Witchy Wednesday: Magical and Practical Gardening

 

I can't remember a time in my life that I haven't loved having my toes and fingers in the dirt doing some sort of gardening. My whole family shared the work of putting in a big vegetable garden every year at my grandparents' place. We grew sweet corn, okra, tomatoes, potatoes, green beans, multiple varieties of squash and melons, onions, radishes, and cucumbers. We also bought black eyed peas and purple hull peas, and October beans from local farmers. When the garden came in, we gathered together to harvest and then either freeze or pressure can what vegetables we didn't plan to eat fresh so that we'd all have some for the Winter. I learned to can and freeze and pickle and ferment all kinds of vegetables and fruits. Those Summer preservations helped my struggling family get through a lot of lean years.

Not all the gardening was practical. Some was for beauty and the sheer enjoyment of it. My mother loved roses and hosta, and we planted and tended  her both together when I was growing up. Purple roses were her favorites. My grandmother had beautiful raised beds of purple and yellow irises, and she planted impatiens and paintbrush plants, and princess feathers. She also had roses at the edge of the front yard. Seven Sisters heirloom roses. Around the base of the tree where our tire swing was, Grandmother had the prettiest tiger lilies and money plants. Just at the corner of her house close to the back door was a massive sweet shrub that I can still smell when I think about it. Its blooms looked like burgundy suede leather, and they smelled wonderful. 

The tire swing tree fell in a tornado, and the sweet shrub was pulled up years ago. We sold my mother's house after she passed, and  I don't know if any of the roses survived. I have tried to root and grow clippings of the Seven Sisters roses, but they won't survive our Winter here in Minnesota. I can't bring their gardens with me, but I can bring what they taught me to build my own.

Every year we've lived together, my wife and I have had some sort of vegetable garden, but we've really started building something permanent and expanding on it during the last five years. In 2020 when we were all on lockdown, we build three raised beds out of wooden boards and corner stone blocks. We planted what we called our salsa and salad garden: tomatoes, onions, peppers, cucumbers, and squash. That year was absolutely the most perfect weather for gardening. Given that we were all stuck at home because of the pandemic, maybe that was the universe's way of giving us a bit of a blessing to balance the bad. My father had just passed in February of that year, and gardening that Summer saved my sanity I think. It gave me something to focus on outside of myself and something that needed me to survive and thrive. I put all my energy into it. When the vegetables started rolling in, the harvest was immense. We at so many fresh vegetables with every meal. We canned and froze vegetables. We put bags and bags and bags of vegetables on our porch and messaged all of our friends in the area that they were more than welcome to drop by and do a pickup. A lot of people ate from our garden that year.

The next year, we decided to expand our garden and add another box or two. By then in 2021, the price of wood and other building materials had gone sky high. It was three times more expensive than it had been the year before to build one of our wooden boxes. We decided to go with a 4ft x 4ft metal raised bed instead to test out how well they stood up to the Minnesota weather. It started out as an herb garden and later transitioned into being the place where I  would plant zucchini and squash and pumpkin. The next year we added two archways made from cattle fence panels and used those to grow beans and cucumbers and even some small pumpkins. The next year we added two more 8ft metal raised beds to plant pollinator friendly flowers in and a star patterned metal bed to be my new herb garden. We've also added a big, free-form pollinator garden in the front yard, have planted a row of  Sonic Bloom Weigela in front of our house, and a long row of lilac along our front property line as a visual and audial barrier to the busy road. Two years ago, we also planted two Easter Redbud trees because they remind me of the mountains I grew up in. They were small and will probably take another year to full mature. I am hoping next year we will see early Spring blooms.

This year, we've decided to upgrade a few garden boxes from 1ft tall wooden boxes to new 3ft tall metal boxes. Neither of us look forward to crouching or kneeling on the ground in order to weed or harvest our current boxes. We are hoping the three foot eight will greatly reduce the strain on our backs and knees. And, it will have the bonus of putting the fresh produce far above the hungry mouths of our neighborhood bunnies and mice.

