Sensi Magazine - Southern Colorado (October 2017)

S OU T HER N COL OR ADO

THE NEW NORMAL

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cannabis?

{THEY ’RE HERE.}

the harvest issue

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Mansion Haunts // Weird Laws // Chef Brother Luck // and More ...

10.2017

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4 Southern Colorado OC TOBER 2017

oct2017

oct

contents.

T HE H A R V E S T I S S UE

ISSUE 6 // VOLUME 1 // 10.2017

44

FEATURES 20

Wine Country

32

Farm to Flame

Our culinary critic, John Lehndorff, tours our state’s viniest wineries.

Mother Nature powers SoCo’s cannabis.

38

Smells Like Rebellion

Find out how our favorite flower infuses our newest scents.

44

Real Names, No Gimmicks

The Springs’s celebrity chef, Brother Luck, sits down with Sensi to share his thoughts on cooking, Colorado, and fragile cooler doors.

every issue 7 Editor’s Note 8 SensiBuzz 9 NewsFeed: WEIRD L AWS

16 24 28 50

CrossRoads: EMERALD TRIANGLE TravelWell: SOCO SIGHTS AroundTown: MANSION HAUNTS CO{QA} : TERI FOX

9

32 Sensi Southern Colorado is printed monthly

by Sensi Media Group LLC.

© 2017 SENSI MEDIA GROUP LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

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ISSUE 6 VOLUME 1 10.2017

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HU T, HU T,

Harvest!

editor’s

NOTE

Cultures the world over consider the harvest season a sacred time, since bountiful harvests marked the end of the year’s crop cycles. In ye olden times, pious people revered gods and goddesses that oversaw their harvests. The holiday season itself bears the vestiges of its religious origins: the word “holiday” comes from the old English hāligdæg, which means “holy day.” Back then, communities used the harvest to stock up on the best foods and even better beers, to fatten themselves up so they could steel themselves against the ravages of the cold. Harvest, then, signified the persistent struggle to simply stay alive.

Today, we have home heating systems, electric blankets, and microwaves to ensure we always have access to a warm mug of whatever. We can order our perishable and not-so-perishable kitchen ingredients from anywhere in the world, and modern technology guarantees us fresh fruits and vegetables that otherwise should be out-of-season.

With so much convenience at our disposal, and no fear of going hungry during the snowy months, what does harvest season mean to us now?

To be totally honest with you, dear reader, I don’t know.

What I do know is that, despite the comforts of the modern age, we as Americans are looking back to the old ways. Not because the old ways were necessarily better— actually, yeah, that’s exactly why we’re looking back to the old ways. They were better, at least when it came to growing our grub, booze, and weed.

On the consumer end, we’re seeing the rising popularity of the farm-totable or farm-to-fork movement. People want to know where their food comes from, how it was made, and what they’ll eventually put inside of their bodies. In this issue, celebrity chef Brother Luck shares his foodie philosophy with Sensi, and how his new restaurant caters to a generation of diners that are in-tune with their dietary consciousnesses.

Also in this issue, our food editor, John Lehndorff, explores Colorado’s wineries and discusses how our state’s nectars of the gods can go toe-to-toe with the most popular vins from the Napa or Rhône Valleys. And, of course, we’ll take a closer look at Colorado’s most prized crop— Cannabis sativa— and how some of the best buds aren’t cultivated with the latest technologies, but are grown by going back to the basics.

So bon appétit, because we have no other choice when there are so many good drinks, great smokes, and fantastic eateries in southern Colorado.

Randy Robinson

MANAGING EDITOR

SENSI SOUTHERN COLORADO

sensimag.com OC TOBER 2017 7

THE NE W N O R M A L

sensi

buzz

GRAM Slam

Although Oktoberfest, ironically enough, ends on the first day of October, you can indefinitely salivate over your favorite suds through Instagram’s non-stop stream of top-notch beer porn.

For those of you with eyes bigger than your beer bellies, check out these ‘grammers’ accounts for some of the most thirst-inducing images available online. @jomando: Editor-in-chief and photographer of SA Beer Magazine JoMando Cruz brings a sense of quiet sophistication to any fall-time beverage. @louiebaton: Clever IG name aside, @louiebaton juxtaposes craft brews with… Legos, where each scene of cheeky, plastic figures plays off a microbrew’s name or label. @brewbokeh: Petco’s VP of Tech runs this photo blog as a side project, where he takes the technique of intentional blurring to figuratively blur the lines between a bottle’s design and its brewery’s interior aesthetics. @beerstreetjournal: They don’t give stock tips for lagers, but their blog is an info goldmine for new microbrew releases. @beerbitty: Heather Lewis lives a double-life as a brewery owner and as a photographer. She’s also the only shutterbug on this list who frequently pops up in her own pictures.

Deady, Set,

GO!

t h e em m a cr aw f o r d coffin r a c es As the saying goes, “Never laugh when a hearse drives by.”

However, there’s no such rule for coffins, and in Manitou Springs on October 28, the coffins have been converted into race buggies anyway.

The annual Emma Crawford Coffin Race may be one of Colorado’s oddest gatherings. Coffin racers from around the nation will pit their macabre contraptions against one another to see who will be the first to cross the finish line at the bottom of Manitou Ave. The best part? Coffin racing teams often wear matching costumes and makeup that are just as colorful as the caskets, so it’s always part drag race, part fashion show. The insanity starts with a parade at noon.

8 Southern Colorado OC TOBER 2017

Fall Photography pointers

If you’re looking to spruce up your own Instagram or photo collection this autumn, here are some tips to help you as the leaves turn red and the light gets scarce.

BLUE HOUR: If you own a camera, you likely know about “golden hour,” those two precious moments during the day when sunlight perfectly diffuses across the earth. “Blue hour” is a lesser-known window of preciousness that occurs just before the sun peeks over a horizon during sunrise and just as it dips behind the horizon after sunset. Because of the sun’s distances during blue hour, light frequencies get distorted toward the bluer hues, casting some enchanting shades of indigo and violet across your scene. Because blue hour only happens in lowlight conditions, you’ll need a camera with decent ISO, stabilization, or a lens with a large aperture to get good shots.

COLORS: Fall presents an infinite number of opportunities to play with colors. Gold and scarlet leaves can generate some visually dazzling backgrounds. For profile shoots, ensure your subjects are wearing warm clothes with colors that complement your backgrounds.

SCATTER LEAVES: This one is really easy.

Scatter some random leaves around your scene to spruce up the image with some seasonal flair.

PROPER GLOVES: You can’t feel the buttons on your camera if your fingers are numb.

Invest in a pair of “smartphone gloves” to keep warm. These gloves have special tips on the forefingers that allow you to interact with touch screens, too. For a more affordable option, take any pair of gloves and snip the tips off the forefinger and thumb. With the other three fingers fully covered, your hands will stay toasty while giving your most important digits the freedom to sense and press completely unhindered.

9 Capitol Hill Ave., Manitou October 27 Starts at 6 p.m., final viewing at 7:20 p.m. miramontcastle.org Speaking of the dead, who was this Emma Crawford person anyway?

Crawford lived and died in Manitou Springs back in the late 1800s. A mudslide unearthed her coffin and washed away most of her bones, and what was recovered was buried in an unmarked grave soon thereafter.

Legends say her ghost wanders through Manitou because of her disturbed rest. On the evening before the coffin race named in her honor, the morbidly curious may pay their respects at a reenacted wake where a stand-in (or, in this case, a lay-in) actor will take the place of Crawford’s corpse.

RAW DOGGIN’

EMMA CRAWFORD VIEWING AT MIRAMONT

With October’s pumpkin madness kicking into full gear, the deluge of pumpkin-saturated foods begins, too. Everywhere there are holiday specials on pumpkin spice latte, pumpkin pie, pumpkin pudding, pumpkin soup, barbeque pumpkin, pumpkin cocktail, and so on.

Pumpkin is awesomely versatile. For those on lowfat diets, raw pumpkin puree can replace butter in most baking recipes. The thing is, we can get a lot of nutrition from pumpkins without ever having to bake, mash, boil, or otherwise cook it. The raw, orange flesh from the inside of a pumpkin is packed with vitamin A, vitamin C, antioxidants, and fiber— and it’s low-calorie despite its lightly sweet flavor.

The raw seeds contain protein, potassium, zinc, magnesium, and vitamin E. How about that? A pumpkin snack that only requires a knife and a spoon. Save the smoking oven headaches for Thanksgiving and Christmas.

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heck

never looked so fun For skiers and snowboarders, what better place to spend the Halloween weekend than at a resort called Purgatory? Located in Durango, the Purgatory Resort is rather swanky and chill, despite being named after a waiting room between Heaven and Hell. While indulging on the resort’s candy giveaways, take a SnowCat tour of the area, ride the chairlift, bounce on the giant airbag, spin in a gyro chair, or fly skyward on the bungee trampoline. Or you can always, y’know, just relax by Purgatory Lake while the spirits go wild on Samhain.

Head Feed: Cannabis Edges Closer to Normal

This year’s harvest season couldn’t be a better time to celebrate: the US Food and Drug Administration is finally admitting that CBD—a part of the cannabis plant that doesn’t get anyone high—has medicinal properties. The FDA plans to appeal to the United Nations to have CBD rescheduled worldwide.

The FDA’s announcement comes just months after the highly prestigious New England Journal of Medicine published promising results from a phase III clinical trial involving Epidiolex, a pharmaceutical spray set to become the first FDA-approved cannabis-based drug sometime next year.

So much for our side only having anecdotes, eh? In addition to the FDA’s good news, Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) recently introduced a bill to the US Congress that not only removes marijuana from drug scheduling so it can be regulated like alcohol and taxed like cigarettes but would also expunge all federal criminal records of non-violent cannabis convictions.

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by L E L AND RUCKER

UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES Amendment 64 has solved a lot of problems—and created a few of its own.

For the most part, Amendment 64, the 2012 voter

law, with bills that try and remedy laws that, though

initiative that allowed cannabis sales and possession

well intended, contain problematic loopholes or were

for adults, has been serving the state pretty well.

the result of compromises that just didn’t work.

