OP: Cooking with Marijuana

Sun Magic Publishing, 1974. Paperback. Very Good.

A title that cuts straight to the chase!

This 1974 cookbook is a bit of a cult classic and hard to come by. Mostly because so few copies were made—and because its subversive nature required the discretion of its early owners. 

Between the legalization of marijuana in many areas—and 50 more years of practice—edible culinary culture and technique has advanced exponentially. However, Cooking with Marijuana, written under the delightful pen name Evelyn Schmevlyn, remains a cherished collector’s item from a simpler time.

Needless to say, dosage and effect are outside of our purview in describing this book. And we all know the marijuana quality in the ‘70s was wildly different from what can be found on the market today. The recipes here call for cleaned and ground “pot” in volumetric measurements with no specificity for strain. Most recipes call for ¼–½ c of marijuana prepared in this way, which strikes us as very generous, while the author deems it cautious. Proceed at your own risk/reward.

Peak culinary prowess is not the goal of this cookbook, but palatability and convenience is. The enticing edibles include:

• Refried bean dip, “best served hot on tortillas. Add cheese and salad on top and you have a tostada.”
• Gazpacho (with V8® as the base)
• Lasagne layered with meat sauce and cottage cheese—“(you can use ricotta if you can get it)” 
• Shrimp-banana curry
• Coconut munch (“Be careful of this, it tastes good and is easy to over do. This is best for sometime when you are really in a hurry, that way you’ll only eat one…”)

We’ve spotted at least one case where a key component was mentioned in the procedure but left out of the ingredient list and more than a couple of typos. The author and editor may not have been in their right mind at the time, so we’ll forgive the errors and remember that any guidance is better than none.