What is Reddit's opinion of Ball Mason 32 oz Wide Mouth Jars with Lids and Bands, Set of 12 Jars.?

From 3.5 billion Reddit comments

When you said small, I thought of my baby food jars. I have 4oz and 2.5oz baby food jars that seal nicely and fit in my Pelican box. But I think you need bigger 😆

Quart Ball Mason Jars are 12 for $45? Seems pricy.

Sure thing! Sorry for the late response -- I wanted to wait until I had the time to put together something a bit more detailed. I'll try to be as thorough as I can without pictures, but feel free to ask if you have any other questions.

The process I follow is loosely based on Skunk Pharm's QWET method. I use a few overpriced contraptions (courtesy of the ridiculous mark up in the consumer cannabis market), but you can definitely get by without them. I got each of mine during Black Friday sales, but they are still probably priced 50% higher than where they should be.

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Disclaimer: This is intended just as a summary of my own process. This isn't necessarily "the best" method, just what has worked for me. I am not encouraging anyone to do anything illegal or dangerous. The links are similar to the products I use but are not exact and included solely for reference. I do not have any affiliation with any of the linked sites.

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Required Supplies

• Dried bud
• A Few Mason Jars (link)
  • Note: DO NOT BUY MASON JARS FROM AMAZON! The prices are absurd. Get them from Walmart or somewhere else local for $10-12 a pack
• Coffee Filters (link)
• Everclear 190 Proof
  • Note: This isn't available everywhere. 151 proof or any other high proof grain alcohol is probably fine, you may just wind up with a bit more of the water-soluble components in the final product
• A Freezer
• A Way to Decarb
• A Way to Reduce

Optional Supplies

• Ardent Nova Decarboxylator (link)
  • Alternatives: Any oven or toaster oven works fine
• ExtractCraft Source Turbo (link)
  • Alternatives: A crockpot, rice cooker, or a pot/pan over an ELECTRIC heating element
• Extra Ice Trays (if using a Source Turbo) (link)
• Mason Jar Mesh Filters (link)
• Mason Jar Funnels (link)
• Mesh Drain Filters (link)
• MCT Oil as a Carrier Oil for the Final Product

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1. Preparation

I harvest and dry my buds just like I would for any other application. Over drying slightly to further reduce the water content is fine. While harvesting, I trim off anything that doesn't have any trichomes. With material destined for RSO, I don't both trimming any further than that. It's all getting washed and tossed anyway, so I don't see the point in dedicating the time. I don't explicitly cure this material either, but I do still burp the jars to manage humidity until I am ready to move to the next step.

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2. Decarboxylation

As suggested in the supply list, I use an Ardent Nova for this step. This is far from necessary and any normal oven will work just fine. I'll list pros/cons of the device at the end of this write up. I normally fill this twice for about an ounce total per batch. If you're using an oven to decarb, I believe 240°F for 40min is the recommended temp and time (please double check this, it's been a while for me).

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3. Freezing

After the decarbed material has cooled, I load it into a 32oz mason jar and toss it in the freezer for at least 24 hours. At the same time, I put my Everclear into the freezer.

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4. Washing

After my decarbed material and Everclear has sat in the freezer for at least a day, it's time to wash. It's helpful to get everything ready for the next step prior to beginning the wash.

I do two washes per batch of decarbed material and combine them together. Some people like to keep the washes separate to preserve the quality grades of each. I also do my washes for a bit longer than some people. This can result in a slightly more "green" final product, but that doesn't bother me for oral/topical use.

For the first wash, I fill up the mason jar of decarbed bud with Everclear so that everything is totally submerged. The key during this stage is to work quickly to minimize the time outside of the freezer. I let this wash sit in the freezer for a total of 4 minutes, shaking briefly every minute. After the first wash, I remove the alcohol (see: 5. Filtration) and repeat for a second wash. I run the second wash for 6 minutes total, shaking once every 2 minutes.

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5. Filtration

After completing each wash, I remove the jar from the freezer and screw on a mesh filtration top. This allows me to pour the liquid contents into a second, empty mason jar without spilling any of the plant material. The goal here is to separate the alcohol from the buds quickly before any frozen water content begins to thaw.

If I still need to do a second wash, I take the jar with plant material, fill it back up with cold Everclear, and return it to the freezer.

At this point, I filter the murky alcohol with coffee filters. I place a mason jar funnel on top of another empty mason jar, add a coffee filter, then place a mesh drain filter on top of the coffee filter to hold it in place. I pour the unfiltered alcohol into this and let gravity do its work. Note that I normally have two of these filtering at once to help speed up the process. I also change the coffee filters periodically to prevent them from getting clogged up by sediment. I then repeat this step for the second wash.

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6. Winterization (optional)

I don't bother winterizing further, but some people add in another step here. To winterize, take the filtered liquid and put it back into the freezer for another day. This should help to solidify any remaining water-soluble undesirables. After freezing, run this liquid through the filtration step again. Some people actually do the filtration in their freezer, but a surplus of freezer space is a luxury that I do not have.

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Get this to go with it!

Get wide mouth canning jars, the quart-liter-ish size.

Don't get them from Amazon, you can probably find them for 1/4 that price in the canning section of most grocery stores.