Imbolc 

Make Some Butter!

Imbolc has always been closely associated with cows, butter, milk & cheese.  It is traditional to leave bread and fresh butter on your windowsill or just outside the door for the goddess Brigid on the eve of Imbolc.  (and don’t forget to leave a bit of hay or grass for the fairy cow that travels with her!) I’ll bet it would particularly please the goddess if you made the butter for her yourself.  It’s not difficult to do:

 Set a carton of heavy whipping cream out at room temperature for about 12 to 20 hours.  You want it to get sour because that will make your butter taste better.

 Then, pour the room temperature cream into a jar til it’s about half full.  Put the lid on nice and tight.  Play some music and dance around the house shaking the jar in time to the music.  (You don’t want to shake it too fast)  It would be nice to have a friend or a brother or sister help you because it’s going to take about 20 to 30 minutes for the butter to form.

 You’ll see little pellets of solid butter develop and separate from the milky part.  When it seems like no more are forming, drain off the buttermilk part (you can use that to make buttermilk pancakes or biscuits).  Use a spatula or flat wooden spoon to press the butter and work out any remaining buttermilk, then rinse it in cold water.

 Now you add a bit of salt – just a pinch or two – and mix it in really good.  Then put it in the refrigerator to cool and harden up a bit.

Ostara

Sunshine Eggs

When Elsie was little, it was always “Her Job” to make the Sunshine Eggs.  Some people call them “Deviled Eggs” but that’s silly because there is no such thing as a devil. Elsie’s family calls them “Sunshine Eggs”  (the centers look like little yellow suns).

First, peel a hardboiled egg and then cut it in half lengthwise.  You can use a butter knife but a steak knife is better if you are old enough to be very careful with it.  Pop out the little yellow center into a bowl and set the white halves on a plate.  Do it again with about 5 more eggs.

In the bowl with the yellow parts, add: 

3 Tablespoons of mayonnaise        1 Tablespoon of sugar

1 teaspoon of mustard          1 teaspoon vinegar               salt to taste

 Mash it all up with a fork til it’s nice and creamy.  Then use a spoon (and your clean finger) to put the yellow mixture back in the hollows of the white part of the eggs.  Now you have Sunshine Eggs!

Beltane 

You can eat roses.  Did you know that?  Just make sure they haven’t been sprayed with anything yucky like pesticides.  If you buy your roses instead of growing them, wash them well before using them in any recipes.

 Rose Sugar

Begin by cutting of any white part at the base of the rose petals (This part is often bitter) and, yes, you can use scissors for this.  Make sure the rose petals are dry so the sugar doesn’t stick to them.  Put 1 cup of petals and 1 cup of sugar in a blender or food processor and whir them together until the rose petals are chopped into little tiny bits.  Pour it all into a jar, screw the lid on tight and let it sit for about a week.

This sugar can be used in teas, sprinkled on cupcakes instead of frosting…you name it!

Rose Petal Sandwiches
These are fun to have for a Beltane lunch! 

Use a food processor or blender to chop up about ½ a cup of fresh rose petals.  (again, cut any white parts off the bottoms and make sure the petals are clean.)  Next, mash this into 4 ounces of cream cheese, wrap it up and let it sit overnight in the fridge.

The next day, take it out of the fridge and let it stand a while at room temperature to soften a bit.  Then, spread some on a slice of bread.  Cover it with thin slices of cucumber. Sprinkle with a little salt and pepper and add a few chopped walnuts or pine nuts. Top it off with a leaf of romaine lettuce and another slice of bread. 

Cut the sandwich into 4 little sandwiches (fairy sized) by slicing it diagonally.  You should have enough of the rose cream cheese to make about 3 or 4 more whole sandwiches. 

Litha 

When your family is doing their Midsummer Celebration, it’s a good feeling knowing that, even though you are young, you can help too.  Here are some treats you can make for the feast that everyone will love – no matter how old they are: 

Litha Lemon Pie

With a whisk or hand mixer, beat together 1 container lemon yogurt, 1 sm. pkg. dry lemon Jello, and 1 small container (8 oz.) of Cool Whip.  Make sure everything is dissolved and smooth. Pour it into a graham cracker piecrust and put it in the refrigerator until the next day. You can also freeze this if you want.  Then, just before serving it, decorate the top with strawberries and fresh mint leaves.

Herb Honey

The full moon in June is called the “honeymoon” because this month is a good time to collect honey from bees. Kids – don’t try this at home! It takes a trained bee-keeper.  But what you can do is make a delicious Herb Honey:

 Fill a small jar half full with either fresh or dried herbs.  Some herbs that would be especially good are mint, rose petals, lavender, cinnamon sticks and vanilla beans.  Then fill the jar almost all the way to the top with honey.  Put the lid on and set it out in the sun for a few days.  Then dip your finger in and taste.  If you want more herb flavor, then, while the honey is still warm from the sun, strain the old herbs out and replace them with more.  When your “taster” tells you it’s ready, strain the herbs out.

This is really good on toast or dribbled over ice cream!

Lughnasadh 

 Lughnasadh is the Festival of the First Fruits of the Harvest.  A portion of the first grains, fruits and vegetables to come ripe was offered back to the God & Goddess to say “Thank You”.  At the same time, the first wild sweet berries in the hills were ripening – a gift back to us from the Earth Mother.  Entire villages would rise at dawn on Lughnasadh and go berry picking.  While they were at it, they’d also have big communal picnics, play games and tell stories.  So berries have been a part of Lughnasadh festivities since very ancient times!

 Easy Raspberry Triffle

Trifle is an old, traditional dessert from England.  It’s usually served from a tall glass bowl so that the lovely layers and colors can be admired.  This is a simple version that you can make your self!

 INGREDIENTS:

1 Pound Cake loaf (if frozen, be sure to thaw it first)
1 package (10 ounces) raspberries in syrup (if frozen, thaw these too)
 Raspberry preserves
1 package (4 serving size) vanilla pudding, prepared
Sweetened whipped cream

PREPARATION:

Split the cake in half lengthwise and sandwich together with lots of nice raspberry preserves. Slice into 8 slices as you would slice bread. Arrange ½ the slices in a large pretty glass bowl.

With a spoon, glob ½ the pudding over the slices and use the back of the spoon to spread it out. 

Drain raspberry syrup into a cup and scatter half the berries over the pudding.  Add the rest of the cake slices, cover with the rest of the pudding and the rest of the berries.  Drizzle the reserved syrup over the whole thing and top with whipped cream.

Mabon