When I told my friend Dave about a new project I was starting with Treehouse Laboratories and FNM, he didn't hesitate to hand over a fat sack full of his newest hobby: home growing cannabis.  Most who know me, understand I have been involved with cultivating cannabis for nearly two decades. Dave was a new friend and didn’t know me from Chad, Tom, or Jane. Dave is the grandfather of my daughter’s classmate and part of a growing population of baby boomers reconnecting with cannabis during retirement. 

The White Widow nugs were supplied from Dave’s first harvest since beginning his hobby. Dave built a 4-tub deep water culture hydroponic system and grew out his massive beauties under two Vevosun VS4000 full spectrum LED lights. 

I hadn’t consumed White Widow since my college days with summers filled with trips to music festivals around the country. In the early 2000’s, named strains weren’t typically available for purchase in southern Minnesota, three hours south of the Twin Cities, unless I was growing it myself. 

I rolled up a joint and prepared to be transported back in time. Instantly, my hair felt less gray and my knees hurt less, moving as they did a decade earlier. Musky sweet, fruity notes of citrus and lemony hops and gas were the first to erupt from the joint as I continued to inhale before crescendo-ing to a slightly sweet, piney/woodsy endnote.

Knowing the lineage, I decided to make this the first smoke of the day and she didn’t disappoint. My creativity as of late had been struggling. After a small spliff, I found my creative juices flowing and energy levels raised while still feeling relaxed. The high rested just behind my eyeballs.  This allowed for an active body and a creative mind, creating the setting for a perfect daytime medicine and inspirational motivation to get even the most mundane tasks accomplished. 

As confirmed by the lab tests, there was a nice mix of daytime and relaxing terpenes including myrcene, terpineol, fenchyl and caryophyllene. Fenchyl is a favorite of mine. This terpene imparts invigorating and uplifting scents of lemon, pine, and notes of camphor. 

Dave’s first pass at the infamous White Widow was a success in my book. He set out and accomplished what he intended on doing; harvesting medicine for himself and a few close family members. This was his first harvest and he is already in the process of making tweaks and continuing to research to develop his cultivation and cannabis engineering skill sets.

Having an official record of his first ever harvest will allow Dave to dial in and keep track of his entire genetic portfolio in the years to come. THC percentages alone do not equate to quality cannabis. This goes to show you, a grower doesn’t have to grow cultivars with THC percentages +25% to produce effective medicine. 

I look forward to sampling more from my home grower network around Arizona. It's always such a pleasure going over to different home grows to see the love and passion they have for the plant we all know and love.