Lughnasadh or Lammas

Tomorrow is August first, the approximate date of the ancient Irish festival of Lughnasadh, a celebration that marks the start of the harvest and the beginning of summer's warmth declining to winter's chill. It was most often celebrated by picking berries, climbing to hill tops and visiting sacred wells.
My family and I went berry picking yesterday, not as a celebration of Lughnasadh, but because this is the season to do it. Which, I guess, is why I am so attracted to the Wiccan holidays, they are still so connected to the natural cycles, and they don't require lots of sugar and plastic to celebrate.

MMMMmmmmmmm! We do love berries. We also like hiking up the mountains around Vancouver, but we may not do this for a few weeks, as this time of year is so busy. 

Visiting Sacred Wells seems kind of funny to me, but likely because I've always grown up with indoor plumbing, I imagine that Wells were important to home life, and that some would be known to provide special water (maybe cleaner, maybe sparkling, or maybe infused with some mineral.) I don't even know how I would attempt this if I were to even try, but it does make me pause and consider how much the role of Water has changed for Humans over the last century.

There are two other common activities to perform on Lughnasadh, baking bread and getting married.

The bread make sense to me, it all ties in to harvest, and abundance. At this time of year, grain is just starting to ripen, and hopes are high that the harvest will be plentiful. Baking bread now seems like an act of faith, that there will be much more of this to come.

This is a sensible time of year to throw a big party, the weather is nice and food is plentiful. So getting Married, or Handfasted now would ensure that the union begins well, without undue stress. But Wiccans also believe that, as this time of year is the peak of summer (ruled by male solar energy), and the beginning of the longer nights of winter (ruled by female lunar energy) this is a time in the cycle when the Sacred Masculine and Sacred Feminine are in balance, are getting married themselves you could say. 

Ahhh, I wish our lives today in these big glass cities could still be so connected to these natural cycles that continue to occur. 

In a personal attempt to celebrate this lovely season, I will share with you a wonderful and easy biscuit recipe. I've never had success raising yeasted breads. But these biscuits always come out wonderfully fluffy.

Biscuits for Lammas

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 cup white flour

2tbs baking powder

1/4 cup milk

3/4 oil

1/2tsp salt

1tbs honey

Preheat oven to 450 degree F. Mix together dough, do not over knead. Either drop onto a baking sheet, or roll out and use a cup or cookie cutters to get your desired shape. Bake for 10 minutes, or until golden.

Enjoy!

Garlic and The Winter Garden Cycle!

On July 10th we harvested our garlic. We got a huge haul this year: 150 heads, and I'm happy to say that ~100 of them are market worthy, big, beautiful and intact.  

Harvesting them has created a free bed in our garden (a pretty big one too!) It is way too late to sow summer vegetables, but a perfect time to start sowing winter vegetables. Kale is a classic winter vegetable that I have grown every single year, but this year I am experimenting with many more veggies, that, started now, can be harvested in the fall and even through the winter.

So far I've done the first sowing in only half the space I used for the garlic.  I've sown the Scallions, Turnips, Rutabaga, Kohlrabi and Radishes. And they've already come up. In this heat (our peak summer weather) it is really important that I keep them well watered. But they are growing so fast, I can tell that I will be eating them very soon. In two weeks I will do a second sowing in the garden which will involve Walla Walla Onions, and more Turnips, Radishes and Scallions. I plan to sow Arugula and Corn Salad in my containers upstairs so they are more easily accessible.

I'm so excited, especially for the Turnips, which I've recently discovered I LOVE boiled slightly in salty water (turn your water into broth after) and having their greens cooked in a tomato sauce. MMMMmmmm.

Mint, the overlooked weed.

Mint propagates itself very easily. We got our mint plant by pulling a stem with a little root attached off of a plant growing in our alley. We planted it in our garden, and have divided it twice already. The tendency of the roots is to thatch underground until it has spread itself throughout the garden, prompting many to not even attempt to grow it at all. I think we should be welcoming it, it is one of the earlier things we can harvest through the year, and we can harvest it numerous times in a season. In fact, continual harvesting may be the best way to keep its growth in check, making the task of weeding into a task of harvesting.

Mint is delicious dried as a tea, but lately I have preferred it as a seasoning or even a vegetable. Try these three recipes, and tell me if you don't agree.

Strawberry Mint Smoothie
A power boost to any morning

2-3cups strawberries

1/2cup chopped mint

2 cups water or ice

1/4 cup honey

Juice from half a Lime

Blend together and enjoy immediately, garnish with a mint leaf.

Pasta with Mint, Peas and Pecorino 
Cheese
This is simply an amazing pasta to have for a sunday lunch in the spring

Pasta
Fresh green peas or Fava beans
Mint, chopped
Pecorino Cheese, grated
butter
Freshly grated pepper

For one serving, boil pasta in salted water.
In a small sauce pan, sautee 1/2c fresh peas or beans in 1 tsp butter until bright green

Drain the pasta, toss in the mint, cheese and pepper.
Top with the peas/beans and butter
Adjust amounts to serve more than just you.


Nettle Mint Phyllo Pies
Adapted from a recipe that appeared in Edible Vancouver, Mint and Nettle make a harmonious combination, however kale, spinach, collards or chard could replace the Nettle. Nothing, can replace the mint though.

2cups chopped blanched Nettles
1cup chopped mint
1 white onion diced
1/4 c feta crumbled
Phyllo pastry.
Olive oil

Combine the first 4 ingredients in a bowl, set aside. Find your happy place, then gently start to pry apart the Phyllo, oiling it as you go. Once you free up a sheet, place about 2tbs of filling onto one corner, and wrap and fold it until you have a triangle pocket. Google it if you don't find this too clear. Brush oil on each side and bake in a pre-heated 350 degree oven (that is Fahrenheit)

Enjoy!