Salem Witch Trials Began March 1,1692

Summer Solstice Herby Honey Cookies

In Nordic countries, the midsummer feast included “sun breads”, cakes or buns made with honey (also a golden sun food) believed to bring prosperity and abundance to the community.  

One Scandinavian folk tradition recommends including midsummer dew in the dough to cure diseases! 

Roman’s had their own summer solstice celebration Vestalia, during which priestesses Vestales made sacred cakes with water from her holy spring.

Ingredients:

• 1 & 3/4 cups of flour
• ¾ cup softened butter
• ¼ cup honey
• ¼ cup brown or cane sugar
• 1 teaspoon minced thyme
• 1 teaspoon lavender buds
• 1 teaspoon minced rosemary
• 1 teaspoon minced sage
• a few crushed cardamom seeds
• pinch of salt
• You decide how much of the herbs to use in the cookies, so adjust accordingly. 

Icing:

• 3 teaspoons milk
• 1 cup icing sugar
• a wee bit of grated lemon rind.  You can also add lavender buds to the second batch of icing.
• Color. You can use a combination of golden beet juice, St. John’s Tincture and a pinch of turmeric powder, but of course, you could use a store-bought natural food dye. 
• Combine your milk and icing sugar. Slowing add in your coloring and mix until you find the desired color/consistency

Directions:

• Preheat Oven to 300°.
• Beat flour, sugar and soft butter together until creamy.
• Slowly drizzle in honey while beating until mixture pulls together.
• Add minced herbs and petals, mix well through the dough.
• Divide into four balls and chill for an hour or so.
• Roll out and cut into round shapes. Add flour as needed.
• Bake at 300 for 10-15 minutes.
• Let cool.
• Decorate using the flowers and herbs of the sun: petals of calendula, lawn daisies or ox-eye daisies (not storebought daisy chrysanthemums), St. John’s Wort, rose, or sprigs of rosemary, thyme and sage.

The Summer Solstice

 

The word “Solstice” comes from the Latin words, sol sistere – “sun stand still”. 

The sun does seem to stand still as it reaches it’s furthest point from the equator. 

Summer Solstice is the longest day of the year, when warmth shines upon the land.

There was a time pagans didn’t celebrate “midsummer” as the first day of summer—after this longest day the daylight gets shorter! 

So our ancestors honored Summer Solstice as the beginning of the END of summer.

But regardless as the night of the Summer Solstice approaches, the pagan fires will burn brightly in honor of the sun. 

This is a time to strengthen the bonds between the participants as they offer thanks to Sol’s continued service to the earth and it’s creatures. 

As the summer solstice approaches, the days get longer and the urge to make the most of all that extra sunlight rises. 

In fact, even this month's full moon celebrations revolve around our daylight hours: Whether you perform a full moon ritual or simply hang out with friends on the patio, you're encouraged to spend the whole day of the Strong Sun Moon in nature, embracing the sun and its fiery energy.

Here's a great loaf cake, perfect for the celebration...

 

FLORAL ADVENTURES: LAVENDER LEMON LOAF CAKE

PREP TIME

20 mins

COOK TIME

45 mins

TOTAL TIME

1 hour 5 mins

Lavender Lemon Loaf Cake

Author: Spice In The City

Serves: 8

INGREDIENTS

• 1 & ½ cups All-purpose Flour
• ¼ teaspoon Baking Powder
• ⅛ teaspoon Baking Soda
• ¼ teaspoon Salt
• ½ cup Butter, softened
• 1 cup Sugar
• 3 Eggs
• ¾ cup 2% Greek Yogurt
• 1 tablespoon Lemon Juice
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
• 1 teaspoon Lemon Zest
• 1 tablespoon dried Lavender

For the Drizzle:

• ¼ cup Icing Sugar
• Juice of ½ Lemon

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 160 C / 325 F. Grease one 9 x 5 inch loaf pan and set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter. Gradually add the sugar and cream until light and fluffy, about 7 minutes.
4. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing each until fully incorporated.
5. Slowly add the dry ingredients, alternating with the Greek yogurt, to the creamed butter and sugar and mix just until incorporated.
6. Add the lemon juice, vanilla extract and lemon zest and beat on low just until blended.
7. Gently stir in the lavender.
8. Pour the batter into the prepared pan(s) and bake for about 45 minutes until the edges begin to brown and a toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean.
9. Cool in the loaf pans for 10-15 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.
10. For the drizzle, take the icing sugar in a bowl and add lemon juice little by little till a pouring consistency is reached. Drizzle over the cooled cake.

Happy Weekend