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Living Off the Land

Published

1 year ago

May 12, 2024

The tale of Canna Country Farms is one of a multigenerational survivor from Humboldt County, California. Ted Blair, Canna Country’s owner and an award-winning third-generation cannabis farmer, considers the operation a model full-sun garden representing the best “the hill” has to offer. The farm’s geographical location helps, as being in the right location in The Emerald Triangle is critical to growing the best fire possible. Canna Country sits not too far outside Garberville, California. The town of about 1,300 people is southern Humboldt’s first major population center, just north of the Mendocino County line at Cook’s Valley.

Southern Humboldt is King

Some would argue that the Southern region of Humboldt County is some of the most ideal cannabis-cultivation lands in all of California. Numerous Emerald Cup champions in various categories dot the region, and, like Blair, many of their families have spent generations living off the land and the amazing cannabis it can provide.

When you’re talking about elite outdoor flowers grown by legacy survivors, southern Humboldt is one of the best places you can start, as far as Blair is concerned.

“We’re a third-generation farm that went legal, and our property is off the grid,” Blair told High Times. “We are a rainwater catchment. We’re in the ground. We plant a full-term sun, we don’t use any light, no light assist, and we’ve been creating our genetics for about five years up there.”

Blair immediately emphasized that they’re really all about family farming, being carbon-free, and doing things as natural as possible with all organic inputs for their plants. Also deeply embedded in the farm’s core values is trying not to do any damage to the environment.

We asked Blair if living off the grid has impacted his gardening style, given the connection to the land that comes with that kind of lifestyle.

“Absolutely, yes,” Blair replied, “I need to utilize the sun and do most of my heavy work during the day off of the electricity and try and save it for, you know, later at night. We don’t have to have any backup generator of any kind.”

Blair lived off the grid with his family when he was growing up, but they eventually got power.

The farm is a piece of property his family has owned for about 15 years. His mom helped him get started, and in the years since, he has taught his sons how to manage the farm and grow great weed, as contests in recent years have proven. In 2021, Canna Country took home second place for #26 in the sungrown flower category of The Emerald Cup and ninth for #9, followed by a sixth place win for #26 in the same strain and category in 2022. Last year, Canna Country Farms took home a second-place award in the non-infused pre-roll category for its collaboration with Huckleberry Hill Farms, a Whitethorn Rose and Canna Country #26 blended pre-roll.

Based on his many awards, it’s clear that Blair’s cannabis is unique, but he points out a lot is going on at the farm besides cannabis.

“We have fruit trees and persimmons and berries, and we have wild mushrooms in the winter,” Blair said. “We aren’t far from the ocean. So we have a boat, we go salmon fishing, rock cod, halibut, and crab.”

Blair said he’ll be using the fish carcasses in an emulsion he is making for this year.

Blair went a little deeper into what makes the region so special; it’s the climate, but it’s also the experience that’s in the hills.

“Not only is it just awesome sun and weather, but planting in the same dirt for almost 14 years and regenerating the dirt every year, it keeps getting better and better,” Blair said. “So, having the great weather and all these applications that have their own microclimates, having our genetics that are rare, and then knowing how to cure, dry, and store and just keep it as fresh as possible. And those are things we really can’t teach. It’s just trial by error for me anyway.”

Locally Bred

Blair has been growing cannabis since he was 13. His older sister would toss her roaches off the back porch, and one year, two plants popped up. He started tending to those plants. His mother also always had a couple of plants in her garden that she would let him help with.

The backbone of Canna Country in recent years has been the breeding work they did five years ago. Blair has spent the past few years digging through all those seeds based on which crosses he was the most excited about. In total, he has 305 crosses from that season five years ago. The work has been steady.

A lot of the pollen involved in the process was community-sourced. Different farms had pollen available on different days. They would let folks know what day so they could come over and grab it fresh.

