brett was first exposed to Cannabis around age 11, when some of his dad’s younger brothers — who had traveled the infamous Hippie Hash Trail during the 1960s — came to visit. “They would come back from trips to India, live at my dad’s farm, and grow marijuana seeds they brought back,” Brett explained. “And of course, I was a very impressionable young boy, so I got kind of hooked up in all of that.” Brett helped his uncles tend their plants, but never considered smoking any of the weed they grew at that age. It wasn’t until he was 16, during an encounter on the way to the local village, that he decided to give marijuana a try. “One day I was walking into town … and a police car was passing by. The trunk was open, and sticking out were these huge marijuana bushes that they’d cut down. And because my uncles were known for growing weed, and I had a reputation as a bit of a rebel, they thought it was mine,” he recalled. “That was when I started smoking weed.” Derry and his pals had befriended a gravedigger who lived on the grounds of the local church and liked to blaze. It was with him that he first got high. “We’d hang out there on the graveyard smoking weed at night when we shouldn’t be,” Brett snickered. “That was my first experience of that.”

CANNTHROPOLOGY

NOV. 2026

P RE SE N T S

Celebrating its 40th anniversary this year, Barney’s is not only one of the most renowned coffeeshops in Amsterdam, it’s also one of the world’s most award-winning seed companies — all thanks to the vision, dedication and hustle of its legendary owner, Derry Brett.

leafmagazines.com

SENSIBLE CANNABIS COMPANY

GROW TOUR

REX HILSINGER @BOROPHOTO

HERBINGTON FARM

A PASSAGE TO INDIA After working his way through college, Brett was offered a lucrative engineering job by Shell Oil in, of all places, Amsterdam. “Shell … gave me a house and a car and put me up in the center of Amsterdam. It was amazing,” he reminisced. “They paid me so much money that I only had to work six months a year, and I could just go away for the other six months.” So, in 1982, Brett decided to follow in his uncles’ footsteps and set out for India. Along the way, he befriended some like-minded stoners who joined his quest. The group established base camps in Manali and Himachal Pradesh from which they’d set out by bus, train or motorcycle in search of landrace Cannabis. “We spread out on genetic expeditions. We brought back cuttings and sometimes seeds, and we did some crossings,” he recounted. “We weren’t interested in selling anything; we were just experimenting.” Over the next few years, Brett and his companions explored every major Cannabis region they could, including Afghanistan, Nepal, Thailand, Laos, Burma, Cambodia, Pakistan, Myanmar, Vietnam and China — collecting data and genetics, then bringing them back to

Barney’s owner Derry Brett at the Barney’s Farm shop in Amsterdam in 2009.

THE BIRTH OF BARNEY’S In the mid 1980s, Brett was swept up in an immigration raid along with a fellow Irishman named Nick Mathews. They spent two days in a cell together, then handcuffed to each other, boarded onto a plane and deported to Ireland — an experience that bonded them for life. In 1986, Mathews partnered with a friend named Paul Gould to take over an old Hells Angels bar called Gary’s Place on Haarlemmerstraat and turn it into a coffeeshop catering to non-Dutch speakers with warmer customer service, English newspapers and comfort foods

>> continued on next page

WORLD OF CANNABIS MUSEUM

FIRE FOLLOWER

FIRE CREEK FARMS

DEREK KELLY @DS.VISIONSPHOTOGRAPHY

HUMBOLDT SEED COMPANY

cannthropology

DAVID DOWNS @DAVIDDOWNS TONY SIMONELLI @SIMONELLITONY

leafmagazines.com

GROW TOUR

09 10 14 16 18 20 22 26 28 30 32 34 38 42 46 52 58 62

EDITOR’S NOTE HALLOWEIRD REHASHED FIRE FOLLOWER ED ROSENTHAL GREEN WEDNESDAY IN MEMORIAM SENSIBLE CANNABIS COMPANY CONCENTRATE OF THE MONTH GLASS ART SPOTLIGHT ELEVATE YOUR FATE STRAIN OF THE MONTH FIRE CREEK FARMS HERBINGTON FARM RIDGELINE RESERVE SHANGRI-LA FARMS COOKING WITH CANNABIS CANNTHROPOLOGY STUDIO SESSIONS

REX HILSINGER @BOROPHOTO

EST. 2014 OREGON BORN. OREGON GROWN. OREGON OWNED.

E S TA B L I S H E D 2 0 1 0

T H E E N L I G H T E N E D VO I C E N O RT H W E ST LEA F / O R EG O N LEA F / M ARY LAN D LEA F / CAL I F O R N I A LEA F /

A beastly bud in bloom, Death Star Inferno needs little introduction. Grown at Herbington Farm in Oregon’s Applegate Valley, this purple-streaked, trichomecoated bud stood tall in the field, waiting for its moment, and our photographer, Rex, caught it. The Harvest Issue is about that wait and the payoff: the growers, makers and farms that turn a full year of work into something worth sharing. “Looking around the property, which features a fresh, running stream, coops for chickens and meat rabbits, fruit trees and a homestead, delivers a glimpse of a traditional life, which is fitting for traditional hash makers,” writes CEO Wes Abney. Turn to Herbington Farm’s feature on page 38 for the full story. PHOTO BY REX HILSINGER @BOROPHOTO

WES ABNEY C E O & F O U N D E R wes@leafmagazines.com

CONTRIBUTORS

MIKE RICKER O P E R AT I N G PA R T N E R

ANGELA-JORDAN AGUILAR, FEATURES

WES ABNEY, FEATURES DANIEL BERMAN, DESIGN

ricker@leafmagazines.com

BOBBY BLACK, DESIGN + FEATURES

TOM BOWERS C H I E F O P E R AT I N G O F F I C E R tom@leafmagazines.com

CRC PRODUCTIONS, PHOTOS BONNIE BROOKS, PHOTOS

DANIEL BERMAN C H I E F C R E AT I V E O F F I C E R daniel@leafmagazines.com

JACKIE BRYANT, FEATURES TOM BOWERS, FEATURES

AMANDA LOPEZ STAT E C O N T E N T D I R E C T O R amanda@leafmagazines.com

DAVID DOWNS, FEATURES WYATT EARLY, FEATURES REX HILSINGER, FEATURES + PHOTOS ELLEN HOLLAND, FEATURES

MAKANI NELSON STAT E S A L E S D I R E C T O R makani@leafmagazines.com (808) 754-4182

MATT JACKSON, FEATURES DEREK KELLY, PHOTOS

BOBBY BLACK LEAF BOWL DIRECTOR & HISTORIAN bobbyblack@leafmagazines.com

ROGER KISBY, PHOTOS JAMIE OWENS, FEATURES + PHOTOS AKASH PAMARTHY, PHOTOS

MATT JACKSON SOCIAL MEDIA LEAD

TONY SIMONELLI, PHOTOS

mattjackson@leafmagazines.com

TERPODACTYL MEDIA, FEATURES + PHOTOS

MICHELLE NARANJO & CARA WIETSTOCK COPYDESK michelle@leafmagazines.com | cara@leafmagazines.com

CARA WIETSTOCK, FEATURES 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!

CONNECT WITH T H E LEA F ! @OREGONLEAF |

@OREGONLEAF

Editor’s Note Thanks for picking up The Harvest Issue of Oregon Leaf! Growing Cannabis using nature’s gifts of sun and soil is hard work, so we honor that with the annual return of this special issue. Today’s dispensaries are so full of beautifully packaged vapes and candies and tins full of infused joints that it’s easy to forget it all comes from a humble plant.

Before the Leaf started in 2010, I had never seen a Cannabis plant in real life. Drugs were bad, and I thought of pot as an illegal substance, not a beautiful garden-filling plant. After all, the government, in its infinite wisdom, said weed caused cancer, which is pretty blasphemous considering the government’s own patent on THC, U.S. Patent No. 6630507, titled “Cannabinoids as antioxidants and neuroprotectants.” How ironic that science has led to confirmation that humans were designed to exist with this plant, a gift from God for our bodies via the endocannabinoid system, which is larger than our central nervous system! We were made to live with this plant, and for millennia we did, and not just with Cannabis, but with the plants that fed humans and livestock. Today’s hyperprocessed diets and digital lifestyles have disconnected our species from the Earth that still provides food, shelter, medicine and healing.

“WE MUST CELEBRATE AND HONOR THIS SPECIAL TIME OF YEAR, AND THE FARMERS WHO DEDICATE THEIR YEARS AND LIVES TO OUR MOST SPECIAL PLANT. “

That’s why the plant matters. It isn’t a drug processed in a lab. It’s not addictive or harmful. It’s extremely unique that Cannabis, and especially hemp, bioremediate the soil, meaning the plants build soil health, unlike commercial crops like soy or corn that deplete soils and rely heavily on synthetic fertilizers. From hemp can come rope, clothing, paper, food, oils, fuel and even biodegradable plastics. From Cannabis we today enjoy topicals, tinctures, drinks and edibles, joints and flower, dabs and disposables in every flavor imaginable. What a wonderful gift it is from the Most High!

While harvest now means pumpkins and decorations, holiday travel plans and shopping lists, our species has spent many more years celebrating harvests (or lamenting bad ones and going hungry) than we have building Instacarts, which is why we must celebrate and honor this special time of year and the farmers who dedicate their years and lives to our most special plant. Ask your favorite budtender for their favorite outdoor Cannabis brands, and experience the full-spectrum buzz of sun-grown bud as you read this special issue of the Leaf.

@NWLEAF

LEAFMAGAZINES.COM

-Wes Abney

NOV. 2026

PHOTO BY ROGER KISBY @ROGERKISBY

A B O U T T H E C OV E R

N O RT HEAST LEA F

rehashed

OCTOBER 17, 2026 | GRESHAM

Halloweird 2026 Double double, toil and

trouble; big joints burn and dab rigs bubble — all in celebration of All Hallows’ Eve. Oregon Leaf’s party for all things ghoulish and ghastly, or in this case, heady and hashy, returned for its third consecutive year, the biggest entry yet for the bewitching jubilee. Everyone is entitled to one good Halloween sesh, and with over 2,000 attendees present this year, Halloweird has

become the place for Oregon stoners to revel. Hosted in a hauntingly familiar slice of PNW nature located outside the Cedarville Lodge in Gresham, Halloweird 2026 brought another year of frightful excitement with a few tricks and a cauldron-load

leafmagazines.com

of treats.

nov. 2026

“The party reigns high above like a coven’s supreme.”

