So Much Mint So Little Thyme... Whats Jen Drinking in this episode???

If you haven't Listened to Episode 12 So Much Mint So little Thyme.. well you are missing out. Take a listen to the player alongside this post!

Dawn brought a little subject to everyone's attention: That every episode, I (Jen), mention some sort of cocktail, wine or liquor. She is right, I do. I am passionate about food and drinks and I love to share recipes and Ideas to make life interesting. 

In theme of so much mint, so little thyme.  (funny because this so true, these are mint based not thyme)

The mint julep, official drink of the Kentucky Derby

Daniel Acker/Bloomberg via Getty Images.

Lets start with the....

Mint Julep

Now.. there are pages and Pages over the internet on how to make a Mint Julep one site I found a great read was an article written by Troy Patterson for Slate.com. Want to read the Article please do!

The Mint Julep 

Your Hardware: " A mint julep tastes best in a silver goblet of elaborate sentimental value. Yours might be engraved with the initials of a favored great-aunt, for instance, or of a long-vanquished foe. If you have no such item in your cupboard, consider the following substitutes, listed in descending order of desirability: any other kind of silver goblet, a pewter goblet, a silver cup, a pewter cup that you inherited even though your cousin really wanted it very badly, any other kind of pewter cup, any other kind of goblet, a Collins glass, a highball glass , any other tall tumbler, a white wine glass, a two-handle sippy cup."-Troy Patterson  (see what I mean It is worth a read)

INGREDIENTS 
    10-12 mint leaves, plus a sprig for garnish (I like a stronger note of mint)
    1 to  1 1/2 teaspoons confectioners sugar  (personally like less sugar)
    Seltzer water
    Crushed ice
    2 1/2 ounces of good Kentucky bourbon whiskey 

          (brandy can also be used. It not traditional but it can be FUN!)

INSTRUCTIONS
Place the mint leaves in the bottom of an old-fashioned glass and top with the sugar. Muddle these together until the leaves begin to break down. Add a splash of seltzer water, fill the glass 3/4 full with crushed ice, and add the bourbon. Top with another splash of seltzer, stir, and garnish with a sprig of mint. Serve immediately.

Now another Summer Favorite.   

The Mojito  

INGREDIENTS

1 tsp. sugar

1 tbsp. fresh lime juice

1/2 bunch fresh mint 

1 oz. dry white rum

2 oz. club soda

INSTRUCTIONS

Mix sugar with lime juice in a tall glass. Add 3–4 ice cubes and several sprigs of mint, then pour in rum and club soda. Stir well, garnish with a bit more mint and serve.

Now I love playing with flavors...here is an idea that is perfect to get ready for the upcoming end of summer. 

Blackberry Mint Vodka!

Here is what you need! 

8-12oz of Fresh or Frozen Blackberries

A lot of Mint Leaves

2 Cups of Sugar

1 Cup of Water

Decent unflavored Vodka (You want to be able to drink it)

a glass container to fit everything. 

1. Place the Blackberries and Mint into the container. 
2. Put the water in a sauce pan and bring to a boil.
3. Once boiling, add in the Sugar.
4. Stir until the Sugar has dissolved.
5. Once all the Sugar has dissolved, remove from heat; set aside to cool.
6. Once cool, pour the simple syrup into the container with the blackberries and mint until it is about 35% full.
7. Next, fill the remainder with vodka.
8. Let it sit in the fridge for at least 2 days (the longer, the better) before using.

Add to a good Ice tea over ice.. YUM! 

 I hope this starts you on your way to enjoying a Magickal Harvest!!! 

Featured Music From Ep12 So much Mint..so little thyme

Harvest Song by Boise's own Beltane.  You can purchase Their CD at The Record Exchange, Crone's Cupboard, Rediscovered Books, or at their website,www.beltanesongs.com, Cd Baby, Amazon and iTunes.

Find Beltane at www.beltanesongs.com (join the mailing list)
www.reverbnation.com/beltanemusic
www.facebook.com/beltanemusic

The Scent of passion....

Ok.. if you caught the Last 2 episodes of Magickal Harvest radio. Then you are aware of the the whole Love Custard thing. I wanted to share a couple great Ideas I found while scouring the web....



