Chilled Gypsy Tea...

2 oranges

3 lemons

13 cloves

1 tbs. ground allspice

1/2 cinnamon stick

3 tablespoons loose black tea in a tea ball or 3 teabags

2 qts. boiling water

1 1/4 cups of sugar

Squeeze juice from oranges and lemons and set aside.  In a large container put the cloves, allspice, cinnamon stick and tea.  Pour boiling water over the spices and tea mixture and let it stand about 10 minutes.  Strain and return liquid to the container.  Stir in orange juice, lemon juice and sugar.  Let it stand at room temperature till it's cooled enough to put it in the frig, or add lots of ice cubes to a tall glass and pour the gypsy tea down over the ice.  Add a sprig of fresh mint if you like!  

Delicious, Healthy & Super Easy Broccoli Salad!...

In equal amounts: Cut up raw broccoli in 1/4" pieces. Add shredded carrots, shredded red cabbage... Then, sprinkle in white raisins, to taste. Sprinkle in bacon bits, to taste. Sprinkle in chopped English walnuts, to taste.  Add a bit of fresh leaves of lemon balm.  Toss in a big bowl.  Add just enough ranch dressing to moisten it.  Oh, - YUM!!!

Old Fashioned Poppy Seed Cake, - [So very easy & delicious!]...

Just mix together & bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes till it's done: 

1  cup cooking oil

1 cup honey

3 eggs

3 cups whole wheat flour

1 cup poppy seeds

3 1/2 tbs. baking soda

1 1/2 cups buttermilk

1/2 tsp. salt

Sweet Violets...

Little purple violets appear in my grass in early May.  A lot of wild low-growing plants, wild herbs and flowers do!  I purposely let the grass grow until these tiny flowers and green growing things are finished, before it is cut the first time.

The scent of violets is wonderful, of course!  BUT, it is illusive...  The essence of violet is very hard, if practically impossible for perfumers to capture.  Most perfume that is violet scented is a combination of wisteria and other flowers essences.

Violets come in purple and also white with purple veining.  They tend to go to white, and back and forth, in time...

Re-told Celtic Tale: The Wily Leprechaun...

Now, the leprechaun is a very clever little faerie, a faerie shoemaker, actually.   But, he only works on one shoe, never two.  And, he likes to sit under the big leaves of the burdocks, humming or giggling to himself...  Which is exactly what he was doing when a young man from Limerick came upon him.  He grabbed the leprechaun by the back of his green coat and lifted him up while the little shoemaker struggled and tried to slug him.

"Lemme go!," the leprechaun screamed.

"No!," the young man, whose named was Billy, replied.  "I know you have a pot of gold hidden somewhere that you'll give to me to get your freedom!"

"No!  Ye can't have me gold, ye greedy fool!"

"I know if I take my eyes off you you'll disappear, so I'll keep looking at you and I'll hold onto you till you tell me where your gold is!"

"Never!  LEMME GO!"

Yet, although he wiggled and wiggled the leprechaun couldn't get free of Billy's strong grip.  Finally, he sighed.  "Okay.  Okay...  If ye let me go I'll tell ye where I keep me gold."

"No, you show me first, THEN I'll let you go."

"Yer a smart lad, Billy.  Alright, I'll take ye there."

And, the leprechaun told Billy where to carry him, to a field of daisies, hundreds and hundreds of daisies.  In the middle of the field the leprechaun told Billy to stop.  He pointed to the ground at Billy's feet.  "If ye dig down six feet you'll find me pot o' gold.  Now, lemme go!   And see, I'll tie me red garter around the stem of this daisy right over the spot so you'll know where to dig when ye come back with yer shovel.  Okay?"

Billy scratched his chin.  "Alright, I guess.  I'll let you go."

And, he did.  Quick as the blink of an eye, the leprechaun disappeared.  But, Billy looked down at the red garter and grinned.  He'd be rich.  He ran back to his shed to get a shovel.  When he returned to the field of daisies he threw down the shovel and started to swear mightily as he looked out over the vista of beautiful flowers.  Every one had a red garter around it's stem.  Billy thought he could hear the leprechaun laughing and laughing nearby.  "Uh-uh-UH!!...  Ye can't have me gold!"

