Fall Hash Review 2021

Sour Diesel

For many a seasoned smoker, realdeal sour diesel is the benchmark when it comes to one having an extraordinary smoking experience. Not the easiest of varietals to grow, a late triggering plant outside with a longer than average finishing time relative to the modern-day poly hybrid craze, it’s not that she ever really disappeared. Rather she’s been grown out by older appreciative heads in connected circles for the most part until the last couple of years when a sour diesel resurgence seems to have taken off again. The cut of Sour we’re looking at in this report is known or referred to as the ‘Plantspeaker cut.’ It is an original cut. Brought to Oregon direct from New York some 24plus years ago now by a man we’ll refer to simply as “George.” He has held the cut from then up to now. So why it may be referred to as “The JP” or “Plantspeaker cut” nowadays due to the meticulous manner in which it’s grown and cared for over the last many years, it’s really all props to George, and I’m glad that I’ve now had the moment to make that fact clear. She’s the real deal sour. Simply put, do her right; she’ll change your life.

WORDS JAY PLANTSPEAKER PHOTO @ERIK.NUGSHOTS STRAIN : sour diesel

BREEDER : unknown/conflicting stories and accounts

HEIGHT : medium to tall

WEIGHT: above average FLOWERING TIME IN DAYS : 77-84+days INDICA/SATIVA: hybrid TASTE NOT BURNT/BURN: the unburned dry hit taste of joint is a deep diesel fuel layered in notes of skunk with underlying subtle lemon notes. BURNT: it’s the unburned taste now on fire. The

way weed is supposed to be; flavor matches the nose. I get classic diesel. The added deepness of the skunk really comes out in the burn when your chest expands. Little to no ‘sweet’ in this version. The indoor bulb-grown versions tend to express sweeter, almost grapefruit fuel like terpene profiles. This is a full-body profiled organic sun-grown expression. DRIED BUD/ CRUMBLED APPEARANCE:

classic neon green kind colored buds with salmon to burnt red colored pistils. Speed of high/onset: effects are felt in an instant, increase through use, and continue to gain for a good bit after. DURATION OF HIGH: this particular (sungrown version) high lasts several hours—very much roller coaster ride-like in effects. There’s

a noted climbing or accelerating; pulsating sensation headed upward… my pulse matches up with any number of these random events one might encounter through such physical activity. QUALITY/ TYPE OF HIGH: real sour diesel grown well is truly unique and euphoric, some say even bordering on a like experience. I myself have to agree. I personally like my sour how I like my coffee. Straight. She’s a real pick me up. Medicinal qualities: uplifting and great for depression. Not so great for someone who is excitable or with heart conditions, prone to panic attacks, etc., Creatively speaking, both artists and musicians love sour d. Speaking to how it can enhance a mood or the working chemistry of a situation or event into something far greater….That’s the power of Sour. ORIGINS: New York, mid to late 1990s. To this present day, the legendary sour diesel falls into what I refer to as “the class of legendary strains.” If you have ever smoked weed or are familiar with the smoking culture, you’ve likely heard the name.

Frenchy’s Force

WORDS DRAGONFLY EARTH MEDICINE

This is Dragonfly Earth Medicine’s newest strain. It is an amazing fusion of 2 of our most recently loved hash strains which we have been breeding with for a few years. We gathered the high fruit aroma notes and sweetness of Garden of Grease’s Guava Punch and married it with the earthy, rotten citrus gas dank of Hella Seed’s beloved GG Gak strain. We were gifted a bunch of seeds from both Brandon and Hella Seeds so, we direct sowed all of them. Our soils are unforgiving to seeds that are not strong. The deep, microbial-rich soils that we cultivate are so potent that often it will rot any seed that has not also been grown under such natural conditions.

We breed strains for

1- Health/Vitality. How does it hold up in our environment? Is it pathogen resistant (molds, mildews, and pests)? Does it need a lot of attention in feedings or foliars? 2- Body and Mind integration during ingestion of the flower, hash, and edible oil. How does it feel? How long do the effects last? Is it a good hash strain, bong hit/doobie strain, or an oil/edible strain? What medicinal values does it hold? 3- Smell and energy it holds in the gardens. What plants do the best around this varietal? What kinds of insects are drawn to it? Does it rip your nose hairs off when you smell it in 1 month of flower? And does it take over the entire property with the smell of that one plant or varietal? 4- Looks and Stature. How big does it get? How much does it yield? Does it need support/trellising? What kind of flowers does it form? And, will they be likely to mold during a wet season? What kind of crystals does it form? Dry and raised or wet and greasy? Good for hash-making? We loved this varietal and chose it for its

