This year in our garden, we've done a ton of herbs. A lot of them are primarily for culinary use, but many have medicinal properties as well. I've always been into herbs, and have a huge (I'm not kidding, the thing is ginormous) grimoire filled with everything you could ever want to read about herbs - how to grow, culinary uses, medicinal uses, the history of it's use, cosmetic uses, and all sorts of recipes. The one thing that I haven't done much with is putting all the knowledge to work. … [Read more...]
Couple Magic: Love Spells?
August 5, 2009 By 30 Comments
If you’ve ever visited any sort of pagan message board, sooner or later you are bound to see someone coming “spell begging” for a love charm. Usually someone young, who believes themselves desperately in love with someone who does not notice them (poor dears!). And, of course, the pagans on the board will tell them that messing with love spells is infringing on someone’s personal choices, and not something to be messed with – the consequences in the end will bite you in … [Read more...]
How to buy, store and cook mussels
March 9, 2009 By 9 Comments
Couldn't tell it by today, but summer really is coming. And with the summer comes fresh veggies from the garden and the farmer's market and seafood! Yum! I thought I'd share some info here and there on both. A little "How To" section. We'll start out with mussels: how to pick them and how to store them until you use them. For picking mussels, you best tools are your eyes and nose. The mussels should be tightly closed or just barely open. If they are wide open, they are dead or … [Read more...]
Harvesting Herbs….Thyme
August 18, 2008 By 6 Comments
We pulled up four thyme plants yesterday and hung them up. Today we'll actually be taking them down, stripping off the bottom leaves and separating them into smaller bunches for better drying (we just didn't have enough time yesterday to get it all done). I absolutely love thyme! I add it to so many recipes, to add a little zing. We have one more thyme plant in the ground, which we will be using to layer in a mason jar with honey to use in the winter for phlegmy coughs. Thyme has been … [Read more...]
Mrs B Cooks…Cilantro Pesto
July 8, 2008 By Leave a Comment
Since the herbs in my garden are taking off like wildfire, it's time to start doing something with it. Today I am getting into the kitchen and whipping up a batch of cilantro pesto! Cilantro Pesto 2 cups fresh cilantro 1 cup fresh parsley 3 green onions 4 cloves garlic, peeled 1 tsp cumin 1/2 cup chopped pumpkin seeds 2 jalepenos 2 Tbsp water 1 Tbsp lemon juice 2 Tbsp olive oil Salt and pepper to taste Mix all veggies together in a food processor, and pulse until well … [Read more...]
Samhain sleep and protection pouches
October 7, 2001 By 23 Comments
Every year at Samhain time, on the closest full moon, I make sleep protection bags for each member of my family. These bags contain items for restful sleep, happy dreams and protection. I start by gathering all my supplies: Herbs (I will have a list of the herbs I use at the end.), any stones that I might be using, needle and thread, pre-made pouches or material to sew into pouches, and any items that you might need for blessing/cleansing your items or finished pouches. I … [Read more...]
Mrs. B.’s Fried Strawberry Shortcake
September 22, 2001 By Leave a Comment
Fried Strawberry Shortcake. The name brings joy to my heart. The mention of it makes Mr. B.'s eyes light up. This is my go-to dessert in the summer, and any other time I can still get decent strawberries. Once you eat this, you might never want to eat any other kind of strawberry shortcake. Ever. Ingredients: Sliced strawberries, whipped cream (you can get fancy and make your own), cinnamon sugar, butter or margarine, and a cake of some sort. I've used pound cake, angel food cake, … [Read more...]
Thyme Honey
September 2, 2001 By 5 Comments
This past week, I started a jar of thyme honey. Thyme has been used since ancient times to help relieve phlegmy coughs. And of course honey has been used to soothe sore throats just as long. This is an easy home remedy to whip up, as long as you have a nice bunch of fresh thyme. First thing you'll need, of course, is the thyme. Whether you grow it yourself or buy it in the store, you'll need enough sprigs to fill up a small jar. I'm using a pint size Mason jar. Make sure to … [Read more...]
Basil Correspondences
September 1, 2001 By 2 Comments
Latin Name: Ocimum basilicum Also Known As: Sweet basil, St. Joseph WortPlanet: Mars Element: Fire Associated Deities: Sekhmet, Hestia, Hecate, Erzulie, Lakshmi, Vishnu Parts Used: leaves, spikes, flowers Description: Basil can grow between about a foot to over three feet. It has light green leaves and grows spikes with white flowers. History/Legend: Basil is an herb that has been cultivated from more than 5,000 years. It is native to Asia, and this thought to have … [Read more...]
Mrs. B. Makes…. Basil Pesto
September 1, 2001 By Leave a Comment
Basil Pesto is some of the most delicious stuff you can make, believe me. It's simple, it's quick and it tastes delicious. We try to freeze several containers of it every summer, so that in the winter, we can thaw it out, pop it open and pour it over hot pasta. It's like opening up a container of summer! And again, it doesn't get much simpler than this - there isn't even any actual cooking! All you need are the ingredients, a food processor or blender, and a container to store it … [Read more...]
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