How to Make Perfume With Pumpkin & Lavender

Things You'll Need

• Jar 
• Essential Pumpkin Oil and essential lavender oil
• 100 proof vodka
• Spring water
• Coffee filter
• Spray bottle

Instructions: Mix Your Ingredients

1. Find a clean jar (with cover) to mix your ingredients.
2. Add 20 drops of lavender and pumpkin oil (10 drops each) to the jar.
3. Add 2 1/2 oz. of vodka to the pumpkin and lavender mixture.
4. Put the cover on the jar and shake it. Place the jar in a cool, dark place such as a closet for 48 hours. Let it sit undisturbed.
5. Add 2 tbsp. of distilled water to the mixture and let it sit for another 48 hours. Strain the mixture through a coffee filter and into a sanitized spray bottle of your choice.

Imagine lightly spritzing your comforter or sheets. Or spritzing an unscented dyer sheet or felted wool ball before storing your sheets in the closets.... mmmm.

The Baking Bird had a wonderful recipe for Lavender Pumpkin bread!  Her images are Beautiful!

Harvest Moon Farm has a wonderful collection of recipes dedicated to Lavender. Check out their Recipes
Pay special attention to Pumpkin Praline Lavender Pie. (I am so going to make this later this year.) 

Ok I know i was talking about making my own recipe for Love Custard... But I began thinking. Even though we are awesome cooks. Recipe writing is kind of a pain. (I forget to measure things.) So I was thinking. 

This image courtesy of Chef Evelyn Paul

Ingredients

1/4 cup brandy
1 packet (2 teaspoons) unflavored gelatin powder
1 (15-ounce can) pumpkin puree
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
2 large egg yolks
2 teaspoons grated orange zest
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 1/2 cups cold heavy cream
1 teaspoon pure edible lavender extract
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Lightly sweetened whipped cream
8-10 chopped gingersnap cookies

Instructions

Place the brandy in a heat-proof bowl and sprinkle the gelatin over it. Set aside for 10 minutes for the gelatin to soften.

In a large bowl, whisk together the pumpkin, granulated sugar, brown sugar, egg yolks, orange zest, cinnamon, ginger, allspice and salt.

Place the bowl of gelatin over a pot of simmering water and cook until the gelatin is clear.

Whisk the hot gelatin mixture into the pumpkin mixture.

Using an electric mixer whisk the heavy cream, lavender and vanilla until soft peaks form.

Fold the whipped cream into the pumpkin mixture.
To assemble:
First spoon some of the pumpkin mixture into parfait glasses, add one layer of whipped cream, then some chopped gingersnap cookies.

Repeat and end with a third layer of the pumpkin mixture.

Cover with saran wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight.

To serve, top with the lightly sweetened whipped cream.

Lovely Lavender!

Southwest Idaho is an agricultural mecca, a pretty trendy thing these days,and I feel so blessed to live in this community. Since Jen and I started the Magickal Harvest group, we have created opportunities for ourselves to get out and enjoy all the offerings of this area, from wild crafting and urban foraging expeditions to local community events and festivals. We live in wine country (the Snake River AVA was designated official status in 2007) and to drive along the Snake River looking out at all the vineyards is truly a sight to behold! We have spectacular farmers markets offering an abundance of farm-fresh and wholesome, real foods. Our desert climate makes for excellent growing conditions for lavender!

So, it's early Monday morning, and I'm sitting here reflecting on the events of this past weekend. Jen and I did a live broadcast from the Lakeside Lavender Festival here in Nampa and we couldn't have asked for better weather conditions. Vendors hawked their wares, and our local Brick 29 Bistro, provided a deliciously simple boxed lunch. Oh, and the lavender ice cream, lavender frappes, and lavender Italian Soda was immensely enjoyed! I got lots of beautiful photographs of the lavender fields, the lake and our baskets of overflowing bundles of lavender! 

This was our second annual trip (as a group) to the Festival, and we plan to continue this tradition of harvesting lavender for years to come (or at least as long as the organizers see fit to continue the Festival!) 

 The Magick and Folklore of Lavender

If you listened to the show this past Saturday, you heard us talk all about the lovely lavender plant! This herb is so magickal and has a rich history in folklore and legend. You can listen to the broadcast for all the tidbits and anecdotes that we shared, and you can continue reading for recipes, spells and tips for using lavender in your mundane and magickal life!

My Magickal Lavender Wand

 

Lavender for healing:  

Lavender promotes healing and emotional well-being. In history, lavender was used as a general mood tonic, to lift the spirits and for calming. It also used it to treat head lice, and to repel insects and moths. Lavender was even mixed with other herbs and smoked.The history of lavender includes healing, for calming, inhaled for headaches and dizziness and used as a compress for fevers. Queen Elizabeth the 1st had frequent migraine headaches and drank lavender tea.