elegant, strong stature, vigorous growth, and potent, buttery/creamy/guava/citrus peel gas FORCE. It smells up every area it is planted in. We call it Frenchy’s Force because it is a tribute to our dear friend, Frenchy, who loved a good strain full of forceful flavor and smell. We also saw Frenchy as a serious force of love and connection. His huge heart was a force to be reckoned with because he shared it and his hash

so openly. It is a premier hash strain and dumps white, dry, huge, aromatic crystals. He would be stoked about the “rezin” produced by this strain. This lovely lady stands mid-height (around 8 ft tall). It is a medium to large yielding plant, and this lady has some PHENOmenal flowers! Flowering time of 60 days making it optimal for sun-grown, outdoor regenerative growing. She is a highbred mix of Sativa and Indica with nice thin leaves that do not overlap. When kept as flower, it crumbles perfectly for a joint due to tight calyxed buds with more crystal than carbon/leaf material. It will burn all the way to the end of the joint with a thick resin wring around the paper. The flavor really sits on the tongue and on the roof of your mouth. The flavor lasts. The flowers stay a nice light green when properly cured. It stores incredibly well in a jar in a cool dark place. The medicinal qualities of this strain are lofty, light-hearted, energetic but yet, a wonderful pain reliever for muscle tightness or chronic tissue pain. It immediately changes a mood from gloomy to sunny and can help integrate mountains into molehills. All of these qualities in this strain represent Frenchy’s Force. It gently coats your whole body with healing sensations and lasts for a few hours. Medium range potency, high-end flavor. When this flower is turned into rosin, it fills the whole room with its smells

and then your mouth with flavor. We, as a global community, are in a time of transition and upheaval. Our family at Dragonfly Earth Medicine wanted to introduce this strain to help alleviate the difficulties and put a rosy sheen over our Lovelight. Frenchy’s Force brings out the Ooh La La in everyone’s day!

Fall Hash Review 2021

On a classic summer night in Mendo, after being hotter than fuck all day, it cooled, and we gathered around for a screening of Bill and Ted and started a search for something that might actually get you high in a pile of terps that would put most contests to shame. I grabbed a “thumbprint” from The Real Cannabis Chris (@therealcannabis_chris) of Sour Strawnanna that was a mouth-coating flavor bomb of multiple new heady terps and the potency needed to draw a strong mind-bending hit. A beautiful jam inside a ring of perfect cold cure rosin blend that really is an amazing way to get a real rip that hits all of the flavor sensors and still gets you faded. Next up was a classic bomber of straight Z that made me give thanks for a legend in the hash world when it comes to head ringing and mouth-watering. The hot hose water terps paired perfectly with the summer heatwave. After I cooled off for a minute, I tried a new cocktail from Honeysuckle that we are calling The Great Escape, which relies heavily on the OG side of things that most heads prefer. This was a fresh press cocktail and really gives you the experience of being surrounded by many different strains in a garden, but beyond the terps, the punch was a good night, TKO. The strong fuel flavor that I love so much leaning towards a burnt rubber or sweet skunk is so potent that it would be offensive to most people outside of the weed world but reminds me that no person is wrong about what a good terp is, for each individual, a collection of memories and experiences probably lends us the most influence to what we prefer. Some people love the baby poop flavor of papaya or the piss flavor of Haze, but either way, funky, intense flavors are the most preferred. And this brings my mind to memories of a legend in the game as far as recognizing and enjoying a full variety of terps, Frenchy Cannoli. A permanent fixture in the world of hash and someone who dedicated his life to explaining to the masses how to enjoy it. He was a true ganja man, and when he passed this summer, a legend was lost. His strong accent and opinions on judging weed will be missed for sure from the bottom of many hearts. On a not so sad note, I had some amazing Satsuma from evolved extracts that from the second it hit the charmer, an explosion of orange gas terps is expanding in your lungs, and by the time you exhale, you are in love. With such a sweet flavor, I like to follow it up with a bell ringer, so to finish off the day, I tried out another HSL test batch from Mendocino Grasslands (@mendocinograsslands) material. I would probably have to call this the Kaepernick for the obvious reasons, but beyond the exciting, loud skunk terps invading your mouth, the explosion in your head would make most people want to take a knee to what answers my prayers.

WORDS TONY STACKS PHOTOS CHANCE FRANCK @HUMBLEFARMER