Halloween articles and videos we've archived - Flowertown

Five edibles to elevate your Halloween

Katrina Mae Leuzinger & Charli Wade — Thu, 18 Oct 2018 10:00:13 +0000

4 min read

The dog days of Summer are coming to a close as daylight gets shorter, nights get longer and, maybe, everything is just a tad bit spookier because Halloween is closing in like fog in that scary movie about, well, The Fog (1980).

You’ve probably started the process of converting your front yard into a graveyard and your party mix to seventeen repeats of “The Monster Mash.”

But what about your treats?

Edibles are an effective and discreet way to enjoy cannabis and can help mellow you out on these scary streets. You’re likely a bit wary due to their notorious potency, but have you considered microdosing?

Edible baking has evolved so well it’s easy to regulate how powerful your confectionary creations are. Now you don’t have to worry about never knowing how much to eat and how often.

In fact, we’ve put together five great recipes to help infuse and elevate your Halloween experience from good to great with the wonders of cannabis.

1. Canna-Caramels

You can skip trick-or-treating (and/or stay out of your kid’s candy stash) and make a batch of these grownup treats for yourself in about 15 minutes.

Ingredients:

– 1/2 cup sugar
– 1 1/2 sticks of canna-butter
– 3 Tbs. light corn syrup
– 14 oz sweetened condensed milk

Directions:

Line an 8×8 pan with wax paper. Combine all ingredients over medium heat in a medium-sized saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 7-10 minutes or until golden brown.

Pour the caramel into your wax paper lined pan. Allow to cool for 1-2 hours before cutting into bite-sized pieces. Then top with chocolate or sea salt, or sandwich them between some pretzels, or eat them as is- whatever suits your fancy.

2. Caramel Apple Cider

Remember those caramels you just made? Grab a big handful or two and throw them into your Crock-Pot along with a gallon of good apple cider and a couple sticks of cinnamon. Heat until the caramel is melted and your cider is steaming.

3. Pumpkin Pie

Use your grandma’s secret recipe or just use the one off the back of the can, but add a quarter cup of a strong cannabis tincture to your pumpkin mixture before baking and increase your cooking temperature by ten degrees.

Be sure to wrap the edges of your crust in tinfoil, so that the increased temperature doesn’t fry your pasty.

4. Deviled Eggs

A classic party standby you can dress up for Halloween by topping with a slice of olive (for eyeballs) or plastic spider rings.

Use softened (not melted), salted canna-butter in place of half the mayo you ordinarily would have added.

Alternately, if you get ambitious you can infuse cannabis into some canola oil and make your mayo from scratch. Embrace the herbal flavors in your enhanced deviled eggs and top them with a little-chopped basil or cilantro.

5. Martinis with eyeballs

No Halloween party is complete without a spooky cocktail, and this cannabis-infused lychee martini will be sure to wow your party guest.

You can probably find the canned lychees in the Asian section of your grocery store. If your party guests ask you what the fleshy white fruit in their drink is, I highly recommend adopting your best deadpan voice and continuously insisting it’s an eyeball.

For the garnish

– 1/4 cup light corn syrup
– Red food coloring
– 1 can lychee fruit, drained, with the juice reserved
– Stir the red food coloring into the corn syrup until you achieve a blood-like color.
– Coat the lychees in the fake blood.

For the drink

– 3 oz vodka
– 1 oz dry vermouth
– 2 teaspoons of your favorite cannabis tincture
– 1/3 cup lychee juice, reserved from the can
– Shake over ice and strain into a chilled martini glass.
– Garnish with one or two bloody “eyeballs.”

The post Five edibles to elevate your Halloween appeared first on Flowertown.

The five best pumpkin patches in LA

J. Fergus — Mon, 15 Oct 2018 10:00:28 +0000

4 min read

While for the rest of the country fall means foliage, big sweaters, hot apple cider, and leaf raking. For LA it means a random October heat wave, the resurrection of leaves that died in the summer, and also big sweaters and hot apple cider.

But, surprisingly, one thing LA has in common with everyone else is a great supply of pumpkin patches. Believe it or not, these family-friendly, cutesy, and all-around fun trips are abundant within LA city limits or just a thirty-minute drive out.

As gourd season comes around, check out some of LA’s best options below and don’t forget to tag us in some of your favorite Instagrams you get out of the trip:

Mr. Bones Pumpkin Patch by katrinakbowden – CC BY

Mr. Bones Pumpkin Patch

Culver City

The cream of the crop, Mr. Bones Pumpkin Patch rivals all others in the area. After outgrowing its Beverly Hills location, the patch moved to Culver City, but you can still catch some of your favorite celebs.

There’s something for everyone here from the spooky to the kid-friendly. In addition to the typical pumpkin fare, there are sideshow attractions, an Instagram-ready pumpkin village, a petting zoo, bounce houses, and more! If you work up an appetite from having so much fun, there’s plenty of food trucks around to satiate you.

Petting Zoo by Tina’s Pumpkin Patch – CC BY

Tina’s Pumpkin Patch

Sherman Oaks

Nestled in Sherman Oaks, Tina’s Pumpkin Patch is great for young kids and parents on a budget. A straw maze is tiny tyke height, so you keep an eye on the little ones as they navigate their way through.

General admission, parking, and the straw maze are free, but you have to pay for pony rides, the petting zoo, etc. Most amenities are $3 or less, so it’s easy to cater to your kids’ interests.

Corn Maze by Underwood Family Farms – CC BY

Underwood Family Farms

Moorpark

Okay, we might be cheating this one since it’s not technically in LA, but just a quick drive down the CA-118 to Simi Valley and you’ll feel like you’re on the Central Coast without the hours-long trip.

More importantly, Underwood Family Farms is more than just a great pumpkin patch with hayrides and other amusement park treats. It’s a real, functioning farm and farmstand. Green tags on produce denote ones that were grown and harvested just down the street at the actual farm. The cukes and strawberries are especially strong here.

Pumpkin Piles by whoscalvin – CC BY

Pasadena Pumpkin Patch

Pasadena

We didn’t forget about you, East Siders! Kids will love the Pasadena Pumpkin Patch, even though it’s technically a parking lot. From the petting zoo to pony rides to bounce houses, there’s enough merriment to keep them entertained in addition to a great selection of pumpkins!

All the attractions are individually priced, but you can get unlimited bounce house/slide access for $15. The patch stays open until 10 pm, so good luck prying them off the inflatables in time for bed!

Pa’s Pumpkin Patch by justin.cheadle – CC BY

Pa’s Pumpkin Patch

Long Beach

For a full-on, pumpkin carnival experience, head to Long Beach. In addition to the typical bouncy, furry animal-filled patch attractions, Pa’s Pumpkin Patch features several rides and carnival games.

With the exception of the pumpkins and fair food, everything can be bought with fair tickets. Depending on which pack you get, tickets work out to about $2 each and most rides only require two tickets. Parking is free and so are the memories you’ll snag at this more than 40-year-old pumpkin patch!

And, with all this pumpkin you’ll have hanging around at home, you’re ready to skip the line at Starbucks and make your own pumpkin-spiced creations. Whether it’s a homemade latte or pumpkin pie, infusing cannabis with pumpkin spice is always a winning combo for the warm-ish LA, fall days.

The post The five best pumpkin patches in LA appeared first on Flowertown.