Otherworldly harvest begins at Northeast Lansing pot farm

A field of more than 1,000 marijuana plants, each suspended in tubs of water, is blooming away at Lemonati Family Farms on Oakland Avenue. Advanced hydroponics ensure cannabis that is virtually free of metals and bacteria.

Lemonati also doesn’t market its cultivars around familiar strain names, instead using broader seasonal themes. The “Conspiracy Theory” harvest just ended. The latest “Zodiac” brand revolves around the 12 astrological signs, three of which were released statewide this week.

A 40-person staff is still tending the rest of the starsign lineup at the facility northeast Lansing.

Unfortunately, local availability is still limited — at least for now. Shops in Ann Arbor, Muskegon, Kalamazoo and southeast Michigan had them stocked last week. I was lucky enough to get my hands on some of the first harvest. And it might just be among the best stuff I’ve ever smoked.

Also: Keep an eye out for Lemonati Family Farm’s first retail location, maybe this year.

Lemonati Family Farms — Aries
Price — $50/3.5g
THC content — 26.6%

Aries, like the other strains featured here, is an indica-dominant hybrid labeled with a name that was entirely made up by the staff at Lemonati Family Farms. This one is a cross between Wedding Cake and Gelato 33, a combo otherwise known and branded as Ice Cream Cake.

Small, dense and sticky green buds had their undersides painted purple. A powdery white, crystalline layer of trichomes made for a creamy, cheesy and sherbert-like smell and taste. This strain carried the flavor profile of a custard long john donut with a mild, gassy and fruity kick.

Pro tip: Maybe don’t start the morning off with this variety. Half a joint smacked me across the face with a cerebral spaciness.

Lemonati Family Farms — Pisces
Price — $50/3.5g
THC content — 20.1%

Pisces is cross between some of the skunkiest (and stinkiest) strains on the market: 1994 Super Skunk and Mandarin Sunset. An overwhelming herb profile eminanted from the jar, smelling almost like marjoram, rosemary or lavender. Earthier berry notes arrived in the first couple hits.

This strain is sort of like Classic Coke: It surely doesn’t overload the senses, but it’s still damn good and seems to go down well with just about anything. A good chill-out strain that will leave you with a dry mouth but none of the usual indica brain fog.

Lemonati Family Farms —
Aquarius
Price — $50/3.5g
THC content — 29.2%

My favorite of the bunch, Aquarius seems to be Pisces’ stepsister — sharing the Mandarin Sunset parent but swapping out the Superskunk 1994 for the popular Girl Scout Cookies strain. It also has OG Kush (my all-time favorite strain) as its grandmother, so I knew it’d be dank.

A few big tokes — and a few big coughs — had me on my feet enjoying the Sunday sunshine, playing fetch with my dogs in the backyard. Calm. Euphoric, yet relaxed. This is a good middle-of-the-road hybrid.

Kyle Kaminski is City Pulse’ managing editor and a cannabis enthusiast who has been smoking marijuana just about every day for the last decade. Almost weekly, Kaminski samples some of the best cannabis products available in Greater Lansing, gets real high and writes about them.