When you think about terpenes seasonally, I think it’s really beautiful/poetic how the earth provides us vegetables and fruit high in limonene during the cold and gloomy months. Terpenes are naturally occurring compounds found in all plants to help protect them from the elements, all while giving them their unique aroma, taste profile, and effect. Limonene is one of the most common terpenes in cannabis and in nature, however patterns show it’s most prominent between autumn-spring. This terp is known for it’s energizing and mood-boosting effects which is something we all need during the winter season. It can be found in citrus fruits (lemon, grapefruit, orange, etc), popular spices (turmeric, cumin, fennel), medicinal plants (lemon balm, chamomile, st. johns wart, etc), and yes winter squash (pumpkin, acorn, butternut, etc)! It’s known to be an anti-inflammatory and anti-depressant. In my own personal experience,I have found being aware of this/adding more into my day to day has drastically improved my mental health.
This dish is a perfect sharable plate/appetizer for winter gatherings! The high limonene strain helps keep things light, upbeat, and social while awakening the tastebuds for whats to come. I could also east this for dinner or share it with my partner and be highly satisfied. The infusion on this is completely up to you, but it’s not the type of dish that provides an accurate dose per piece.
Strain Pairing: Strains high in limonene include Jack Herer, Wedding Cake, and Lemon OG. MAC would be my top pick since it’s a nice,balanced hybrid thats great for social settings and it’s up-lifting effects. Jack Herer is more of a racey sativa (too much for me but very popular) and Lemon OG is more chill. I mentioned above, this terp is one of the most common, so just keep it in mind while selecting the strain that works best for you!
Cannabis Ingredients:
- 1 tbsp Canna-oil, divided
Ingredients:
*1 tablespoon of oil is around 175mg. Some of this will be cooked out or lost during the process, but feel free to cut it with regular oil if you’d like to decrease the dose
- Winter squash
- Burrata (I’m using BelGioioso w/ black truffle)
- Salt
- Pepper
- Nutmeg
- Bread
- Olive oil
Recipe:
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees
- Cut the top off the squash and set aside. scoop out all the seeds. If there is a rounded bottom, cut it slightly so the squash sits flat. If you end up cutting into it too much & create a hole, shave down the bottom piece and insert it through the top to create a floor on the inside
- Coat the inside with half of the oil, place it on a parchment lined baking tray, then stick it in the oven. Bake for 30-40 minutes, until tender
- While the squash is cooling, lower the oven heat to 375, slice the bread, and drizzle with normal (or infused) olive oil. Place in the oven & bake for 4-5 minutes. Take out, flip, and add the squash bake to the middle of the pan
- Place the burrata inside the squash, season, and pour the rest of the canna oil over top.
- Put everything back in the oven for another 5 minutes
- Plate and serve while warm!