Colorado’s seed-to-sale plant tracking system, its barriers to market entry, and its tax and fee struc-

IT’S ALWAYS THE FEDS : That cannabis is still il-

tures are seen as models by other states, and legis-

legal on a federal level creates unique difficulties. Al-

lators are regularly consulted on best practices by

though some dispensaries have managed to acquire

those interested in legalization.

bank accounts and allow credit cards, most consum-

The rollout hasn’t been perfect. One of Amend-

ers still can’t buy cannabis without cash. A memo-

ment 64’s requirements was that lawmakers enact

randum issued by the Obama administration, still in

regulations under serious time restrictions, and even

effect, suggested that banks can work with cannabis

though it helped that the state had already instituted

companies under certain conditions, but most, even

regs for medical marijuana, it was creating new rules

those in small towns that want to help local business-

for a substance still illegal under federal law, and un-

es, have resisted out of fear of its continued federal

der a strict deadline. And they were dealing with a

illegality. Those that do don’t publicize their involve-

substance that has been illegal and remains so on a

ment. The hypocrisy here is palpable: all state-regis-

federal level for more than 80 years.

tered cannabis companies are required to pay federal

There were some early bumps. After a couple of highly publicized incidents shortly after recreational

income taxes but not allowed basic business deductions afforded to others.

sales began and a New York Times columnist wrote about a miserable time in a Denver hotel room after

ORGANIC, NOT SO MUCH : Consumers in search of

she ingested a larger-than-suggested dose of an ed-

“organic” cannabis have a tough time. The US Depart-

ible product in early 2013, the state spent several

ment of Agriculture and the Environmental Protec-

months revisiting its rules on edibles and made sub-

tion Agency are in charge of regulating standards for

stantial changes in packaging and dosing that hadn’t

all agricultural products, and as long as cannabis remains

been anticipated during the initial rules creation. Law-

a federally controlled Schedule I drug, neither will get

makers still face new challenges every session on

involved in creating rules. Colorado has shown a

other unforeseen ramifications arising from the new

willingness to develop its own organic criteria based

12 Southern Colorado OC TOBER 2017

around the DEA and USDA standards, but nothing has come of it so far. That doesn’t mean you can’t find organic cannabis—many growers are organic— but, at this point, you can only rely on their word.

But most of the unintended consequences generally fall under the portion of the initiative that says to “regulate marijuana like alcohol.” In some ways it is, but in too many others, there are unintended problems.

CONSUMPTION CONUNDRUM : What’s up with those buses that allow onboard consumption as they ferry people around Denver’s nightspots and dispensaries? Colorado has literally thousands of establishments where you can legally consume alcohol in public.

But the legislature hasn’t been able to agree on a statewide policy that would allow any public consumption, and the long-awaited city of Denver plan is still in the application stage.

Taking a cue from the state’s opencontainer alcohol laws, several companies found they could operate tour buses that fit under an exemption for motor homes and vehicles “designed, maintained, or used primarily for the transportation of persons for compensation.” Drivers, of course, are not allowed to consume. I’ve been on one of these tours, and they’re a lot of fun and a place for tourists to unwind. It’s hardly a solution for the public consumption problem, but it’s one alternative for out-of-towners who buy cannabis but can’t consume it unless they’re in a 420-friendly establishment or staying with friends. sensimag.com OC TOBER 2017 13

MORE DRI V ERS ARE SHOWING UP WITH CANNABIS IN THEIR SYSTEMS, B U T T H E R E I S NO R E A L E V I D E N C E O F I N C R E A S E D A C C I D E N T S O R R O A D M AY H E M AT T R I B U T E D S O L E L Y TO C A N N A B I S, A N D T HE S TA T E H A S S T R U G G L E D TO C O M E UP W I T H A W AY TO D E F I N E I N TO X I C AT I O N A S I T R E L A T E S TO D R I V I N G. WHAT’S IN AN OUNCE? : You can buy enough vod-

Police can issue a DUI ticket for driving under the in-

ka to last the rest of your life during one trip to the li-

fluence of cannabis, and lawmakers decided on a lim-

quor store, but you’re restricted to purchasing one ounce

it of five nanograms of THC per milliliter of blood as a

of cannabis at a time. It’s a fact that alcohol can be le-

baseline for impairment. Alcohol limits have been sci-

thal, but nobody has yet come close to a deadly dose

entifically established and can pretty closely assess

of cannabis. Beyond vague arguments about buying

whether a person is impaired. That hasn’t happened

and reselling on the black market, I’ve never heard a

with cannabis. The test can show that a certain amount

good explanation of why there’s a limit.

of THC is in someone’s system, but it can’t prove that

Have you ever tried to buy flower, edibles, and con-

it causes impairment.

centrates at the same time? Daily purchase limits are

“It’s a relatively low limit, and it’s not a per se like

fairly complicated. Since concentrates, which include

you have with alcohol,” Boulder District Attorney Stan

dabs, kief, shatter, wax, hash, budder, hash oil, and

Garnett explains. Saliva and urine tests are invasive

other products, have much higher percentages of THC

and often take time before lab results are available.

than cannabis flower, the state in 2015 conducted a

Unlike alcohol, cannabis can stay in the system for a

study, “Marijuana Equivalency in Portion and Dosage,”

month or more, and though there are plenty of com-

to determine how to bring these different methods of

panies working on tests to determine whether a per-

THC ingestion into some kind of balance.

son is intoxicated or merely storing cannabis in his fat

Under the original rules, you could buy 28 grams of

molecules, so far none have succeeded.

concentrates or flower at one time. But regulators

Colorado juries are instructed on the law, which

decided on a standard that says two grams of con-

does allow defendants to take the stand and say they

centrates are equal to seven grams of flower. Which

can handle their cannabis. “We’ve developed these per

means that eight grams of concentrates equal one

se laws with alcohol,” Garnett says. “We’re not at that

ounce of flower. And 100 milligrams of edibles (a sin-

point yet with marijuana, and we may never be.”

gle dose in Colorado is 10 milligrams) equal 3.5 grams of flower. Since cannabis works differently with each

DOGGIE BLUES : Colorado drug-sniffing dogs have

person, this means that there are limits on sales, but

been trained to detect five drugs—heroin, cocaine,

no real way to know how you might react to what you

methamphetamine, Ecstasy, and cannabis—in vehi-

buy, which is why the state and everybody in the in-

cles suspected of drug use. Now that cannabis is le-

dustry encourages new and inexperienced users to

gal, a Colorado Court of Appeals ruled in July that its

always start with a low dose and go slow.

odor in a vehicle found by a police dog is not grounds for a search and that law enforcement must have

DRIVING DILEMMA : The subject of driving under

another reason. Which means that current sniff dogs

the influence is and will remain a touchy and tricky one.

will have to be retrained or retired and new ones will

More drivers are showing up with cannabis in their

have to learn only four substances instead of five.

systems, but there is no real evidence of increased ac-

A final thought: Federal alcohol prohibition ended

cidents or road mayhem attributed solely to cannabis,

in 1933, and the legislature still debates and passes

and the state has struggled to come up with a way to

bills to regulate it every session, so don’t hold your

define intoxication as it relates to driving.

breath that it will get cannabis right anytime soon.

14 Southern Colorado OC TOBER 2017

{crossroads}

by RICARDO BACA

SUSTAINABLE HARVESTING Why treating cannabis like the agricultural product it is might mean less impact on the environment.

The sun shines faintly on this 60-degree Septem-

But unlike so many other products grown in the

ber day in Northern California’s Emerald Triangle, but

Golden State, cannabis can be cultivated successful-

the 10-day forecast promises rain—and so a grower

ly indoors on a large scale—and some would say it’s

purposefully strides across her 30,000-acre farm of

even better done indoors, at least in terms of the

flowering cannabis in the heart of America’s “canna-

ability to amplify THC and control a variety of factors,

bis bucket.” Every few feet, she pulls out her loupe to

as well as to produce multiple harvests in shorter

catch a closer look at the plants’ amber trichomes,

growing times.

and after making a few notes in her little notebook, she nods to herself and pulls out her mobile phone.

The problem is, it’s not necessarily better for the environment. Indoor cultivation inhales an enormous

It’s harvest time.

amount of electricity — for high-intensity lights, ven-

Meanwhile across the rest of the state, other large-

tilation systems, heaters and air conditioners, dehu-

scale cultivations—planted on hundreds of thousands

midifiers and humidifiers, much of it running 24 hours

of acres—are doing the same thing, because California

a day. And a recent study by Evan Mills, a scientist

now produces more than 75 percent of the country’s

with the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory,

cannabis.

suggests that indoor grows are one of the most ener-

The year is 2027 in an imagined, but definitely possible, post-prohibition world. Proposition 64 has all but disappeared in the rearview mirror, as have the federal laws that used to ban the interstate sale of marijuana,

gy-intensive industries out there, currently accounting for 1 percent of the nation’s electricity usage.

That may not sound like a lot, but that's the same percentage used by Americans’ washing machines.

which is now the established darling of mass-scale ag-

It will be hard to move away from the indoor grow

riculture. As the country’s largest producer of almonds,

model, but for the industry to be sustainable and do

avocados, grapes, tomatoes, peaches, plums, arti-

right by the planet, it needs to be grown and regulat-

chokes, broccoli, and many other popular fruits, vege-

ed like the agricultural product it is.

tables, and nuts—in fact, California is responsible for

Of course, growing cannabis outdoors sprouts a

two-thirds of the nation’s produce—the state has al-

whole other set of issues, including things like in-

ways been uniquely poised to grow the majority of the

creased clear-cutting of forests and increased road

population’s pot plants, as well.

construction, which can result in a loss of wildlife

16 Southern Colorado OC TOBER 2017

RICARDO BACA is a veteran journalist and the founder and original editor in chief of The Cannabist.