His favorite from the pack so far is the #26. It reminds him of the phenos he grew as a guerrilla grower in the hills during his youth. It’s green all the way through until it gets some purple at the end, exclusively on the flower itself. The strain is a pairing of Forbidden Fruit and Cherimoya.

“We had this strain that was nice, that #26 strain. [It] had that smell, and I couldn’t get out of my head that I remember from when I was a kid,” Blair said, “It’s woody, peppery, and spicy. It’s creamy. It’s got all these different flavors to it. I just fell in love with that immediately. That was our star, that was my star, and it is my favorite. And there have been several others.”

Right now, the farm has popped 47 of the strains from the massive breeding project. Usually, Blair would pop about 50 seeds of each cross. He is working on trying to get licensing agreements together and get the work out to people who want to do large grows but has found a lot of red tape in the process.

“I think to have your own strain that no one else in the world has to grow on your farm, we all recognize how important it is,” Blair said noting the #26 is currently their diamond. “Having that in our pocket is probably the only reason we survived.”

Another big winner from the breeding project was the #9. It brings together Humboldt Skunk and F4 Sour Diesel OG Kush for a very gassy experience that the farm calls unforgettable. The team at Canna Country promises a full-bodied high but said there is still plenty of cerebral activity.

Getting Legal

Blair noted that the red tape involved with licensing his strains is difficult on top of the fees that he already pays the state and county to exist, in addition to an assortment of other agencies such as the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and the Water Board. The farm does whatever it has to stay in good standing. For Blair, going legal was never an option if he wanted his work to keep going; it was a must.

“It was sort of like you had to join up if you wanted to keep doing what you were doing,” Blair said. “At that time, county officials were sending out these threatening letters. They were abatement letters. They were going to come out to your house and start fighting you and doing all this scary stuff. I wanted my legacy, my kids, to be able to do what they’re doing.”

When Blair decided to go legal, he had no idea about the kind of pain and suffering that he would face throughout the process. In our interview, he questioned whether he would still have done it if given a chance to do it over. As for watching other people go hard without jumping through the legal hoops, Blair loves his neighbors regardless of what side of the fence they’re on and doesn’t want any of them to have to deal with heavy enforcement.

Blair went on to explain the biggest hurdle in the legacy market besides the pound price crashing. He argued that just getting the product to market is a struggle in a market driven by THC percentages. Consumers do not often make their purchases based on factors other than THC potency, so Canna Country’s effort to highlight things like the terpene ocimene doesn’t always get the spotlight it deserves.

Packing Dilemmas & Selling Direct

As someone who is very earth-conscious, Blair has been blown away by the amount of packaging he is required to use in order to be compliant. He’s even more shocked at just how wild some folks get with it.

“It’s terrible, man. It’s terrible. If I roll a joint, there’s no stuff I throw on the ground. There’s nothing I throw in the garbage,” Blair said. “[If] we go into the dispensary and want to buy one cartridge, it’s like a pile of garbage, and then you got to buy the battery, and there’s a pile of garbage. It’s just insane what this has turned into.”

Blair feels one of the most helpful things for small farmers would be simplifying direct-to-consumer sales. The average distributor charges 17% of whatever they can convince the retailer to buy the product for. Being able to send things directly from the farm to consumers would be a massive benefit for growers. As the California industry potentially expands to other states, farm direct would mean delivering freshness and quality, especially in Humboldt.

In 2024, California cannabis testing facilities were required to adhere to stricter controls from the state. While these new restrictions should help get inflated THC numbers back to reality, Blair doesn’t think it will matter if consumers aren’t educated.

Those who buy Canna Country flowers understand that quality isn’t defined by THC percentages alone. Among the people buying Canna Country’s flowers is Farmer and The Felon, a brand that has previously won The Emerald Cup with its gear. Farmer and the Felon aren’t going to just toss things in their bags that would dent their reputation. That relationship is certainly another feather in the cap for Canna Country.

“Canna Country embodies the holy trinity of cannabis: genetics, the farmers, and terroir,” said Patrick Anderson, brand manager for the Farmer and the Felon. “For the past two years, they’ve been an exceptional partner, as they have harnessed this synergy to grow cannabis with wildly diverse profiles and unique effects.”