Rose, The Queen Of The Flowers...

A lot of people think that roses are delicate...  They're not, especially if they're Old World roses, the kind with the rippled leaves that bloom only once a year, in the early summer. These hardy roses can stand up to below zero temperatures, if you mound up dirt around their base, the most vulnerable part of them, at the bud union.  Old World roses can also stand temps in the high 90s, if they have plenty of water.  Remember to give roses good drainage, even growing them in a raised bed...  "Roses are lovely ladies who don't like having their feet wet."

Fertilize roses in the Spring, after their first shoots start showing.  Give them a feeding every month after that, during which they're growing. Stop fertilizing them in the Fall when the days start to turn chilly...  This allows them to go dormant for winter. 

All fragrant roses smell like roses, but, they can have signature fragrances.  Madame Hardy, a beautiful white Old World rose smell like honey-rose.  Chrysler Imperial, a strong Hybrid Tea rose, has a traditional damask rose scent.  Mister Lincoln, another Hybrid Tea, has a mild damask fragrance.  John F. Kennedy, a white Hybrid Tea,  has a mild dasmask scent.  Of course, wild white roses, which I call Faerie roses, can scent the air for a hundred yards around in the summer dusk, if there are enough of them!...

Recipe: Great Homemade Granola...

We devour granola!  It's gone way too quick!  I think it's better to make it yourself, anyway...

4 cups rolled wheat
1 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup bran
1 cup chopped nuts ( I like to use a mix of cashews & peanuts )
1 cup hulled sunflower seeds
1 1/2 cups shredded coconut
1 cup raisins
1/2 cup sesame seeds
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup chopped dates
1 cup honey
2 tsp. vanilla extract

Mix together in a big bowl or shake in a big bag---the rolled wheat, rolled oats, bran, chopped nuts, chopped   dates, sunflower seeds, coconut, raisins, and sesame seeds.  Heat the oil, honey and vanilla together.   Mix it with the dry ingredients.  Bake on an oiled cookie sheet 30 minutes at 375, turn frequently.

Wonderful Fresh Herb Salad Dressing...

Delicious & easy!:

2 egg yolks
1 tb. apple cider vinegar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. fresh, chopped basil
1/2 tsp. fresh, chopped lemon balm
2 tbs. fresh, chopped chives
1 tsp. fresh, chopped parsley
1/4 tsp. fresh, chopped tarragon
1/2 tsp. fresh, chopped rosemary
1 tsp. horseradish mustard
1 1/2 cups olive oil

Put egg yolks, vinegar, horseradish mustard, salt and chopped herbs in a bowl and beat until well blended.  Add oil, one teaspoon at a time, beating vigorously after each addition until all the oil has been used.  ( If dressing should separate beat in thoroughly 1 tb. mayonnaise. )
Cover and store in refrigerator until you're ready to use it.

Where The Mountains Of Mourne Creep Down To The Sea, - [a faerie experience]...

--- This was told to me by a little ninety two year old Irishwoman from Northern Ireland.  She was eight when it happened, living with her parents near the mountains of Mourne...

                                                                                              ***********

One day Kathleen was walking down a path coming home from the market when she heard a giggling coming from under some weeds growing along it.  She stopped, putting her basket down, and searched among the greenery.  She couldn't find anything, but she suspected it was a faerie watching her.  She told her mother about it.

"Yes," her ma said, "it was one of the fey.  They're very curious.  You must always be kind to the Good People.  Go back there, Daughter, take a glass of milk with you, a cup of honey and a pretty little stone as gifts for the faerie."

This Kathleen did.  She laid her gifts under the weeds and started to walk away.  She heard the giggling again.  Quickly, she went to try to find the faerie, but she couldn't.  So, she started to walk down the path again,---and, again she heard the giggling.  She came back the next day.  All the faerie gifts were gone, - the plate, the cup and the pretty little stone.

Re-told Celtic Tale: Ossian, The Great Hero Of The Fenian Knights & Niahma, The Faerie Queen...