His content agency Grasslands works primarily with cannabis and hemp businesses on messaging and branding via thoughtful and personalized content campaigns.

sensimag.com OC TOBER 2017 17

habitat and an increase in greenhouse gases (partly

the rest of the country.

because the loss of forest also means the loss of

And then we get into water use, a big deal in can-

trees and plants that filter CO2 from the atmosphere).

nabis cultivation. A task force in Oregon exploring

Erosion is a serious problem, too, as is the potential

environmental best practices for the state legisla-

effect on rivers and streams. Not to mention that the

ture found that on average, a mature plant can con-

runoff and air pollution from pesticides, fertilizers,

sume up to 6 gallons of water a day in a 150-day

T H E G R E E N - M I N D E D C I T Y O F B O U L D E R H A S R E G U L A T I O N S I N P L AC E R EQUI R I NG G RO W E R S T O D I REC T LY O F F S E T 100 PERCENT O F T H E E L E C T R I C I T Y A N D O T H E R F U E L S US E D I N P R O D U C T I O N B Y U S I N G R E N E WA B L E E N E R G Y O R PAY I NG I N T O A N E N E R G Y I M PA C T O F F S E T F U N D , O R T H E Y PAY A F I N E . and petroleum-based fuel can impact habitats, wa-

growing cycle. (By comparison, one grape plant grown

ter sources, and other crops.

to make wine uses half that.) Transplanting the en-

In addition, research scientist Mills found that the

tire industry outside, where unpredictable rain and

cannabis industry produces 15 million tons of green-

sun patterns can quickly alter normal water con-

house gas emissions annually, which is equal to the

sumption and wind can cause the plants to dry out

output of 3 million vehicles—more of which would

faster, could substantially increase water usage.

be needed on the roads to ship California cannabis to

But according to a recent study published in Envi-

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ronmental Research Letters by a professor in environ-

mented to help guarantee less wasteful production.

mental studies and a specialist at the University of

The green-minded city of Boulder has regulations

California Cooperative Extension, these concerns can

requiring growers to directly offset 100 percent of the

be addressed by, yep, more studies—difficult in the

electricity and other fuels used in production by using

current regulatory climate with cannabis still classified

renewable energy or paying into an Energy Impact

as a Schedule I substance. That research would result

Offset Fund, or they pay a fine. And in Oregon, where

in increased oversight on the environmental impact of

a report by the Northwest Power and Conservation

growing cannabis, as well as more careful, thoughtful

Council revealed that an indoor grow system for only

planning that would put pot farms in the least impact-

four plants sucks up as much energy as 29 refrigera-

ful, most environmentally beneficial places possible.

tors, cash incentives have helped to reduce energy

“Siting grows in areas with better access to roads,

use, and 20 percent of the tax revenue goes toward

gentler slopes, and ample water resources could sig-

offsetting the environmental impact of past and

nificantly reduce threats to the environment,” study

present cannabis cultivation.

authors Jake Brenner and Van Butsic wrote. They also

The bottom line is that under our current 2017

pointed to their study, which surveyed the water-

model, the concept of harvest is less about agricul-

sheds of northern California’s Humboldt County, as an

ture and growing season than it is about plugging

example of the sort of analysis that could be done—

into the grid — so let’s start considering a more en-

and is absolutely necessary—to inform land-use

vironmentally sensible approach that pays homage

plans for cannabis agriculture and to ensure that en-

to the sun-fed farming that got us here and takes

ergy-efficiency standards and laws would be imple-

less of a toll on the gigantic greenhouse we call Earth.

sensimag.com OC TOBER 2017 19

{ediblecritic}

by J O H N L E H N D O R F F

RANDOM COLORADO Wine NOTE

• Colorado’s grape growing regions include the highest altitude vineyards in the Northern Hemisphere, Paonia’s Terror Creek Vineyard at 6,417 feet.

20 Southern Colorado OC TOBER 2017

JOHN LEHNDORFF writes the Nibbles column for the Boulder Weekly and hosts Radio Nibbles on KGNU (KGNU.ORG).

ALTITUDE ADJUSTMENT Colorado wines have aged tastefully into the hipper local sip.

Colorado has been pegged as a state of beer ever since I attended the first Great American Beer Festi-

ing drinkers to give Colorado wine a taste along with hard cider and mead.

val in Boulder, circa 1982. Back then, the state only

“It has been easier for restaurants to add local ci-

had two breweries: Coors and Boulder Beer. Now,

ders because they already have craft brew menus,”

Colorado is the epicenter of the craft ale universe

he says.

and literally blanketed with breweries.

Colorado wine started reviving from the ravages of Prohibition only in the late 1970s. Initially disre-

While the state is well-known for its Rieslings, Colorado’s vineyards are growing a wide range of red and white wine grapes.

garded as a cute, novelty item for tourists, the state’s

“For reds, there’s greater interest in Cabermet Franc,

early grape and fruit wines were not extraordinary,

Petit Verdot, and Syrah grapes because those varietals

but the growing conditions on the Western Slope

have been shown to produce stellar wines in Colorado

showed a lot of promise.

in recent years,” Schlachter says.

Whiskey and hard cider may have made some news,

“Riesling is still the top white varietal, along with

but the Colorado beverage with a buzz is wine. May-

Viognier, Gewurtztraminer, and Chardonnay.” Those

be there’s a yearning for something different. Maybe

well-regarded and highly sippable Colorado Ries-

our collective palate is just tuckered out from all

lings run the gamut from sweet to unexpectedly dry.

those astringent, pucker-producing IPAs.

Wineries have benefited from the state’s wildly

Winery tasting rooms are popping up from Grand

popular and relaxed tasting room culture at brewer-

Junction to Cortez and Boulder to Castle Rock, with

ies, cideries, meaderies, and distilleries that includes

some unique urban winery oases in Denver. Serious

entertainment and an equally vibrant food truck cul-

winemaking talent has flocked to the state and the

ture that has grown up serving places that don’t offer

wines are winning national awards.

food. Even though you’ll find shelves filled with local

“We’ve seen the Colorado wine industry steadily

wines at larger liquor stores, wineries sell most of

growing in the last five years. There are now 150

their bottles through tasting rooms, not in stores or

wineries in the state,” says Kyle Schlachter, Out-

restaurants. That is also where you’ll find small quan-

reach Coordinator for the Colorado Wine Industry

tities of rare or experimental vintages being poured

Development Board. They are tasked with convinc-

for visitors.

sensimag.com OC TOBER 2017 21

Colorado seems to have avoided the pricey wine snob atmosphere endemic in the wine country of California and the Pacific Northwest. “A new generation of winemakers and younger wine drinkers don’t necessarily care about bottles and corks,” Schlachter says.

Following in the footsteps of local canned beer pioneers, unpretentious canned wine is now a legitimate thing. Denver’s edgy Infinite Monkey Theorem is credited as being the first Colorado winery to can some astonishingly good vintages. Palisade’s Colterris Wines recently released Canterris White, Red, and Rose of Cabernet Sauvignon Colorado wines. Other wineries offer takeout, refillable “growlers” of local vino.

While Colorado’s great weather, vistas, outdoor recreation, farm-to-table fare, and cannabis all make it an attractive place to visit, many visitors are coming for the wine and the state’s wine country. In fact, USA Today recently named the 26-year-old Colorado Mountain Winefest as the top wine festival in the country. Take that Napa and Sonoma.

And Wine Enthusiast has named the Wine Board’s Kyle Schlachter as one of 40 Under 40 Tastemakers nationally who are “trailblazers ... shaping the future of wine, beer, cider, and spirits.”

Colorado wines will never be as inexpensive as mass-marketed ones, according to Schlachter. “I think Colorado wines are still a great value. There are very few priced at over $30 a bottle,” he says. For that price, you get an eminently drinkable red or white you can serve to discerning friends who could use a break from yet another heavy ale.

22 Southern Colorado OC TOBER 2017

FOUR COOL COLORADO WINE TASTING ROOMS

FOUR COLORADO WINES TO TASTE TODAY

SWEET ELEPHANT AT VINO COLORADO WINERY

ALFRED EAMES MÉNAGE

The Old Colorado City location in a historic building

A reasonably priced, berry-nice, full-bodied Colorado red

offers free tastings of wines, from Colorado Zinfandel

blend from this award-winning Paonia winery.

to Pinot Gris, plus coffee and bites such as panini

ALFREDEAMESCELLARS.COM

and meat-and-cheese plates.

SWEETELEPHANT.CO

BOOKCLIFF FRIDAY’S FOLLY A fresh tasting, light-bodied white table wine blended with

INFINITE MONKEY THEOREM URBAN WINERY

Colorado Viognier, Muscat Blanc, and Riesling in Boulder.

This super-hip taproom in a 15,000-square-foot urban

BOOKCLIFFVINEYARDS.COM

winery in Denver’s RiNo district boasts tastings of wines from a Dry Hopped Sauvignon Blanc to a hearty Colorado

CARLSON VINEYARDS CHERRY WINE

Malbec plus live music and food trucks.

Erase any concept of a too-sweet fruit-based wine from

THEINFINITEMONKEYTHEOREM.COM

your mind even though this Palisade-made varietal will

TWO RIVERS WINERY

Colorado-grown Montmorency cherries. This ruby red

remind you of tart cherry pie since it’s made with Two good reasons to visit this winery: a gorgeous setting

tart-sweet wine is one of the best I’ve ever found to

at the base of Colorado National Monument in Grand

accompany holiday roast turkey with all the trimmings.

Junction and an equally gorgeous and steak-worthy Two

CARLSONVINEYARDS.COM

Rivers Cabernet Sauvignon.

TWORIVERSWINERY.COM

GUY DREW MERITAGE This is as fine a classic red blend—oak-aged 60 percent

BONACQUISTI WINE COMPANY

Merlot, 20 percent Cabernet Sauvignon, 20 percent

It’s easy to love the family-owned (and family-friendly)

Cabernet Franc—as any from California at the price.

atmosphere at this Italian-inspired winery in Denver’s

This wine from Cortez should be appreciated in a large

Sunnyside neighborhood. Tours of the wine production

Riedel red wine glass.

area are available. Bonacquisti offers one-liter wine

GUYDREWVINEYARDS.COM

growlers—glass bottles refillable with reds and white from the winery’s rotating taps.

BONACQUISTIWINE.COM

sensimag.com OC TOBER 2017 23

{travelwell}

by R A N DY R O B I N S O N

ONE. MORE. TIME. Winter is coming, but there’s still time to vehiculate across SoCo’s borders before the snows hit.

Growing up, I remember the Colorado Front Range usually saw its first wintery blizzard sometime

WLCoWSVoWLTc KANSASTRAVEL.ORG/WORLDSLARGESTCOLLECTION.HTM

around Halloween. That hasn’t been true for the last few years (it has something to do with the world

Take, for example, the World’s Largest Collection

getting hotter…), which means we get a little more

of the World’s Smallest Versions of the World’s Larg-

wiggle-room these days when it comes to the year’s

est Things. It used to be a traveling roadshow, but

final out-of-state adventures. If this year looks like

since its retirement, it now calls Lucas its forever

last year, we can probably expect the first big snow-

home. Although the WLCoWSVoWLTc (yeah, that’s

fall to descend sometime this month.

its official acronym) displays a wide array of minia-

Maybe you’re new to Colorado. Maybe you’ve

tures, like the World’s Smallest Mural and the World’s

lived here all your life, but you never traipsed much

Smallest Teapot, it has some surprises as well, like

further than the train tracks that cut through Securi-

the World’s Largest Souvenir Travel Plate.

ty/Widefield. Or maybe you got caught up in the daily toil of the endless grind, sights set on making that

The Garden of Eden

cheese as the rest of the world just glides by.

