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Gather Victoria

ANCESTRAL FOOD. HERBAL WISDOM. MAGICAL COOKERY. SEASONAL CELEBRATION.

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Posted by Danielle Prohom Olson

Whether its through wildcrafting, plant medicine, kitchen witchery or seasonal celebrations, I believe we can enhance personal, community and planetary well-being by connecting with mother nature!

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Hello & Welcome!

Danielle Prohom Olson

Danielle Prohom Olson

The way I see it, gathering food is our oldest, most primal relationship to the earth and “wildcrafting'' (transforming the raw elements of nature into food, drink, and medicine) is the world's oldest magic. So join me. From spring, summer, autumn to winter, I revive the ancient culinary arts of bringing blessings to ourselves, our families, communities, and to our Great Mother, the Earth - one delicious bite at a time!

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Popular Posts

A Russian Celebration w/ Rowan Berry Jelly
"Soul Cakes" for an Old-Fashioned All Hallows Eve
La Befana Cake: Honouring The Old Witch of Winter
The Glorious Rose Hip: Celebrating Old Word Culinary Tradition 
Baba Yaga's Wild Spiced Honey Cookies
Reclaiming The Radical Legacy Of The Witch
Rowan Berry Kitchen Witchery: Two Recipes
Recipes for a Feast of Light: Reviving the Magical Foods of Imbolc
Drinking in the Autumn Equinox: Magical Tea Wreaths
Autumn Equinox: Celebrating Harvest Baking Magic & Goddess Cuisine
  • A Russian Celebration w/ Rowan Berry Jelly
  • "Soul Cakes" for an Old-Fashioned All Hallows Eve
  • La Befana Cake: Honouring The Old Witch of Winter
  • The Glorious Rose Hip: Celebrating Old Word Culinary Tradition 
  • Baba Yaga's Wild Spiced Honey Cookies
  • Reclaiming The Radical Legacy Of The Witch
  • Rowan Berry Kitchen Witchery: Two Recipes
  • Recipes for a Feast of Light: Reviving the Magical Foods of Imbolc
  • Drinking in the Autumn Equinox: Magical Tea Wreaths
  • Autumn Equinox: Celebrating Harvest Baking Magic & Goddess Cuisine