S U CH S I G H T S T O S H O W YO U

A veritable villa of vendor booths dotted the perimeter of the gathering, with each tent in a configuration built by a different brand from the Oregon Cannabis industry. Some showed off premier products, some had fun swag to give away and some sought to provide an elevated or unique experience for guests dressed up in their Samhain finest. Crowd favorite and e-rig developer Dr. Dabber (@drdabber) teamed up with Leaf Bowl award winner Arise Cannabis (@ arisecannabis) to create a dab bar activation experience. Set up in the central pavilion, the duo spent the evening showcasing strains like Sour Diesel and Garlic Juice out of high-tech electronic smoking devices. The pairing was spine-tinglingly stellar — the quartz inserts and terps went together better than campsite serial killers and hockey masks. Buddies Brand (@buddiesbrand_official) dished out foggy vape-accino cups, Keef (@keefbrands) hosted a Bong Pong table with its iconic soft drinks and Willamette Valley Alchemy (@willamettevalleyalchemy) had guests lining up to drop discs at the top of a Plinko game board a la “The Price is Right.” The sheer caliber of sights, sounds and smells to explore was downright batty — a howling good time. Producers like HQ Farms (@hqfarmspdx), Urban Canna (@theurbancanna) and Taylor Sift (@taylorsiftoffical) brought a lineup of fresh jars for attendees to stick their nose in and really assess up close and personally. HQ’s Arctic Gummiez, Urban Canna’s Gas Cream Runtz and Taylor Sift’s Melted Strawberries were just a few of the many standout cultivars throughout the night, but every producer present at the event brought out some supernatural-grade bangers. // STORY CONTINUES NEXT PAGE

STORY by JAMIE OWENS @PNW_CHRONIC710 for @OREGONLEAF | PHOTOS by BONNIE BROOKS @THECANNAVVITCH See more photos at LeafMagazines.com

rehashed

C O NTI NUED FR O M P RE VI O U S PA GE

Halloweird 2026

Awards BEST BUDTENDER COSTUME DEVILED EGGS

BEST COSTUME

1) ICE KING 2) MARIO AND PRINCESS 3) MOM’S SPAGHETTI RUNNER-UP: NASCAR ZOMBIES

STONIEST COSTUME

STONE COLD STEVE AUSTIN

BEST HAUNTED BOOTH TRUTH DISPENSARY

BEST BRANDED BOOTH LOOT BAR

PRESENTING SPONSORS

KEEF BRANDS @KEEFBRANDS DR. JOLLY’S @DRJOLLYSOREGON

EXPERIENCE SPONSOR

TREASURE VALLEY CANNABIS COMPANY @THE_REAL_TVCC

HOSPITALITY SPONSOR

TRUTH DISPENSARY @TRUTHDISPO.503

E-RIG SPONSOR

DR. DABBER @DRDABBER

leafmagazines.com

CREATURES AND CREATIVITY

S CA RY MO N S T E RS ( A N D T RO P H I E S )

As per usual, Cannabis-related amenities weren’t the only attraction at Halloweird. This year’s festivities brought in a mobile tattoo bus, Inkbus Tattoo (@inkbustattoo), where guests could get a permanent spooky souvenir on their skin. Attendees were also joined by Leaf event alumni, Bread Truck Records (@breadtruckrecords), a mobile record store stacked with displays upon displays full of popular vinyl. The culinary options were plentiful, with Nacheaux (@nacheauxpdx), Fat Kid Food Co. (@fatkidfoodco), Zaddys (@zaddyspdx) and Mobile Scoop Shop serving up a smorgasbord of fun fare (@themobilescoop_icecreamcaterer). From rib-eye chopped cheeses and overthe-top burgers to vegan street noodles and ice-cream cones, the impromptu food-cart pod had a munchie selection robust enough to feed the most ravenous crowd of undead, or unfed, stoners. A makers corner was set up by the food trucks, featuring local artists and craftspeople showing off their wares. Robin & Wick Candle Co. (@robinandwick) had handmade candles in a variety of themed scents, Mousehouse Edibles (@mousehouse.pdx) sold nonmedicated pumpkin cheesecake pops made to look like tiny ghosts and glass artist Solari Moonveil (@solari.moonveil) displayed intricate millefiori marbles, some of which were faceted to look like precious gems. An authentically bizarre bazaar, the macabre lineup was stacked with talented creators.

nov. 2026

As the night progressed, Leaf Magazines Editor Wes Abney presented awards in various festive Halloween categories, including Best Budtender Costume, Best Stoner Costume, Best Overall Costume, Best Branded Booth, Best Haunted Booth and Best Branded Pumpkin. Of note, this year represented the first Halloweird canned-food drive, with event sponsor Dr. Dabber providing a new Switch2 e-rig for participants to potentially win. After a few competitive rounds of Rock, Paper, Scissors, one very lucky winner walked away with the sweetest of Halloween treats. In terms of impact and cultural relevance, the party reigns high above like a coven’s supreme. The sheer magnitude of attendance alone transcends any other Halloween bash by stoney proportions, with the Oregon Cannabis community consistently showing up in a major way. An indescribable amount of appreciation to the attendees, sponsors, vendors and every single person who makes Halloweird the special spooktacular it is every year. When it comes down to it, none of this is possible without each and every individual who supports Oregon Leaf and Leaf Magazines and believes in this amazing community we all get to share. “Fangs” for a phenomenal night of fog-filled fun. Until next year, readers beware: You’re in for a scare.

Vendors ALTA GARDENS @ALTA.GARDENS ARISE CANNABIS @ARISECANNABIS BLACK SHEEP CULTIVATION @BLACKSHEEPCULTIVATION BONSAI FARMS @BONSAI.FARMS BRIDGETOWN @TAKEITEASY.CANNA BUDDIES BRAND @BUDDIESBRAND_OFFICIAL CROWN B ALCHEMY @CROWNBALCHEMY DOUGIE BLUNT @DOUGIEBLUNT ELECTRIC LETTUCE @ELECTRICLETTUCE.OR ESSENTIALS CANNABIS @ESSENTIALS_CC FEEL GOOD @FEELGOODSOREGON FIRE DEPT. CANNABIS @FIREDEPT.OREGON FOCUS NORTH GARDENS @FOCUSNORTHGARDENS GRON @EATGRON HIGHER CULTURES @HIGHERCULTURES HQ FARMS @HQFARMSPDX KAPRIKORN @KAPRIKORN_OREGON LOOT BAR VAPE @LOOTBARVAPE MEDICINE FARM @MEDICINEFARM MULE EXTRACTS @MULETHC NORTHWEST OIL TECH @NORTHWESTSOILTECH PORTAL 503 @PORTAL503PDX RETREATS @RETREATS_WVA SESSIONS @SESSIONSCANNABISEXTRACT TAYLOR SIFT @TAYLORSIFTOFFICIAL TEMPLE GENETICS @TEMPLEGENETICS THE DOPE DEPOT @THE_DOPE_DEPOT_ TJ’S ARCANNA @TJSARCANNA URBAN CANNA @THEURBANCANNA WILLAMETTE VALLEY ALCHEMY @WILLAMETTEVALLEYALCHEMY WYLD @WYLD YAMBA JUNK @YAMBA.JUNK

STORY by JAMIE OWENS @PNW_CHRONIC710 for @OREGONLEAF | PHOTOS by BONNIE BROOKS @THECANNAVVITCH See more photos at LeafMagazines.com

HUMBOLDT SEED COMPANY’S NEW PEACH EMOJI HAS US DROOLING THE YEAR OF THE PEACH-SMELLING TERPENES RAMPS TO A FINALE

WE’VE ALWAYS been fans of stone fruit — the riper, the better! As we near the end of 2026 and review the year’s trends, it’s clear we’ve been having an era of the peach. The fresh-freezing and solventless processing of flowers into hash unlocked huge, fresh, new fruit flavors that otherwise die in the drying room. Virtually every fruit flavor can be found on a good hash shelf, and, shocker, hash heads drool for peach candy. Rounding out this year of peach genetics is the latest from the industry-leading Humboldt Seed Company: Peach Emoji. You can see the team driving at mucho peach terpenes that also yield tons of hash. They got there with CHA Genetics’ Grilled Peach, magnified by the hashers Papaya, TallyMon and Honey Banana crossed with UK Cheese. This wasn’t a one-and-done project. HSC founder and CEO Nat Pennington bred the Peach Emoji to itself twice, which is called “selfing.” They also selfed their strain Honey Bear three times in this project. “It took us a while to feel like we could confidently say that this strain is just peach candy,” Pennington said. The result is weed that smells like peach ring candy and peach pie on the branch. Make hash from it and expect this expansive, artificial peach taste PEACH EMOJI with hints of schnapps and vanilla. “It doesn’t taste like a real peach. When Cannabis imitates something, it’s often the flavoring version of it. It smells like a bottle of cheap peach schnapps or Dollar Tree peach rings,” Pennington said. The 70% sativa revs smokers up, HASH PLATTER while the strain itself doesn’t take that long to finish. HSC doesn’t add problem MORE PEACH BUZZ HSC'S children to its lengthy roster. Peach HSC’s Peach Emoji helps close out an NAT PENNINGTON Emoji is a vigorous plant that deTAKES A PHENO epic year of tight peach terps all around. HUNT BREAK IN velops tall, frosty, green Over in Oakland, California, “It took us a while Purple City Genetics pumped THE SHADE. spears with purple freckles and big bracts. to feel like we could out Moroccan Peaches crosses confidently say It finishes as fast as anything else despite the in its El Krem hasher line. The that this strain is sativa profile — about 50-60 days indoors and standouts included Habibi (Z x between Sept. 25 and Oct. 5 outdoors. just peach candy.” Moroccan Peaches), released For the cash croppers, the company states at Clonetopia in May. that Peach Emoji hits 34%-40% THC, performs Staefli Genetics’ Mewell indoors and outdoors and is a dual-use plant capable ga-Peaches, grown by Neukom Family of producing flower or hash. Farm and washed by Fire King, had We saw the hash obsession from the brand at the Oct. dabbers making the goon face during San 3-4 Puffcon Block Party in downtown Los Angeles. AlongFrancisco Hash Week in July. side their seeds, the HSC crew was dabbing people out Down in Compton, California, Masonic from a custom six-pack of hash flavors they had processed Seed Company released Mase and the from their own material. Giant Peach (Peach Limeade x Tropicanna Look out for three more cultivars from HSC in the fourth F2). quarter of 2026: Cloud Candy, based on its 2025 star, Colorado’s Bloom Seed Co. really owns Candy Hustle, as well as Hawaiian Papayaz, also bred with the peach hash game with Peach Guava hash in mind. Lastly, expect a third Bob Marley Family strain (Peach OZ x Pure Guava) and Peach Pinein the lineup — they’re locking in the name as of press time. apple (Peach OZ x Pomelo Punch 5).

HSC'S HALLE PENNINGTON SMELLS THE FLOWERS

HUMBOLDT SEED COMPANY

perspective leafmagazines.com

FIRE FOLLOWER

Award-winning journalist/author and former Leafly Senior Editor David Downs’ monthly genetics intelligence dispatch.

NOV. 2026

THE HSC CREW DURING A 2025 PHENO HUNT

International brand name Doja also showed its Peach Tree (Gelonade x P41) crop going straight to fresh-frozen. As we noted last month, Grounded Genetics of Amsterdam has Maracuya (Zwisher x Peach Guava) and its own Peach Guava (Peach Limeade x Key Lime Guava). Online, Aficionado Seeds dared to list a $20,000 Peach Tree clone this year that was super loud in the bag and featured unabashedly green buds. And at Puffcon 2026, we chatted with Terphogz’ Tony Mendo, who is excited to be working on a project that crosses Pineapple Lemon Superboof with Peach OZ. NOV. 2026 POT FARMER’S ALMANAC Finish drying, and begin curing and trimming the outdoor crop. Make bubble hash. Press rosin. Plan a harvest party. Plant a cover crop. Full Beaver Moon: Nov. 24, 2026.

HUMBOLDTSEEDCOMPANY.COM @THEHUMBOLDTSEEDCOMPANY

STORY & PHOTOS by DAVID DOWNS @DAVIDDOWNS for LEAF NATION

Ellen Holland is a San Francisco Bay Area-based freelance writer, the former editor of High Times

perspective

and the author of multiple books, including "Weed: Smoke It, Eat It, Grow It, Love It" (2024).

One of the tropes in Cannabis culture is that there’s nothing like growing your own flowers. Well, this isn’t true for me.

