Mabon – Autumn Equinox
Mabon is the celebration of the autumn equinox and the second harvest. It’s a time of blazing colour in nature and in food – bright orange pumpkins and sweet potatoes, yellow corn, red apples, deeply hued pomegranates and purple grapes brighten the table, along with vividly hued grape juice, ruby wine and golden cider. Herbs of the season include marigold, sage, ivy, orris root, thistle, milkweed, myrrh, passionflower, garlic, pine and dried seeds. Grains and cereals are significant too – breads and muffins made from wheat, oats, barley, rice and corn, with dark rye and pumpernickel holding the heavier energies of the season alongside root vegetables that grow within the earth.
The autumn equinox is one of the two times of the year where day and night are of equal length – it’s a moment of balance, and a good time to reflect on whether your life, and your food choices, are in balance, and celebrate the things you have harvested. Prepare a harvest feast for friends, with earthy fruits and vegetables, spices, nuts, sweet potato pie, golden grains and heavy warm breads. Decorate the table with autumn leaves, wildflowers, acorns, dried ears of corn and herbs. Wear a garland of ivy and tie golden ribbons in your hair. And as you celebrate your abundance, donate to a charity that feeds the homeless or the poor (in Australia, OzHarvest is one I love to support, but there are many more), in recognition that even today there are many people who struggle to survive the winter.
Marigold Custard
Ingredients:
2 cups milk
1 cup marigold petals
4 tblsps honey
2 tsps pure vanilla essence
2 eggs
0.5 tsp cinnamon
Splash of rose water
What to do:
Put the milk, crushed petals, honey and vanilla in a saucepan and stir gently over the heat until just before the milk boils.
Whisk the eggs and the cinnamon. Slowly beat a little of the hot milk into the egg mixture, stirring constantly – you don’t want the egg to cook. Pour the eggs into the rest of the hot milk and stir well.
Continue to stir over a low, gentle heat until the custard thickens to your liking. Just as it reaches the boil, remove from heat and stir in the rosewater. Serve now, warm and sprinkled with marigold petals, or allow to cool and then refrigerate to serve later.
Pumpkin and Pecan Slice
Ingredients:
1 cup plain flour
0.33 cup brown sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
75g butter
0.75 cup pecans
Filling:
250g cream cheese, softened
0.5 cup maple syrup
0.5 cup mashed pumpkin
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 tsp pure vanilla essence
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground allspice
1 tsp ground nutmeg
What to do:
Combine flour, sugar and cinnamon, and work butter through.
Process or finely chop the pecans and stir into the mixture. Press into a greased pie dish or a square baking dish. Bake in a preheated 180C oven for around 15 minutes, then allow to cool.
Mix together cream cheese and maple syrup. Stir in the mashed pumpkin, eggs, vanilla and spices. Pour into pie dish, on top of the pecan base, and bake for 30 minutes, or until lightly browned and firm in the centre. Allow to cool, then chill in the fridge for a few hours before serving. This isn’t too sweet, so if you’d like it to be, perhaps swap the maple syrup for golden syrup, or add a little sugar.
Sweet Potato Pie
Ingredients:
1 cup plain flour
1 tblsp raw sugar
0.5 tsp salt
0.33 cups macadamia oil
5 tblsps cold milk
Filling:
2 cups mashed sweet potato
3 tblsps butter, melted
0.66 cup brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
0.5 tsp nutmeg
0.75 cup milk
1 tsp pure vanilla essence
3 eggs
What to do:
Place the sifted flour, sugar and salt in a bowl. Whisk together the oil and milk, then stir it into the dry ingredients. Knead together and roll out. Place in your pie dish and bake in a preheated 180C oven for 15 minutes, or until golden, then allow to cool.
To make filling, place the mashed sweet potato in a bowl and stir through the melted butter, brown sugar and spices. Allow to cool.
Whisk together the milk, vanilla and eggs, then stir it through the sweet potatoes. Pour into your pie shell and bake in a preheated 180C oven for around 40 minutes, or until set in the middle.
Oat Cookies
(Anzac Biscuits in Australia)
Ingredients:
1 cup rolled oats
1 cup plain flour
1 cup desiccated coconut
1 cup brown sugar
125g butter
3 tblsps golden syrup
0.5 tsp baking soda
What to do:
Place oats, flour, coconut and sugar in a bowl and stir to combine.
Heat the butter and golden syrup in a pot over a low heat until the butter is melted (be careful not to boil). Stir in the baking soda.
Pour the melted butter mixture into the dry ingredients and stir well to combine. Add a splash of water if mixture is too dry.
Place spoonfuls of cookie mixture on a greased cookie tray, with space between each one for the mixture to spread while cooking.
Bake in a preheated 180C oven for around 15 minutes, or until cookies are golden brown and firm.
Corn Harvest
It’s not only wheat, oats and rye that are ready for harvest at this time of year, but also corn. Traditionally corn dollies were made from the husks of the first and the last ear of corn harvested, symbolising the deification of the crops and the importance of the harvest in agricultural communities. These were an embodiment of the Goddess, and were kept in the home throughout the winter to house the spirit of the grain, which they believed became homeless after the harvest. Then in spring, they were ploughed back into the earth with the first seeds to increase fertility, thus continuing the cycle of life, death and rebirth that makes up the Wheel of the Year.
Corn Bread
This is delicious served with Mexican chilli beans or any other vegie stew, but it’s also yummy on its own, lightly buttered as a snack or grilled with cheese for a simple lunch. You can make it sweeter if you wish, for an afternoon tea, or add cheese, jalapenos, sliced shallots and black pepper for a more savoury taste.
Ingredients:
1.5 cups cornmeal
0.5 cup plain flour
1.5 tsps baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 tblsps honey
1.5 cups milk
4 tblsps butter
What to do:
Place the dry ingredients in a bowl and combine. Whisk the egg and honey into the milk, then stir this into the cornmeal mixture. Add more milk if required to make a nice batter.
Melt the butter in a baking dish on the stove top, then pour the cornbread batter in. Bake in a preheated 190C oven for around 30 minutes, or until golden brown and cooked through. Serve hot.
I created these recipes, and many more, for the book Witchy Magic.
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