Keep an eye out for Canna Country Farms on competition podiums across California in 2024.

This article was originally published in the May 2024 issue of High Times Magazine.

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Author: mscannabiz.com

MScannaBIZ for all you Mississippi Cannabis News and Information.

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High grade bud is (finally) hitting New York dispensaries

Published

3 months ago

March 17, 2025

mscannabiz.com

By Robb Reefa

In New York, strong weed is sometimes called “pain.” But when rec dispensaries started opening in 2023, the legal flower was painfully average. Early releases weren’t packing much punch because the state limited growers to harsh outdoor conditions and limited greenhouse space. That meant no Zaza, no chronic, no loud for the heavy duty stoners.

But a new day has finally come.

Indoor is everywhere. Existing brands have upgraded their menus fast now that better bud is available. And hundreds of newly licensed brands from the legacy and out-of-state markets are debuting quality work on shelves everyday. via newly released micro-businesses and cultivation licenses. For 2025 and beyond, here are the craft and commercial brands delivering top-flight flower to New York shelves and where to find them right now.

Runtz

By unanimous decision — budtenders and smokers say that Runtz is the new reigning champ of New York flower. The 2019 Leafly Strain of the year grew into a national brand powered by Lemon Cherry Gelato-adjacent genetics. Plus master marketing from Runtz brand co-founders Ray Bama and Yung LB. Earlier this year, the official Runtz pack debuted to rave reviews in New York dispensaries. Obama Runtz and Trump Runtz have been hard to keep in stock. Happy hunting!

This craft quality grower made a huge name for himself on the legacy market. Now he’s partnering with top dispensaries like Good Grades and Torches for limited drops. His first run sold out in a few hours earlier this month. Stay tuned to Good Grades and Torches on Leafly for menu updates and restocks from The Mechanic’s Farm.

Rolling Green

This may be the most respected brand among budtenders in New York. No matter who we talked to, Rolling Green got a nod in the discussion for best flower in New York state dispensaries. They aren’t hard to find. Hit the button to roll with the best.

Rec Roots

Loud since day one: Rec Roots is run by true OGs of the New York legacy community. They are now leaders of the legal space with top genetics that keep smokers stuck. Try Red Sangria or Sour Zkittlez at a dispensary near you.

ADK

Upstate in Albany, our friends at Stage One swear by ADK. Strains like White Truffle x Devil Driver and Alien Apple Kush fly as soon as they come in, according to budtenders in New York dispensaries.

Synergy

Synergy’s dialed in on the strains high-end smokers are looking for. Sweet and pungent genetics like Blue Gushers, Sour Space Rocks, and Pink Guava Synergy are available now in The Bronx (Bleu Leaf), Manhattan (Torches), Queens (Weedside), satisfying the real Zaza lovers.

The team at Nicklz shared some Rhythm flower on a night out. We were impressed by the nug structure and terps on the Zoap and Animal Mintz strains. Available statewide, click below to find Rhythm at a nearby dispensary on Leafly.

STA Exotic (cultivated by Torrwood Farm)

Torrwood Farm photo on Leafly — “We’re never going to be the Walmart of cannabis,” says Torrwood Farm owner Lucas Kerr. “But we don’t want to be a mom and pop. We want to be somewhere in the middle.” (Torrwood Farm)

Cultivated by Torrwood Farm, New Yorkers are grabbing STA Exotic’s premium flower and infused pre-rolls by the handful. Grown in 200-year old living soil, STA livest up to its exotic name.

Super Dope

I recently tried this brand from Good Grades and gave it a great review overall. They got pulled from shelves momentarily, due to censorship on their Hentai-themed packaging. But more drops are coming from this high-demand craft quality brand.

Pinks

This brand is working multiple farms across the state to deliver high-end flower and pre-rolls. Their rose petal joints enhance classic strains like Pink Runtz on their menu.