ED ROSENTHAL’S LEAFMAGAZINES.COM

LOW-MAINTENANCE GROW To be honest, although I’ve grown a few plants, I never

got hooked on growing weed. Making Cannabis journalism my career has meant that oftentimes great Cannabis comes my way, and because I roll in a group of master cultivators, their weed is often exceptional, while mine is always so-so. Because of this, I didn’t grow my own crop this year, or at least I thought I wasn’t going to … until now.

NOV. 2026

MY MAIN MENTOR in the weed game is horticulture expert and author Ed Rosenthal. I’ve known Rosenthal for years and worked on several books with him. Beyond that, we are neighbors and see each other socially quite often. Rosenthal is always experimenting in his home grows, trying to see what techniques work best for growing Cannabis. One year, he turned his plants on their sides to see if he could get more lateral branches stretching toward the sun rather than grow big top colas. Last year, he was working on growing plants with single stems. These plants had almost no branches and produced one main line of buds. The idea is that the single-stem plants are easier to harvest and have a faster turnaround time because they spend less time in the vegetative stage.

This year, Rosenthal popped some autoflower seeds and started experimenting with how minimally he could work with them so they would produce flowers. His home greenhouse setup includes five hours of supplemental LED lighting, an aerated plastic trash can filled with water and nutrients, 3-gallon pots filled with clay pebbles on the bottom and soil on top and a heated water reservoir beneath the pots that lets the plants draw water as needed. The plants are covered in panda plastic white side up to prevent insects, keep the containers cool and stop water from evaporating. There was one snag in his plan this year, though. Rosenthal has been on a quest to relegalize Cannabis in India, a place where he has formative memories from his younger days, and set off on a long trip “... Plants have been around for hundreds of at the beginning of October. That’s where I come in; I’m millions of years, and set to give the plants 2 quarts they did pretty well of water a week and watch without humans.” them for about a month to see when they are ready to harvest. Then, I’ll have to harvest, dry, cure and trim them. In exchange, Rosenthal said I can keep most of the buds. “The plants take care of themselves,” Rosenthal said while giving me the instructions for the setup. “The lights go on every day, and I give them about five hours of extra light, and then they do the rest themselves. It’s up to them.” This low-maintenance setup is designed to minimize daily human involvement. The seeds were started in Rockwool cubes around late August or early September. The clay pebbles act like a wick, drawing water up from the reservoir below through capillary action, like a tissue pulls water from a glass. “A lot of people like to take care of their plants every day and think that plants need their help, but plants have been around for hundreds of millions of years, and they did pretty well without humans,” Rosenthal said. “And so, as long as they get the requirements met — enough light, enough nutrients, enough water, enough air for the roots — they can take care of themselves. This shows that they don't really need human love and, you know, caresses.” Rosenthal told me that next year he might replace my role watering the plants once a week by using the force of gravity. It feels like a blow to have my labor replaced by a natural phenomenon, but I understand. It’s all part of making growing Cannabis easier for all of us. By next year, I’m sure Rosenthal will be trying other methods of growing as part of his never-ending project to grow pot in the simplest way. And, this year, that involves recruiting me as a somewhat reluctant Cannabis cultivator. In the end, Rosenthal and I will probably have some weed to smoke. And, who knows, maybe the simplicity of the setup will help me finally fall in line with one of his most famous quotes: “Marijuana may not be addictive, but growing it is.” EDROSENTHAL.COM @EDROSENTHAL420

STORY & PHOTO by ELLEN HOLLAND @HOLLANDBUDS for LEAF NATION

Quick Hit

perspective

Former San Diego Magazine Managing Editor Jackie Bryant joins Leaf Nation to imagine the future of the Cannabis industry.

41% more items per bag on Green Wednesday compared to Ordinary Wednesday (OW) 12% higher ticket per customer on GW vs. OW 21% lower price per item paid on GW vs. OW 84% of GW customers were months-long returning customers 8% of GW customers were new shoppers

A familiar dispensary has its advantages when you’re trying to get through a shopping list. You can spend an absurd amount of time comparing menus, especially when every flower description seems to promise a life-changing experience. Knowing where to find something you like saves some homework. And there’s a small, specific pleasure in spotting a discount on a product you were already prepared to pay full price for. Plenty of the shopping happened early. Activity during the 8 a.m. hour nearly tripled compared with an ordinary Wednesday, according to Sweed’s analysis. Pickup accounted for just over half of Green Wednesday orders, up from about 44%. The holiday was well underway before the after-work crowd arrived. “You can spend an Those numbers suggest a WHO’S BUYING WHAT, ACCORDING TO SWEED absurd amount of time place for the dispensary in the Thanksgiving errand comparing menus, run, with an order waiting to especially when every REEN WEDNESDAY gives buying weed the be collected between other works out to an average price per item about flower description respectable air of getting ready for comobligations. 21% lower, reflecting both prices and the mix seems to promise pany. The long weekend is coming, and I find that fairly endearing. of products people bought. Shoppers took a life-changing restocking the stash gets to share a to-do Buying weed can occupy the home substantially more without increasing list with buying potatoes. This year, the same mundane corner of life their spending by nearly as much. experience.” dispensary shopping holiday falls on Nov. 25, the as remembering coffee for I’d happily use that kind of purchasing day before Thanksgiving. I would happily volunteer the next morning. The pleapower to buy more flower I already love. to handle that errand. sure comes later; right now, you’re checkA discount also makes an unfamiliar grower a little A sale on something you already enjoy has obviing something off a list. Getting a good easier to take a chance on. ous appeal during a week when the grocery bill can price makes the stop a little more satisfying, There’s room for some curiosity here. The trouble starts get obscene. Of course, a dispensary promotion can especially with a long weekend ahead. when the offer does all the choosing: buying several also send you home with several things you had no My ideal Green Wednesday would end products you barely want to qualify for a deal on the one intention of buying. Suddenly, getting a deal involves with something I’m excited to smoke and you came for. At some point, you’re paying to help clear spending more money than you planned, and you’re enough left in the budget for everything a shelf. explaining the purchase to yourself with arithmetic else. I’d like to get home feeling pleased The people filling those carts had some history with the that would embarrass you under other circumstances. with the purchase, without having to explain stores. Sweed found that 84% of Green Wednesday shopSome transaction data from dispensary software to myself why I needed four extra things to pers had first purchased there more than 100 days earlier. company Sweed offers a glimpse of what actually save money on the first one. There are still New customers made up about 8% of shoppers. happens at checkout. In the stores the company potatoes to buy. The holiday crowd was largely made up of people analyzed, 2025 Green Wednesday orders contained returning to a business they had already tried, which is 41% more items than on an ordinary Wednesday, unsurprising to me, but I think it may surprise industry SWEEDPOS.COM while average spending per order rose 12%. That marketers who bank on new consumers constantly. @GETSWEED

THE THANKSGIVING WEED RUN

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nov. 2026

STORY by JACKIE BRYANT @JACQBRY | ILLUSTRATIONS by ADOBE STOCK

in memoriam

JANUARY 27, 1970 - OCTOBER 16, 2026

Joy Beckerman Joy Beckerman lived a life exemplified by her name, spreading cheer and using her natural gifts of kindness and influence throughout her storied career as a hemp and Cannabis activist.

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MY FAVORITE MEMORY of Joy is at Olympia Hempfest, although I have countless memories of her at the iconic Seattle Hempfest, where she organized and spread her special brand of cheer and activism relentlessly. The moment I remember is Joy running a booth by herself, a white tent in the shadow of the state Capitol dome stuffed with different goods and products made from hemp. She had soaps, cooking oil, motor oil, clothes and so many food items, all made from the plant that was so versatile and useful, it’d been made illegal 100 years before, catching Cannabis up with it. Her booth was a little store where nothing was for sale, and every piece had a story attached of how hemp was involved. She even lugged around a chunk of hempcrete, which is a most amazing and natural form of concrete — made by mixing hemp hurds, lime and water — that is mold and microbial resistant, can’t burn, is extremely breathable and durable as a construction material and lasts for centuries. Joy would approve of this educational aside. Why I love Joy and this memory is that she wasn’t getting paid to be at the state Capitol. She’d accumulated all the items herself over 30-plus years of activism, loading a car and driving from event to event, spreading the truth about hemp the way a traveling missionary would. She cared so much about the plant — and making the world better — that she would stand publicly and proclaim it to anyone within earshot, never selling anything or asking for donations. If ever there was a pure and true spirit of activism for the plant, Joy was certainly a shining example.

The term “tireless advocate” should have a picture of her beaming next to it, for her smile lit up a room, and it was her energy above all that drew people in to learn about hemp.

nov. 2026

Joy was a smiling rebel who opened a hemp store in Woodstock, New York, in the early ’90s and received a visit from the Secret Service in 1994 for stamping “I grew hemp” on dollar bills next to George Washington’s face. Far from arresting her, the freedom fighter was advised to use a specific type of ink for her free speech activities, and she continued stamping “legalize it” and “lower taxes” on bills for years despite the threat of arrest. Joy’s energy was contagious, and she spread the vibe everywhere she went, activating others and earning awards and recognition along the way, including the Hemp Industries Association’s 2019 Lifetime Achievement Award, the 2014 National Hemp Activist of the Year Award, the Cannabis Women’s Alliance’s 2016 Outstanding Contribution Award and Seattle Hempfest’s 2016 Outstanding Cannabis Activist Award. She was an advocate for hemp before it became hip for the purest of reasons: saving the Earth! Joy inspired my own deep dive into the usefulness of hemp, which can replace and improve upon so many petrochemical plastic or synthetic products. Even as Cannabis was being legalized, and so many activists were high on the potential of THC, myself included, Joy was there to ground us in the potential of the movement and remind us that we can celebrate medicine and Cannabis, but hemp can change how the world works and runs. She cared so much about people and this planet that she spent her life trying to improve both with plant medicine and resources. We spent many sunny afternoons at various weed events, where I would be peddling the Leaf, others would be selling their newest high hopes and weed and Joy would always be on mission. The term “tireless advocate” should have a picture of her beaming next to it, for her smile lit up a room, and it was her energy above all that drew people in to learn about hemp. When she opened her hemp store in Woodstock in the ’90s, the plant was illegal, and all the hemp products she sold were imported from European or Asian countries where the plant was allowed to grow. Amazingly, Joy lived to see fields of hemp planted all over America, the legalization of Cannabis and the restoration of a crop that helped build this country and the human species itself. Joy is certainly resting peacefully knowing that hemp roots are in the ground, but I hear her calling on us to continue the activism she began decades ago. We’ve planted the seeds, but the work to change the world isn’t done, and her torch is still lit, waiting to inspire and ignite the next generation of activists. Joy came to a Leaf event earlier this year, and as we spoke about life, growth and love of the plant, she told me that she wasn’t scared of what was to come. I spoke of God’s love for her, of eternal life in heaven, and the peace she emanated in return filled me not with sadness, but with the very feeling her name embodied. As she shared a sense of satisfaction of a life well lived, the progress of the Cannabis plant and industry and her own journey reaching the end of one destination and the beginning of another, she had no fear. As she was here on Earth, and I’m sure she is today in heaven, Joy lived up to her name in every single way.

STORY by WES ABNEY @BEARDEDLORAX @NWLEAF | PHOTOS COURTESY & FACEBOOK See more photos at LeafMagazines.com

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SENSIBLE CANNABIS COMPANY Opened in 2016, Sensible Cannabis has served customers in Medford and southern Oregon for a decade. Current owners Jaxon Roberts and Jeffrey Ignoffo bought the brick-and-mortar store in 2018 and began expanding in the years that followed. They opened a second dispensary in Portland’s Hollywood district in 2021, a third in downtown Portland in 2022 and a fourth in Milwaukie at the end of 2024. Talk about exponential growth!

