Many cannabis icons have expanded their respective fields of expertise and fame, and today’s news features an announcement that Willie Nelson and his wife Annie Nelson are releasing a cannabis cookbook later this year, with an official title of Willie & Annie Nelson’s Cannabis Cookbook.
Tagged as “mouthwatering recipes and the high-flying stories behind them,” the cookbook is slated to release on Nov. 12. “In the Nelson family’s first ever cookbook, we’re cooking with good vibes only. Drawn from their favorite meals on nationwide tours, at the ranch, at home, and in their favorite cities along the way, these recipes have stories to tell—and what better way to enjoy a good meal than with a high-flying tale and a relaxing buzz?” the description from publisher Simon & Schuster stated.
The book will span 256 pages with recipes from many inspirations. “Each recipe provides a cannabis kick to ease the mind as much as the body, making their cookbook an exciting, comforting, and lively way to dive into their story, as they draw from meals shared with family, friends, and fans alike,” the description continues. Classic recipes such as buffalo wings, chocolate cake, and fried chicken will be included, alongside cannabis-infused ingredients such as “cannabutter, finishing oil, simply syrups, sugars, salts, and tinctures.”
Willie Nelson has penned two other books that became New York Times bestsellers, including Willie: An Autobiography (1988) and The Facts Of Life And Other Dirty Jokes (2003). Additionally, he has written forewords for Farm Aid: A Song for America (2005), and authored or co-authored other books such as The Tao of Willie: A Guide to Happiness in Your Heart (2007), On the Clean Road Again: Biodiesel and the Future of the Family Farm (2007), A Tale Out of Luck (2008), Roll Me Up and Smoke Me When I Die: Musings from the Road (2013), It’s a Long Story: My Life (2016), Pretty Paper (2016), Willie Nelson’s Letters to America (2021), Me and Sister Bobbie: True Tales of the Family Band (2020), Sister, Brother, Family: An American Childhood in Music (2021), Me And Paul: Untold Stories of a Fabled Friendship (2022), and his most recent book, Energy Follows Thought: The Stories Behind My Songs (2023).
Nelson just passed his 91st birthday, but shows no signs of slowing down. He recently performed at the Stagecoach Festival this past April, and will be appearing for one performance with Chris Stapleton on July 27 in Seattle, Washington. He’s going on tour with Bob Dylan for the Outlaw Music Festival Tour, which begins at Ameris Bank Amphitheatre in Georgia on June 21 and travels through North Carolina, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, California, Idaho, Washington, Wisconsin, Illinois, Missouri, Ohio, Michigan, and ending at the BankNH Pavilion in New Hampshire on Sept. 20. Select dates and destinations will also include special performances by Robert Plant and Alison Krauss, John Mellencamp, Billy Strings, Brittney Spencer, Celisse, and Southern Avenue.
Willie Nelson, John Mellencamp, and Neil Young founded a benefit concert called Farm Aid in 1985, which helps farmers thrive and promotes access to good, locally grown food. Farm Aid also hosts a live concert annually to help celebrate and raise money for this mission, which is set to return this September but has not yet officially been announced. Currently the lineup includes Willie Nelson & Family, Neil Young, John Mellencamp, Dave Matthews & Time Reynolds, and Margo Price.
Nelson’s discography is chock full of albums and collaborations, with his 75th album The Border just recently announced in March for a release on May 31, 2024.
Nelson’s cannabis brand, WILLIE’s REMEDY, originally launched in 2015. “This is a culmination of Willie’s vision, and his whole life,” said brand spokesperson Michael Bowman at the time. “I’m not sure any of us could have predicted how fast the dominoes would start falling once they started falling [in terms of legalisation].” Now WILLIE’s REMEDY is available in a variety of locations, including Arizona, Colorado, Missouri, Nevada, New Mexico, Ohio, Oklahoma, and Washington. The product lineup has grown over time as well, and now includes pre-rolls, vape cartridges, flowers, and edibles.
Most recently in November 2023, the brand expanded to being offered in a variety of dispensaries in Michigan as well, in partnership with Michigan-based Aardvark Industrees. “This model is twofold in its purpose—first to help meet the expected demand of the product and, secondly, to support small independent growers in the state,” said Aardvark Industrees partner Hilary Dulany. “By working with smaller growers, we can ensure that the product we bring to market is truly Willie-worthy while being able to pivot with market demand.”
Although Nelson told Associated Press in 2019 that he was no longer smoking cannabis, but still consuming through other methods. “I have abused my lungs quite a bit in the past, so breathing is a little more difficult these days and I have to be careful,” Nelson said.