GARDEN-OF-EDEN-LUCAS-KANSAS.COM

Regardless, what you’ll find in the following pages are a few ideas for where your next long jaunt could

Starting from the WLCoWSVoWLTc, walk due north

take you. This is by no means a definitive list, and

for about a minute. You’ll end up at SP Dinsmoor’s Gar-

you’re welcome to use it to stimulate ideas for

den of Eden, the outdoor sculpture project that started

grander, more expansive trips.

all this artsy mess in lil’ ol’ Lucas. Founded in 1907, the Garden of Eden was almost shut down by some of the

LUCAS, KANSAS

town’s philistine residents. Instead of going the way of

About a six-hour drive from Colorado Springs

a Savanarola bonfire, the Garden of Eden became cen-

It’s essentially a straight shot from the Springs to

tral to Lucas’s identity, and today this museum is one of

Lucas, Kansas. Why in the world would I recommend

the town’s most popular attractions.

driving for half a day out to the boonies, to a town of fewer than 500 residents? Lucas is known as the

The Garden of Isis

Grassroots Art Capital of Kansas for a reason: the

KANSASTRAVEL.ORG/ISIS.HTM

entire town is basically an art museum, a home for some of the most uncanny and arcane pieces this side of the Colorado River.

24 Southern Colorado OC TOBER 2017

For folks with a hankering for the weird, be sure to duck into the Garden of Isis. Spring-boarding off the

UT

KS

NM

sensimag.com OC TOBER 2017 25

Biblical references started by Dinsmoor, artist

Wheeler Peak

Mri-Pilar’s charming collection of disjointed doll

SUMMITPOST.ORG/PAGE/150429

parts, giant springs, and other random household knick-knacks makes an ornamental showroom out of what would otherwise be a junkyard.

Wheeler Peak is named after one George Montague Wheeler, an impeccably humble explorer who

The above sites are some of the big ones to

named at least six southwestern mountains after

check out, but there are some notable mentions.

himself. Wheeler Peak is about a 30- to 45-minute

Abraham’s Flying Pig Studio & Gallery, Florence

drive north of Taos, but for Coloradans who have

Deeble’s Rock Garden, and the Grassroots Art Cen-

trekked pretty much every 14er in the Centennial

ter are all worth a visit. And if you’re ever in the

State, Wheeler Peak offers a new challenge and

mood for cured meats, Brant’s Meat Market on S.

fresh sights—including a hike into Williams Lake, a

Main Street has been cranking out jerkies and sau-

paradisiac spot tucked within a wall of mountain

sages in Lucas for over eight decades.

ridges and thick timber.

Technically, Wheeler Peak isn’t a 14er, but it’s close:

TAOS, NEW MEXICO

the tippy top is just 800-feet below the 14,000 mark.

About a four-hour drive from Colorado Springs

Interestingly, Wheeler Mountain in Colorado—one of

Taos looks like those pastel-shaded dreamscapes

those six peaks Georgie boy staked back in the

found in most southwestern paintings. Art, music,

1800s—is also a few hundred feet shy of being a 14er.

and amazing food form the staples of this community, but it features several eccentric stops for travelers looking for more than just a desert escape.

MOAB, UTAH About a seven-hour drive from Colorado Springs Reside in Colorado long enough, and that hard-

Model Homes: A Living Pueblo and a Real-Life Earthship

core mountain-biking colleague will eventually tell

Pueblo: TAOSPUEBLO.COM

you all about Moab—assuming you haven’t already

Earthship: EARTHSHIP.COM

been there yourself.

Moab is a town of about 5,000, situated near the

Taos is home to two architecturally polar sites: the

eastern edge of the Utah state border. Just outside of

Taos Pueblo and Earthship Biotecture. On the an-

the town are rock formations, valleys, flats, and a

cient end of the historical spectrum stands the

smorgasbord of other natural formations perfect for

Pueblo, a community that has thrived in this very

all kinds of athletic debauchery. The rocky desert

spot for over a thousand years. Unlike the pueblos in

clime has long been a playground for extreme sports

Colorado, this one is still alive and active: it’s a resi-

enthusiasts such as rafters, four-wheelers, base

dence for New Mexico’s Native population, although

jumpers, and rock climbers. However, photographers,

visitors are welcome to experience what is likely

hikers, campers, and other more laid-back outdoorsy

America’s oldest neighborhood.

types can get plenty of thrills near Moab, too.

On the other end of the spectrum is Earthship

Moab has been a favorite American destination

Biotecture, a self-sustaining compound that gener-

for almost half a century, and for travelers coming

ates its own power and water, recycles its resources,

here for the outside recreation, there are more than

and grows its own food. Earthship Biotecture exists

enough opportunities. Simply drive out, park, and

largely to educate the public on the possibilities of

you’re on your way. But there are two hidden gems

earthship communities, and tourists can rent out

in this area, gems that don’t require a $1,000 bicycle

rather comfortable rooms here at a nightly rate. For

or peak physical condition.

travelers looking for unconventional lodging near Taos, look no further than the future.

26 Southern Colorado OC TOBER 2017

Hole N” The Rock THEHOLEINTHEROCK.COM

It’s kind of like NORAD in Cheyenne Mountain, but much, much smaller and sans the Stargate. The Hole N” The Rock, a literal 14-room home built directly inside of a Moabian mountain, was constructed by Albert Christensen in the 1940s. His family lived in the stony home until the 1970s, and today it is part museum, part diner. The cavernous domicile comes equipped with a fireplace and chimney, a bath tub,

website goes over the various hypotheses as to how

and an Easter-egg color scheme reminiscent of a

this extremely odd and mysterious formation came

chic do-it-yourself bomb shelter from the 1950s.

about.) You can hike into or around the dome from various entrances, although Upheaval Dome Trail

Upheaval Dome

and Upheaval Canyon Trail are the two easiest

NPS.GOV/CANY/LEARN/NATURE/UPHEAVALDOME.HTM

routes. Stone cairns mark the most ecologically fragile areas, as the paths can get confusing, espe-

The name is a bit misleading: Upheaval Dome is

cially along the dome’s outer rim. This part of Moab

currently classified as a crater, based on the latest

does not allow dogs or bikes, which is good for the

geological evidence concerning its origins. (The NPS

nature purists, but may be a deal-breaker for others.

sensimag.com OC TOBER 2017 27

{aroundtown}

by RANDY ROB IN SON

MANSION PHANTASMS Some of Colorado’s most pristine historical sites may also harbor echoes of the dead. Or, at least, that’s what the locals say.

Find an old, abandoned building in Colorado, and

This 37-room mansion, once dubbed “Colorado’s

there’s a good chance you’ll stumble on a ghost sto-

Crown Jewel,” was built as a family estate for John

ry or two attached to it. Find a historic mansion, cas-

and Margaret Thatcher at the turn of the 19th cen-

tle, or hotel in our state, and you’ve got yourself a

tury. Today, Rosemount Castle has been converted

sequel to The Shining.

into a museum, a living archive of the Thatcher’s ex-

The Stanley Hotel in Estes Park is, without a doubt, our state’s most (in)famous haunt. The King of Horror,

travagant yet strange collections of antiques, fine art, and, at one time, a genuine Egyptian mummy.

Stephen King, saw his novel about The Stanley turned

Perhaps the mummy laid a curse over the gyp-

into a Kubrick film (much to the author’s dismay) and

sum-tinted volcanic brick manor, or maybe the

later a television miniseries, which was basically an

ghostly activity reported therein originated from the

extended reboot of the film. Before The Shining be-

lost souls of one of the Thatchers’ dutiful servants.

came a pop-culture sensation, the Stanley Hotel long

Wherever it comes from, guests and employees at

sought to keep its revenant legacy under wraps. To-

Rosemount have said they’ve witnessed typical pol-

day, the Stanley’s staff gladly gives guided ghost

tergeist phenomena: flashing lights, audible foot-

tours of its expansive, spooky quarters.

steps pitter-pattering down empty corridors, and

There are a number of other apparently apparition-laden alcazars located in Colorado, and many of

shadowy silhouettes dancing just beyond the corners of the living’s peripheries.

them reside just a short drive off the southern half of I-25. Where are they, who—or what—haunts

Miramont Castle (Manitou Springs)

them…and why?

9 Capitol Hill Ave. (719) 685-1011 (Main)

Rosemount Castle (Pueblo)

Open every day from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

419 West 14th St.

MIRAMONTCASTLE.ORG

(719) 545-5290 Tours: Tuesday – Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Another mansion-turned-museum, this one was

Last tour starts at 3:30 p.m.

also founded around the turn of the 19th century. The

Special Victorian Halloween tour on

original owner was a French Catholic priest who coin-

October 28, 10 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

habited the estate alongside the Religious Sisters of

(or until the candy runs out).

Mercy. In its early days, the Sisters of Mercy operated

ROSEMOUNT.ORG

a sanitarium at Miramont—a kind of resort for the

28 Southern Colorado OC TOBER 2017

sensimag.com OC TOBER 2017 29

chronically ill— that housed tuberculosis patients. In-

substantiated, one consistent element of the locals’

evitably, some of the castle’s consumption-con-

word-of-mouth tales is the so-called “lady in a dress.”

sumed guests passed away during their visits, which

Guests and neighbors have claimed they’ve spotted a

may explain where the site’s ghostly tales originated.

woman wearing antiquated clothes, hanging out near

In addition to being a place where people came to die,

the stairs, only to vanish without a trace as soon as

the castle’s design draws from Byzantine, English Tu-

they looked away.

dor, and Victorian era stylings, lending an eerie magnificence to this legendary haunt.

Oddly, there have been so many reports of this mysterious woman—along with other ominous oc-

Today, anyone may take a self-guided tour through

currences—that the Tarabino Inn has an official pol-

Miramont. Some employees whisper, off the record,

icy regarding its haunt status. Guests cannot receive

that they still observe unexplained occurrences at the

refunds simply for encountering a spirit. Boarders,

castle, from hearing voices to doors and drawers ran-

beware. Register at your own risk.

domly slamming shut. Lights flicker without any identifiable electrical issues, and long-outdated clothing

The Entire Town of Cripple Creek

has, purportedly, been discovered by housekeepers.