Lavender oil was rubbed on the chest for colds and bronchitis at night. Sometimes it was mixed with thyme and inhaled. Both lavender and thyme is known today to be good against bacteria. Mix it with a carrier oil and rub it on painful joints. Science is now looking at lavender in cancer treatments. Studies have shown it to reduce the size of breast cancer in mice.

Lavender oil is also one of the few essential oils that you can apply directly to your skin. It is an excellent healing oil for burns and minor scrapes. I (Dawn) burned myself last summer and upon application of the oil, I experienced an almost immediate relief! 

Lavender is associated with the heart chakra, which makes sense considering it's used to promote the healing of broken hearts. Energetically, lavender can help to energize and balance a dysfunctional heart chakra. Keep a bunch of lavender around to promote feelings of self love and restoration.

 

 

Lavender Recipes:

Jen's Love Custard 

Recipe to follow 

 

 

Lavender Simple Syrup

  Ingredients

Vanilla Bean, split down the middle

1 c sugar

2 c water

3 sprigs Culinary Lavender

Add all dry ingredients to water and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and remove bean and lavender sprigs from syrup. Let cool. Use in Italian sodas, to flavor lemonade, and any time your recipe calls for simple syrup.

 

 

 

 

 

Lavender for magick: 

Method 1: 

Fill a small bottle with lavender buds, dragon's blood and a strand of your own hair. Keep the bottle near you, or wear it on a string around your neck. 

Method 2:

To protect against abuse of all kinds, take your birthstone and rub it with lavender. Keep the stone on your being at all times. 

This makes an excellent charm for children who may be dealing with a bully. I find it interesting that the color adopted by the National Bully Awareness movement is purple. Lavender has long been used as a protective herb, especially in cases of domestic violence and abuse. Women would wear lavender sachets to protect against abusive spouses. Considering the lavender plant promotes feelings of serenity and calm, it makes sense that it would have that effect on an aggressor.  

(Dawn here: if you are being abused, PLEASE seek help! And if you know of a child who may be experiencing abuse, PLEASE call for help! You do not deserve any kind of abuse and all sorts of help is available! Contact your local women's shelter, the police, your local Strengthening Families organization or domestic violence prevention organization for resources!)  

Basic Candle Spell for protection

1 chime candle (color depends on your intuition)

dried lavender

Lavender Oil

On a new moon, grind lavender into a powder. Anoint your candle with oil and roll candle in your lavender powder. Light the candle and as it burns, envision the flame projecting a protective shield/bubble around you and your property.  

 

Growing Season!

Sponsorship opportunities available! Do you have a DIY, urban homesteading, city farming, alternative health/nutrition, community-minded, gardening, crafty or other type of home-based, online or small business that could benefit from exposure to our radio listeners?

Contact us today for this exciting (and very, very affordable!) opportunity to get your name in front of your target market and grow your business!

Magickal Harvest: where sowing seeds and growing communities is just the beginning!

magickalharvest@gmail.com

Followup: Kohlrabi-HUH!?!

So After Doing the Kohlrabi-HUH!?! episode I did plant a couple plants to try it out... And They Grew beautifully..

 

The leaves grew large and Green.  
The Bulb developed nice and Round.









Then the week of the 4th happened.. and well I go out to harvest and BOOM some are HUGE! (Ok Folks.. I have HUGE hands..see how big this thing got)

So If you caught this show we said that you dont want to let it get too big. Or looses it tenderness and becomes woody... Well it did.
(Huge = woody)


So do not fret my dears if your kohlrabi get to big.. you can still eat it. You have to cook it! Which is what I am eating for Breakfast this morning.

Yes.. I am eating kohlrabi for breakfast...






So here is what I did and many of you know I am creative cook... I like ideas of recipes .. I"ll be damn if I can follow one.
So I sauteed them with a Thai/Indian flair..

1. Break off the greens, (Save these as well, the delicious sauteed as a side dish)
2. Remove thick outer layer. (if you have giant kohlrabi, then you might duct off some extremely woody flesh as well... No worries) On small ones a good veggie peeler is your friend. 
3. Rinse to make sure you get all the dirt off. 
4. Cut into match sticks. 
5. In a saute pan, on medium heat, put in a dollop of coconut oil and toss in kohlrabi
6. Season. I used ground ginger, lime juice, salt, garlic, cayenne pepper and a touch of curry
7. Saute till  you are happy with it.

I cooked it till it had the texture of a room temp pickle. Soft with some crunch.
YUM

You can roast the larger ones too...
Well this is Jen signing off.  Wishing you a Magickal Harvest!