SENSIBLE CANNABIS 3338 N. PACIFIC HIGHWAY, MEDFORD SENSIBLECANNABISCOMPANY.COM 8 A.M.-10 P.M. MONDAY-SATURDAY 9 A.M.-9 P.M. SUNDAY (541) 816-4210

nov. 2026

W H AT S E T S S E N S I B L E C A N N A B I S A PA R T, A N D H O W H AV E T H E Y B U I LT T H E M O M E N T U M T O OPEN SO MANY STORES?

A FEW SHOP FAVORITES

“We’ve always had a slogan of affordable quality because we want people to have access to high-quality products, as well as knowledgeable customer service and passionate staff,” Roberts explained. Sensible Cannabis boasts a farmto-store model where customers can shop for a range of products produced in-house: Pacific NW Farms for flower, Legacy Extracts for extracts and Sensible Cannabis itself for vaporizer cartridges. The idea is that farm- and lab-direct products let the dispensary offer better pricing, with the savings passed on to the customer. While the in-house brand is predictably one of the most popular in the store, Sensible Cannabis also stocks a range of Oregon producers, including Benson Arbor, Entourage Cannabis, Mule Extracts, Highly Cultivated and Resin Ranchers. In terms of metrics, flower makes up about 50% of the sales, while value items like $10 cartridges make up the next-largest segment of purchases. Around harvest time in the fall, the store discounts all Pacific NW flower and prerolls by half from the previous year to move older products and make room for the newest drops. “We try to make sure everything on the shelf is fresh as possible,” Roberts pointed out. In terms of the shopping experience, Sensible Cannabis puts a large amount of energy into prioritizing customer service through budtender education and a person-first model of care. Finding knowledgeable and passionate staff is a task at hand in modern Cannabis retail, but the owners at Sensible Cannabis work hard to retain experienced staff. “We try to make sure our staff is well-versed in all of our products and offerings, as well as understanding the health benefits of the products we carry,” Roberts noted. “We want them to be able to work with individual customers to figure out what products might best suit their personal needs.” Despite an extremely competitive market in terms of pricing and quality, Sensible Cannabis has managed to maintain customer happiness across the state by just keeping things, well, sensible. Sensible in terms of price, sensible in terms of selection and sensible in terms of customer service. For a direct-from-the-farm experience delivered by passionate staff at an affordable price, it’s worth checking out a more Sensible option. SENSIBLECANNABISCOMPANY.COM

STORY by JAMIE OWENS @PNW_CHRONIC710 for @OREGONLEAF | PHOTOS by TONY SIMONELLI @SIMONELLITONY See more photos at LeafMagazines.com

For use only by adults 21 and older. Keep out of reach of children. Do not drive a motor vehicle while under the influence of marijuana.

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For use only by adults 21 and older. Keep out of reach of children. Do not drive a motor vehicle while under the influence of marijuana.

concentrate of the month

CASBAH HASH

TRADITIONAL PRESSED HASH

WATERMELON

GELATO Our Concentrate of the Month is none other than Watermelon Gelato, a delightful cross of Watermelon Zkittlez and Gelato #45 bred by Lit Farms and cloned by Archive Portland.

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GROWN BY Herbington Farm and processed by their in-house line, Casbah Hash, this single-source, solventless concentrate is a prime example of traditional hashish production converging with modern technique. Entire plants are dried out to cure, with extra care taken to preserve trichome integrity. Afterward, the full-spectrum flower is washed in an ice-water bath to separate matured resin from the plant material. Only trichomes in the 90μm range are kept at the end of the process. The extracted resin is then placed in a freeze dryer to vaporize any moisture from the product. After lyophilization, or freeze-drying, the material is compressed at a specific pressure level to isolate it from oxidation and left to cure at room temperature for around three months. The product becomes incredibly stable. The procedure allows myrcene present in the concentrate to naturally reorganize into hashishene, a monoterpene that gives traditional hashish its iconic smell and flavor. The hashishene lends a nebulous, incense-like, earthy myrrh aroma to the expression. The overall fragrance is deep, rich and bewitchingly balmy in a way that soothes the senses. A bright overtone of watermelon permeates the profile, while a subtle, slightly bitter zest hovers just outside the periphery like a rind encasing the scent. When the hashish is pulled apart or broken down, a sweeter, candy-tinged melody reveals itself, suffusing anything and everything the hash touches.

THIS OFFERING IS UNDENIABLY TANTALIZING TO THE TASTE BUDS. CASBAHHASH.COM @CASBAHHASH @LITFARMSFLOWER @LITFARMS_SEEDS

NOV. 2026

Initially faint with nuanced notes of petrichor and camphor, the flavor quickly crescendos across layers of warm sugar, vanilla and tropical fruit that coalesce atop the taste buds. The concentrate produces a textured sensation of sweetness and citric acid that coats the tip of the tongue after each hit. Whether it’s used as a bowl topper, rolled up in a joint or smashed between two red-hot knives fresh off a kitchen burner, this offering is undeniably tantalizing to the taste buds. The effect is fairly sedating overall, generating a blissful feeling of relaxation and calm that radiates through the body. It is a long-lasting, physiologically heavy high that is fairly intoxicating and borderline psychedelic in the right dosage. It also serves as a significant sleep aid when consumed before bed. While concentrates can sometimes provide a fleeting, flash-in-the-pan experience, the hashish produced by Casbah seems to stand as a hallmark of medicinal efficacy, likely as a result of the intentional work they put into maintaining the integrity of their resin. When it comes down to it, traditional hash is a product that is underproduced and, oftentimes, underdelivered. Casbah has set itself apart by taking the time to create exactly what Oregon consumers are looking for: the real deal medicine that ages like fine wine or, perhaps more appropriately in this case, like fine hashish.

STORY by JAMIE OWENS @PNW_CHRONIC710 for @OREGONLEAF | PHOTO by TERPODACTYL MEDIA @TERPODACTYL_MEDIA

EST. 2014 OREGON BORN. OREGON GROWN. OREGON OWNED.

glass art spotlight

DAVID EXELBY

XLB GLASS David Exelby is one of the most down-toearth people you’ll ever meet. Funny thing is, when he’s not on the torch, his job takes him way off the ground. Come along and learn more about this professional arborist, also known as XLB Glass.

28 WHEN DID YOU GET STARTED ON THE TORCH? The first time I started working on the torch, I was 21 years old. At the time, I was staying in a 1968 Gillig Brothers school bus. There was a lampworking studio on the other side of the driveway. I was still working full time for a glass artist in Mukilteo making garden art. I would come home from the hot studio and get on the torch and work until I couldn’t see straight. I did this for about one year before I switched to working on the torch full time.

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WHAT AND WHO INSPIRED YOU? I would say the what of my inspiration would be nature. I have always been inspired by the colors of shapes found naturally in our environment. As far as who has been an inspiration to me, I would have to say it would be my friend Sam Alderson. WE KNOW YOU HAVE A LOT OF DEDICATION TO YOUR FAMILY AND HOME LIFE; TELL US MORE ABOUT THAT. Yes, family is very important to me. My wife and I have five children total. We just welcomed our newest addition this September. Heidi did work on the torch with me during the first year I had my business running. She was a huge help in getting my product on the shelves and social marketing for me. In the early years, when I was still peddling, my oldest son would often ask if he could carry my case filled with pendants and nonfunctional glass. It was a way for him to feel involved in the family business.

nov. 2026

WHAT’S YOUR GO-TO TORCH SETUP? Right now, my go-to torch is a GTT Phantom two-stage with a foot pedal. I also run a Smith mini torch, and I believe it is a Hornet Tip on that guy. I am ready for an upgrade to something with a little more firepower, maybe a GTT Mirage. WHERE CAN PEOPLE FIND YOUR PIECES OR CONTACT YOU FOR CUSTOM/MEMORIAL ARTWORK? I have an Instagram and a Facebook. That is the best way for people to reach out to commission any custom work. @XLBGLASS FB.COM/XLBGLASS

COURTESY

YOUR FUNCTIONAL WORK SPEAKS FOR ITSELF. CAN YOU TELL US MORE ABOUT THE MEMORIAL PIECES YOU’VE BEEN WORKING ON? As much as I love and enjoy making functional glass art, I found a much deeper satisfaction in providing memorial pieces for people who have lost loved ones. When I was 18, my older brother passed away unexpectedly. I held onto his ashes for quite a few years before I felt confident enough to try. I still remember the emotional charge and electricity running through my body the first time I worked with ashes.

“As much as I love and enjoy making functional glass art, I found a much deeper satisfaction in providing memorial pieces for people who have lost loved ones.” -David Exelby

STORY & PHOTOS by REX HILSINGER @BOROPHOTO for LEAF NATION

elevate your fate

HARVESTING REVOLUTION THE RISE OF THE PEOPLE’S MOVEMENT

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Can you feel it: the tremor beneath the headlines, the fierce insistence that a better world is possible? As we witness the People’s Movement rise across borders, I ask the question: What are you doing with this moment of awakening? AS A RISING INDIGENOUS SOUL, my first instinct in times of great change is to look toward the heavens for reflection. As we welcomed 2026, astrologers anticipated February’s Aries, Saturn-Neptune conjunction as a threshold between dissolving structures and new beginnings. This echoes a larger astral movement underway: the passage from the Age of Pisces into the Age of Aquarius, a shift some astrologers associate with moving beyond rigid hierarchies and institutionalized separation and toward collective connection, humanitarianism and equality.

nov. 2026

I receive that symbolism as a call to action. What might humanity become if we measured abundance by the lives we nourish, the waters we protect and the dignity we defend? Here on our beautiful Grandmother Earth, answering that question requires our hands and feet collectively in motion. This harvest season, the most powerful thing we cultivate may be courage. In the U.S., the “No Kings” movement has carried that courage into streets, parks and town squares.

Organizers reported more than 8 million participants in the March 28 mobilization; solidarity demonstrations reached Europe. ACLED independently recorded more than 2,400 U.S. demonstrations and found over 99% to be peaceful. Their message is unmistakable; Americans resisting Donald Trump will not quietly accept what they see as tyranny and oligarchic rule. Democracy cannot belong to whichever billionaire can afford the loudest microphone. California’s Bay Area filled with protesters challenging immigration crackdowns and presidential power. Thousands marched through Seattle, temporarily closing city streets, while Portland’s waterfront swelled with demonstrators, with organizers estimating tens of thousands. Our neighbors are channeling outrage into passionate, peaceful action to defend one another and the U.S. Constitution. That demand for accountability also reaches local governance. On June 9, the Seattle City Council unanimously approved an emergency moratorium on Our shared applications for new humanity calls large data centers. us to defend Seattle Times journalist the dignity of Victor Menaldo argues the pause risks families whose sacrificing economic lives, homelands benefits. However, the and futures hang council’s concerns in the balance. about electricity Compassion must demand, water use and become action. neighborhood impacts deserve public scrutiny. For those of us who believe that “water is life,” this debate reaches beyond technology: Who benefits from development, who shoulders its burdens and how do we protect the generations still coming?