This micro-license brand has been around for years in New York’s legacy space. Their first legal release is a hit, and shows steady development over the years. The Sensei Cult always puts cannabis above clout. And that dedication translates to their legal flower.

Cookies

Image Not Found

Strains & products

First Toke: Erykah Badu reveals ‘That Badu’ strain collab with Cookies

Dan Reagans and Calvin Stovall

March 1, 2023

That Badu has been a favorite at Leafly since 2023. Another gift to New York smokers is Apples & Bananas – a Cali classic that blends Compound Genetics and Cookies flavors into an all-time strain.

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Lifestyle

What are you smoking? Erykah Badu

Calvin Stovall

March 8, 2023

Heady Tree

This brand is hard to locate on dispensary shelves. So don’t sleep if you see it. Budtenders are known to save some of their check when they see this on the menu.

Leal does it better than most. Which is impressive for the volume of flower they produce. The attention to detail is pristine according to the budtenders and buyers we spoke to at New York dispensaries.

Classic staples like Lemon Cherry Gelato and Sherbert are dialed in by these experts of the New York indoor game. GOTHAM shoppers and budtenders swear by the brand’s menu.

Rolling Stoned

New York essential strains like Uptown Haze are available in limited supply at dispesaries like The Bronx Joint.

House of Strains Staff Picks

16105 29th Ave, Flushing, NY — recreational

We saw our friends at House of Strains and got their staff’s top picks for New York flower. Their high standards for flower means their menu always lives up to the store’s name. Here’s what they had to say about New York’s top flower brands.

With strains like Wet Dream and WAP, Zizzle is flying off of shelves. Their whole flower eighths are a cut above most brands. And they’re not hard to find statewide. Next time you’re in Queens, stop by House of Strains for one of the state’s best selections of Zizzle flower.

Doobie Labs

No hesitation. this is one of the most popular brands on New York dispensary shelves. Doobie Labs is an instant buy for true tokers in New York.

Ghost.

Strains like Hot Glue and BBK are some of Ghost’s best sellers. Their 7-gram jars are supernatural.

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Author: mscannabiz.com

MScannaBIZ for all you Mississippi Cannabis News and Information.

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Want New York’s juiciest terps? Spritz has the recipe

Published

6 months ago

December 13, 2024

mscannabiz.com

Bold flavor and bag appeal are helping Spritz make waves nationwide. Here’s what founder Queen Pee has in store for New York’s legal weed market in 2025.

Spritz has something special for all five of your senses. Your nose will be drawn to their booming terps, which include “loudest in the room” flavors like Green Apple, Pineapple Cake, and Cherry Spritz. From touch, to taste, Spritz more than lives up to the bold aroma. And it’s all pulled together by eye-grabbing bag appeal–Curated by founder Pilar “Queen Pee” Vargas, whose already boosted sales for successful brands like Sluggers, Joke’s U p, and her own Cali-bestseller, Pwincess Cutt.

How Queen Pee became the Queen pin of legal cannabis

(Spritz)

Queen Pee made Pwincess Cutt a hit out west with pure determination. She knocked on dispensary doors until her product was on shelves. Then she used her massive digital reach (including 1.3 million Instagram followers) to make sure her bags sold out at retailers like Cookies and the Ice Kream Dispensary in California.

“My job out in New York is to take all the legacy of people who are brands like Certz who are about to go legal, and to help them cross over. Help them with marketing.”

Queen Pee, Spritz Flower

Now, Pee’s launching Spritz in New York, Michigan and more legal states using what she’s learned in the Cali market. During a sit down with Leafly at Certz Midtown Lounge this fall, Pee said she was surprised by the warm welcome she’s gotten from New York’s cannabis community so far.

While visiting growers and processors upstate, Pee studied the challenges facing the state’s licensed farms and stores. Soon, she’ll announce which processor will be trusted to bring Spritz’ powerful terp profiles to New York dispensary shelves in 2025.

