ANCESTRAL FOOD. HERBAL WISDOM. MAGICAL COOKERY. SEASONAL CELEBRATION.
It’s time for Lilacs! White Lilacs, that is. Lilac is associated with the month of April, which is associated with Venus, the goddess of fertility, love, and beauty. Appropriately, the white lilacs are in full glorious bloom here in Victoria. The “Early Flowering Lilac” Syringa x hyacinthiflora blooms 2 weeks earlier than colored lilacs, closely […]
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Tomorrow I will gather blossoms in my garden as part of my annual summer solstice ritual. Each year I preserve these in magical floral extracts which I use in baking and cocktails and others will be consumed directly in cookies, cakes, or tarts later that evening during a Midsummer picnic. This floral-infused lemon tart is […]
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If you’re looking for a vegan dish for the upcoming Celtic holiday Imbolc, I suggest Flummery! Dairy products were sacred to both Brigid the goddess and St. Brigid the saint, but from Ireland, Scotland to Wales, oatmeal was – and still is – almost a sacred food of its own! While I’ve never heard of […]
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It’s the time of the year when the sun’s powers are at their height and plants are brimming with life-force energy. This is why I’m sharing this very special libation from the Gather Victoria ECookbook, Black Balsam. Inspired by my Latvian ancestry, Black Balsam is hailed “true taste of a Baltic Summer” and is the […]
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These legendary sponge-cake cookies were immortalized by French writer Marcel Proust. In his book Remembrance of Things Past Proust’s narrator tastes a Madeleine dipped in tea and is immediately swept back in time to his childhood. “No sooner had the warm liquid mixed with the crumbs touched my palate than a shudder ran through me […]
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Marchpane was one of the most popular Tudor confections – at least for those who could afford it. Created from costly ground almonds, sugar and rosewater, moulded into shapes and baked, decorated with coloured glazes, gilded fruit and “comfits”, then assembled into elaborate centrepieces, it was found only on the most aristocratic and royal tables. […]
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I’m not sure about you but Vancouver Island is awash in tulips! From pale yellows, crimson reds, pumpkin oranges, deep purples, lustred pinks and snow-white, their luminous colours are stunning. The most unsung of tulips many spring charms, however, is her edibility. With flavours and textures as diverse as her colours, her blooms offer not […]
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I’ve been busy making videos on foraging & eating wild spring greens over at Gather Victoria Patreon but in April with the entrance of Venus, Goddess of Beauty and Love, I’ll be paying homage to her flower. Yes, that spring seductress of the wild woodland – violet. Used in perfumes, enchantments and love-spells throughout the […]
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“It was June, and the world smelled of roses. The sunshine was like powdered gold over the grassy hillside.” Maud Hart Lovelace It’s been a whole year since I first started working on the “Gather Cookbook” for Gather Patrons. And since I’m going to be adding some new summer solstice recipes to the cookbook this […]
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Right now in my back garden, a Red Flowering Currant Bush (Ribes sanguineum) is in full radiant bloom. Her drooping clusters of “soul-piercing pink flowers” are sending out an entrancing floral, fruity and spicy perfume. Which is probably one reason ethnobotanist and author Abe Lloyd describes the blossoms as “capable of transforming winter sodden pessimists […]
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For me, the heady sweet almond-like fragrance of plum is the very essence of spring. Standing beneath their sensual pink and rose flower-laden branches on a sun-warmed afternoon is an absolutely swoon-worthy experience. Sadly underutilized as a culinary ingredient, plum blossom has a unique flavour which infuses beautifully in cream, syrups and processes into a […]
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There is nothing like cake to celebrate a special occasion and Imbolc is no exception. I think this round golden sponge cake is a wonderful addition to any Imbolc Feast! It’s kept gorgeously moist with brushings of lavender and rosemary syrup (between cake layers) but the slight tang of the Mascarpone icing keeps it from […]
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