Across the great ocean, In an Oct. 26 report HOW TO USE France is experiencing its for The Eagle, Safia YOUR POWER own upheaval. According Malhotra described 1. Vote locally and nationally. to an article published Oct. hundreds marching outResearch candidates, and protect 24, 2026, on investing.com, side the U.S. Capitol on access to the ballot. Volunteer authorities counted 410,000 Oct. 10, with keffiyehs for door-to-door voter education demonstrators nationwide; draped over shoulders movements. the people’s unions claimed and Palestinian flags 2. Back Indigenous leadership. more. Students, workers and raised, “demanding Support Native sovereignty, yellow vest activists have freedom for Palestinians treaty enforcement and land challenged inequality, living and an end to U.S. back movements. costs and deteriorating public military aid to Israel.” 3. Organize peacefully. services. Student pressure The Palestinian Youth Join community groups, helped secure government Movement joined a public hearings and sustained commitments on school Global Day of Action campaigns. investment and admissions that Malhotra reported 4. Practice reciprocity. Support reform. encompassed more mutual aid, food gardens and Young people helped force than 250 protests habitat restoration. open doors; accountable across over 60 coungovernance must follow. tries. 5. Demand accountability. This statement rings true as “We’re here to Press officials on human rights, Serbia shows the world what demand an end to the environmental protections and equitable humanitarian reform. sustained organizing can genocide,” Anti-War achieve. Student-backed Committee DMV memcandidates defeated Aleksandar Vucic’s ber Katie Sayur told The Eagle. governing alliance in October after an anOur shared humanity calls us to ti-corruption movement was sparked. This defend the dignity of families whose was an echo from the Nepali March 2026 lives, homelands and futures hang in elections following the 2025 youth upristhe balance. Compassion must become ing, delivering a landslide to the Rastriya action. Swatantra Party. And so it is, OGs, as our cosmos In Brazil this past October, voters recontinues to shift into an era of deep elected President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, awakening and community resurrection, renewing hope for environmental and we are witnessing movements carried Indigenous activists, who have long been forward by the people, for the people. standing in protection of the great Amazon. They are collective, distinct, unfinished Associated Press journalist Gabriela Sá Pesand fully alive. These movements share soa reports Brazil’s Climate Observatory, a neither one ideology nor one finish line. nonprofit network containing 172 organizaFrom ballots to riverbanks, people are tions, hailed Lula’s reelection. cultivating accountability. “The goal of ending deforestation across As a Native woman and Cannabis Brazil’s biomes must be pursued relentlessstoryteller, I see harvest as reciprocity: ly,” the group said. tending what sustains us and leaving Indigenous defenders know vigilance nourishment for those still coming. Here cannot end at the ballot box. are a few ways that you can take an For Palestine, solidarity is a refusal to let active stance and rise with the harvest of human suffering become background noise. revolution — power to the people!

STORY by ANGELA-JORDAN AGUILAR @AJ.OG @ELEVATE_YOUR_FATE Photos by Akash Pamarthy @akashpamarthyphoto

garlic reserve Savory Funk Meets Creamy Gas Effects: Euphoric, Heavy, Full Body Relaxation Flavors: Garlic Funk, Diesel, Earthy Spice Aroma: Pungent Garlic, Heavy Gas, Earthy Funk Lineage: Octane Mint Sorbet x Garlicane

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There’s no kitten around with this month’s featured strain: Cat Scratch Fever from Gaia’s Ganja Garden. A combination of White Truffle and a three-way cross of Kush Mintz 11, Trop Cherry and Wedding Pie, this genetic is an amalgamation of epic proportions.

CAT SCRATCH FEVER

strain of the month THE harvest ISSUE the tannins & terpenes issue

nov. 2026

REVIEW by JAMIE OWENS @PNW_CHRONIC710 for @OREGONLEAF | PHOTO by TERPODACTYL MEDIA @TERPODACTYL_MEDIA

GAIA’S GANJA GARDEN

C U LT I VAT E D B Y

CAT SCRATCH FEVER has an expression that’s almost enigmatic in its layering: fruity, meaty, savory and gassy all at once, conjoining into this delectable little cluster-fluff of an aroma. The scent is initially grape forward with a deep undercurrent of savory earthiness that makes the mouth water from the first whiff onward. A background of cedar, pine and gasoline subtly frames the front end of the profile, while both the Wedding Pie and White Truffle in the lineage shine like a ray of sunlight through an afternoon window. Even so, the influence from the Kush Mintz and Trop Cherry in the cross can be discerned in everything from the flavor to the visual presentation. In terms of terpenes, the flower tests high in several uncommon analytes, like valencene, camphene, trans-nerolidol and farnesene, which help give the selection its distinct fragrance and flavoring. Trying to write a proper descriptor for this complex cultivar is akin to herding kittens, but in this case, the kittens are our individual taste buds. Still, the strain is best described as a blend of grape soda, red Kool-Aid powder and rendered beef tallow mixed with just a splash of tractor fuel. While the flavor Trying to write a initially starts more subdued and earthy, proper descriptor the expression for this complex grows stronger as the flower combusts cultivar is akin to and burns, bringing herding kittens ... on heavier notes of gas and savory zest with each hit. The smoke quality is remarkably smooth, making it an easy consumption experience on the lungs and throat. Cat Scratch Fever is practically stupefying in terms of the high. The onset is fast, almost instantaneous, and strikes anyone partaking harder than a mountain lion leaping out of a tree. It’s a blissfully expansive smoke with a powerful sensation that manifests in the forehead and quickly spreads throughout the rest of the body. While the cultivar can be relieving in terms of physical symptoms, the real strength of the experience comes from the intense and astonishing effect it creates cerebrally. Gaia’s Ganja Garden isn’t playing a game of cat and mouse when it comes to growing highgrade organic flower — this selection stands out for its uniqueness as much as its quality. For flavor and effect chasers searching for something new, Cat Scratch Fever might just be the new cat’s meow. @GAIASGANJAGARDEN

THE harvest ISSUE

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“I WAS INTRODUCED to small-scale light-

deprivation growing,” Hernandez explained. “I saw these beautiful quality flowers produced under the sun, and I was like, oh my goodness, there's a possibility to grow Cannabis that’s on par with indoor, but for a fraction of the cost and most importantly — a fraction of the environmental footprint.” After about two years, Hernandez moved back to Montana to start law school. When the Ogden Memorandum was released in 2009, dictating U.S. attorneys take a hands-off approach when it comes to enforcing federal regulations in states where Cannabis was medically or recreationally legal, Hernandez was faced with a difficult choice. “I said, OK, look, I can either continue law school and make a living, or I could just jump into what I've loved so much for so long: growing Cannabis,” he explained. “And that’s exactly what happened.” Hernandez became a caregiver, which allowed him to cultivate up to six plants per patient. In early 2010, he opened his first dispensary, Sweet Water Cannabis. The dispensary, however, was open for only a couple of months before earning the distinction of being one of the first legal dispensaries raided by the federal government. No charges could be filed at the state or federal level because Hernandez operated within regulatory guidelines. However, the raid still took down the business as he knew it. To keep honing his practice in cultivation, Hernandez moved back to Grass Valley, California, where he lived for four years while growing medicinally and running a delivery business for patients in need. In 2015, with recreational legalization in Oregon, he moved again, this time to reopen his dispensary. During the green rush, Hernandez struggled to find viable dispensary real estate, so he fell back on what he knew best: growing. After nearly 20 years of horticulture experience driven by a hunger for knowledge and surviving everything from an illegitimate federal raid to green rush-induced real estate crises, Hernandez found a picturesque property in Corvallis and established Fire Creek Farms in June 2016. Seeking to survive the market and some of the ups and downs that the coronavirus brought to the Oregon Cannabis industry, Hernandez ended up agreeing to work with a multistate Cannabis corporation on the East Coast in 2021. He helped manage operations in Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Vermont, Maryland and eventually Florida, where he oversaw 18 stores, 4 acres of outdoor, an acre of greenhouse and 1,300 indoor lights. “While it was enjoyable and exciting to work at that scale, I could not leave Oregon. My kids were raised here, and Oregon is just so special, so I knew my time was going to be limited within the corporation,” Hernandez articulated. “I figured, this is going to give me a good chance to come back home and to build the Fire Creek I've always wanted, which I always wanted it to be vertically integrated to a degree, or at least have a place to showcase our flower and our work.” This year, on April 22, Hernandez finally reopened his flagship dispensary, appropriately dubbed Fire Creek Farmacy, marking the most exciting chapter for the enterprise yet. // STORY CONTINUES NEXT PAGE

nov. 2026

FIRE CREEK FARMS WAS BORN FROM THE FLAMES of resilience and a decades-long pursuit of excellence. Originally from Billings, Montana, owner and Chief Strategy Officer Victor Hernandez grew his very first plant in 1997. He was inspired by the quality of Cannabis coming from British Columbia at the time, and Hernandez sought to learn as much as he could about cultivating the chronic as he continued to grow throughout the late ‘90s and early 2000s. In the mid-2000s, he moved to California, obtained a medical license and began honing his skills in outdoor cultivation.

FIRE CREEK FARMS

(L-R) CULTIVATION SPECIALISTS TYLER SPENCE AND CHRIS COSBY, AND CHIEF STRATEGY OFFICER VICTOR HERNANDEZ

STORY by JAMIE OWENS @PNW_CHRONIC710 for OREGON LEAF @OREGONLEAF| PHOTOS by DEREK KELLY @DS.VISIONSPHOTOGRAPHY See more photos at LeafMagazines.com

FIRE CREEK FARMS

THE harvest ISSUE

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FARM-TO-TABLE In terms of operational capacity, Fire Creek Farms is currently run by Victor Hernandez, his wife, Bridt Hernandez, and two cultivation employees. “We are a true mom-and-pop shop; my wife and I are out there doing the work every day. Our hands are dirty, and we’ve sacrificed a lot of summers to do this,” he explained. Running a light-deprivation farm means that May through October is the busiest time each year. They pull tarps at 7 p.m. each night and reposition them over the plants at 7 a.m. Consistency is paramount, and any deviation can throw off the overall growth cycle. Cultivation methodology is an important variable at Fire Creek Farms. When growing outdoors, particularly organically, multiple factors that can affect the integrity of the end product fall outside the farmer’s control. To address this, the team works hard to build a healthy ecosystem rich with biodiversity and harmonious living. “We start very, very clean,” Hernandez explained. “We don’t kill anything on our farm: no wasps, bees, nothing. We have learned that everything has its place, and it creates a symbiotic relationship. We spray nothing, we treat nothing. Throughout the course of life, the plant will never see anything outside of rainwater.” One huge benefit of light deprivation is that it helps achieve an earlier harvest, avoiding most of the bug and mold issues that tend to spike in mid-to-late October in a typical full-term, outdoor growth cycle. Because this method alters the photoperiod in Cannabis plants, it also lets you grow longer-flowering strains, like an 11-week GMO plant or a 12-week Honey Bananas crop, in shorter windows. Depending on the cultivar, however, figuring out how the flower grows best, or when it shows the best flavor under specific conditions, can be a balancing act. “The goal is always: How can I get the best flower in the middle of the summer? And then we really started digging in on expressions,” he said. “What is going to cultivate really well during the heat? What is going to cultivate really well during the latter part of the summer when it starts to get cold at night?” Like the harvest and selection process, drying and curing at Fire Creek Farms are tailored to each strain. Given environmental variables, like fluctuating weather and temperatures at the end of summer, there is no one-size-fits-all approach. “It’s not as simple as putting it into an SOP and saying, ‘Hey, it has to dry it for this amount of time under these parameters, and it will be like this all the time,’” he said. “While that can be frustrating on an operational business level, it’s part of what makes it the craft, if you ask me.”

