Tag: Thyme

The Threefold Bread by Charlie Rainbow Wolf

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  • 1 1/4 cups warm water
  • 1 Tbsp sugar
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 4 cups bread flour
  • 1 tsp active dried yeast (or 1 small packet)

Place the flour in a large heavy mixing bowl (I preferic ceramic or glass to plastic). Measure the water in a jug and dissolve the guar and the yeast into it, letting it rest for 10 minutes or so. Add the salt to the flour and blend it well, then add the water with teh sugar and yeast init and start to mix. When it gets too heavy for the spoon, use your hands, turning it out onto a floured board and kneading it for a good 12 to 15 minutes. The action of kneading the bread is hwat strengthens the gluten so it will rise well.

Place the kneaded dough in an oiled bowl and cover. I use parchment paper for this, but a piece of plastic wrap or even a clean sackcloth towel will work. Put the covered bowl in a warm place to rise until doubled in size – the oven with the interior light on works well for me. When it has risen, turn it out onto the work surface again, and shape into a loaf. Put this into your oiled loaf pan if you are using one or onto your baking tray if not or if making a braid, and let it rise again, this time for about 50 minutes – you’ll get to know the look of it once you’ve done it a few times.

Preheat the oven to 400 degree Fahrenheit and bake the bread toward hte middle for 50 to 60 minutes. The loaf is dnoe when it is golden brown on the top and sounds follow when you tap the bottom. Remove it from the oven and place hte pan (if one is used) on its side. Let the bread cool for 20 minutesbefore removing it. Let the bread rest at least another hour before eating it – if you can stand the wait!

Rye Bread

Substitute 2 cups of rye for 2 cups of flour, remembering to add 2 tablespoons vital wheat gluten.

Whole Wheat Bread

Substitute 2 cups of whole wheat flour. Add extra water, 1 tablespoon at a time, to get the right consistency.

The Braid

The key to a successful plait lies in having all the dough proved adequately and to have all the strands the same size. Roll the dough until it is an even width and approximately 24 to 30 inches in length. Start the braid by laying hte three strips of different dough side by side. Weave one over the other in the usual way until the end is reached. Pinch the ends together, then tuck them under the loaf; now go back and do the same to the start. This way the ends are hidden and the plait seems to be neverending from start to finish. To make this really stand out, brush a bit of milk or a mixture of beaten egg and water over the top; this gives the baked loaf a glossy finish, as well as helping the plaits stick together.

Bake the bread on a bread stone or cookie sheet as described in the basic bread recipe. I judge doneness by the all-purpose strand; if that looks golden brown and done, then I do the tap test (seeing if it sounds hollow). It is often hard to tell when the darker strands have been adequately baked just by looking at them.

Additions

If you don’t want to go to the trouble of mixing three doughs and making a giant loaf, a threefold braid can still be made by dividing th ebread dough after the first proving, and rolling the different strands in herbs before braiding. Some of my favorite herbs are the traditional sage, rosemary and thyme, but others will add flavor and magical properties to the loaf, making it stand out for ceremony just as nicely as if the three different flours had been used.

  • ROSEMARY. Depending on who you ask, rosemary is either masculine or feminine and associated with the Sun or Moon! I liken it to the Moon and believe it to be feminine. It brings the magic of remembrance and purification to the loaf.
  • SAGE. Sage has long been used as a healing and protection herb. It’s one we regularly have in the garden here at the Keep. It is masculine, is associated with Jupiter, and brings the magic of abundance and wishes granted to the loaf.
  • THYME. Thyme is another feminine herb, associated with water and the planet Venus. It’s believed that thyme enabled communication with the fae and other earth spirits. It brings the magic of strength and courage to the loaf.

Heirloom Tomato Toss

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Tomatoes are the epitome of summer. They reach their peak in the long hours of the sun. Thse sweet, juicy vegetables are best enjoyed fresh right now. Unlike modern hybrids, “heirloom” or “antique” cultivars are open-pollinated and selected for intense flavor rather than shipping convenience. They come in many fascinating sizes, shapes, and colors. Red, orange, yellow, and pink symbolize the sun but there are also green, purple, brown, white, and almost black ones! 