Show Notes: Ep10 Summer Fun

Hello Everyone! 
Dawn and I are back from our much needed vacations! We are happy to be back!
We have a change to our show format... we are now doing 1 hr episodes! :: insert Applause here :::
If you want to Support Magickal harvest and keep the hour episodes we need your help. Donate or Shop in any of our shops!  Keep Magickal Harvest Strong!

Magickal Harvest Radio Show Notes Episode 10  

With July right around the corner and summer in full swing there really isn't much planting to be done, It is now the time to sit back and enjoy the warm summer nights and take in the wonderful herbal scents of your garden. (which is one of my favorite activities.)   The focus of many summer time gardening activities, other than enjoying what you have growing already,  is garden maintenance and support.


Dawn talked about different was of fertilizing your garden with out having to go out and buy anything.

1st up: Coffee grounds (used)

Coffee grounds are rich in nitrogen, magnesium, and potassium – all important plant nutrients. They are also acidic, and help to maintain the acidity of the soil. Here’s what you do: take your used coffee grounds and dry them on a layer of newspaper on cookie sheet. Once they’ve dried completely, simply sprinkle them around the base of your plants. 
They can be used wet as well as a pest deterrent. Just sprinkle around our beds to keep slugs and other ground pest at bay.  
If you do not drink enough coffee for garden Check with your local coffee house and see if they will give you their grounds.What ever you don't use throw into the compost bin!

2: Fish Tank Water

You can use your fish tank water as a garden fertilizer: simply clean your fish tank once a month and use the water on your garden. Used fish tank water is full of nitrogen and other nutrients that plants need to thrive. Use a grave vac to collect all the sludge off the gravel and use that too!
* It might smell fishy when you first use it. The smell will fade quickly!

3: Human Urine: (Yes Folks we said Human Urine)

One of the most overlooked, unrecycled organic fertilizers......something everyone has access to and more effective than any other fertilizer on the market.

According to ecology.com, urine is 95 per cent water, 2.5 per cent of which is urea, and a further 2.5 per cent of which is a mixture of minerals, salts, hormones and enzymes. It is a blood byproduct but despite containing some bodily waste is non-toxic.

In 1975, Dr A. H. Free published his book Urinalysis in Clinical Laboratory Practice, presenting a few of the critical nutrients found in urine, including urea nitrogen, urea, creatinin nitrogen, creatinin, uric acid nitrogen, ammonia nitrogen, amino nitrogen, sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, chloride, inorganic sulphate and inorganic phosphate.
During a pee, a healthy adult will release 11g nitrogen/urea, 1g phosphorus/super-phosphate and 2.5g potassium. Patrick Makhosi, a soil scientist with Uganda's Kawanda Agricultural Research Organisation, confirms the efficacy of human urine as a fertilizer. He says that applying urine to growing vegetables once every week for at least two months will more than double the yield.

1st: You can use it neat (not diluted at all) straight on the compost pile. This will act as an accelerator.

2nd: Mix fresh human urine with water in 1:10 ratio. Apply to base of plants

Use within 24 hours, though, because as urine sits, ammonia starts to develop and this is not good for your plants.

Homemade Pesticides

In "Bud, Blossom and Leaf - The Magical Herb Gardener’s Handbook” by Dorothy Morrison.

Dawn talked about the Different Recipes and Ideas offered in the great book! We are featuring it in Amazon Shop. Look to your left it is listed as an On Air Pick! 

FUN in the Sun

Homemade Frozen Yogurt (without an ice cream maker!)

Make as much as you need
Time: Freezing 3-4 hours
Difficulty: Easy (You can even let the kinds mix their own flavors)
Ingredients:

• plain, thick, full-fat yogurt (Greek style)
• Flavorings....Be Creative!
• Herbs ( make a simple Syrup add fresh herbs while it is prepared)
• Fruit (smashed or pureed)
• Jellies and Jams
• Sauces (caramel,chocolate...etc.)
• Nutella or Peanut butter

Directions:

The basic method: Put around 2-3 cups of yogurt in a freezer-safe bowl or container. Mix your flavoring through and place in freezer for 1-2 hours. Using fork, stir mixture thoroughly, scraping the sides to mix in the partially frozen bits, breaking these up into smaller chunks. Put back in freezer for another 1-2 hours. Enjoy!

I like to make smaller single servings. I put the mixture into 1/2 pint mason jars. so people can make personalized flavors. Place wax paper or cling wrap touching mixture. (Keeps from getting ice crystals on top), They freeze faster too!

* Even though some Greek yogurt has sugar in it. I find adding a little bit more doesn't hurt!