FIRECREEKFARMACY.COM @FIRECREEKFARMACY @THEOFFICIALFIRECREEKFARMS

nov. 2026

HASH BURGER

MOTOR BREATH

QUICK HIT FARM LOCATION Corvallis

GROWING SPACE 17,500 square feet of light deprivation

STANDOUT CULTIVARS Sour Diesel (maintained since 2007), Blueberry Z, Blue Cheese, Honey Banana, Strawberry, GMO, Hashburger, Crunch Berries, Grape Gas and Wedding Pie.

DISPENSARY LOCATION 568 SW 3rd St., Corvallis, OR Monday-Saturday

TO VERTICAL INTEGRATION AND BEYOND With the addition of a dispensary this year, the Hernandezes have created an ideal outlet to curate and provide their products to the customer at affordable prices. While light-dep flower has always been the baseline of the business, Fire Creek Farms has expanded their output this season to include rosin, live resin and both regular and infused prerolls. Collaborations with Oregon brands like Subzero NW and Entourage Cannabis will also be available on shelves in-house and at select retailers across Oregon. “Just like we do with finding the flavor for our flower, we did the same thing with rosin and other products. For us, our goal is to make sure that when you see a jar from us, it is special, as unique as possible. We're not just growing it because it yields 3% or more,” Hernandez said. The effort to cultivate clean, exemplary products with minimal ecological impact highlights Hernandez’s commitment not only to the consumer, but to the environVICTOR HERNANDEZ Owner and Chief Strategy Officer ment we all share.

9 a.m.-7:45 p.m. Sunday 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m.

For someone who has been in the trenches of Cannabis growing since well before modern-day legalization, Hernandez finds a lot of reasons to be grateful. “I cannot tell you how much of a blessing it is to be in this industry. I've gone through all the trials and tribulations, so there's inherently a sense of owing the Cannabis community that I don't think I'll ever not have,” he said. “It's my duty to make sure I’m providing the best product and making sure that my plants are grown to the best capacity. I want to make sure that the flower I’m growing is providing relief both physically and financially for the people we serve.”

STORY by JAMIE OWENS @PNW_CHRONIC710 for OREGON LEAF @OREGONLEAF| PHOTOS by DEREK KELLY @DS.VISIONSPHOTOGRAPHY See more photos at LeafMagazines.com

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THE harvest ISSUE

HERBINGTON FARM

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TROPICANNA CHERRIES

DANTE’S INFERNO

nov. 2026

SLIM & LULU AND MAI TAI

WHEN WE USE TERMS LIKE HANDMADE,

HANDS ROLL JOINTS, TELL STORIES, SHAPE LIVES AND, IN THE CASE OF SLIM AND LULU, THEIR HANDS HAVE TOUCHED EVERY SINGLE PLANT AND ANIMAL ON THEIR FARM.

MAKING HASH

we imagine a couple like these two, working passionately together, the strength of their love adding to the value of the goods they produce. Indeed, the world is lucky these two chose hash and not a different artisanal craft, because theirs is a gift that can be rolled up, smoked and shared. “We grow trichomes, not a houseplant,” Slim said, laughing in his singsong French-tinged accent. “You want the puff that makes you lose your mind for a minute, and then be ok — that’s good.” Walking around the farm, handprints are everywhere, from the rows of hand-watered and hand-planted strains, to each building and even the little handmade bar for cheladas after work; all are a “secret to and a way of good life,” according to Slim. Only four hands have touched everything on this property, and as we smoke a hand-rolled joint amongst chickens, dogs and the sound of running water, the outside world melts away, and a fairytale-meets-weed garden vibe takes hold. “We chose to do quality everything, and we said, let’s not do flower, let’s do hash. I was born in France, but my culture is North African, and I grew up from the age of 11 smoking Amsterdam hash. When I moved here, I was missing it,” said Slim. “Oregon has pushed the level with the best rosin, the best resin, but traditional hash was missing. The old timers know what I’m talking about — bubble hash that’s then pressed and aged.” Aging and curing hash isn’t just a science meeting an art; it’s also a major part of what makes the hash taste right. “We call it a transformation of the terpenes. The terpenes are reorganizing and creating a different compound altogether. Which the scientific community has called the hashishene,” Slim said, referring to a rare monoterpene that is not found on the plant when grown. It only occurs when the terpene myrcene is aged and undergoes a chemical transformation into hashishene, which delivers the distinctly hashy-earthyspicy-clove-like aroma and adds to the entourage effect of the hash itself. “I have the nose for this because hash is all I know, and since I was born out of that, we are growing fresh frozen to hash, and we want to elevate the game,” he added. Looking around the property, which features a fresh, running stream, coops for chickens and meat rabbits, fruit trees and a homestead, delivers a glimpse of a traditional life, which is fitting for traditional hash makers. Everything that needs to be grown, cooked, fixed or built has been done by these two, who are from different parts of the world but met in the city of New York, fell in love and ended up in beautiful Southern Oregon. “We are a small army,” Lulu said. “But we’re strong. It’s in my DNA.” // STORY CONTINUES NEXT PAGE

DEATH STAR INFERNO

STORY by WES ABNEY @BEARDEDLORAX @OREGONLEAF | PHOTOS by REX HILSINGER @BOROPHOTO See more photos at LeafMagazines.com

HERBINGTON FARM

THE harvest ISSUE

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DEATH STAR INFERNO

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PUNCH BREATH

No strangers to hard work, the two harvest the same way they plant, together in the field, cutting down and hanging each plant with care. They dry the flower, cure it, then wash it into bubble hash, which gets washed in 10-pound batches that take four hours at a time. It’s this small-batch, craft focus that makes the hash so delicious and potent. “On some farms, you have workers doing all the work and the owners never come and see what’s going on,” Lulu said, turning to Slim. He added, “Owner means worker to us. We built everything ourselves. And we love being farmers. You know what’s good? 10 years later, you look around the property, and it’s just good memories. To remember that we did this is amazing.” Inside the hash-lab building that the two built themselves is a giant industrial chiller to start the water at 34 degrees, five-stage reverse osmosis filtering and a UV-light filter to ensure no microbial contamination. Then, Slim adds ice and 10 pounds of weed, he climbs up and he starts rolling the mixture with his paddle. He paddles for roughly 20 minutes, three times, plus a pre-paddle soak. But it’s never an exact science or amount of time, more of an art that he feels by watching the water,

nov. 2026

looking for foam and sensing when all the trichomes have been washed from the flower. Once extracted, dehydrated and pressed, each batch is cured for months at a time, cared for and tested by smoking until it has aged to perfection. “That’s the touch of the hash maker,” Slim said with a chuckle. “Luckily, I love smoking FUEL traditional hashish. GRENADE And I think Oregon is the best, the very best place in the world to grow Cannabis. I want Oregon to give the best hash, because the hash-maker capital used to be Amsterdam, it used to be Spain, and I think it’s moving here. If we want, we can become the mecca of the hash here.” Far from being scared of others making hash, Slim and Lulu want more attention and more hands washing buds each year, so that the culture and heritage of hashish continues into the future of Cannabis. “The more people who are exposed to hash, the more people will smoke it and try it,” Lulu said excitedly. “We have to educate people!” @HERBINGTONFARM

“WE GROW TRICHOMES, NOT A HOUSEPLANT,” SLIM SAID, LAUGHING IN HIS SINGSONG FRENCH-TINGED ACCENT. “ YOU WANT THE PUFF THAT MAKES YOU LOSE YOUR MIND FOR A MINUTE, AND THEN BE OK — THAT’S GOOD.”

HASH LAB

STORY by WES ABNEY @BEARDEDLORAX @OREGONLEAF | PHOTOS by REX HILSINGER @BOROPHOTO See more photos at LeafMagazines.com

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THE harvest ISSUE

RIDGELINE RESERVE RISING HIGH ABOVE THE ROLLING HILLS OF SOUTHERN OREGON’S APPLEGATE VALLEY, a living-soil garden is perched on the literal mountain’s edge, thriving in a microclimate that’s more than just a name; it’s a vision of sustainable craft Cannabis. ALL OUTDOOR GARDENS are picturesque, but

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few are set in as unique a setting as Ridgeline Reserve. Climbing the dirt roads to the farm pushed our truck and trailer to the limit. Then we got in a farm truck for the real steep climb, squinting at the back of the front-seat passengers' heads as we crawled up a serious grade to reach the ridge. Other than power for cameras and pumps to move water, the raw ridge hasn’t been landscaped or altered in any way. The areas where plants thrive in dirt were cleared naturally by fire and storms, as evidenced by the trees interspersed with Cannabis plants. The soil is loaded with natural minerals like gold and dissolved quartz, with a significant herd of wild deer roaming over the 100-acre property, their presence seen on a few nibbled plants from a gate being left open. But instead of being angry, it’s all good vibes with fauna and flora on the ridge — except for squirrels, for which a high-pitched alarm is triggered whenever we enter or leave a garden area. For owner and lead grower Mike Friedlander, preserving the natural environment is equally important to using the bounty of sun and soil to earn a living. “Cannabis is a tool that can be used to open people’s minds, to be more in tune with nature and what they put into their body. This plant is medicine; it’s the truth,” said Friedlander passionately, in an interview with the Leaf.

LEMON PASTIES

nov. 2026

MIKE FRIEDLANDER Owner & Lead Grower

APE CHEESE

SNOW SHERM

OLD FAMILY PURP

“I’ve studied a bit of plant science. We want to use sound horticultural processes and look out for the environment, to minimize our carbon footprint. We use solar panels for the majority of greenhouse electrical use, sourcing locally for compost and worm casting, using organic inputs, trying to minimize the amount of heavy metals that we introduce into the soil and have a good understanding of what’s going on in the soil in different stages of the plant's life.” Staying in tune with the plants from planting in spring through summer and into fall is a months-long process of watching, adjusting and repeating. “We search to elicit the response we are looking for, and get the plants to senescence without overloading them. With the right microclimate, we have a broader spectrum of varieties and can cast a broader net of strains and genetics, which gives us a variety of flavors for our rosin production. The regional advantages also allow for a late growing season, with plants on the upper ridge staying in the dirt until Thanksgiving,” Friedlander said. // STORY CONTINUES NEXT PAGE

STORY by WES ABNEY @BEARDEDLORAX @OREGONLEAF | PHOTOS by REX HILSINGER @BOROPHOTO See more photos at LeafMagazines.com

RIDGELINE RESERVE

THE harvest ISSUE

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BLUE NERDZ

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STAR DAWG

While being atop a ridge might seem exposed to the elements, it actually acts in the plants’ favor, creating a unique environment for outdoor Cannabis. “We’re in the rain shadow of the easternmost peaks in the Applegate Valley, so kinda like Rogue Brewing does hops in the rain shadow of Mount Hood, we’re in this micro-rain shadow. This region is good for depping and certain cultivars, and longer-flowering strains prefer it up on the ridge where they get all-day light. There are temp inversions at the end of the season, and so particular topography causes a heat dome atop the ridge that keeps it warm late into the year and helps elicit the response that we’re looking for, which is late light and a long season.” Growing in multiple places on the property allows for different cultivars to shine, be moved or be cut season by season, depending on which environment they like the most. “We have a nice greenhouse, and the upper and lower ridges, so we can look and determine what part of the property is best suited for that cultivar,” Friedlander explained. “I’d like to think that getting to know each plant is important. Certain strains I’ve been running for 10 years, and we’re only getting better at understanding

nov. 2026

their needs and how they want to be cultivated, and what their life cycle looks like. Where they’re planted, how they’re planted, planting density, how they’re supported and trestled and what water and their needs for irrigation are. Plus, understanding the plant life cycle and nutritional needs, because each strain is different.” While the ridge can support monster trees, this year, the Cannabis plants are all small-to-medium height by outdoor standards. With less surface area to grow, the plants are sticky and shiny with terps, with sweets and sours and gassy-funky deliciousness filling the air in each row. “Less weed is probably better weed, oftentimes. We’d like to think that more can be done just as well; it doesn’t tend to work out that way. It seems people are trying to fix a wheel that isn’t broken by growing indoors. Why are we trying to manipulate and change how the plant grows, when we can do better and be more in tune with the plant, hone our craft and be content with what we can get out of it instead of trying to push it too hard? That’s where things get out of balance, trying to