These Spritz flavors live up to their bold names

Growing up, Queen Pee could never bring a B home to her strict military father. And she’s still striving for straight A’s when it comes to her strains. Flavors like Pancakes will satisfy the smokers with a sweet tooth. While Blue Widow (Blueberry x White Widow) adds earthy, piney, undertones to the berry-citrus medley–perfect for New Yorkers who prefer more funk than fruitiness from their terps.

Long term, Pee said her true goal is to use Spritz and Sluggers Hit to empower legacy New York growers and sellers who want equity, exposure, and access to the legal market. From Daddy’s Princess to the Queen pin of legal cannabis–Pee and the Spritz team are only getting started. Favorite their Leafly page for regular updates on their journey to New York dispensary shelves.

About Spritz: The Loudest in the Room

Spritz buds boast a flavor profile that’s truly out of this world, thanks to an innovative molecular infusion process. So prepare your taste buds for a journey through space and time.

At Spritz, quality is a top priority. First, the Spritz team selects the finest hand-trimmed buds before using state-of-the-art infusion techniques. Whether you’re a seasoned connoisseur or new to the cannabis scene, Spritz offers an unmatched terpene profile that you will never forget, because each bud is crafted with passion and dedication. Spritz’ experts team has works tirelessly to bring you the loudest terps in the room. Stay tuned for more on Spritz journey from seed to New York dispensary shelves!

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Author: mscannabiz.com

MScannaBIZ for all you Mississippi Cannabis News and Information.

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Want New York’s juiciest terps? Spritz has the recipe

Published

6 months ago

December 13, 2024

mscannabiz.com

Bold flavor and bag appeal are helping Spritz make waves nationwide. Here’s what founder Queen Pee has in store for New York’s legal weed market in 2025.

How Queen Pee became the Queen pin of legal cannabis

Queen Pee shows off her Pwincess Cutt weed at the Joke's Up Ice Kream Dispensary grand opening in Santa Monica, CA. (Amennu McGruder / Leafly) — Queen Pee shows off her Pwincess Cutt weed at the Joke’s Up Ice Kream Dispensary grand opening in Santa Monica, CA. (Amennu McGruder / Leafly)

“My job out in New York is to take all the legacy of people who are brands like Certz who are about to go legal, and to help them cross over. Help them with marketing.”

Queen Pee, Spritz Flower

These Spritz flavors live up to their bold names

About Spritz: The Loudest in the Room

Spritz buds boast a flavor profile that’s truly out of this world, thanks to an innovative molecular infusion process. So prepare your taste buds for a journey through space and time.

Source link

Author: mscannabiz.com

MScannaBIZ for all you Mississippi Cannabis News and Information.

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Living Off the Land

Southern Humboldt is King

Locally Bred

Getting Legal

Packing Dilemmas & Selling Direct

Author: mscannabiz.com

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High grade bud is (finally) hitting New York dispensaries

By Robb Reefa

Runtz

Rolling Green

Rec Roots

ADK

Synergy

STA Exotic (cultivated by Torrwood Farm)

Super Dope

Pinks

Cookies

Heady Tree

Rolling Stoned

House of Strains Staff Picks

Doobie Labs

Ghost.

Author: mscannabiz.com

brands

Want New York’s juiciest terps? Spritz has the recipe

Bold flavor and bag appeal are helping Spritz make waves nationwide. Here’s what founder Queen Pee has in store for New York’s legal weed market in 2025.

How Queen Pee became the Queen pin of legal cannabis

These Spritz flavors live up to their bold names

About Spritz: The Loudest in the Room

Author: mscannabiz.com

brands

Want New York’s juiciest terps? Spritz has the recipe

Bold flavor and bag appeal are helping Spritz make waves nationwide. Here’s what founder Queen Pee has in store for New York’s legal weed market in 2025.

How Queen Pee became the Queen pin of legal cannabis

These Spritz flavors live up to their bold names

About Spritz: The Loudest in the Room

Author: mscannabiz.com

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