Ancestral Spring Greens: “Viva La Italia”!

March 7, 2023.Reading time 19 minutes.

I am passionate about ancestral foods and none are more ancient than the wild greens known today as weeds. So in honor of International Women’s Day, I’ve decided to share these spring recipes from Gather Victoria Patreon, Wild Green “Erbazzone” Pies, and Wild Green Pancotto Soup. What, you may ask, do wild weedy greens such […]

MARCH MAGIC: BABA’S RED & WHITE SPIRAL COOKIES

March 5, 2023.Reading time 12 minutes.

“Spring has arrived, we will survive!” Old Romanian Saying Banish winter, bless the coming of spring, and ensure your face remains beautiful all year with these Rosehip & Raspberry Jam Spirals! They are my edible cookie version of the red and white magical talismans woven by Babas (old women or grandmothers) each March in Eastern […]

Black Madonna of Montserrat: Chocolate Rose Crown Cake

May 11, 2022.Reading time 13 minutes.

I thought I’d share this recipe from Gather Victoria Patreon for two reasons. May is the sacred month of the Blessed Virgin Mary and in Roman Catholic tradition, roses are the emblematic flower of the Blessed Virgin Mary – and roses will be blooming shortly! On May 31st a “crown cake” is typically baked “affirming […]

Lilac Madeleine Cookies: Remembrance of Fragrances Past

May 10, 2022.Reading time 10 minutes.

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 […]

The Incredibly Tasty Tulip: Chèvre Cheese Balls

April 11, 2021.Reading time 13 minutes.

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 […]

Cheesy Dandelion Spirals: Serpentine Spring Magic

March 17, 2021.Reading time 13 minutes.

Note: This recipe was originally shared at Gather Victoria on Patreon. It was originally a recipe for Imbolc but for reasons that will soon become apparent- I thought I’d share it here for St. Patricks Day! The serpent will come from the hole On the brown Day of Bríde, Though there should be three […]

Spiced Golden Rice Pudding For The Goddesses of Spring

February 9, 2021.Reading time 12 minutes.

This is an excerpt from the Winter Holiday Edition of the Gathery E-Cookery book on Gather Patreon In a culinary fusion of western and eastern goddess traditions, this Golden Rice Pudding is made with primrose infused cream and spiced with saffron, cardamom, orange zest and a touch of candied ginger. It is my offering to […]

Tarta De Venus: A Not So Traditional Easter Cake

April 7, 2020.Reading time 8 minutes.

This simple tart is inspired by the Tarta de Santiago, a very dense, moist, almond cake traditionally served during Holy Week in Spain. It usually features the image of the St. James Cross dusted in powdered sugar but I went with a scallop shell instead. Venus goddess of love, beauty and fertility mythically arose from […]

Glorious Spring Greens: The Divine Flavours of Viriditas

March 30, 2020.Reading time 21 minutes.

I eat my spring greens religiously and want to make you a convert too. For me, it boils down to viriditas which literally means “greenness” in Latin – not just any green but that incandescent lit from within greenness that is vitality, fecundity, lushness, verdure, and growth. Twelfth-century Abbess and herbalist Hildegard Von Bingen used the […]

A Passion For Violet: A Video Preview

March 26, 2020.Reading time less than 1 minute.

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 […]

Wood Sorrel Mini-Cream Tarts: Wild Food Treats

June 4, 2019.Reading time 5 minutes.

Here’s another recipe from “Gather Cookbook” for Gather Patrons! I’m releasing a few of last year’s recipes to the Gather website – so the rest of you can see what you’re missing! First up was a Chunky Rose Petal Pesto (recipe here) and now these creamy & tangy yogurt mini-tarts. Made by processing wood sorrel leaves […]

Great Goddess Herbed Cheese: Reviving The Spring Offering Of Moretum

April 14, 2018.Reading time 11 minutes.

This Roman springtime dish is a kind of cheesy pesto once eaten in honour of the Goddess Cybele, The Magna Mater (The Great Mother). And according to Ovid, Moretum descends from a time ancient people drank only pure milk and ate only “the herbs that the earth bore of its free will.” And as we’ll […]