Jack & July
Every dep season on the homestead comes to an end; a good one at that because it means it’s time to harvest all that love and beautiful energy. When that exciting dep harvest day arrives (usually the last weeks of July), Craig and I will get up and hour or two before dawn and greet the seasons first harvest ready. We love rising before the sun, and when it’s harvest time we like to get up as early as possible to beat the heat of the sun. This saves us extra energy for the rest of the days chores, but it also saves those precious trichomes from melting.
What are trichomes exactly? Trichomes are microscopic glandular structures that attach to a plant’s surface that securely store chemical compounds. Inside the trichomes are molecules that contain the chemical compounds such as THC, CBD, and aromatic terpenes. Think of the trichome structure as the container, and the molecules inside as the content. Trichomes have three mains jobs on a plant. 1) defend (deter insects and small animals by acting as a physical barrier or releasing sticky, toxic, or foul-smelling chemicals), 2) protect (from extreme heat, ultraviolet radiation, and high wind by shading the leaf surface and trapping moisture), and 3) regulate (absorb water and nutrients directly from the air and dew on their leaves). About 30% of plants found in nature contain trichomes including tomatoes, tobacco, cotton, cucumbers, and various mints and herbs.
When explaining why we harvest in the dark cool mornings Craig uses the cherry tomato comparison of the tough, yet fragile trichome of the cannabis plants. Heating a cherry tomato will cause the cherry skin to burst, which is fine when you’re making sauce. Same goes with cannabis. Heat will soften, liquefy and degrade trichomes at a relatively low temperature (80 degrees), breaking down its structure and reducing terpene potency. When harvesting a flower, you want to preserve it at its peak; which is why Craig and I are up way before the sun. And the rooster.
This years 2026 first harvest dep was once again our award winning Jack Herer. This sativa dominant cultivar is Northern Lights X Shiva Skunk and named famously by and for none other Jack Herer; sometimes called the “Emperor of Hemp.” He was an American cannabis rights activist and the author of the 1985 book The Emperor Wears No Clothes, and founded and served as the director of the organization Help End Marijuana Prohibition. We are honored to grow this epic strain and even more honored to have graciously received Best Outdoor Flower in California for this cultivar at the 2025 MJBOWL Awards, presented by the Budist. Check out my blog to read all about our trip to Las Vegas where we accepted this accolade at MJBIZCON.
This seasons dep harvest will be ready soon and available for our California community at all our beloved Solful stores. We just love what we do, and we just love when we get to this part of homesteading and cannabis cultivation. We know you are just going to love this years 2026 Jack Herer and we are so grateful for this plant and the continued support of our community.
