Book Review: Cooking with Cannabis

Book Review:

The Art of Cooking with Cannabis

BY KATIE WEITMAN

Cannabis has been moving towards the mainstream for over a decade now, and this means broader inclusion in mainstream media. Marijuana is not just relegated to cult classics like Up In Smoke anymore, and the archetypal lazy stoner is no longer the norm. Everyone from your best friend’s grandmother to your next door neighbor is probably familiar with the basic arguments being made by outspoken activists—it cures cancer, it’s safer than alcohol, etc.

Chef and author Tracey Medeiros is doing her part to spread the cannabis gospel. Her fifth cookbook, The Art of Cooking With Cannabis, has been described by Esquire Magazine as, “less of a whoa, weed approach to cannabis cuisine and more like a traditional cookbook your [really cool] gran would keep on her bookshelf.”

Tracey told me that the motivation behind this project was born of her growing intrigue in the reported health benefits of cannabis. She found herself frequently coming across articles purporting the wellness properties of cannabis and thought “why not write a cookbook that would showcase cannabis and all the wonders of it and the food community throughout our country?” Tracey herself uses a variety of CBD products and has become very interested in the potential of cannabis to improve the health and wellness of many in these trying times.

So Tracey began ‘seeking out folks that looked at cannabis as an art form, who really took pride in looking at this plant and wanting to elevate it as a serious ingredient.’ The project showcases the important work being done by hemp and cannabis farmers across the country. In The Art of Cooking With Cannabis, Tracey introduces her reader to chefs, hemp farmers, cannabis activists, and entrepreneurs, who each provided her with key information to share with her audience.

Cookbook, Dishing up Vermont, The Vermont Non-GMO Cookbook, and The Connecticut Farm Table Cookbook showcase the connection between locally sourced food and innovative chefs. A fierce advocate of the farm-to-table movement, Tracey feels it is important for the reader to see the relationship between chefs and farmers. It is her goal to ‘help farmers stay on the land and continue what they’re doing’ so they can inspire the next generation. It is Tracey’s belief that for cannabis to become as mainstream as possible it is critical for these farmers to stay on their land and feel supported. “These farmers are like rock stars to me,” she says.

The book is broken down into three chapters: CBD - Cannabidiol; Hemp; and THC - Tetrahydrocannabinol, which are further broken down by region. Tracey says the decision to break the book down this way wasn’t made until she had compiled the majority of her included recipes. Once she looked at all the included submissions, she thought, “Wouldn’t it be interesting to divide the book by regions, thereby enabling folks to see what each of these areas were doing with cannabis and how they were incorporating this plant into their local cuisines?”

During our interview, Tracey explained to me a little about her process. “I like to hear the stories from the folks that I feature in my books; they guide the direction of the project. These heartfelt interviews also influence each of their profiles. For this particular book, which focuses on cannabis, it was important to understand how the plant is being utilized and to include contributors that look at cannabis as a serious culinary ingredient.” Tracey told me she first asked all contributors to nominate an organization that they felt was worthy of a portion of the proceeds, as it is very important to her to give something back to the community. (A portion of the proceeds from Cooking with Cannabis will be donated to Open for Good, a campaign by the James Beard Foundation that is seeking to help independent restaurants survive the COVID crisis and rebuild and thrive for the long term.)

Tracey then asked her participants to contribute a recipe or two that best showcased their skillset or best showcased what they grow, though she hesitates to ask for any specific type of recipe. “I’ll give them little hints and support them,” but she really likes to encourage their own creativity. Each recipe is then tested by Tracey or one of her associates. “For these folks, their recipes are more than a creation, they are a passion. They represent something that deeply energizes and gives these contributors’ a purpose – this is their love,” she says. She sees her project as ‘a community cookbook where everyone has a voice.’

Finally, she asked her contributors what they wanted to see in the book and if they had any information they’d like to include with their submissions. Tracey asked all of her ‘experts’, as she likes to call them, what they most wanted to see in the book and let them provide facts, pose questions, share information, and guide the research. She included sidebars—or little snippets of information about cannabis—that were submitted or inspired by her recipe contributors. “I want [my contributors] to be both happy and proud of this project,” Tracey explains. The finished book was sent back to her contributors for their approval because she wanted to give them final say. She remained open to new information or changes they wanted to see up until the very end. “I wanted to be mindful and thoughtful of how they wanted to see this book unfold […] It’s like a symphony, these people are artists, I don’t want to stifle their creativity.”

Cooking with Cannabis is meant to appeal to amateurs and experts alike. Recipes vary in difficulty, and the cannabis facts range from the basic differences between hemp (a non-psychoactive variety of Cannabis sativa containing less than 0.5% THC) and cannabis (the psychoactive variety of the plant) to a more detailed breakdown of the secondary compounds found in cannabis plants. Whether you know cannabis or cooking well, or know nothing of either at all, there is something in this book for you.

“Writing this book was a unique experience,” Tracey told me. “I am so incredibly grateful for this opportunity to create a cookbook of this nature. You really don’t know how this type of project will turn out until the very end. The best way for me to describe my writing process is through this analogy: Initially, it is like being in a dark room. As I continue to develop my ideas, the room starts to become a tad brighter. With each successive step, the project becomes clearer. Upon the book’s completion, the room becomes as bright and sunny as a warm summer’s day.”