Three Kings - Croptober

 

Mabon, the fall equinox, marks the balance between day and night and the final harvest. From here the days grow shorter, the nights colder and longer, and the fruits (or rather buds) are ready for their final harvest. 

Admittedly, this blog post is somewhat tardy, we already harvested the first of our succulent ladies to avoid mildew. 

The outdoor buds are ripe for picking once 80% of pistils and stigmas have changed from white to brown. 

This year we grew two strains, one named 'cheese, easily identified by its pungent scent and leaves adorned by little brown spots. 

Perfect timing for the harvest is essential: Too early and the tricombes would not have times to develop properly and the ladies would lose the valuable THC and CBD content, but too late risks the buds rotting or moulding. Daily inspection (with a magnifying glass) is necessary as you enter the fall. 

Harvest begins by cutting the outer and base branches. These are trimmed, tied and hung in a well-ventilated area to dry. 

The biggest and best branches, with the most succulent colas ('buds') are the tallest three stemming from the centre stem. Typically, we refer to these as the 'king buds' as they're often the most potent. 

The majority of the branches will be processed into hash, but out of respect for the luscious ladies who gave them life the king buds are dried and preserved to enjoy in their authentic form.

Happy Croptober!

💚🥓🍀