Our Winter this past year had a lot of harsh, negative degree days, and we didn't have the thick blanket of snow we normally do to insulate the plants from the worst of the freeze. This sadly meant that I lost almost all of the thirty six native perennial flowers I planted last year in our pollinator gardens. We also lost all of the old growth on one of our Redbud trees and all of our herbs other than our mint and chives. Our little blueberry bush isn't dead, but it's struggling to put on new growth. I am really sad to have lost my well established Marshmallow and Boneset and St. John's Wort. By the time I knew they weren't coming back, it was too late to buy new plants from the very few places that stock those medicinal herbs. I will have to start them from seed next year to replace. I have replanted several of the culinary herbs: oregano, thyme, sweet basil, borage, lime mint, and lemon verbena so far.

Maker Monday: Kitchen Witchery: Adventures in Low Carb Cooking - Moussaka

My endocrinologist has asked me to follow a 50g of carbs or less daily diet for the next two months. I did the low carb thing years and years ago when the Atkins diet was just starting to be known. It was the most miserable year of eating I have ever experienced. I felt like everything was a 'No, you can't have that!' and almost nothing I liked was a, 'Yes, you can.' 

Since I had my gallbladder taken out several years ago, my body just does not process highly fatty foods very well at all. I am almost instantly sick if I try to eat something fried or heavily oiled. I am also lactose intolerant, so that takes out a lot of the traditional dairy meals and snacks. Dairy alternatives have come a long way, but some dairy items are just not replaceable. I can thankfully take Lactaid to stave off most of the negative side effects from dairy for a good number of ingredients. I left the heavy cream in the recipe below, and I desperately regretted it. I will be switching it to an oat cream or a coconut cream next time. 

This dish was inspired by a Moussaka recipe in the Going Greek on Keto cookbook by Nicholas Diakos. 

We made some changes to suit our tastes and line up more with the ingredients we had on hand as well. I do not like egg plant, so I switched that out with thin slices of zucchini. We switched the ground lamb to ground pork to help prevent my wife's gout from flaring up due to red meat. I also used some of my home canned spicy marinara instead of store bought tomato sauce to reduce both sugar and salt. 

Low Carb Moussaka

Ingredients

1 pound ground pork

2 large zucchini squash sliced thin

1 medium onion diced

1 pint home canned spicy marinara

1 cup heavy cream

1 egg

1 1/4 cups mozzarella cheese shredded

1/2 cup grated Parmesan

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon turmeric

1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic

1/4 teaspoon ginger

1/2 teaspoon cardamom

1 teaspoon Italian herbs

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon lite salt

Additional pinch of Italian herbs and red pepper flakes for final seasoning (optional)

1) Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.

2) Brown ground pork in a skillet over medium heat. You could also use pork sausage, but be aware there may be added sugar and salt in pre-made sausage. While the meat is browning, slice the zucchini into either thin strips (think lasagna noodles) or thin rounds using a mandolin.

3) Add tomato sauce, spices, and herbs to meat and turn down on low to simmer stirring occasionally.

4) In a saucepan, heat heavy cream on medium low heat. Add a small shake of nutmeg. Stir in Parmesan and 1/2 cup of the mozzarella until melted and smooth. Remove cheese sauce from heat and take a small amount of the sauce out into a separate bowl to use to temper the egg so that it does not scramble. Add egg mix back to saucepan stirring until incorporated. Meat sauce should be done now.

5) Spray casserole dish with oil of your choice or non-stick spray. Put down a layer of sliced squash. Next add layer of the meat sauce and then a layer of cheese sauce. Sprinkle a thin layer of mozzarella over top of cheese sauce. Add second layer of each ingredient ending with your second layer of mozzarella. Sprinkle top with a shake or two of Italian herbs and a shake of red pepper flakes (optional).

6) Bake for 25-35 minutes until cheese on top is a golden brown. Let cool for about 10-12 minutes before eating so cheese sauce will thicken.

Nutritional Info

Calories per serving            450

Net Carbs                            8g

    Total Carbs      9g

    Fiber                2g

Protein                               21g

Fat                                       37g

After Cooking/Meal Notes:

Next time, we think we would use a cottage cheese and egg mixture in place of the cheese sauce like we do in lasagna.

We also prefer more vegetables, so we would add diced mushrooms to the meat sauce and put in another layer of sliced squash as well.

Applachian Magicks, Jar Spells, Charms, and Wards - Part 1

Illustration by Sophy Hollington

Creating and Placing a Charm, Ward, or Spell Jar for the Best Results

If you want a connection to begin or grow stronger, throw or bury it to the east.

If you want a connection to end or grow weaker, throw or buy it to the west.

Include water in your working if it involves cycles or continuous movement.

