Lughnasadh ~ Summer’s End
Seasonal foods and herbs play a large part in witchy celebrations, so below are a few of the Lughnasadh recipes I experimented with for Witchy Magic.
Lughnasadh marks the end of summer and the first harvest festival, and it has long been a time of feasting and of thanksgiving for the life-giving properties of the grain. In honour of the Celtic Sun God Lugh, people sacrificed the first sheaf of corn, the first wheat stalk, the first fruits, the first loaf of bread, back to the land and to the Earth Mother. Today, the beginning of autumn is still a time of first harvests. Fruit picking, grape harvesting and wine making begins, and golden wheat fields cover the paddocks. Wild berries hold the energy of this season – blueberries, blackcurrants, raspberries, gooseberries, elderberries, sloe (blackthorn berries) – all lusciously ripe and bursting with flavour, along with grapes, pears, apples, nuts, seeds and warming gingerbreads.
Sunflower seeds are gathered, and fruit and vegies are preserved to eat throughout winter. Herbs include ginger, basil, vervain, elder, comfrey, ginseng, calendula, meadowsweet, yarrow, mugwort, milkweed as well as hops and chamomile, which some traditional cultures made dream pillows from in order to promote sleep and ease insomnia. Herb gathering and drying continues at this time, to prepare for the winter, and magical oils and essences are made from fresh herbs for healing and spellwork in the coming year.
Grains play a big part at this time of year – another name for Lughnasadh is Lammas, from the Old English for loaf feast, and all kinds of breads, cakes and muffins are baked from the abundance of grains – wheat, corn, rye, oat, barley, rice. You can bake bread as part of your ritual, or buy prepared dough and then divide it into three and add different seeds or grains to each one, changing the colour so you can plait the three strands together before baking.
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Gingersnap Cookies
Ingredients:
✩ 185g butter, softened
✩ 1 cup brown sugar
✩ ½ cup golden syrup
✩ 1 egg, lightly beaten
✩ 1 tblsp grated fresh ginger
✩ 2 cups plain flour
✩ 1 tsp baking soda
✩ 1 tsp ground cinnamon
✩ 1 tsp ground ginger
✩ ½ tsp ground nutmeg
What to do:
★ Cream together the butter and sugar, then stir in the golden syrup. Add the egg and the fresh ginger, and mix well.
★ In another bowl combine the flour, baking soda and spices, then gradually fold it in to the butter-sugar mixture. Knead dough into a ball, cover in plastic wrap and refrigerate for an hour or so.
★ Roll into teaspoon-sized balls and place on a lightly greased cookie tray, with space between each one. Bake in a preheated 180C oven for 10 to 12 minutes, or until lightly browned. Serve warm, fresh from the oven, or allow to cool on a wire rack.
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Candied Ginger and Ginger Tea
Ingredients:
✩ 1 cup thinly sliced fresh ginger
✩ 4 cups water
✩ 2 cups raw sugar, plus extra
✩ Pinch of salt
What to do:
★ Place the ginger slices in a pot, add 2 cups of water and bring to the boil. Lower the heat and leave to simmer for around 15 minutes.
★ Drain the liquid into tea cups and drink, adding a touch of honey if you wish. Ginger tea is warming, soothing and good for an upset tummy, and tastes wonderful. You can also allow the ginger water to cool then serve over ice, garnished with fresh mint leaves.
★ Add sugar, salt and 2 cups of water to ginger in pot and bring to boil. Continue boiling, stirring occasionally, until syrup thickens.
★ Remove from heat and drain the ginger syrup into a jar (it can be used in cooking or poured over cakes, pancakes or other desserts).
★ Coat the slices of ginger in sugar, and leave on a wire rack overnight to dry out. Store at room temperature in an airtight container, or leave the ginger in the syrup and store in the fridge – it will last for several months.
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Basil Tea
Basil tea is light and savoury, with a soothing effect on digestion and tummy upsets as well as on sore throats and mouth ulcers. It has also long been used to relieve anxiety and insomnia.
✩ Place half a cup of fresh basil leaves in a teapot, and pour 2 cups of boiling water over them. Top with the lid to retain the essential oils. Allow to steep for five minutes, then strain into cups.
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