Yes! May is the month when the flowers have smell parties, the birds make nests, and we plant our cannabis. Here in Western Washington state I plant out on my patio; it’s not nearly as wonderful as growing on the hot east side of the mountains, but I do well enough to have cannabis for classes and for my personal medicine. And that’s what I loooooove about our friend cannabis; you can grow a plant and help/resolve/cure a host of physical and mental issues. If you, like me, need medicine during the day, I recommend looking into making your own edibles, tinctures, or topicals. A lot of that info is in my book, EveryDayMaryJ, but here’s a recipe that I just came up with last week. When you do need a little medicine, stuff like compote, pesto, vinaigrette, etc. can be a great way to go. This infused compote is REALLY good, and you’ll feel good too, cuz….cannabis!

                                             Infused Strawberry-Balsamic Compote

This is one of those additions that can elevate a lot of meals; you can go savory or sweet cuz the berries are fabulous either way. For approx. 1 C of compote, you’ll need:

2 C. strawberries, stemmed and halved, thawed if frozen

1 ½ Tb. brown sugar

1 Tb. fresh lemon juice, and 2 tsp. lemon zest

2 tsp. balsamic vinegar

1 tsp. or more fresh ground pepper, large inch salt

2 Tb. glycerin tincture OR 2 Tb. infused olive oil

Customizing below

Get all of the ingredients except the infused additions in a saucepan. Cook on low to medium low till the berries start to get mushy and things smell great, around 15 minutes. Take it off the heat and gently stir in the tincture or oil. Customized finishes: for a sweet-er compote for yogurt, ice cream, waffles, etc. add ½ tsp vanilla at the end. For savory dishes, i.e., roast chicken, pork, baked salmon, etc. think rosemary, basil, coriander, or any herbs you like. Play with this and have fun, just remember with the 2 Tb. of infused oil or tincture, you’ll have around 100 mg. total cannabinoids, so be smart.  www.maryjwhite.com