If you want to control something/someone’s influence, include patterns of five in your working.

If you want the help of spirits in the working, place or bury it in a graveyard or cemetery or include grave dirt from the one you are seeking help from.

To keep something/someone close to you, bury your item in your back yard.

To attract someone/something, bury your item under to beside your front doorstep.

If you want something/someone to disappear from memory and not enter your mind, weight your item and drop it in dark or deep water.

To destroy the influence of something/someone, burn your item and scatter it to the winds as far away from your home and daily haunts as possible.

 

Ingredients and Potential Representations

Feathers = Air, Lightness, Freedom, Swiftness.

Dirt = Earth, Stability, Steadiness.

Water = Water, Movement, Adaptability, Repetition, Cleanliness, Life.

Milk or Cream = Abundance, Growth, Nurturing, Motherhood, Femineity.

Vinegar = Hate, Resentment.

Sugar or Honey = Sweetness, Love, Positive influence, Persuasion.

Salt or Epsom Salt= Purification, Protection.

Cinnamon = Abundance, Wealth, Love, Passion.

Ground Pepper = Love, Passion, Anger, Irritation.

Fire used to Destroy = Purification or Anger.

Fire used to Light (typically via lit candle) = Revelation, Passion, Protection.

Wealth = Bay leaves, Fresh Basil, Seed pods form Money Plants, Corn silk.

Iron = Protection.

A Tarnishable Metal (copper or nickel for example) = Corruption.

Try it Tuesday - DIY Tea for Improved Health - Blood Pressue

I love finding out new ways to use herbs that I grow and spices that I have in my kitchen. Even more of a bonus when it is something that has the potential to naturally improve my day to day health. I read recently that certain blends of tea can help to lower your blood pressure. Mine has never been high, but it has been in the past few years borderline on a consistent basis. Now, I know, going to the doctor's office stresses me out. Other than my annual preventatives, I do not go unless I am really sick. Not feeling well equals wonky vitals. But, if I can do something small now to make improvements that could put me on the right road to avoid issues in the future, I will happily try it. My mother and father both had high blood pressure, which caused a lot of other issues. And the medication for it caused even more problems. I don't want that if I can avoid it.

Most of the teas available commercially that claim to promote a healthy heart and healthy blood pressure contain a combination of Hawthorne and Hibiscus. Some also contain lavender, chamomile, ginger, and fennel. Of course, I don't know what ratios to use of each, so I decided to mix and match pre-made tea blends until I get the ratios right.

For my first experiment, I am using the following to brew a pot of hopefully healthful and tasty tea.

• Traditional Medicinals Hawthorne and Hibiscus Tea
• Bigelow Lavender and Chamomile plus Probiotics Tea
• Bigelow Ginger Peach and Tumeric Tea

All three are caffeine free. I've never had a tea that claims to have probiotics in it. The color is a rich reddish brown. It smells divine. The chamomile and peach aromas are definitely in the forefront. It tastes very floral as well but not as light as just a chamomile or mint tea might. It feels like drinking a nice floral black tea. I put just a touch of German rock sugar in for sweetener, less than half a cube of sugar equivalent. Delicious. Now we'll see if it actually ends up helping lower my blood pressure.

Mixing Up Magic in the Kitchen - Holiday Edition

What recipes do you always make around the holidays? My family always made a few every year. They were a ritual. There were so many things attached to each food. Memories of childhood. Memories of family members who were no longer with us. The ritual of mixing and stirring and seasoning that seems so magical when it all comes out just as you planned. I will share a few of my favorites here.

I remember some about my Great Grandmother Smith before dementia began to ravage her, but not a lot. From the stories that my grandfather and grandmother told, she liked cooking, but it wasn't really her strong suit. There were a few dishes though that everyone loved, especially my grandfather, so we made them each year for the holidays. It was a way us to help him remember her and honor her.

Photo from Recipes.net

Old Fashioned Potato Candy

 

1 large white potato (peeled and boiled)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/8 teaspoon salt

6-7 cups of powdered sugar

Smooth peanut butter of your choice

1 Tablespoon of water or milk

Food coloring (optional)

 

Peel and boil 1 large white potato until tender. Mash potato until smooth of lumps. Add vanilla extract and stir into potato. Add the tablespoon of water or milk if extra liquid is needed to smooth the mixture. If you would like to make your dough different colors, add in your food coloring now. Sometimes my great grandmother would split the batch into three parts and do red, green, and white for the holiday. We most often skipped the food coloring part.