THE AUTHOR TAKES A SNIFF

do too much,” he pontificated while looking off into the distance. “Outdoors is how Cannabis was intended to be done. Nothing can outdo what has existed for thousands of years, and the flora and fauna and the influence on the plants grows the best medicine.” Friedlander stopped and looked off into the distance, and from his dusty truck to full sun gear protecting his skin from the rays that feed the plants, it’s clear he’s spent a lot of time on the ridge, caring for his flock of strains, loving each one as a good shepherd does. “It’s hard to use a one-size-fits-all and get the plants to express themselves in the best manner that we’re “CANNABIS IS looking for. We want to A TOOL THAT get really terpene-rich, CAN BE USED exceptional Cannabis, TO OPEN and that takes dialing in each cultivar,” Friedland- PEOPLE’S MINDS, TO BE er shared. “Being here MORE IN TUNE for 13 years, I’m just WITH NATURE starting to tap in here AND WHAT into what the plants want THEY PUT INTO here on the property, and THEIR BODY.” I’m sure there’s so much more to learn. And that comes from being content, not complacent, but not overzealous. You have to learn from others and how they work with this plant, and the more you can glean and take from that, the better that you can formulate your own recipe for success.” @RIDGELINERESERVE

STORY by WES ABNEY @BEARDEDLORAX @OREGONLEAF | PHOTOS by REX HILSINGER @BOROPHOTO See more photos at LeafMagazines.com

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THE harvest ISSUE

SHANGRI-LA FARMS

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PINK CERTZ

ZELO

nov. 2026

THE AROMA OF THOUSANDS OF FRESH CANNABIS PLANTS RISES IN THE LATE AFTERNOON SUN, painting golden air with terps in a cacophony of gases, sweets and sours that delight the senses as cows moo and grasshoppers chirp on in a magical place worthy of the name Shangri-La Farms.

BLUMOSA

FALL IN SOUTHERN OREGON is what postcards are made for, with long, sunny October days that do equally well for grapes and longflowering Cannabis cuts. The name Shangri-La pays homage to a fictional utopia in the Himalayas from James Hilton’s 1933 book “Lost Horizon,” where plane-wrecked survivors find a mystical valley that provides long life, peace and plenty. On a farm growing craft outdoor Cannabis in living soil, raising pure-blood American wagyu beef and other livestock and squishing amazing rosin, the secret to peace, happiness and longevity might be closer than we realize. For owner Frederick Szkotak, living with the land and plants is the fuel that keeps his engine running full speed on a farm that gets worked year-round. He and Lead Grower Ryan Burkholder have been growing in the native soil since 2016 in medical, shifting to recreational in 2021. “Nine months a year of late nights and early mornings — that’s where it gets proven. The panic when there’s smoke rising over the hill — it’s not for RYAN BURKHOLDER, LEAD GROWER (L) the weak, but we love it. FREDERICK SZKOTAK, OWNER (R) I couldn’t be doing this if we didn’t care about it,” Szkotak said WAGYU passionately. HERD “We all know the market isn’t what it was 10 years ago. I bought my first ounce for $400; now that’s what a pound goes for!” The farm covers over 40 acres, with sections leased out for animal grazing and the farm’s own American wagyu herd. The outdoor garden is itself an acre plus greenhouses for light-dep crops, and it’s immaculately clean for a farm. Growing Cannabis outdoors starts with popping seeds in winter, planting the selects or preparing clones from mothers in spring and working all summer and fall to grow plants that take the better part of a year from start to finish. Then it’s time to harvest and freeze the plants, prepare for processing and plant additional cover crops that will feed the cows through the winter. It’s true that work on a farm is never finished, except for the day. “We have 32 rows, 16 beds, there’s probably 40 strains out here,” Burkholder said. “I’m a big fan of our R&D row; that’s what keeps it exciting for me. In the main field, Orange Starburst 76 and Indigo both have an amazing terp profile and Zello from Umami Seeds with Z-Skittles-candy terps. Out of this whole field, about 30% will go to flower, and the rest will be fresh frozen for processing.” Once the plants are ready, the best tops are hung and cured in a huge, environmentally controlled barn to be sold as buds, while the rest of the flower is immediately frozen in a giant walk-in cryogenic freezer the size of a small apartment. The farm works with toll processors to wash the hash, and now Shangri-La is selling its own finished packaged products as a stand-alone brand. The subfreezing environment keeps the terpenes and trichomes fresh and ready for processing, allowing the farm to continue releasing product throughout the year and share material among different processors to keep the selection varied and balanced. // STORY CONTINUES NEXT PAGE

STORY by WES ABNEY @BEARDEDLORAX @OREGONLEAF | PHOTOS by REX HILSINGER @BOROPHOTO See more photos at LeafMagazines.com

SHANGRI-LA FARMS

THE harvest ISSUE

CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE

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48 “Five years ago, we were only growing five to 10 strains per season of flower, and it got boring and repetitive. Now, with the hash rush, we get to grow specific plants and drop three to five new flavors every month, and we have at least 40 flavors in production just for hash,” Szkotak shared excitedly. “Our organic-style living soil inputs are perfect for hash, and turning the fresh frozen into rosin is our saving grace.” Growing outdoors for a season is almost like a football game coming down to the two-minute drill. All the preseason work, the first three quarters, it all comes down to a successful harvest, which is like needing to throw four back-to-back touchdown passes. “We harvest only between 4 a.m. and 10 a.m., to preserve terpenes, and we de-leaf in the field by hand. We want to treat the material as best as possible while it’s cold out, and we aim to go from field to freezer in 30 minutes. That’s the name of the game,” Szkotak explained. “It’s taken a long time figuring out how this process works at scale.” The assembly line from field to freezer ensures that the defoliated plants are cut and frozen within minutes to preserve terpenes and trichomes. It’s the fresh part of fresh frozen, with the addition of exceptional and natural inputs that make for top-shelf rosin. “We stuck to our guns wanting to grow extremely clean Cannabis, which all starts with the soil health, which is the biology of the soil,” Szkotak explained.

nov. 2026

GROWING OUTDOORS FOR A SEASON IS ALMOST LIKE A FOOTBALL GAME COMING DOWN TO THE TWO-MINUTE DRILL. DUSK ON THE FARM

“We do tissue samples twice per crop, and test the soil multiple times per year. Our agronomist has advised us for five years to balance the plant and soil intake, performs sap analysis in pre- and early flower, and guides the plant science work to look at what minerals and nutrients the plants need, and he connects the biology into it. The earth here was a blank canvas, and we’ve turned it into living soil, and our nutrient use has gone down 80% to 90% through using plant science. That’s also why we cover crop, compost and work to have as many biologicals as we can get in the soil.” SHANGRILAFARMING.COM @SHANGRILAFARMING

Even with the overall industry trend of more work for less per pound, passion drives the whole Shangri-La team to seek new and unique terps and keep showing up season after season to put new roots into the soil that they’ve invested a decade of work into. “The weather, the risk — it makes every year unique, which is the cool part. No season is the same,” Burkholder said. “This has been an awesome season, weather-wise, and where we’re at as a farm, we’ve done a lot of work, and we’re proud of what we’ve accomplished.”

STORY by WES ABNEY @BEARDEDLORAX @OREGONLEAF | PHOTOS by REX HILSINGER @BOROPHOTO See more photos at LeafMagazines.com

cooking with Cannabis

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MAC TO THE FUTURE Serves 1 1/2 cup elbow macaroni 2 slices bacon, chopped, with 1 teaspoon reserved for topping 1 tablespoon butter 1 tablespoon flour 1/2 cup milk 1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese 2 tablespoons shredded Parmesan cheese 1 teaspoon canna-butter 1/4 teaspoon Dijon mustard 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder Salt and black pepper, to taste 1 scallion, trimmed and thinly sliced

Extra shredded cheddar and Parmesan cheese, for topping Pinch smoked paprika, optional 1. Cook the macaroni until tender. Drain. 2. Add butter to the skillet, then whisk in flour. Slowly whisk in milk, and cook until slightly thickened. 3. Lower the heat. Stir in the cheddar, Parmesan, canna-butter and Dijon. 4. Stir in the macaroni, most of the bacon and scallion. Season with salt and pepper. 5. Top with reserved bacon and smoked paprika, if desired.

Time to gather with friends, share gratitude and love thy neighbor. This Thanksgiving spread takes a unique turn: butternut squash soup, creamy mac and cheese with bacon and Cannabis and an apple tart perfect for a weekend breakfast at my place. Infused with Prodigy #10 from Pruf Cultivar, it brings bright flavor and an adventurous edge. With THC often testing around 30%, this is for experienced adults. Enjoy responsibly: Start low, go slow and never drive or operate heavy machinery.

nov. 2026

laurie@laurieandmaryjane.com

RECIPES by LAURIE WOLF @LAURIEANDMARYJANE | PHOTOS by BRUCE WOLF @BRUCE_WOLF MORE RECIPES NEXT PAGE >>

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cooking with Cannabis

C O NTI NUED FR O M P RE VI O U S PA GE

APPLE OF MY HIGH Serves 8 1 prepared pie crust 5 apples, peeled, cored and thinly sliced Juice of 1/2 lemon 1/3 cup brown sugar 1 teaspoon cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg Pinch of salt 2 teaspoons melted canna-butter 1 tablespoon flour 1 egg, beaten Coarse sugar, optional 1. Heat the oven to 340 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. 2. Toss the apples with lemon juice, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, canna-butter and flour. 3. Roll the pie crust into a 12-inch circle on the baking sheet. Arrange the apples in the center, leaving a 2-inch border. 4. Fold the edges over the apples, pleating as needed. Brush the crust with egg and sprinkle with coarse sugar. 5. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes, until the crust is golden and the apples are tender. 6. Cool for 30 minutes, then cut into 8 equal slices.

