❄️ The Frozen Archive #2 | LSD From Fresh Frozen to Temple Ball Hello GrowDiaries family! 👋❄️🌱 Welcome back to The Frozen Archive. For those joining the journey for the first time, this series follows our exploration of fresh frozen material, ice & water extraction, solventless concentrates, curing techniques, and everything that happens after harvest. If you would like a complete introduction to the Bubbleator machine, fresh frozen material, and the fundamentals of ice & water extraction, I highly recommend checking out The Frozen Archive #1, where the entire process is explained in detail. This entry focuses on a specific genetic: LSD by Zamnesia. And what a beautiful plant she was. For anyone curious about her journey from seed to harvest, the complete cultivation diary is available on my profile. This report picks up where that story ended. The flowers were harvested. The material was preserved as fresh frozen. And now it was finally time to see what LSD had to offer through ice & water extraction. ⸻ A New Wash, A New Lesson Although this is only the second entry in The Frozen Archive, this extraction actually represents my third wash using the Bubbleator machine. The first archive introduced the machine and documented my first experiences. This time I approached the process with a little more confidence, a little more understanding, and a lot of curiosity about how LSD would perform. One of the goals of this series is not simply to show the results. It is to document the learning process itself. The successes. The mistakes. The observations. The improvements. And hopefully create a useful archive for both the community and my future self. ⸻ The Material Unlike trim runs, this extraction was performed using fresh frozen flowers. Entire buds were harvested, frozen immediately, vacuum sealed, and preserved until extraction day. By freezing the material directly after harvest we aim to preserve as much of the plant’s original profile as possible before beginning the washing process. Months of cultivation eventually lead to this moment. The plant changes form. But the journey continues. ⸻ The Wash The process itself follows the same methodology introduced in Archive #1. The Bubbleator was loaded with: ? Ice 🌿 Fresh frozen LSD flowers 💧 Cold water The flowers were placed inside a properly secured 220-micron wash bag, positioned inside the machine, covered with additional ice, and submerged in water. From there the machine could begin its work. One thing that quickly becomes obvious is how important temperature control is. Throughout the wash I monitored the water carefully and aimed to keep conditions as close to 0°C / 32°F as possible. Cold temperatures help maintain trichome integrity and improve separation during agitation. Patience becomes one of the most important tools in the room. ⸻ Watching The Transformation One of my favorite moments remains watching the water change. At first everything appears clean and transparent. Then gradually the water begins taking on a different appearance as trichomes and plant material enter suspension. The Bubbleator quietly continues its work while the ice maintains the environment. And while the machine washes… Well… The grower medicates. 😄🌱 Some traditions are important. ⸻ Collection & Multiple Washes Once the cycle was complete, the water was drained through the filtration bags. This is where the magic becomes visible. The resin that was previously attached to the flowers begins collecting inside the bags. The first collections looked extremely promising. As always, multiple washes were performed. Each wash tells a slightly different story. Eventually there comes a point where the material being collected becomes noticeably greener and contains more contamination than desired. That is usually the signal that the best material has already been recovered. At that point it is time to stop chasing quantity and preserve quality. ⸻ Freeze Drying… Dog Doctor Style After collection, the resin was transferred for drying. This particular batch spent approximately five days drying in the freezer before reaching the condition I was looking for. Once sufficiently dry, the material was broken apart and worked into smaller pieces to increase surface area. It then spent additional time drying before the next stage could begin. The goal is always the same: Remove moisture. Preserve quality. Remain patient. ⸻ Working The Resin This is where things become truly enjoyable. Once dry, the resin was carefully worked and mixed together. The purpose is not simply aesthetics. The goal is to create a more homogeneous material where everything is evenly distributed. The process requires patience. Heat from the hands. Gentle pressure. Time. Slowly the texture begins changing. The colors become more uniform. The material becomes increasingly workable. And eventually… The temple ball begins to emerge. ⸻ Temple Ball Formation Watching loose resin transform into a temple ball never gets old. What begins as dry collected material slowly becomes something completely different. A smooth surface develops. The texture evolves. The appearance changes dramatically. And suddenly the extraction takes on a form that has been used for generations. This batch produced a beautiful temple ball with excellent visual appeal and impressive characteristics. ⸻ The No-Oxygen Cure Experiment This entry also begins a long-term experiment. Part of the material was placed inside parchment paper, sealed inside a vacuum bag, and stored without oxygen. The objective is simple: Observe. Learn. Compare. How will the resin evolve? How will the aroma develop? How will the texture change? Will it butter? Will it remain stable? Will the temple ball age differently? Only time will answer those questions. For now the material continues resting. And we will return in a future entry to see where that journey leads. ⸻ Early Impressions Although the cure is far from complete, early signs are extremely encouraging. The material melts beautifully. The bubbling behavior is exactly what I hoped to see. The aroma remains rich and complex. And after a quick three-week check on the vacuum-cured material, everything appears to be moving in the right direction. Now comes the hardest part. Waiting. ⸻ Looking Ahead This is not the end of the LSD story. This is simply the beginning of its next chapter. The temple ball continues curing. The vacuum-sealed resin continues curing. And in a few months we will return to compare the results and see how time has transformed the material. For now, I am extremely happy with the outcome and excited to continue learning. That is ultimately what The Frozen Archive is all about. Learning. Documenting. Improving. And sharing the journey. ⸻ P.S. A huge thank you to Zamnesia for the LSD genetics and for the Bubbleator machine that made this exploration possible. And a special thank you to Plagron for supporting the cultivation side of this project. The LSD plant documented here was grown from seed to harvest using the Plagron lineup, including Terra Grow, Terra Bloom, Pure Zym, CalMag Pro, Green Sensation, Power Buds, Power Roots, and Sugar Royal. The flowers became fresh frozen. The fresh frozen became resin. And now the resin begins its cure. Everything is connected. Grower’s Love everyone. 🌱💚❄️📚