 

Begin adding the powdered sugar one cup at a time until you are able to create a dough similar to a sugar cookie dough.

 

Roll out dough using extra powdered sugar to dust surface to prevent sticking. You want the finished dough to be about 1/8 inch thick when you are done rolling.

 

Spread peanut butter over the top surface of the dough. We always used smooth peanut butter because it was my family’s overall preference, but I suppose you could use crunchy as well for added texture.

 

Starting at one of the long sides, tightly roll up dough, like a jelly roll. Wrap in parchment paper and freeze for 30 minutes to an hour. Until firm. Slice into ¼ inch pieces and serve. Store in the refrigerator.

Witchy Wednesday 6/1/2022 - Kitchen Magic Cookie Edition

 Choose a recipe (cookies are good for their small size, portability, and ease of sharing), then break the ingredients down into their magical meanings. What kind of spell would this recipe work best for? Healing, love, workplace harmony?

I chose Lemon Lavender Tea Cakes. You will find the recipe at the bottom.

I've never really stopped to do a full analysis of one of the recipes I cook from a magical perspective. I cook what feels good and right when I want to provide comfort, warmth, a refreshment of energy, ect. It should be interesting to take a closer look. In the list of ingredients below, the first paragraph is my associations with the ingredient and what I feel and think when I experience them followed by a bulleted item or list of their published magical properties.

BUTTER

Butter can be either a solid or a liquid. It can flow through and around the other ingredients, or it can grease the wheel so to speak to ease the way for other items not to stick and burn. I use it when I cook comfort foods that bring to mind warmth and happiness like fresh biscuits, cookies, and pastries.

• Smoothes and soothes energies and relationships
• Increases tenacity
• Makes change easier
• Increases spirituality and connection to Deity on the physical plane
• Adds a nurturing, smooth quality to spells
• Can be an easy kitchen witch go-to spell: Simply roll butter in herbs and empower it for your spell. Serve with bread!

EGGS

Eggs are the glue that help hold things together in my cooking. To me they also represent life, fertility, hope for the future.

• An egg is a complete neat package of life and is very symbolic of fertility, new life, new beginnings and creation itself.  Within they also symbolize long life and immortality.
• The egg is a complete set of elements in one handy pack:  The shell represents Earth, the inner membrane represents Air, the yolk is Fire and the white is Water. 

FLOUR

I associate flour with bread, and bread equals warmth and comfort. Humble beginnings for flour to start out as a tiny grain and then become a dry powder and then to be transformed again into all sorts of lovely breads, pies, pastries, and sauces. It has so much malleability and versatility. When I think of flour and the wheat it comes from, I also think of the Biblical story of Joseph and his interpretation of Pharaoh's dreams. In the years of plenty there were beautiful sheaths of grain, full and rich and hearty. It would feed all of the people so that they would not suffer hunger during the lean years. 

• Magickal properties - abundance, fertility, money, rebirth, truth, strength and energy

BAKING SODA

Baking soda and baking powder have always been a bit magical in my mind when it comes to baking. They are the science and magic of why the breads can rise without yeast. I guess if I were going to apply a magical property to them, I would use them with the intent to assist someone to rise up to meet and overcome adversity, to give a helping hand to meet a goal or work through something challenging in their lives.

• Magickal properties - banishing, protection, cleansing, warding
• Magickal uses - ritual fire safety, cleansing altar tools

SALT

Salt has always represented protection to me. When paired with something sweet, it also adds an element of balance. A tea cake is traditionally round, so it could incorporate the same protection that a circle of salt represents for the receiver.

• Magickal properties - protection, cleansing, purification

SUGAR

Sugar is sweetness and first loves. Perhaps a little bad for you, but so enjoyable in small doses. A guilty pleasure.

• Magickal properties - attraction, love, used to amplify any attraction spell

VANILLA

In my mind vanilla will always be associated with holiday baking. Days filled with warmth, laughter, the smells of sweet treats, and occasionally a tummy ache after eating too many of said treats. The smell evokes sugary goodness and the deep brown color makes me think of roasting chestnuts. I would use it to invoke a sense of comfort and belonging.