VISITCRIPPLECREEK.COM

Try to catch a glimpse of the ghastly while enjoying a

If you spot a building while cruising down Cripple

spot of tea at Miramont’s famous Tea Room. Or check

Creek’s Main Strip, you’re probably looking at a

out the Doll Room, which is creepy enough without

haunt. This goes for every casino along E. Bennett

the ghost stories.

Avenue, including Johnny Nolon’s, the Imperial Hotel, Bronco Billy’s, the Midnight Rose Hotel, and the Col-

Tarabino Inn (Trinidad)

orado Grande. Especially the Colorado Grande.

Every building has its own story and its own cast

310 E. 2nd St. (719) 846-2115 TARABINOINN.COM

of kooky shades, and many of these phantoms likely spawned from drunken brawls and gunfights gone awry. However, a disastrous series of incidents in

The booming border town Trinidad

spring of 1894 may have contributed, too.

was once one of the most wild in all of

Back then, Cripple Creek was a dedicated mining

the Wild West, where more than one

town, and tensions reached a head between the

gunslinger crumpled dead in the

miners’ union and mine owners in April of that year.

streets as a result of a slow draw. A

A rowdy miner’s strike soon escalated into a three-

river named “Purgatorie” also runs

month orgy of violence: the miners looted stores

through the center of Trinidad,

and stole guns and ammo, stoned scabs who

lending further credence to area’s

crossed the picket lines, and even kidnapped a group

notoriety as a spectral locale.

of sheriff’s deputies. During the riots, the miners

Additionally, there seems to be

detonated so much dynamite that Michael Bay still

a pattern in Colorado with Victo-

sees the Cripple Creek shafthouse explosion in his

rian-era buildings being favorite

dreams. By the end of May, the clashes became so

haunt spots. The Tarabino Inn, a

deadly the local sheriff deputized an army of over

rosy colored bed-and-breakfast

1,200 troops—an army he lost control of as soon as

adobe with heavy genteel styl-

he created it. It took the intervention of the governor

ings, possesses quite a long and

and the Colorado state militia to finally end what had

precedable reputation. Although

devolved into full-blown miners’ war.

30 Southern Colorado OC TOBER 2017

many of the stories online about

Or maybe a night of heavy drinking and lots of

the Tarabino Inn are entirely un-

bright lights makes gamblers see things. Who knows?

32 Southern Colorado OC TOBER 2017

S PECIA L

REPORT

from to

by RANDY ROBINSON

HE ALTH CONSCIOUSNESS

in the age of CRAF T CANNABIS.

Over the past few years, THE CONCEPT OF “FARM-TO-FORK” OR “FARM-TO -TABLE” HAS BEEN AT THE FOREFRONT OF FOODIE DISCUSSIONS. SOME E VE N DESCRIBE IT AS A FULL-FLEDGED MOVEMENT. FARM-TO-TABLE DESCRIBES AN APPROACH TO DINING THAT FOCUSES ON TRANSPARENCY AND MINIMAL TRANSPORT TIMES. THE PHRASE PL AYS ON THE IDEA OF PRODUCE AND MEAT GOING STRAIGHT FROM THE FARM TO THE CONSUMER’S TABLE OR FORK, WITH LITTLE TO NO MEDIATING BY A STORE OR DISTRIBUTOR. THIS BEELINE PATH ENSURES THAT INGREDIENTS ARE ALWAYS FRESH A ND OF THE HIGHEST QUALITY. WE ARE WHAT WE EAT, AND WE ONLY WANT TO E AT THE BEST. This movement can, in some sense, be applied to cannabis as well. Cannabis, after all, is just another

S ON

of the S UN

“People ask me why my stuff gets them so wacked,”

crop in Colorado. It’s used as an ingredient for juic-

says Shawn Honaker, the founder of Yeti Farms. “I

ing, its infusions medicinally enhance otherwise

used to think it was just because I grew everything

inert foodstuffs like hard candies and cookies, and

organic under the power of the sun—and that’s par-

its oils can be heated alongside other essential oils

tially true, but that’s not the only reason.”

as aromatherapy.

Honaker’s farm and extraction operation are lo-

Basically, our state’s cannabis consumers desire

cated along a rural road in Pueblo County, which The

much more from their cannabis than just high THC

Gazette recently dubbed “The Napa Valley of Weed.”

levels. We now know over a hundred different can-

Honaker and other farmers in this area are some of

nabinoids besides THC can confer health benefits.

Colorado’s only outdoor marijuana cultivators. This

We also know terpenes influence the mood of our

is because Pueblo County was the first district in the

highs, and researchers are currently unlocking the

state to permit outdoor and greenhouse pot farms.

roles that the plant’s flavonoids play. In short, we’ve

Roughly 5 percent of Colorado’s cannabis cultiva-

gotten pickier about our pot, and we wish to know

tors operate in this manner. All others grow in en-

where our products come from with the assurances

closed warehouses, powered by electric lights rath-

that the products are safe and clean.

er than the sun’s rays.

sensimag.com OC TOBER 2017 33

I met with Honaker one morning at the farmhouse he built himself at Yeti Farms. As someone who has enjoyed cannabis for over half my life, I was curious if his products would stand out from the others I’ve sampled over the years, which were all grown indoors regardless of whether I got them from a dispensary or a caregiver. This was, to my knowledge, the first time I tried a cannabis product grown outside, under the sun.

And, boy, was it a doozy.

A few minutes after my first series of massive inhales, I hovered at that perfect point, where the elevation’s escalation kisses a serene zenith, and letting everything else go feels like hitting terminal velocity while skydiving to a sunset melting into the horizon.

“Outdoor plants tend to test lower than most indoor plants in terms of quantifiable metrics such as THC percentage, terpene percentage, even bud size.”

ANDRE W PHAM // C ANNABIS CHEMIST // ILP SCIENTIFIC

No jitters. No racing thoughts. No second-guessing. Just pure guava, an undulating surge of awesome vibes from head to toe.

But does cannabis grown outdoors possess greater potency than pot grown indoors? Not really, says Andrew Pham, a cannabis chemist with the consulting firm ILP Scientific. “Outdoor plants tend to test lower than most indoor plants in terms of quantifiable metrics such as THC percentage, terpene percentage, even bud size,” he says.

Was my first-time sun-grown pot experience a placebo effect? Or was there something more to it?

G A R DE N

of E A R THLY DE L IGH TS

When Honaker uses the term “organic,” he means this in a practical sense. At the moment, there are no formal credentials for organic cannabis, because this label comes from federal standards, and the federal government still considers cannabis a Schedule I drug—in other words, a banned substance. However, that little bureaucratic hiccup doesn’t prevent farmers like Honaker from following organic practices anyway.

“I don’t allow any artificial fertilizers, pesticides, or herbicides on the property,” he says.

Instead of synthetic chemical nutrients, Honaker employs bokashi compost to feed his plants, which nurtures a probiotic soil environment to clear out old root mass. His blend of bokashi also exploits the genetics of other nearby flora to transfer their “cellular memory” to his cannabis crop.

“We make our bokashi from sunflowers. But our next batch will be made from black-eyed susans that come from this property,” Honaker explains. “The black-eyed susans have been evolving out here for over a thousand years.

34 Southern Colorado OC TOBER 2017

They’ve seen every weather condition, they know when to go dormant, they

know when to wake up. We’re going to feed that cellu-

very possible that Honaker’s sun-grown pot instills

lar information to our cannabis plants by breaking

such a clear-headed high not because it contains

down the black-eyed susans in bokashi, then taking

greater amounts of cannabinoids and terpenes, but

the cellular structures from that and feeding it to our

because it contains a greater diversity of cannabi-

plants.”

noid and terpene ratios.

How does this “cellular memory” thing work? Pro-

“Why am I going to reinvent something that’s

biotic cultivation methods maintain a harmonious mi-

evolutionarily proven itself over millions of years?”

croorganism environment around the cannabis plants’

he asks. “I’m never going to outdo Mother Nature,

roots. This environment is made up of bacteria and

ever. What I can do is emulate it. And what you’re

yeast, two organisms that can absorb surrounding

going to get is the purest of what that plant can be.

genetic material into their DNA. Probiotic methods

It’s not adulterated in the least bit.”

have long been used for other agricultural crops, and studies show these techniques generate larger, stronger roots by producing greater amounts of phytohor-

Consumer ENDS

How do these properties of cannabis grown out-

mones, or hormones made by plants. Not only do pro-

doors translate to our bottom line, to the table, to the

biotic environments encourage phytohormone output

flame? There are a few distinct advantages, and these

from the crops, the microorganisms themselves—be-

perks may establish sun-grown cannabis as the new

cause of gene transfer—can also secrete these phyto-

industry standard.

hormones for a double-whammy of natural biochem-

One of the biggest perks is that cannabis grown

ical signaling. Hormones regulate all of the plant’s

outdoors requires little to no pesticide. Pesticide res-

behavior, from vegetation times to flower size to our

idues on cannabis became a concern in 2015 when

most prized outcome: richer, more complex cannabi-

several grows were caught using synthetic treatments

noid and terpene profiles.

that the state considered unfit for medical or recre-

Although the scientific consensus is still out, it’s

ational grows. For health-conscious consumers, min-

sensimag.com OC TOBER 2017 35

imizing exposure to any pesticides is ideal. For some

came down to what I could afford.”

medical marijuana patients with severely compro-

Cannabis enthusiasts today can seek out canna-

mised immune systems, ingesting pesticide-free can-

bis branded as sun-grown from companies like Los

nabis isn’t just ideal, it’s a necessity.

Sueños, Nature’s Gift Shop, Yeti Farms, or Strawberry

Some outdoor operations may use chemical treat-

Fields. The state’s seed-to-sale tracking system guar-

ments for their plants, but because cannabis’s natu-

antees that consumers are receiving cannabis prod-

ral biochemical constituents act as inborn pest re-

ucts from specific cultivators, but hunting down these

pellants, most outdoor cultivators skip the bug-killers

brands may not be necessary in the foreseeable fu-

altogether.

Susan and Dan Irey own Nature’s Gift Shop, a can-

ture. That’s because most, if not all, of our pot may soon be farmed under the sun.

nabis outlet based in Pueblo, and all their pot is sun-

the

grown. “We have a strong belief that a very healthy cannabis plant can fight off pests and disease on its own,” says Susan. “That is what we strive to grow: strong and healthy plants.”