Prep time:  15-20 minutes
Servings:  6 (1 cup) or 12 (1/2 cup)
  • 4 lbs of heirloom tomatoes
  • 1 bunch of Italian sweet basil
  • 6 Tbsp full-flavor evoo
  • 2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
  • 2 cloves of garlic
  • 1 Tbsp sweet marjoram
  • 1 tsp oregano
  • 1 tsp thyme
  • 1/2 tsp rosemary
  • 1/2 tsp sage
  • 1/2 tsp cracked green pepper
  • 1/2 tsp fleur de sel or sea salt

Rinse and pat dry 4 lbs of heirloom tomatoes. Remove the stems and cores. Grape tomatoes and small cherry tomatoes shoul dbe cut in half. Larger cherry tomatoes may need to be cut in quarters. Beefsteaks and other full-size tomatoes should be diced. First slice them, then cut the slices into strips, then cut the strips into cubes. Just roughly chopping them won’t make a tidy salad. If some of the tomatoes have large amounts of slime inside, remove it and use the firm parts. Put the tomato bits into a big salad bowl.

Rinse and pat dry 1 bunch of Italian sweet basil. Remove the stems and large veins by tearing the leaf sides away from the middle. Tear the leaves into bite-sized pieces; you should have about a cup. Put the torn basil in a bowl.

Make the dressing in a clean jar with a lid. First, pour in 6 Tbsp full-flavor evoo. (If you have olive oil infused with any of the herbs in this recipe, you can use that.) Add 2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar.

Peel and mince 2 cloves of garlic. Add them to the jar of dressing. Add 1 Tbsp sweet marjoram, 1 tsp oregano, 1 tsp thyme, 1/2 tsp rosemary, 1/2 tsp sage, adn 1/2 tsp cracked green pepper.

Put the lid on the jar snugly. Shake briefly to cobine all the ingredients. This is not an emulsified vinaigrette, so you’re not trying to make a smooth blend, just distribute the ingredients equally.

Add the basil leaves to the tomato bits in the salad bowl and toss to combine. Shake hte dressing one last time and pour it slowly over the salad, tossing as you go. Finally, sprinkle 1/2 tsp fleur de sel over the salad.

Serve immediately. This recipe makes about 6 (1-cup) servings as a bowl or salad or (12 1/2-cup) servings as a side dish.

Note: In addition to standing on its own as a sald, the Heirloom Tomato Toss also makes an excellent topping for sandwiches, baked potatoes, tacos, chili, and so on. Use it for extra flavor anywhere that you would use diced tomatoes. If you like a leafier salad, put a scoop of this on top of Romaine lettuce of baby spinach.

Magick in the Air: Homemade Incense by Monica Crosson

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If you are using smoke to honor hte spirits of the land that surround you, doesn’t it make sense to make incense form ingredients founds or grown in your own region? Gathering resins or plant materials from your local wild areas or from your own backyard garden allows you to make a deeper onnection with your region and relieves some pressure form popoular resinous trees and plant materials whose demand is leading to overharvesting.

Resins from conifers such as pine, fir, cedar, spruce, and hemlock are just as wonderul as the more exotic resins that we are more familiar with. And though they carry subtle differences in scent and energy, they are no less powerful. For example, resins front the trees in the pine family are a great substitute for the resins of non-native trees such as Protium copal (copal tree) of Central America and the Boswellia sacra (frankincense tree) whose sustainability is under threat because of its popularity. Common garden herbs such as garden sage, rosemary, and lavender, whcihc an be grown in your backyard or in pots, along with teh bark, berries and leafy material from many of your local deciduous trees and shrubs make a magickally potent addition to your incense blends.

Coniferous Trees that Best Produce Resin

Cedar. Use in incense blends for calm, spirituality, healing, and denoting sacred space.

Fir. Use in magick for ancestral work, healing, blessings and past-life regression.

Hemlock. Coniferous hemlock can be used in magick for transformation and illumination. It blends well with lavender and is used for meditative blends.

Juniper. Teh resin, berries, bark, and wood have a calming and relaxing effect and have been used to sharpen mental clarity, for protection, and to raise spiritual energy.

Larch. Use in mixes for connecting with the otherworld, for confidence, and for protection.

Pine. Can be used as substitute for copal or frankincense in blends and is used for healing, cleansing, strength and grounding.

Redwood. Use to connect with the otherworld, abundance, healing, and protection.

Spruce. Use in magick for constancy, versatility, and determination.

What Is Resin?

Resin is a main component in most incense blends. … Resin is produced in special resin cells in plants to protect them from insects or pathogens and is made in response to an injury to the plant. Resins can be produced through the bark of a tree, the flowers of an herb, or the buds of a shrub and can occur as part of other compounds, such as latex.