• Magickal properties - love, passion, vitality, happiness, healing, friendship, stress and anxiety, luck, increasing mental capabilities, beauty, lust

LEMON JUICE / LEMON ZEST

In my world lemon is refreshing and represents something clean and new. Sometimes it's surprising and unexpected. It livens things up. I can almost feel the warmth of the sunshine and taste the tart of the lemon on my tongue from my grandmother's lemonade when I smell the zest.

• Magickal properties - longevity, purification, unity, uplifting, clarity, friendship, happiness, rejuvenation, awareness, love, fidelity, new beginnings, breaking hexes, cleansing

LAVENDER FLOWERS

I have a love-hate relationship with lavender flowers. It's beautiful and fragrant and delicate when used sparingly, but it can turn astringent and medicinal very quickly if used with a heavy hand. It's a nice balance to the acidity of the lemon and richness of butter. Like the salt, I have always associated lavender with purification and protection. It has become such a common place ingredient in stress-relief and sleep teas, lotions, body washes, that I also immediately think relaxation as well.

• Attract men: Wear lavender perfume or add lavender essential oil to your beauty and love spells to bring your next lover to you.
• Banishing harmful spirits: Sprinkle the flowers along the floor of your home or business to ward away evil spirits.
• Happiness: Bake lavender into cookies or flavor your lemonade with the flower to bring happiness.
• Increase intelligence: Drink the tea, make a sachet, or eat food crafted from lavender to increase your brainpower.
• Long Life: Use lavender in your beauty routine or carry the flower on you to promote longevity.
• Purification: Burn lavender or use the fresh sprigs to sprinkle blessed water in your home to remove harmful energies.
• Sleep: Make a tea, fill an eye pillow, or place a few drops of lavender essential oil into your full pillow; its scent and energy will help relax your mind and bring on sleep.

All of that in a cookie prepared and shared with love. Who knew? And if you've made it this far, below is the recipe.

Lemon Lavender Tea Cakes

1 cup butter, softened

2 cups white sugar

3 large eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 medium lemon

1/2 Tbs dried lavender flowers

• 1) Combine flour, soda, and salt and sift together. Set Aside.
• 2) In separate bowl beat butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Gradually add sugar, beating well. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating until blended after each addition. Add vanilla extract, dried lavender flowers, 1 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice, and the zest of one lemon beating until blended.
• 3) Add flour mixture to butter mixture. Beat at low speed until blended together.
• 4) Divide dough in half; wrap each portion in plastic wrap, and chill 1 hour.
• 5) Roll half of dough to 1/4-inch thickness on a floured surface. Cut out cookies with a 2 1/2-inch round cutter, and place 1 inch apart on parchment paper-lined baking sheets.
• 6) Bake at 350° for 10 to 12 minutes or until edges begin to brown; let stand on baking sheet 5 minutes. Remove to wire racks to cool. Repeat procedure with remaining dough.

Maker Monday: Kitchen Witchery : Steffie's Make Me Feel Better Chicken Soup

When I am feeling under the weather, my beautiful, awesome, wonderful wife will make me her homemade chicken soup.. I call it her "Make Me Feel Better Chicken Soup" because it always does make me feel better. The bonus is that it is super tasty too and full of things that are good for you. There's definitely some magic in its delicious broth.

Here's the Recipe:

2 large or 4 small chicken breasts grilled or pan seared and cubed
96 oz chicken or turkey broth (2 of the family size 48oz cartons)
1 1/2 cups chopped baby carrots
3 small yellow potatoes cubbed
1 cup frozen green peas
1-2 cups frozen mixed cauliflower/broccoli
1-2 cups button mushrooms chopped
1 cup corn drained
1 bundle diced green onions, sliced thin
3 cups tri-color rotini noodles or egg noodles
Spices and Herbs (to taste): 1 tsp oregano, 1 tsp parsley, 1 tsp rosemary finely minced, 1/2 tsp thyme, 1/2 tsp basil, 1tsp smoked paprika, 1 tsp cayenne, 1 tsp black or white pepper, 1 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp onion powder, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp chicken bouillon, 2 tbs lime juice.

Mix chicken, chicken broth, and all vegetables other than potatoes together in large pot and bring to boil. While it is coming to a boil place potatoes and 1/4 cup water in microwave safe bowl. Microwave for 4 minutes on high. Add potatoes to pot.

Once mixture has come to a boil add in noodles and cook until tender. This is the time also to add in any herbs and spices that you would like.

Servings: 10-12