The Fenian Knights, or the Finiana, were the protectors of the High Kings Of Eire.  One of the best of them was Ossian, son the great Fionn Mac Cumhail.  [The name "Fionn" means White.  Fionn might have had white hair.] 

Ossian was not only strong and brave, he was also stunningly handsome and very tall.  One day he was resting in a glade when who should come along but the Queen of Tir Nan Nog, The land Of The Young, the beautiful Niahma.  Now, Niahma was far, far more lovely than any moral woman.  Her face was brilliant and soft as the dawn and yet, she was proud and strong like a young birch tree.

Niahma asked Ossian to come with her to her kingdom.  Ossian said she honored him, but, no thank you, he was content to be with his brothers the Finiana.  She insisted.  He still said, no.  So, Niamha cast a spell over Ossian and, quick as a flash, he was sitting behind her a her great white faerie steed.  Away they sped to Tir Nan Nog, where Ossian lived happily with Niahma for what he thought was 3 months.  But, time in the Fey lands is unlike time in the world of Men.  What was 3 months in Tir Nan Nog was really 3 hundred years in the world of Men.

Well, Ossian started to long for the adventures and good old days of the Fenian Knights and he asked Niahma if he could return to his brothers.  She explained to him that 3 hundred years had past while he was visiting with her. At first, Ossian was very angry.  Then, he began to plead with Niahma to please let him return to the world of Men, if only for a short while, to see how things were going.  After all, it was his home! 

Stubbornly, Niahma said, no.  But, Ossian kept pleading and pleading and, finally, she gave in.  Still, she solemnly warned him not to step on the earth.  For if he did, all his years would come upon him and he would be an old, old man.  Ossian promised Niahma that he would not leave the back of the faerie steed who would take him back to the World of Men.  He would only look around a bit, and soon return to her.

So, Niahma tearfully bade Ossian good-bye, knowing she would likely never see him again.  Swiftly, the faerie steed took Ossian back to his home.  He did look around.  After the glory of Tir Nan Nog, the world of Men seemed small and even a little shabby.  The people seemed small, weak and ignoble.  Ossian saw 3 men vainly trying to lift a boulder from a stream.  He thought he could do that with one hand!  So, Ossian reached down, picked up the boulder...  The girth of his saddle broke and he tumbled to the ground!  Instantly, he became an ancient old man, feeble and blind!  So, Ossian, the great and mighty hero took a begging bowl and sat in the town square where he knew lots of people would be passing...

In time, Saint Patrick came by.  "Ossian," he said, "obviously you will soon die.  Why not be baptized as a Christian and go to live in heaven with Jesus?"

"Hmmm...," Ossian said.   "Tell me, is there hunting and adventuring in heaven?  Will I see my brothers, the Finian Knight there?"

The Saint asked if the Fenians were Christian.  Ossian said no.  Saint Patrick said, in that case, they wouldn't be in heaven.  Ossian couldn't conceive that the noble Finians weren't good enough for heaven!

Then, Ossian asked if there were any loving, willing women in heaven.  Saint Patrick said, no, he didn't think so.  Ossian said he was sorry to hear that.  What was done in heaven, then?

The Saint replied that it was very peaceful,  hymns were sung and the Bible was studied.  Ossian said he didn't think he'd like that very much.  So, Ossian refused Saint Patrick's offer and died, a Pagan, as he had lived. 

The Tuatha de Dannan, - The Noblest Of The Fey...

There was once, long, long, long ago, an elegant and very tall faerie people who were said to have come down from the skies "in dark ships".  Perhaps, this meant that the ships were invisible, or cloaked.  This was recorded in ancient Celtic texts thousands of years before Christ.  These forebearers were called the "Children Of Danu" or "The Tribe Of Danu", the Mother Goddess.  On our earth they were, --- the All-Father, The Dagda, The Morrighan, his triple aspect warrrior wife, their sons, Lugh of the Long Arm, Aonghus Mac Og, god of youth, love and beauty, and Brighid, goddess of smithcraft and protector of women and children, and others.  They fought with the native peoples of Ireland and gained rule of the land.  Master architects, they built seven great cities, each city made of a fabulous semi precious stone.  They were artists, poets, wizards and wisdom makers.  (In the "Lord Of The Rings" by J.R.R. Tolkien, the great Elfin Lords and Ladies, Galadriel and Legolas among them, are said to be drawn from the Tuatha de Dannan.)