Some folks use the terms sap and resin interchangeably, and though both are secreted by plants, sap is a thin, sweet liquid that carries nutrients to the living parts of the tree. Resin, on the other hands, is a sticky secretion that is located in the outer cells of the tree and is produced as a seal that prevents infection when a tree is injured. Gathering your own resin is actually easier than you might realize, and you are benefited with the knowledge that your material was gathered ethically and with love.

Harvesting Resin

You will need:

  • Designated dull knife or small metal paint scraper
  • Jars, baggies or wax paper to hold the resin
  • Gloves (optional)

You know that thick, sticky substance you see dripping down the trunk of a tree typically where damage has been done? That is resin. You can easily harvest it by using a dull knife to gently remove the resin from the bark. But remember to keep way from the injured part of the tree and harvest only the drips or what has collected on the ground. The resin acts as a bandage to help keep infection at bay, and you don’t want to further injure hte tree by opening the wound. If you keep resin in a plastic bag, it will remain sticky. to dry it, place on a cookie sheet in the sun or a warm dry place and wait . . . but be patient: it can take months for resin to dry out completely.

Another option (what I do) is to harvest already dried resin from the tree. The pieces can be removed very easily from the trune and around the base of the tree with little mess.

Remember, resin is very stick and does not clean up easily. Alcohol works for cleaning your tools, and olive oil, shortening andhand cleaners such as Goop work on your skin.

After your collected resin has dried, the easiest way to utilize it to simply burn small chunks of it on a charcoal black in whatever amount you may require. Remember to test a small amount first to see how much smoke you get. You might be surprpised at how little you will need.

Other Plant Material

Once you have collected and dried your resin, you may want to add dried plant material or essential oil to create a unique incense blend that is suited to your magickal needs.

Correspondences for Common Woody and Fragrant Material

Alder. Use in mixes for journeying, for self-love, and to ease fear.

Angelica. Use in mixes for protection and clearing negativity.

Ash. Burn the bark of ash in blends for prosperity, protection, and good health.

Aspen. Use for protection, antitheft, and eloquence.

Basil. Use in belnds for improving memeory, to cleanse and purify, and to induce calm.

Bay. Use to promote healing, sharpen your psychic abilities, for protection, and for purification.

Birch. Use in magick for new beginnings, protection, resilience, and inspiration.

Chamomile. Use for peace, healing, divination, and dreamwork.

Dill. Sporting beautiful fragrant fronds, dill is used in blends for love, money and protection.

Elecampane. Use to work with elves, for purification, and for divination.

Elderberry. The perfect addition to working magick with the fae, for protection, or to break curses.

Eucalyptus. You can’ tbeat this tree’s cleansing abilities. Great for protection and to zap negative influences from your surroundings.

Fennel. Use fennel in blends for courage, strength, and transformation.

Fern. Use in faery magick, for luck, for health, and for protection.

Ginseng. Use for love, lust, prosperity, and protection.

Hawthorn. Use in magick for protection, faery magick, and happiness.

Lavender. The smoke of lavender creates a calming, peaceful atmosphere that can be used in mixes for loving vibes, to induce sleep, for meditation, for purification, and for healing.

Lemon Peel. Use dried peel in mixes for summertime rituals, cleansing, happiness, and friendship. Great added to a ritual bath.

Maple. Use in magick for prosperity and love.

Mint. Can be used in mixes to aid in meditation, sleep, and psychic awareness. Use for love, for peaceful vibes, and to stimulate mental clarity.

Mullein. Use for protection, strength, and astral travel.

Mugwort. Use to cleanse a space of negative energies, for dreamwork, and in divination.

Orange Peel. Dried citrus can add an uplifting scent to your incense blends and can be used in blends for mental clarity, luck, for joy, or to raise energy.

Poplar. Use the sticky, sweet resinous buds in magick for success, money, endurance, hope, and rebirth.

Rose. The lovely dried petals of the rose can be used in incense blends for love and healing and to promote a peaceful vibe.

Rosemary. Can be used in mixes for peace of mind, for luck, to stimulate mental clarity, for protection, for healing, and to designate spiritual space.

Sage. Use in mixes for cleansing, promoting spirituality, increased memory, and healing.

St. John’s Wort. Use for happiness, positivity, and protection.

Thyme. Lends well to blends for health, healing, strength, and purification.

Yarrow. Use in mixes for psychic awareness before divination and for clarity.

Friday

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Friday – apple, myrtle; the Goddess; birch. Planet: Venus. Colors: pink, aqua, green. Herb: thyme. Influences: love, friendship, social activities, strangers, pleasure, art, music, incense and perfumes. [Green Witchcraft]