I NE V I TABIL I T Y

of the I N V I S IB L E H AND

The price point may be the final determinant re-

Honaker makes the same claim about growing can-

garding the trajectory of cannabis cultivation—and

nabis without pesticides. “If you grow a healthy plant,”

our purchasing habits. Because sun-grown canna-

he says, “the bugs won’t attack it.” And clean cannabis

bis flourishes just fine without synthetics, can be

grown outdoors has another perk, and that’s price.

watered by nearby sustainable sources such as riv-

Jamie Bateman is a Thornton resident with a chron-

ers or aquifers, and is cultivated by harnessing the

ic medical condition that requires a strict diet. This

incredibly cost-efficient power of the sun, overall

diet is primarily plant-based, with a strong preference

production costs can be reduced by over 80 percent

for organically grown produce and free-range meats.

compared to indoor grows.

“We can only speak from our own experience, but it seems that the biggest change as a result of these large cultivations is the reduction in prices,” says Irey. “There are more and more wholesale growers, both indoor and outdoor, so we can expect the prices to continue to fall.”

Honaker believes, in the end, large outdoor grows will prevail. “The average price for a pound of weed on the rec market is about $3,000. What happens when outdoor grows can sell a pound for $500? Eventually, it’ll cost more to produce cannabis indoors than they can sell it for. They won’t be able to compete.”

If Irey and Honaker’s predictions turn out to be correct, sun-grown cannabis may become the norm rather than the exception. This shift may lead to more Colorado cities and counties allowing outdoor or greenhouse operations to keep up with Pueblo County’s ex-

A DAPTED FROM GRANT WOOD’S AMERICAN GOTHIC COURTESY OF THE ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO, 1930

plosive trend, with consumers ultimately being the winners on all fronts. In theory, at the current pace, an

Bateman purchases sun-grown cannabis from Los

ounce of outdoor cannabis could go for as little as $10

Sueños Farms, another Pueblo-based cultivator.

wholesale—placing cannabis alongside other com-

“It really came down to price,” Bateman says. An ounce of sun-grown cannabis can currently go for as

mon produce such as tomatoes, potatoes, or onions in terms of pricing by weight.

little as $80, even on the recreational market, where

“Next year, the only expense I have is water and

prices are traditionally high due to licensing fees

the labor to grow it and dry it. That’s it,” Honaker says.

and a tiered tax rate. “I prefer that my weed not have

“It’ll only cost me $20 to produce a pound. And it’s

a bunch of chemicals on it, but really my decision

fire weed, too.”

36 Southern Colorado OC TOBER 2017

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More Cannabis Cups than ANY other dispensary in SoCo

Check out all our Daily Deals & Current Offerings on LeafBuyer & WeedMaps

or visit us at: www.herbalhealing.com sensimag.com OC TOBER 2017 37

SMELLS LIKE

REBELLION… C ANNABIS is the hot new BOTANICAL NOTE in hipper perfumes.

38 Southern Colorado OC TOBER 2017

AND

Freedom

Back in the day

by ROBYN GRIGGS LAWRENCE

(AND TO THIS DAY FOR FAR TOO MANY PEOPLE IN NON-

L E G A L S TAT E S ), G E T T I N G YO U R H A N D S O N A P U N G E N T BAT C H O F C A N N A B I S WAS B OT H EXHIL ARATING AND TERRIFYING. THE PLANT’S DEEP GREEN AROMA—ROBUST, EARTHY, FLAMBOYANT—PORTENDS ALL SORTS OF SENSUAL SATISFACTIONS AS IT PERFUMES CLOTHING, CARS, AND ROOMS. THAT FRAGRANCE IS OLFACTORY BLISS FOR CANNABIS LOVERS— AND PROBABLE CAUSE FOR LAW OFFICERS. SO BACK IN THE DAY, WE CARRIED BOT TLES OF PATCHOULI OIL OR CALVIN KLEIN’S OBSESSION FOR DOUSING OURSELVES AND OUR AUTOMOBILES IF WE GOT OUR HANDS ON SOME DANK HERB. We evolve (though not fast enough). As cannabis

“So Gorgeous and Sexy and Grrr”

laws loosen in many states, cops and their dogs are

Translated from the Latin per fumum, the word per-

being retrained to ignore the smell of terpenes

fume means “through smoke.” The art of scent has

(most commonly myrcene), the aromat-

been evolving since Roman and Byzantine nobles

ic compounds that give cannabis away.

began perfuming their bodies, homes, and public

Those same terpenes are instead pop-

spaces with plants. Early Christians believed scent

ping up as elite botanical notes in fine

transformed a profane space into a sacred one and

perfumes created by and for people who

conveyed the presence of divinity, so incense was

like to push boundaries. Avant garde perfum-

heavily used in churches, but personal fragrance

ers are playing with the once-verboten scent of

was forbidden. Ottomans blended herbs and spices

cannabis, The Perfume Lover author Denyse Beau-

from the East with musk and rosewater to make

lieu told fragrance industry magazine The Whale &

perfumes. Ancient Egyptians had a perfume god,

The Rose, because it signals a quiet rebellion.

Nefertum, and could detect status by the scent peo-

For those of us in legal states, smelling like

ple wore. Egyptian Queen Hatshepsut sent expedi-

skunk represents freedom. We no longer have to

tions to gather frankincense resin to feed her prolif-

smell like hippies or frat boys. We can wear per-

ic use. Napoleon is said to have used 50 bottles of

fume that smells like cannabis if we want to.

cologne per month.

The question, then—do we want to?

Commercial perfume production started in Paris

sensimag.com OC TOBER 2017 39

in 1190, the first distilled alcohol-based perfume was created in the 14th century, and the first commercial fragrance, Royal English Leather, was launched in 1781 to honor King George III. Revlon’s Charlie was the first perfume to be mass-marketed in the 1970s, and no one who lived through the ′80s could forget Poison—so cloying that many restaurants banned customers from wearing it. Personal fragrance had grown into a $10 billion industry by 2008, right around the time early disruptors started introducing cannabis as a signature note.

Pennsylvania-based Demeter Fragrances claims to be the first to market with Demeter’s Cannabis Flower, launched in 2006. The company’s web-

SMELL

like weed

LOOKING TO ADD CANNABIS TO YOUR FRAGRANCE WARDROBE? GOOD THING YOU’RE USED TO PAYING THREE FIGURES FOR AN OUNCE OF FLOWER—THESE PERFUMES AREN’T CHEAP. Black Afghano by Asomatto “The best quality of hashish” 30 ml/$150 | NASOMATTO.COM Demeter Cannabis Flower Skunky cannabis, flowers, spices 29.5 ml/$18.90 | DEMETERFRAGRANCE.COM Forbidden by House of Matriarch Absinthe, cannabis, damiana, tuberose, wild mushroom 15 ml/$120 | MATRIARCH.BIZ Jack by Richard E. Grant Cannabis, mandarin, lime, clove, pepper, white musk 100 ml/$123 | JACKPERFUME.CO.UK Reefer Madness Collection by Xyrena Blue Dream (sweet blueberry, skunk), OG Kush (lemon, pine, burnt rubber), Space Cake (salty, buttery vanilla) 50 ml/$74.20 | XYRENA.COM Smoke for the Soul by Killian Tart, woody, hint of smoke and cannabis 50 ml/$270 | BERGDORFGOODMAN.COM

site describes Cannabis Flower, one of Demeter’s most popular scents, as “slightly floral, slightly spicy, but unmistakably cannabis.” Perfumer Mark Crames designed the scent for Sephora, which took a pass on his pot perfume but later released Cannabis Santal, a patchouli-based cologne that doesn’t list cannabis as an ingredient.

40 Southern Colorado OC TOBER 2017

Brooklyn-based musician Killian Wells, a punk per-

cannabis buyers really based their opinion of the

fumer who describes himself as “the Andy Warhol of

quality of the cannabis on the fragrance.” Using ter-

fragrance,” created the first strain-specific cannabis

penes such as pinene, limonene, and caryophyllene,

perfumes for his company Xyrena, which sells scents

Wells attempts to capture that epicurean appeal in

like Basic Bitch (pumpkin spice latte, boxed merlot,

the Reefer Madness Collection.

cold-pressed kale juice, fresh-cut grass from Coach-

Swazi-English actor and perfumer Richard E. Grant

ella), Pool Boy (suntan lotion with notes of chlorinat-

never thought twice about making cannabis a top

ed pool water), Funeral Home (white flowers, mahog-

note, along with lime and mandarin, in his award-

any, and oriental carpet), and Plastic by Trixie Mattel

winning signature unisex perfume Jack because

(that fresh-out-of-the-box smell because “life in plas-

“the leaves smell so gorgeous and sexy and grrr!”

tic IS fantastic!”). Xyrena’s unisex Reefer Madness Col-

he told Tatler. Like all the ingredients in Jack, he

lection includes Blue Dream (sweet blueberry with a

added, cannabis triggers “great sensory feeling.”

hint of skunk and earthy pepper finish), OG Kush (sour lemon, pine, cedar, and a hint of burnt rubber), and Space Cake (cannabutter base with notes of salted butter, cannabis trim, earth, cedar, skunk, and buttercream frosting).

Wells created the collection after he was prescribed cannabis for an anxiety disorder. Not a fan of “the skunk-heavy scent of smoked bud,” he does enjoy the aroma of raw flowers. “I’ve always liked the smell of bud when I would go to a dispensary,” Wells told

L.A. Weekly, “and I thought it was interesting that

sensimag.com OC TOBER 2017 41

PERFUME H ACKS *

Apply perfume to pulse points: back of knees, elbow crooks, wrists,

neck, décolletage. (Don’t rub it in; that crushes the smell.) *

Scent a room by putting a few drops of perfume on an oil burner.

*

Store tightly stopped bottles away from heat and sunlight.

*

If perfume loses color, it has gone bad.

Anti-Princesses and Iconoclasts Cannabis is also showing up as a complementary note rather than the star of the show in cutting-edge perfumes. Christi Meshell, owner of Seattle-based House of Matriarch, used it along with absinthe, damiana, and lantana in Forbidden, a scent based on

based style columnist, author, and marketing strat-

historically feared and outlawed aromatics. Balen-

egist, predicts major brands like Gucci and Prada

ciaga’s Florabotanica includes a cannabis note in its

will begin to include it as a “clean, environmental

dark, woody perfume that a reviewer described in

scent” that represents the ideals of a lifestyle—like

The Whale & The Rose as fit for “the anti-princess—a

chakra jewelry and yoga pants. Maybe we’ll see can-

princess perhaps that also wouldn’t say no to a lit-

nabis vaginal steams on Goop.

tle green indulgence.”