The noble De Dannans were fond of making solemn processions through the land at night, riding in a double line, one hundred and forty strong, wearing their finest robes and jewels, on magnificent faerie horses shod with filigreed silver and with bridles laden with tinkling silver bells.  These processions were called faerie rades.  The horses of the De Dannans were unlike any horses that ever trod the earth of men for they were fey creatures.  One only had to look at them to see that they were made, not of blood, flesh and bone, but were constructed of something much, much finer, --- of spirit, fire, water, and air.  (Gandalf's equine friend Shadowfax was created after these horses.)

The wonderful De Dannans were finally defeated by a people called the Milesians and driven underground to live in faerie raths.  The last of their fantastic horses was somehow auctioned at a horse fair.  He was bought by a great lord of the west of Ireland.  Unknown to the lord, the faerie horses would never allow a servant or a base born person to ride them.  The lord's groom mounted the horse, only to ride him into the stable.  The magnificent horse threw him and killed him on the spot, then galloped away over a hill, never to be seen again.  This was the end of the very singular and sensational horses of the Tuatha de Dannan.   

Re-told Celtic Tale: The Kelpie, - The Evil Water Horse...

The Kelpie is an evil faerie who lurks around ponds and lakes in the British Isles.  He looks like a pretty, friendly pony, but he's really a murderous monster.  He especially likes to kill children.  Once the children touch him they can't let go.  Then, the kelpie dives into the pond to take them to the bottom of the water where it kills and eats them, or the other way around...

Long ago a highland Scottish village was terrorized by a particularly cruel and voracious water horse.  Some people of the village watched in helpless horror as seven children approached to pet the kelpie and then mount his back.  They shouted to the children to get away, --- oh, please, please get away, knowing the creature was a water horse, because they could see his back elongating to make room for each additional child!  But, very sadly, to no avail.  The kelpie dashed into pond and the children were never seen again.

The people of the village went to a blacksmith to ask him to help them because a kelpie, being a faerie, is very vulnerable to iron, the metal known to be poisonous to all fey.  The blacksmith made a number of special daggers, hooks and pikes to kill the vicious kelpie.  And, bravely, the valiant and skilled blacksmith then slew, by inches, the terrible water horse.

May Wine, - Or, - Uh-Hum, Kickapoo Joy Juice...

Here is my recipe for May Wine.  It requires fresh sweet woodruff, a low growing, delicate looking tiny 5 leaved plant with pretty little white flowers, which is a perennial herb that grows in the earliest part of the summer in Northeastern Ohio, where I live...

Sweet woodruff was known as a strewing herb, along with lemon balm and the mints.  Strewing was done in castles and other buildings in Medieval England.  It was done in an effort to keep evil smells away, - not always successfully.  Sweet woodruff does not smell sweet until it's dry. 

May Wine:  Gather sweet woodruff, at least a bunch of it the size of your fist.  Remove stems and crush the leaves and flowers.  Place them in a large [gallon] glass jar.  Add a half gallon of apple juice, 3 cups of strongest vodka, and 3 cups of sweet cherry wine.  Let it sit for a few days.  Strain out the sweet woodruff.  Enjoy!

Absinthe, - The "Green Fairy" Of the Early 20th Century, - especially in very Bohemian Paris, and that's pronounced "Pear-ee"!...

This blog is about green growing things and herbs and flowers, BUT, back in Paris of the early 20th century, - think: the infamous Moulin Rouge, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec , and Can-can girls wearing black fish net stockings and very short satin, lacy bustles, the term "Green Fairy" meant the wickedly addictive and potent drink named Absinthe.

There was a particular style for drink absinthe.  It was a liquor that turned white when cold water was poured into it through a special slotted spoon on which a sugar cube was balanced.  Absinthe has a licorice taste and is very strong.  It also contains the poisonous herb wormwood.  I have tasted it and I don't like it.  But, then, I don't like licorice, either. 

Hmmm...  I found among my grandma's things, after she died, a beautiful, very ornate absinthe spoon. 