Seasonal Posts

Recipes

More Magical Cookery at Gather Victoria on Patreon!
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I bet you didn’t know that today is the birthday of the Rowan Tree or Mountain Ash. Well in Russia at least! September 23rd was the day of Ryabinnik, the day the rowan berries were considered sweet enough for harvest, and harvest they did. Baskets of rowan berries were cooked into jam, jelly, confiture, kissel, wine, kvass, bread, pies, and candy and infused into medicinal syrups for combatting colds, flu, rheumatism, and gout. So in honor of Rowan’s birthday, and harvest festival, I’m sharing a rowan berry jelly recipe (and a little rowan berry culinary wisdom I’ve accumulated over the years). It's probably the most popular use for its bittersweet berries and not just in Russia, it is beloved across Europe from the British Isles to Sweden. Its slight astringency makes it the exact right complement to rich buttery cheeses and fatty sausages. And I promise you, once you try it, you’ll never be able to serve a cheese plate without it! ​And considering it’s iconic status it seemed a good recipe for sharing today! Recipe up on the Gather Victoria website. Link in bio. Oh my, tomorrow is the Autumn Equinox! Time to share this rustic Crabapple Galette inspired by the Great Mother goddess Modron and the great Fairy Queen Morgan Le Fay. Crabapples play an important role in the harvest folklore of the Celtic world, especially during Mabon and Samhain. Mabon is a modern name bestowed by Wiccan author Aiden Kelly in the 1970s after Mabon the Welsh God of Youth. Kelly sought to revive the old autumn equinox harvest traditions, which is why I think Mabon would have been more aptly named after Modron, Mabon’s mother. Her name, meaning ‘Divine Mother’, clearly suggests she is an aspect of the Mother-Goddess so ubiquitously celebrated across the old world at this time of the year. One of the most abundant, nutrient-dense, healing, and beautiful “fruits” of autumn, is the wild rose hip. Once a staple in cuisines around the world, they were used in practically everything from “vitamin teas”, health drinks, syrups, soups, sauces, compotes, jam, jellies, and marmalade to bread, cake, pies, cheesecakes, cookies, and pancakes. Now I have always harvested rose hips after the first frost, which softens and sweetens the flesh so I was intrigued to discover that in Russia the opposite is true. The ideal hip is slightly unripe, firm, and shiny. Celebrate the coming of autumn! Wreaths are time-honored symbols of the cycles of the seasons and the wheel of the year and in Slavic tradition, they are a central feature of the Autumn Equinox harvest festival known as Dożynki where they ensure a rich and abundant harvest. Hung on doors and over doorways they were magical talismans that invited prosperity and abundance in - and kept negative forces out. And over at Gather Victoria, I'll show you how to make a Venusian Tea Wreath woven with herbs and wild botanicals that embody the energetic principles at work in the heavens and landscape this season. It will not only cast a protective spell over your front door - it brews up afterward into a fragrant, rejuvenating, and beautifying cup of Venusian magic. Up on the Gather Victoria website now. Link in bio. I adore the sweet fruity spiciness of Carrot Cake and its dense luscious mouthfeel and this “wildcrafted” version features two of my favorite summer aromatics, Daucus carota, Queen Anne Lace, and Matricaria discoidea, pineapple weed or wild chamomile. Both are edible from the root, stem, leaves, and flowers to fruit (seeds) and as far as I’m concerned they put their domesticated cousins to shame when it comes to fragrance and flavor. Queen Anne Lace (essentially a wild carrot) has the same sweet high notes but its volatile oils are headier and spicer, exuding perfumey top notes of citrus, coriander, and florals. Matricaria discoidea’s tiny pineapple-like heads combine chamomille's gentle fragrance with the fresh fruity zing of, you guessed it, pineapple. I've used the young plump flower umbels, not quite opened, of Queen Annes Lace (you can see them on the cake) with the tiny lime green pineapple weed heads and added a wee grating of carrot (for color). With a dash of cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and nutmeg, a hearty helping of walnuts, and a slathering of cream cheese frosting- I think this cake mimics the taste and texture of Carrot Cake - only better. The recipe is coming soon! For several years I have been obsessed with creating a “wildcrafted” Carrot Cake using two of my favorite summer aromatics, Daucus carota, Queen Anne Lace, and Matricaria discoidea, pineapple weed or wild chamomile. Queen Anne Lace (essentially a wild carrot) shares some sweetness but is headier with citrusy floral top notes and a hint of coriander. Matricaria discoidea’s tiny pineapple-like heads are tender and combine the sweet gentle fragrance of chamomille with a distinct fruity pineapple zing. While the wild chamomile was always a success (working perfectly to provide the necessary texture) the Queen Annes Lace flowers didn’t provide the necessary weight or flavor. Attempts to use the highly fragrant but hard woody roots similarly failed. Medieval feast dishes were often seasoned with florals we still use today (e.g. violets, roses) but the culinary uses of Calendula officinalis have fallen to the wayside. Which is a shame! This versatile healing herb was once so widely used as a condiment that it was considered the "herb-general of all pottage" and “poor man’s saffron”. Its petals, both fresh and dried, were used to give color and flavor to many types of cheese, butter, custards, broth, soups, rice dishes, and drinks. I originally made this Calendula Sun Cake for a summer solstice celebration as the mystical and magical Calendula officinalis is associated with the sun. She is also linked with a number of goddesses from Aphrodite, Venus, Juno, Brigid, Freya, Mahadevi, Durga, and Lakshmi but in medieval Europe, she was consecrated to the Virgin Mary who often wears a crown of gold that circles the earth. Calendulas' bright yellow and orange flowers were known as “Mary’s Gold’ or Marigold as they were likened to rays of light crowning the Virgin’s head. (Marigold, Tagetes spp, is a different flower native to the Americas but both blossoms are associated with her. ) Today Marian Flower Gardens around the world are never without her sunny blossoms, as are her annual festivals such as at Ladytide, Feast of the Annunciation, and today the Feast of the Visitation July 2nd. I love how Marian lore preserves much of the old pagan floral magic and will be sharing this recipe in the late summer edition of the Gather Victoria ECookbook at Gather Victoria Patreon in honor of Mary’s Feast of Assumption which is celebrated with flowers, flowers and more flowers! (Yes Calendula petals are edible! And this cake is filled with them!) Looking for a festive way to celebrate the upcoming summer solstice? Well, these aromatic sunny cookies may be just the ticket. Made with sacred herbs and flowers of the sun, they’re filled with the gathering magic of midsummer traditions. And served up at a summer solstice picnic, they will delight young and old. After, all doesn’t everyone love a pretty cookie?
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