“I look at the proverbial marijuana leaf, and I see

As stigma dissolves, more and more perfumers

something clean and beautiful,” Weingarten says.

are likely to include cannabis as a fresh new note with

“Both baby boomers and thirtysomethings feel like

an outlaw-lite edge. Rachel Weingarten, a New York-

the cannabis scent defines them as an iconoclast.”

42 Southern Colorado OC TOBER 2017

S TR ANGE

scents

Cannabis isn’t the only ingredient that’s

raising eyebrows as perfumers strive to outdo each other with challenging fragrances that take people to new places.

Bacon Fragrances by Fargginay:

“bring your bacon with you and harness the subtle and seductive powers of bacon in a bottle” (FARGGINAY.COM)

Comme des Garcons Series 6 Synthetic Garage: “evokes childhood memories of a

The novelty scents aren’t always winners.

These two are no longer available.

Eau de MacBook Pro: designed in 2012

to mimic the scent of an Apple product being opened for the first time — plastic wrap,

printed ink, ripped cardboard, aluminum laptop straight from China

Flame: body spray for men described in

2008 as “the scent of seduction with a hint of flame-broiled meat.”

garage, father’s car, various interesting tools that smell manly” (FRAGRANTICA.COM) Dzing!: “a magical evocation of a circus, the

scent of warm hay, cardboard cutouts, sawdust on the ground, and saddle leather” (ARTISANPARFUMEUR.COM) Horse: “literal interpretation of dry animalic

musk laced with soft, sweet hints of cedarwood and oats” (ETSY.COM) Paper Passion: “the unique olfactory pleasures of the freshly printed book” (AMAZON.COM) Pork Barrel BBQ Que Barbecue Cologne:

“an intoxicating bouquet of spices, smoke, meat, and sweet summer sweat” (AMAZON.COM) Secretions Magnifiques Etat Libre

d’Orange: “blood, sweat, sperm, saliva … that

extraordinary and unique moment when desire triumphs over reason” (FRAGRANTICA.COM) Vulva Original: “the natural vaginal scent

produced by movement and sweating in the female intimate area” (VULVA-ORIGINAL.COM)

sensimag.com OC TOBER 2017 43

REAL NAME,

Gimmicks NO

LAST SUMMER,

CHEF BROTHER LUCK ACTUALLY BEAT BOBBY FLAY WITH PIQUANT PULLED

PORK SLIDERS MADE FROM SCRATCH—AND HE DID IT WITHIN A HERCULEAN 45-MINUTE WINDOW. THEN, HE TRAVELED TO ASIA TO STUDY SOME OF THE WORLD’S MOST PRIMOGENIAL CULINARY TRADITIONS. NOW, HE’S BRINGING HIS FLAIR FOR FLAVOR BACK TO THE CITY WHERE HE ONCE

by R A N DY R O B I N S O N

PROVED SIMPLE STREET FOOD COULD BE JUST AS LAVISH AS WHITE TRUFFLES OR IRANIAN CAVIAR. When Chef Brother Luck began the first round

The final four, however, is the most important. “It

on Beat Bobby Flay, he literally ripped a refrigera-

comes from a Native American saying local to this

tor door off its hinges. It was an accident, of course,

area,” he explains. “There are four essential roles to

but it really happened.

good food: hunters, gatherers, farmers, fishers.

“I’m back at the cutting board cooking, and all I hear is Bobby Flay screaming, ‘Who broke my fridge

Those four people are iconic to me. That’s what we strive for in cooking.”

door?’” recalls Luck as he wipes a smiling eye. “I

“A chef may spend hours or even days making a

thought they were going to yell cut, but they were

dish,” he continues. “But the hunters, the farmers,

like, ‘No, keep going! That was awesome. That was

the gatherers, those people spent months—if not

the best intro we ever had.’”

years—preparing this food. My chefs need to un-

That level of enthusiastic zest follows Luck

derstand that. Basically, don’t fuck this up.”

wherever he goes, whether he’s opening a national-

Why is this meticulous approach to cuisine so

ly syndicated TV show, drizzling sauce across a

critical to Luck? After all, every chef learns about

plate like Jackson Pollock, or tending the unas-

food sourcing in culinary school.

suming herb garden next to his new restaurant, IV (pronounced “Four”) by Brother Luck.

“I have people from Dubai, people from Tokyo, people from Shanghai, from New York, Chicago, all

Four is Luck’s second foray into running his

paying attention to what we’re doing here in Colo-

own dining spot. In previous years, he was known

rado Springs,” says Luck. “I saw the beer scene take

for Street Eats, a food-truck-without-the-truck

off here, then the spirits—the food scene is next.

eatery located behind the Triple Nickel Tavern.

But Colorado is still struggling with ‘What is the

But whereas Street Eats was Luck’s esculent testi-

identity of our food?’ There’s great Western Slope

mony to the savory power of so-called street food,

produce: corn, peaches, cherries, melons. We’re

Four is unquestionably his version of a palatable

also known for southern Colorado’s produce, which

palette: a symphony of sight, scent, and south-

is Pueblo’s green chile. How do you take this state

western sapidity.

and define it?”

Four exemplifies four aspects of Luck’s ap-

Luck recounts his time in Japan as a crucial pe-

proaches to cuisine. First, the “IV” represents his

riod that shaped his outlook on sampling or prix

generation, as he’s the fourth Brother Luck in his

fixe menus. Kaiseki chefs there specialize in rich,

familial line. Second, Four embodies the south-

multicourse meals, although every one offers

western culinary culture of the Four Corners re-

nearly identical menus between restaurants,

gion. Third, there are four parts to Four’s tasting

something that initially perplexed Luck. When he

menu, and because the ingredients are always sea-

asked his host why every kaiseki restaurant

sonal, there are four menus offered throughout the

served the same dishes, he was told that Japanese

year—a sensible menu structure he borrowed from

tradition dictated those were the best ingredients

Japanese kaiseki.

for the season.

44 Southern Colorado OC TOBER 2017

PHOTO BY SEAN CAYTON

A chef may spend hours or even days making a dish. But the hunters, the farmers, the gatherers, those people spent months—if not years— preparing this food.

“That goes to show the history, how old these

here is not as optimal as the beef from Nebraska or

countries are,” Luck says. “It makes you realize how

California. I think we can broaden that and say

young our country is. We haven’t found that identi-

anything from the US is local. This is the best time

ty yet. I was working in a restaurant in Japan that

to serve Maine lobster. This is the best time to serve

was 350 years old. The United States isn’t even 350

Colorado peaches.”

years old.”

Luck sees his newfound celebrity—after five TV

In a truly American fashion, his southwestern fare fuses the best ingredients from many cultures:

show appearances in the span of a year—as a way

~ think jalapeno poppers made with tempura batter

to anchor the world’s attention on Colorado Springs,

and cumin, bone marrow with pickled fennel in a

to put us “under the microscope.” Step one, for him,

kabayaki sauce, or buffalo brisket with giardiniera,

is to stop looking at “locally sourced” food as being

crème fraiche, and Anasazi beans. Four, then, is

anything originating within a 100-mile radius. “Ja-

much more than just a restaurant. It’s a declaration,

pan is small, so any food there is considered local.

a heroic attempt to carve a collective persona, to

I love supporting local, but sometimes the beef

place a face on a relatively young country currently in the throes of an identity crisis.

“That’s my philosophy for this city: if one of us makes it, we all make it,” Luck says in reflection.

“Get people paying attention to what we’re doing, because there’s great things happening in this city right now. We’re the generation that has to define the American style. Now is the time to define our identity.” sensimag.com OC TOBER 2017 45

MONTE FIORE FARMS

P R O MOT ION A L F E AT URE

Sun-Grown Goodness IN THIS INDUSTRY, PRODUCTS FLY OFF THE SHELVES, SEEMINGLY NONSTOP. M O N T E F I O R E FA R M S I S H E R E TO H E L P YO U R C A N N A B I S B U S I N E S S K E E P U P W I T H D E M A N D. Stroll through any dispensary, and you will quickly realize that copious amounts of flower are

tages of growing indoors with the efficiencies of an outdoor grow.”

contained in jars and bags. For every edible, con-

Perrino and his business partner, Zach Karst,

centrate, patch, or pill on the dispensary’s shelves,

established Monte Fiore Farms by merging their

even greater amounts of flower are required to

backgrounds in real estate development with

infuse those items.

their hands-on knowledge of the cannabis indus-

Where does all that plant material come

try. Spanning 53 acres across Huerfano County,

from? Surely one little dispensary cannot possi-

Monte Fiore began construction on its first greenhouse last March. The farms are being built along the historic Perrino Ranch’s south-facing slope, to maximize the greenhouses’ exposure to natural sunlight. The adjacent Huerfano River acts as a sustainable source of fresh water, further reducing the farms’ operating costs and impacts on the environment.

But do these environmentally friendly grow methods generate higher quality products?

With the proper attention, care, and lab analyses, yes, they do.

“We’ve got strains testing in the 36 percent THC

bly grow all that potent cannabis in the back of

range,” says Perrino. “From lab data on the ex-

a little shop.

traction side, we’re seeing yields that are double

Enter Monte Fiore Farms, located a few miles

or triple the typical yield results. We’re also discov-

outside of Walsenburg, Colorado. A large-scale

ering new terpene blends and profiles in our flow-

cultivator, Monte Fiore offers the spaces, resourc-

er, which makes our product unique, superior in

es, and lifelong expertise needed to grow lush,

quality, taste, and overall experience.”

fragrant buds with a minimal carbon footprint.

In today’s competitive cannabis market, qual-

“We took what we learned through the different

ity is equally as important as quantity. Monte

variations of marijuana and put our twist on it,”

Fiore Farms does more than provide another

says Monte Fiore’s president and cofounder,

grow room. It can give your business more room

Nicholas Perrino. “Our hybrid approach utilizes

to grow, too.

an indoor growing environment while harnessing the power of the sun. It combines the advan-

46 Southern Colorado OC TOBER 2017

STU D IO A 6 4

P R O MOT ION A L F E AT URE

Corridor of Joy STUDIO A64 OFFERS SOLACE FOR SATIVA AND INDICA LOVERS ALIKE. Since it was established in 2013, Studio A64 has

“We’re going to make crepes,” says Racek.

seen Colorado Springs evolve from a quiet town

“We’re going to make tortillas. Breakfast burritos.

to a bustling up-and-comer. The cannabis club

Biscuits and gravy. Hemp granola for yogurt and

has itself evolved, starting in 2013 on the second

fruit.” To longtime patrons of Studio A64, yes, their

floor of its 332 Colorado Avenue location with a

famous milkshakes will still be available.

consumption bar, entertainment station, and a

Why hemp? Hemp, the type of cannabis known

plush lounge. It later expanded to the first floor

to not get people elevated, possesses a ton of

with a soft drink and snack bar.

health benefits. By serving scrumptious, nutritious meals made with hemp, Studio A64 can educate the public on the many uses of cannabis, including the variety of benefits it offers outside of partying or relaxing.