Absinthe used to be illegal in this country, but now, I'm not so sure about that.  Those who were dedicated absinthe drinkers in the time of the infamous Moulin Rouge risked brain damage from the drink. [It features in a segment in the movie, "Moulin Rouge", with Nicole Kidman and Ewan Mc Gregor.]  I hear you can buy a certain type of absinthe in most large liquor stores in the United States and it's about 110 proof.  In Europe, I hear, it is about 180 proof.  You can get absinthe on Bourbon Street in New Orleans, where they have special absinthe machines. 

But...  No thanks. 

The Most Delicious & Easiest Pesto EVER!...

You can't make pesto without fresh basil.  Of course, I grow mine.  It grows easily from seeds that I plant, started in peat pots, on my south facing porch...  Basil loves the sun.  Keep it well watered. Basil can not tolerate frost!

Use a blender for this:  Pinch off basil leaves, discard stems.  Wash the leaves.  Put them in your blender, pack them down, add a cup of extra virgin olive oil, and 1/2 cup of grated Romano cheese [or more, if you like it extra cheesy and sharp], add a bit of black pepper, if you like.  If you like a milder tasting pesto you can make this with 1/2 basil leaves and 1/2 baby spinach leaves.

Whirl the blender at medium speed, then at high speed until the pesto is a smooth and lovely green paste.  Use pesto on crackers, pasta, salads...  It freezes well. 

Perennial Herbs That Will Grow Like Weeds And You'll Have Them Forever!...

The Mints: Peppermint, Spearmint, Bee Balm, Pennyroyal, Catmint, Catnip...  All these are what is called invasive.  That is, you have to be careful where you plant them, or they'll take over your garden.  Mints do best in full sun, but they will also grow in partial shade.  I love them all.  Mints make great tea, - used fresh or dried.  Pennyroyal is used to repel insects; it's toxic, so don't eat it.  Catnip is stronger than catmint.  Not all cats like it; some are just not interested.  Catmint likes to grow near wood.  Mine is growing partly under my south facing wooden porch. There are exotic varieties of mint: chocolate mint and pineapple mint.  Make a wonderful "Mint Julip" by putting a couple jiggers of Southern Comfort in a tall glass filled with ice cubes and some sugar, to taste.  Slightly crush a sprig of fresh mint and shove it down into the glass.  Then, you can pretend you're a pre-Civil War southern lady or gentleman, sipping your drink on the balcony of a mansion in New Orleans French Quarter. 

Oregano: Plant a little oregano and in five years you'll have more than you know what to do with!  Of course, it's famous for Italian dishes.  It can take some shade.  Make oregano vinegar by crushing the sprigs a bit and placing them in red wine vinegar.  It makes a couple of months for the essence of the herb to go into the vinegar, but then you can make a pretty and classy label for the bottles.  Your friends will rave as you bring your homemade oregano vinegar to dinner parties, as a gift!

Lemon Balm: It smells wonderful, like freshly cut lemons.  You can make a tea of it, fresh or dried.  I made furniture polish of it by placing the sprigs in mineral oil and leaving them to make up a couple of months.  I suppose lemon balm vinegar for salads could be made too.  Lemon balm will also grow in partial shade.

Garlic chives: I never did get a whole garden of garlic chives, but I have a good amount of them.  They grow like grass.  You snip them for your cooking.  The flavor is mild.  You can make garlic chive vinegar, or, garlic chive oil.  Make sure the herb is completely dry when you place it in extra virgin olive oil or corn oil, or the oil will turn cloudy.  Cloudy oil must be thrown away.  Add a bit of salt to retard spoilage.  Garlic chives do best in sun, but will also grown in partial shade.

Attar Of Roses, - How I Made The Absolute Of Rose...

Attar of roses has been known for thousands of years.  It was first noticed in ancient Persia when someone saw that the petals of rose canes hanging over a warm pool had dropped into the water.  Floating on the surface of the pool was an extremely fragrant oil, - attar of roses.

