‘Feminist Weed Farmer’ & The Radical Act of Growing Your Own Medicine

In a how-to grow guide that covers all the basics of outdoor cannabis
cultivation, Madrone Stewart’s “Feminist Weed Farmer” sets itself apart
from other grow books by remembering to provide its readers with heartfelt
words of encouragement along the way. If you follow the steps Stewart lays
out in her book, the author believes that “you, dear reader, can grow the
dankest, stickiest, tastiest, loudest, highest-vibration cannabis on the
planet.”

Throughout the book, practical tips on everything from starting seeds to
processing your harvest are thoughtfully framed by the author’s philosophy
of growing and consuming cannabis with integrity.

While the book is helpful for all new growers, Stewart has women, queer
folks and people of color in mind when she writes that “growing your own
weed in your backyard, just like growing your own veggies, can be a radical
act that frees you from the cycle of spending way too much money at your
dispensary.”

As a backyard home grower myself, I can attest to the fact that the sense
of pride that comes along with a successful harvest is deeply rewarding.

When asked what inspired her to write the book, Stewart said it was “the
empowerment of all people, especially when it comes to the access of
information that can transform our lives in wholesome ways.”

“This is rooted in my belief that all people have the right to thrive and
we cannot thrive without access to the skills to improve our lives, which
includes the skillful use and cultivation of plant medicine,” she said.

In the book’s introduction, Stewart lays out more reasons why growing your
own cannabis crop can be profoundly liberating: the current industry is
male-dominated, market-driven and generally not in line
with feminist, environmentalist or social justice values. As a conscious
consumer, there isn’t yet a reliable way to know where or how your cannabis
was produced.

“What a sad twist that this plant that has the potential to cure cancer and
when grown, pumped and sprayed with chemicals, ends up being
cancer-causing,” Stewart said, adding that she strongly believes your best
chance to know that your weed was produced in a sustainable and ethical way
is to grow your own.

Stewart wrote the book after years of working on farms in Humboldt County.
“Feminist Weed Farmer” is broken up into five main parts: The Plant Life
Cycle, Creating a Good Growing Environment, Protecting Your Plants,
Harvesting Your Medicine and Hash Making. Some of the tips offered in the
conclusion, “Twenty Ideas for Enriching Your Cannabis Growing Experience,”
stem from Stewart’s background in Zen Buddhism, such as “meditate and chant
in your garden” and “work mindfully, in silence.” Other tips are gentle
reminders not to take the whole thing too seriously: “Relax and have fun.
Do not let this project stress you out.”

“I am a big fan of focusing your attention on your experience and that fits
with Zen ways of thinking,” Stewart said. “When it comes to farming, I
encourage folks to make the experience enjoyable, stimulating and
empowering.”

The book also includes ideas for what to do with your flowers after
harvest, utilizing a “whole-plant” approach — making hash from your trim,
using stems and stalks as kindling when making a fire and making your own
coconut oil-based lube.

Ultimately, “Feminist Weed Farmer” is much more than just a how-to grow
guide, it is a call to action to decentralize and diversify the industry.
Stewart sees the current power shift in the industry from small-business
owners to big business as “depressing” and devastating to communities in
the Emerald Triangle whose economies depend on cannabis. Her vision is of a
“diverse industry where people embrace the principles of compassion,
collaboration, sensitivity to diversity and respect for the earth and the
medicine that she shares with us would stand as a model for all other
industries.” This includes other “psychedelic industries to come.”

She believes that women, queer folks and people of color — those who are
most often excluded from the cannabis industry — will lead the way in
making this vision into a reality and feels that process is in itself as a
feminist act. For Stewart, gender equality in cannabis doesn’t look like
more women becoming CEOs of canna-businesses, rather, she imagines a more
communal, DIY, self-sufficient approach.

“I want weed, kale, sunflowers and Echinacea cultivated in every backyard,
terrace and rooftop,” she said. “I would love for the corporate-controlled
cannabis farms to fail and I would love to see women and genderqueer
cultivators put them out of business. This will only happen if we all roll
up our sleeves and sow our own seeds of insight, freedom, beauty and
dignity.”

Stewart envisions a world where this powerful plant medicine is shared
amongst friends and used to shift perspectives, expand consciousness,
inspire creativity and help us tune into our true selves — a future where
cannabis is abundant and accessible to all.

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