BUTTERNUT SQUASH SOUP

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Serves 6 2 tablespoons canna-butter 2 tablespoons regular butter 2/3 cup chopped yellow onion 1/2 cup carrot, peeled and chopped 1 large butternut squash, peeled and seeded 5 cups low-sodium chicken stock Salt and pepper to taste 10 smoked almonds, coarsely chopped Chunks of avocado tossed with a squeeze of lemon 1. Place the butters in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the onion and carrot, and saute for 9-11 minutes. 2. Add the squash and stock, and simmer until the squash is tender, about 20 minutes. 3. Place all the ingredients — except the almonds and avocado — in a blender, and puree until smooth. 4. Pour the soup into a bowl, and top with the almonds and avocado.

nov. 2026

RECIPES by LAURIE WOLF @LAURIEANDMARYJANE | PHOTOS by BRUCE WOLF @BRUCE_WOLF #DontFearTheEdible #BeKind #EatYourCannabis | Laurie@Laurieandmaryjane.com

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PRESENTS

B reeding S uccess Celebrating its 40th anniversary this year, Barney’s is not only one of the most renowned coffeeshops in Amsterdam, it’s also one of the world’s most award-winning seed companies — all thanks to the vision, dedication and hustle of its legendary owner, Derry Brett. IN THE GENES Born on May 25, 1959, in a small Gaelic-speaking town in western Ireland, Brett seemed almost destined to become a master breeder. Raised on a farm by a botanist mother and a father who grafted fruit trees, Brett was first exposed to Cannabis around age 11, when some of his dad’s younger brothers — who had traveled the infamous Hippie Hash Trail during the 1960s — came to visit. “They would come back from trips to India, live at my dad’s farm, and grow marijuana seeds they brought back,” Brett explained. “And of course, I was a very impressionable young boy, so I got kind of hooked up in all of that.” Brett helped his uncles tend their plants, but never considered smoking any of the weed they grew at that age. It wasn’t until he was 16, during an encounter on the way to the local village, that he decided to give marijuana a try. “One day I was walking into town … and a police car was passing by. The trunk was open, and sticking out were these huge marijuana bushes that they’d cut down. And because my uncles were known for growing weed, and I had a reputation as a bit of a rebel, they thought it was mine,” he recalled. “That was when I started smoking weed.” Derry and his pals had befriended a gravedigger who lived on the grounds of the local church and liked to blaze. It was with him that he first got high. “We’d hang out there on the graveyard smoking weed at night when we shouldn’t be,” Brett snickered. “That was my first experience of that.”

NOV. 2026

Barney’s owner Derry Brett at the Barney’s Farm shop in Amsterdam in 2009.

India to crossbreed and catalog. From 19831989, Brett spent between 50%-80% of each year in Asia. But by the end of that stretch, he realized he needed to begin “extracting” himself from that lifestyle. “I was spending so much time there that I was alienating myself from Western society,” he explained. “Plus, all these huge expeditions, they were quite risky. I mean, we got shot at, arrested, you name it,” he added. “Looking back on it, it was pretty dangerous in so many ways.” And so, Brett ended his expeditions in the East and moved back to Holland full time to begin the next chapter in his Cannabis career. THE BIRTH OF BARNEY’S In the mid 1980s, Brett was swept up in an immigration raid along with a fellow Irishman named Nick Mathews. They spent two days in a cell together, then handcuffed to each other, boarded onto a plane and deported to Ireland — an experience that bonded them for life. In 1986, Mathews partnered with a friend named Paul Gould to take over an old Hells Angels bar called Gary’s Place on Haarlemmerstraat and turn it into a coffeeshop catering to non-Dutch speakers with warmer customer service, English newspapers and comfort foods

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“Brett created one of the most extensive and diverse Cannabis genetic libraries in the world,

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like English breakfast and Sunday roast dinners. They named the shop Barney’s Breakfast Bar, after the fat orange street cat they’d inherited with the place. Whenever Derry would return from one of his sojourns, he’d hang out there and supply them with hash and weed to sell. Soon, Brett’s buds made Barney’s a pot hot spot — drawing cultivators and connoisseurs from around the world to trade cuttings, seeds and stories. “Nick started getting a lot of attention, especially from American tourists who were blown away by the quality,” he recalled to Honeysuckle last year. “We started offering five or six strains, which was unheard of at the time.” Brett became so integral to Barney’s success that in 1992, when Mathews decided to sell the shop due to health issues, Brett impulsively bought it. BUILDING THE BRAND After purchasing Barney’s from his friend Nicky, Derry kept the name and the breakfast but changed the logo (to a smiling sun, allegedly based on his face) and started renovating the place. “When I took it over in ’92, it was a shack,” he remembered. “There were all kinds of grungy places, creaking floorboards, things falling apart, broken glass … but I knew when I took it over I was going to build something special.” Over the next few years, Brett continued to crossbreed and stabilize the strains he’d collected — creating one of the most extensive and diverse Cannabis genetic libraries in the world. He eventually used that library to establish his own seed company, Barney’s Farm. When the Dutch government began issuing licenses to shops to sell weed legally, Brett was among the first in line … but being one of the only outsiders applying for a license wasn’t easy. “I was an Irish guy, a foreigner, and the only other people who really owned coffeeshops were Dutch natives or Dutch Moroccans,” he said. “I got kind of dismissed for a while … until I started winning all the Cannabis Cups, then they had to pay attention.” CANNABIS CUP CHAMPIONS Though Derry had been a High Times fan for years, he was initially apprehensive about entering the Cannabis Cup.

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EXPANDING THE EMPIRE Thanks to the notoriety from its many Cannabis Cups, Barney’s became one of the city’s most successful coffeeshops. In 2003, Brett opened a second location two doors down called Barney’s Brasserie (later renamed Barney’s Farm). Next, in 2005, he opened Barney’s Lounge — a smaller location in a quieter section of the city (later closed in 2020). Then in 2007, he opened a nightclub-style restaurant right across from the original location called Barney’s Uptown, which became an instant hit with tourists and locals alike. In January 2009, Brett gutted the original location, rebuilt the infrastructure and redesigned the interior in the style of an apothecary. In 2011, Barney’s opened a breeding lab in San Sebastian, Spain. In 2012, they embarked on another two-year hunting expedition through Africa, Indonesia and Hawaii — expanding their seed bank to over 200 cultivars. In 2013, they leased 12 hectares of land in South Africa to test, hunt and stabilize their phenos. More recently, Barney’s has begun its invasion of the USA — opening a huge breeding facility in Salinas, California, in 2022, then a distribution center in nearby Watsonville last year.

In December 2024, Barney’s announced it would join forces with two other industry powerhouses: Sensi Seed Bank and I Love Growing Marijuana. That merger didn’t end up going through, but several other high-profile partnerships have, including seed collabs with Backpack Boyz and Doja Pak in 2024, and in 2025 with Dr. Greenthumb, owned by his old friend B-Real of Cypress Hill. “This is the most exciting project I’ve ever done with a celebrity,” Brett gushed to Honeysuckle. “B-Real isn’t a name we slapped on packaging. He’s in the room. He’s in the grow. He’s been in this longer than most licensed companies have existed.” After debuting their partnership at Mary Jane Berlin in June 2025, they’ve released three strain collabs: Insane OG, Cherry Bomb and LFG. Their fourth, El Miro, just hit the market last month. Derry & B-Real at the Barney’s booth at MJ

Berlin 2025. THEN AND NOW This year has been one of the biggest yet for Barney’s. Firts, in February, they opened another distribution hub — this time in Germany, to serve the European market. In April, Brett and his team traveled to New York to celebrate 4:20 on 4/20 with huge Barney’s billboards in Times Square. Then, at the 10th annual MJ Berlin event in June, they hosted a huge party to celebrate their milestone 40th anniversary. And so, what began as a young man’s pilgrimage of passion high in the Himalayas nearly half a century ago has today evolved into one of the most recognized, respected Cannabis brands on the planet. “I never thought at the beginning we would be here. It’s been 40 years on the front lines, manning the barricades. ... Even today, we’re still battling away. But yeah, we’ve achieved a hell of a lot,” Brett reflected. “I wanted something different in life — that was my ambition, and I’ve made my dreams come true.” Bobby Black is a former senior editor and 21-year veteran of High Times magazine, executive director of the World of Cannabis Museum Project, and host of the Cannthropology podcast. For more visit cannthropology.com.

STO RY & M AI N P HOTO b y B O B BY B LAC K @ CAN N T H RO PO LO G Y for LEA F NAT IO N

HISTORICAL PHOTOS COURTESY OF GREEN ACRES FOODS

Clockwise from left: Nicky Mathews in front of the original Barney’s in 1986; partner/cook Paul Gould next to the window cartoon based on him; the original Barney’s in full color.

“One of the reasons I didn’t join the (Cannabis Cup) in the first few years was, I was still in awe of High Times to a certain extent,” he confessed. “I thought, ‘I’m not ready. … If I’m going to do this, I don’t want to just be a oneshot wonder — I need to be prepared.’” When Brett finally entered in 1999, his zesty Sunburst strain won the People’s Cup (later renamed simply “The Cannabis Cup”). The following year, a Sunburst pheno dubbed Sweet Tooth took second place in the Overall Cup, then first place in 2001. Thus began one of the most epic winning streaks in Cannabis history: first place for Morning Glory in 2002, Amnesia Haze in 2004, Willie Nelson in 2005, G-13 Haze in 2007, Tangerine Dream in 2010 and Liberty Haze in 2011. And that’s not counting all of the second- and third-place medals and hash awards. Barney’s eventually amassed over 40 Cannabis Cups — more than any other coffeeshop (except perhaps their main rival, the Green House, who’ve also won over 40 awards).

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then used that library to establish his own seed company, Barney’s Farm.”

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studio sessions

PHILEMERSON Philemerson describes himself as a photographer, documentary filmmaker and creative director, but these descriptions barely seem to scratch the surface.

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H E E Y E b eh i n d st u n n i n g v i su a l s f or b rands like P r e f e r red Ga rd en s, F ra n ci s F ord C op p ola wine, E - 40 ’s sp i ri t l i n e a n d Derb y of Sa n F ranc isc o has been p u s h i ng p i x el s a n d h a u l i n g ca mera gear sinc e the ‘90s .

Growing up as a young skateboarder in the Bay Area, his brothers would bring around weed, and that’s how he discovered a passion for the plant. “I went from enjoying it to genuinely respecting it: the different strains, the craft, the business. I would go out to find and meet actual growers; they were rare gems to know back then,” Philemerson told the Leaf. His journey as an artist started during those days after he bought a camera and some equipment to film the crew’s skate videos. He said that period inspired a lot of the visual style that would carry into his future work. Around 2005, he said he noticed artists making “incredible composites of photos and graphics mashed together like movie poster art.” He continued, “I was hooked. That kicked off my photography era.” In 2010, he got his first Cannabis project after a friend won a High Times award and asked him to make an image showing something bigger than just weed sitting on a table. Already deep into album covers and dynamic compositions, he quickly accepted the job and got to work. This very first piece became a full-page spread in High Times magazine. “No pressure for your first Cannabis job,” he said with a grin. “That’s when I realized weed deserved the same artistry as big product launches and movie campaigns, and I’ve been chasing that goal ever since. Once you care how an image feels, you start caring about the culture around it.”

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“Once you care how an image feels, you start caring about the culture around it.”

PHOTO BY MSLEE

Now the art director for Preferred Gardens, Philemerson is helping the brand craft one of the most professional and premier portfolios in the industry, with a style that brings together his background in video, graphics and composition to encode a sense of grit and edge. “If there’s any energy happening in front of the camera,” he said, “I’ll push for more of it. Calm just seems boring.” Inside the studio, he said you’ll find movies and documentaries he’s seen a million times playing on a loop. “I already know how they end, but they keep the room alive,” he explained. More important to him, though, is the choice of music. “It pulls emotions out, and I put it to work,” he shared. “The right track at the right moment can flip the whole direction of a piece.” When working on a piece, he treats weed just like an editing tool. “A lot of my work is long studio sessions,” he revealed, "hours of tiny details, usually on a deadline of yesterday. Herb keeps me locked in on the task in front of me with my phone off. It’s the great escape, and that’s when the best work happens.”

PHILEMERSON

WAFFLEHOWSE.COM @PHILEMERSON

STORY by MATT JACKSON @ACTIONMATTJACKSON for LEAF NATION | ARTWORK by PHILEMERSON See more of their work at LeafMagazines.com

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