Here's how I made it at home: I picked the petals of my most fragrant roses, - my hybrid tea rose, Chrysler Imperial, which has a traditional damask rose scent and my Old World roses, - Madame Hardy, Tuscany, and others.  I placed the petals on trays of warm spring water in the hot, hot July sun.  The petals were there for hours and hours, - days.  Finally, I saw a bit of light yellow oil floating on the surface of the water in the trays, - Yippppeeee!!!...  I got a cotton ball and very gingerly soaked up the tiny bit of oil.  I repeated the process of the trays and rose petals many times. 

From all that time and all those rose petals I got only a couple of teaspoons of attar of roses! Then, I knew WHY attar of roses is so very rare and outrageously expensive!  BUT, the scent is like nothing you have EVER smelled!

I took my couple of teaspoons of attar of roses and cut them with unscented mineral oil.  The result I called The Absolute Of Rose.  I did this years ago and, today, that fabulous scent is as lively as ever, - good as the I made it. 

Yes, the most excellent French perfumes contain small amounts of attar of roses.  The very expensive perfume "Joy" does. 

Simon & Garfunkel - Scarborough Fair (Full Version) Lyrics

Parsley, Sage, Rosemary And Thyme...

So, the Simon & Garfunkel song goes: "Are you going to Scarborough Faire, - parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme...  Remember me to one who lives there...  She once was a true love of mine..."

Well, parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme are some of the most famous and delicious herbs ---

Parsley (French parsley):  That fluffy and furry green that is often a garnish on dinner plates is also rich in vitamins and minerals.  Leaf infusions of it are used as a tonic for hair and eyes.  It is used in many Middle Eastern dishes as a vegetable, and in soups.  It is a wonderful breath freshener.  Leaf poultices of parsley can improve strains and sprains.  Grow parsley near roses; it improves their health and scent.

Sage: There are many varieties of sage.  I like the sage that has purple stems.  Sage has a strong flavor when used in cooking, so use it sparingly.  Everybody knows to put it in stuffing for turkeys.  It's also delicious when used with pork chops.  The flowers can be tossed in salads.

Rosemary: It's folk name is "elf leaf"; the fey are said to love it.  Rosemary has a very distinctive piney flavor and scent.  It's good when cooked with lamb and in Italian dishes.  A Mediterranean herb, it grows like a hardy weed in warm climates where temperatures don't fall to freezing.  In fact, it quickly becomes a bush!  In colder climes it can be grown well in a pot and brought inside in winter to thrive in a sunny window.  Water rosemary sparingly, don't overwater.  Infusions of rosemary are used as a dark hair rinse.  It has pretty little light blue flowers. 

Thyme: There are many varieties of thyme.  It is also very aromatic and is used in slowing cooking soups and stews.  Common thyme is delicious in chicken dishes.  Infusions are used as a stimulant and antiseptic. It has little purple flowers. 

Where Oak, Ash & Thorn Grow Together...

A place where an oak tree, an ash tree and any type of thorn tree, - a blackthorn [actually, a type of bush], a whitethorn, or even a hawthorn, grow naturally together is a truly magickal place.  Sometimes, very rarely, these trees might even be growing out of a crack in rock, which makes them called "flying"; that is not even growing in ground...  So magical!!!

An oak is considered a "male" tree.  Most people know that oaks can be very, very old, as is evidenced in the ancient oaks that once grew in some Druid circles in Old England.  Oak is an extremely dense, strong wood.  In fact, it is practically impossible to drive a knife or a sword through the heartwood of a big, big, old oak tree.  Old oaks can be faerie trees; many are...  There is a tiny poem that goes --- "Faerie folks are in old oaks."  A fallen old oak will send up shoots from it's roots, - "babies", if you will...  Many old oak coppices are said, in folklore, to be inhabited and haunted by a sinister hermit-like type of fey called "oakmen".

The hawthorn is known for it's sweet smelling clusters of white blossoms, which are sometimes simply called "May".  It is bad luck to cut down or to cut off branches from a hawthorn.  A "silver branch" is said to be created from a thorn tree and known to be a help to entering other worlds. 

The old ash groves in the Celtic Isles [England, Ireland and Wales] were very sacred places.  There is an song:  "The ash grove, how graceful...  How plainly is speaking...  The wind in it's branches is calling to me..."