Candlelight Spells: The Modern Witch's Book of Spellcasting, Feasting, and Healing - Gerina Dunwich 2000

Beltane: May Day
Sabbat Feasts

Beltane, also known as Walpurgisnacht, is an ancient Druid fire festival that celebrates the return of the Goddess by exuberant dancing around a maypole and the intertwining of bright colored ribbons to symbolize the union of male and female. Beltane Eve is celebrated by the traditional lighting of huge bonfires on hillsides to light the way for summer.

May Day is a time to joyously celebrate creation, reproduction and the beginning of the breeding season for both wild and domestic animals.

The traditional Beltane feasts include: Beltane barley casserole, salmagundi pentagram, spring salad, witches’ honey bread, May Day pudding and merry May punch.

BELTANE BARLEY CASSEROLE

½ cup butter

2 cups barley

½ cup sliced fresh mushrooms

2 chopped onions

½ cup peas

4 cups chicken broth

½ cup pine nuts

Melt butter in a skillet and saute the barley, stirring frequently until golden. Turn into a greased three-quart casserole. Stir in the mushrooms, onions and peas and three cups of the chicken broth. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for one hour. Stir in the pine nuts and the remaining cup of broth. Cover and bake for another 1½ hours.

SALMAGUNDI PENTAGRAM

1 large head lettuce

1 cup grated cheddar cheese

25—30 raw onion rings

13 chopped hard-boiled eggs

salt and pepper

crushed rosemary

herb salad dressing (see following page)

3 lbs. chopped cooked beef

Wash and place the lettuce leaves on a large circular dish. Sprinkle with grated cheddar cheese. (Other grated cheeses may be substituted, if desired.) Arrange the onion rings over the lettuce to form a circle around the inside edges of the plate. Place bits of chopped hard boiled eggs in the middle of each onion ring. Season lightly with salt and pepper and crushed rosemary. Next, arrange the beef in the center of the plate to form a star symbol with all five points touching the circle of onion rings. (You may arrange the beef to form other magickal or astrological symbols, if you prefer.) Chill and serve with herb salad dressing.

HERB DRESSING

2 egg yolks

1 tablespoon cider vinegar

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon basil

2 tablespoons chopped chives

1 teaspoon parsley

¼ teaspoon tarragon

1 cup safflower oil

Put egg yolks, vinegar, salt and herbs in a small bowl and beat until well blended. Add the oil one teaspoon at a time, beating vigorously after each addition until all of the oil has been used. (If the dressing should separate, beat in slowly and thoroughly either one egg yolk, one tablespoon of cold water or a bit of mayonnaise.) Cover and store in the refrigerator.

SPRING SALAD

Cattails (young stems)

Tomatoes

Cucumbers

Radishes

Chives

Pigweed leaves

Water cress

Comfrey leaves (young and tender)

Dandelion leaves

Wild mustard leaves

Sorrel

Marigold flowers and stems

Sunflower seeds

Cut cattail stems 10—12 inches from the root and peel off the outer skin. (Save the roots for stew!) Chop into small pieces. Wash and cut tomatoes, cucumbers, radishes and chives into small chunks. Tear leaves into bite-size pieces. Place all ingredients in a large salad bowl. Toss lightly and serve with an herbal dressing.

WITCHES’ HONEY BREAD

1½ cups buttermilk

1 cup honey

¼ cup molasses

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1½ cups whole-wheat flour

1 cup white flour

½ cup raisins

Mix together the buttermilk, honey, molasses, baking soda and salt. In a separate bowl, combine the whole-wheat and white flour and add to the buttermilk mixture. Stir in the raisins and pour the batter into a greased 9 × 5-inch loaf pan. Bake the bread for one hour in a 350 degree oven. Turn the loaf out, inverted, on a wire rack to cool.

MAY DAY PUDDING

1 teaspoon and 4 tablespoons softened butter

2 eggs

6 cups milk

1½ teaspoon tansy

4 finely chopped sweet cicely leaves

½ cup dark molasses

¼ cup sugar

¼ teaspoon baking soda

¼ teaspoon salt

1 cup yellow corn meal

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. With a pastry brush, spread one teaspoon of butter over the bottom and sides of a two-quart baking dish. Set aside. In a four to five quart saucepan, beat the eggs with a wire whisk until they are well mixed. Stirring constantly with the whisk, add four cups of the milk, tansy, sweet cicely leaves, molasses, sugar, baking soda and salt. Simmer over medium heat, stirring until the molasses and sugar dissolve. Pour in the corn meal very slowly, stirring constantly to keep the mixture smooth. Cook uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the pudding is thick. Beat in the four tablespoons of butter and remove from heat. Pour in the remaining two cups of milk, beating constantly. Pour the pudding into the buttered baking dish and bake for one hour. Reduce the oven temperature to 300 degrees and continue to bake for about four more hours until the May Day pudding is firm.

MERRY MAY PUNCH

2 cups sweet woodruff (leaves and blossoms)

1 quart sweet wine

1 pint wild strawberries

½ cup sugar

Grated peel and juice of 1 lime

Steep the sweet woodruff leaves and blossoms in the wine for three hours on low heat. Cool. Wash and hull the strawberries. Crush and combine them with the wine, sugar, grated lime peel and lime juice. Cover and chill for several hours. Strain liquid and discard the pulp. Fill a large punch bowl with crushed ice and pour the punch over the ice. Add some more sweet woodruff blossoms to the punch just before serving.