Education, in fact, is one of Studio A64’s goals.

Although Studio A64’s café has introduced the town to hemp dining, the club remains true to its roots as a social-use club, too. Patrons may still enjoy a smoke or a dab at the club’s second-level consumption lounge every night after 6 p.m.

“Tourists come here, and it’s the first time they’ve ever seen some of these products,” she adds. “They’ve never dabbed before. They’ve never had edibles before. A dispensary can tell them how to use a product, but our club can actually show them how to use it properly and safely.”

And the club continues to roll out new sur-

Studio A64 is BYOC—bring your own cannabis—

prises. On August 26, Studio A64’s owner, Am-

and anyone 21 or over can stop by. Tourists, new-

bur Rose Racek, launched the club’s new hemp

bies, and longtime cannabis enthusiasts are in-

café, where guests can dine on healthy, glu-

vited to Studio A64 to make new friends, share

ten-free meals either made from hemp or in-

good flower, or learn a few things about canna-

fused with CBD.

bis culture.

sensimag.com OC TOBER 2017 47

S P E C I A L A DV I S O R Y BOA R D S E C T I O N

A S T H E C A N N A B I S I N D U S T R Y G R O W S, SO DO T H E N U M B E R OF N I C H E E X P E R T S W I T H I N IT. FROM TOP-TIER DISPENSARIES AND EXTRACTION BRANDS TO EDIBLE MAKERS AND MARKETING SPECIALISTS, THESE COMPANIES ARE INCREDIBLE SOURCES OF INSIDER INFO ABOUT THE TRENDS AND ISSUES DRIVING THIS THRIVING MARKETPLACE FORWARD. THE SENSI ADVISORY BOARD IS COMPRISED OF LEADERS FROM A VARIETY OF FIELDS WITHIN THE CANNABIS INDUSTRY. EACH ISSUE, ADVISORY BOARD MEMBERS SHARE SOME OF THEIR KNOWLEDGE WITH OUR READERS IN THIS DEDICATED SECTION. THIS MONTH, WE HEAR FROM EXPERTS AT 1906 N E W H I G H S, AND H A PPY-K I TC H E N S / M OTA P OT.

For a full list of Advisory Board Members, turn to the masthead on page 9.

Innovations in Edibles: Fast Acting, More Control

by Peter Barstoom, 1906 New Highs IF MANY OF US EDIBLE CONNOISSEURS HAD ONE WISH — JUST ONE — IT WOULD BE FOR EDIBLES TO HAVE A FAST ONSET TIME. IN A PERFECT WORLD, YOU’D KNOW WHEN YOUR HIGH WAS GOING TO KICK IN. YOU’D CONSUME AND THE HIGH WOULD COME RIGHT WHEN YOU EXPECTED. BECAUSE TIME IS SUCH AN ESSENTIAL FACTOR IN THE EDIBLE EXPERIENCE, GETTING TO A FASTER ONSET TIME IS WHAT AN EDIBLE LOVER’S DREAMS ARE MADE OF. IT’S THAT SIMPLE : PEOPLE WANT FASTER ONSET TIMES FROM THEIR EDIBLES. Most edibles take up to 90 minutes before you feel

have started to look closely at solutions to the onset

the effects, and many manufacturers have accepted

time and manageability issue. One of our primary goals

this fact as an industry norm. The consequences of this

in starting 1906 was to significantly reduce onset time

slow-acting high can be troubling. Tired of waiting for

to help customers better control their experience.

the high to kick in, consumers take more and end up

Reducing onset times involves applying absorption technologies from pharmaceutical and food science to the edibles market. Science has come a long way in this category in recent years, driving innovation in THC and CBD absorption rates. One of these breakthrough technologies, lipid microencapsulation, can be used to protect THC and CBD molecules from the digestive process so that more THC and CBD reaches the liver and bloodstream faster.

This process is safe and effective, and it’s shown to reduce onset times from 60–90 minutes to as little as 15–20 minutes. That is a game-changing advancement that is revolutionizing the edibles category. Not

regretting it. Just call it the “Maureen Dowd” effect —

only does it make the experience more predictable

the New York Times columnist who wrote about her own

and enjoyable, it is also more manageable. And it just

experience with slow-acting edibles. With the growth

might make the days of nightmare edible stories a

and maturation of our industry, however, many of us

thing of the past.

48 Southern Colorado OC TOBER 2017

S P E C I A L A DV I S OR Y BO A R D S E C T ION

Barbara Jean's Canna Cornbread

by Carolyn King, Happy-Kitchens/Mota Pot For me, October signals the coming of my favorite time of the year, fall.

I grew up in the Midwest, and in the fall, the leaves change colors, rock salt and snow shovels go on sale,

Don’t forget to save the wet plant matter (aka puck) after the extraction for another dish. There will be 233 mg (30 percent) THC left there for you to enjoy. Did somebody say chili?

and kitchen windows are sweaty with condensation from home cooks like my mom, Barbara Jean, making magic.

Cornbread was a staple in our home. It was always welcome, and during holidays, it became dressing. And any cooks worth their weight in cannaliquor owned a cast iron skillet. It creates the best crust, and every piece is an end-piece—YES! So, here I am, a serious home cook in my own right. It was just a matter of time before I created a mash-up between Barbara Jean and Mary Jane. To usher in this time of year and as an excuse to make cornbread, I offer “Barbara Jean’s Canna Cornbread.”

I infuse bacon fat using 4 grams of ground-up Blue Dream (approximately 19 percent THC) representing 760 mg available. After the extraction, 70 percent is infused into my bacon fat, giving me 532 mg of THC into that half cup. At 66 mg per tablespoon, I used just two tablespoons, equaling 133 mg. That divided by 10 servings gives you 13 mg per slice. Here’s the math: 4000 mg (= 4 g) x 0.19 = 760 mg. 760 mg x 0.7 = 532 mg

Barbara Jean’s Canna Cornbread

* 10” cast-iron skillet * 1 cup yellow cornmeal* * 1 cup AP flour, unbleached * 2 teaspoons baking powder * 1 tablespoon granulated white sugar * ¼ teaspoon table salt * 1 teaspoon baking soda * 1 large egg * 2 tablespoons infused bacon fat

DIRECTIONS

· Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and put the dry cast-iron skillet in to heat up.

· Add all ingredients, except bacon fat, to a medium-sized bowl and mix until well incorporated.

· Once your oven is preheated, remove the skillet and add the bacon fat to melt. Return the skillet to the oven and watch closely. You don’t want it to burn.

· Once the bacon fat has melted, pull the skillet

out and swirl the fat all over the skillet, covering the bottom and sides.

· If you like, carefully snag one tablespoon of the hot bacon fat and add it right into your batter.

Mix well.

· Now, pour that batter into the hot skillet and

listen for the sizzle. You want that sizzle to ensure there’s enough infused bacon fat in the mix.

· Place your cornbread back in the oven and bake

for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. Serve hot or let it cool for later.

*Note: Fresh stone-ground cornmeal would be fantastic if you have access to it.

sensimag.com OC TOBER 2017 49

WHAT DOES THE FOX SAY?

by R A N DY R O B I N S O N // photos by EVAN HURST

Harvesting moves a crop from plot to packaging. In cannabis, trimmers diligently cut the flower to ensure it looks as nice as it smells prior to hitting a dispensary’s shelves. Teri

Fox , a budtender at Big Medicine,

knows a thing or two about making buds appear their best.

Before Teri Fox called Colorado her home, she grew up in a little town in Nebraska. “The only job opportunities there,” she says, “were to either work in big offices or fast food. I came here to Colorado Springs because I’m an artist.” She still creates art, and during her five-year career in cannabis, she

my bong. Both are almost equal.

Q // What was your childhood dream job?

A // I wanted to be a cartoon artist, but I also wanted to be a hard worker and a farmer, like my father always was, and his father before him.

earned the nickname “Teri Scissorhands,” after

Q // Sativa or indica?

Tim Burton’s gothic dramedy about a boy called

A // Always been a sativa girl.

Edward with shears in place of fingers.

How did Fox get such a cheeky moniker? Besides

LOCAL FAVES

budtending, she’s known in the southern Colorado

Neighborhood // The Broadmoor, Cheyenne

region for being an incredibly brisk yet meticulous

Mountain area

trimmer: she’s been clocked clearing entire pounds

Coffee Shop //

in a single shift while maintaining the fragile, organic aesthetics contained within each bud.

Name // Teri Fox Age // 28 Occupation // Budtender and Cannabis Harvester Motto // Do the best the you can. A motto from my father, Harry M. Fox. Hero // My father, for always doing his best, and pushing me to be a better person every day. Also, Jake Parker, an independent artist who works from home and made his dreams come true by working hard for it.

How Long in Colorado // 7 years.

Before That // Born and raised in Hoskins, Nebraska.

Kangaroo Coffee Restaurant // Hacienda Villarreal has amazing tacos and chips with salsa, I would recommend them to anyone. Good quality food from very kind people.

Bar // Rocks Sports Bar for jam night, hot wings with fries, and some affordable games of pool.

Edible // Capsules, teas, chocolates. I love

GOING DEEPER

the taste of cannabis,

Q // What’s the last song you listened to?

but I love edibles that hide

A // “Rock and Roll Lifestyle” by Cake

the taste as well.

Q // What are you currently reading?

Strain // Wild Girl

A // The Meaning of Trees by Fred Hageneder

Local Getaway // Sunwa-

Q // If you didn’t live in Colorado, you’d…

ter Spa in Manitou Springs

A // Travel the world and paint.

Go-To Spot to Take

Q // What’s your favorite way to elevate?

Out-of-Towners //

A // Either on top of a mountain or in my bed with

Party Rock

50 Southern Colorado OC TOBER 2017