Getting Ready for Autumn

Last December I started a series of post about preparing for the coming seasons, the first post was Getting Ready for Winter. I followed that up with Getting Ready for Spring and Getting Ready for Summer, so now here is a post on getting ready for autumn, to complete the seasonal circle. :)

Note: If  spring is coming up where you are check out the spring post: https://livingseasonal.blogspot.com/2018/03/getting-ready-for-spring.html


After what has felt like an especially long, hot summer, the weather has cooled down and autumn is coming. We seem to have had some weird weather in the UK this year, with snow storms in March and more snow than usual here in Sussex. Then in April we had hotter weather than usual for spring, and then a hot summer. I did enjoy the hotter weather, although I struggled a bit to adjust to the heat. In the past couple of weeks or so it's cooled down and now it's feeling more like autumn. The light shifts towards the end of August, mellows, and also now the shorter days (since Litha/the Summer Solstice they shorten by about a minute every 3 days and about 3 mins a day by Madron aka the Autumn Equinox) are becoming a bit more noticeable, with sunset before 8pm instead of after 9 earlier in the summer.

It has actually warmed up these past couple of days and I'm planning to go to the beach tomorrow to make the most of the weather, before summer is officially over! But I'm also concentrating on moving into autumn.

As with the other seasons, there are two "official" starts to autumn- meteorological autumn which is 1st September, and astronomical autumn which is around 22nd September when the Autumn Equinox (Madron/Mabon) is. This year Madron is 23rd Sept. For more information read this post: https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/blog/2026/when-does-autumn-start

Madron/Autumn Equinox Celebration Ideas

It's Madron aka Mabon/the Autumn Equinox this Friday. Last October I started a post series of sabbat celebration ideas (I started with Samhain/Hallowe'en celebration ideas). So now, almost a year later I'm going to do one for Madron. :)

Note: If you're in the Southern Hemisphere then Oestara aka Ostara/the Spring Equinox is coming up. You can read some celebration ideas here: https://livingseasonal.blogspot.com/2017/03/oestaraspring-equinox-celebration-ideas.html


Madron is the second harvest festival (the first is Lammas and the third is Samhain), so along with Lammas, it's linked with grain and abundance. You can think about what you've "harvested" in the last few months or since last year. It's also a time of balance. Since Litha/the Summer Solstice, the days have been getting slightly shorter and the nights longer. (Since the beginning of September I've been noticing the difference, the sun sets just after 7 now). They are equal on the equinox day and then the days continue shortening until Yule/the Winter Solstice, after which they start getting gradually longer again and the light increases. 

Here's a post I wrote last year with some links to Madron info and suggestions for things to do at the Equinox: https://livingseasonal.blogspot.com/2016/09/happy-madron.html

 

Update 20/9/26: Some links are now gone. I've added a new one below and I'll update this post further when I can.

And a couple more posts with more information:

https://newwicca.wordpress.com/tag/madron/

https://www.britishpilgrimage.org/stories/mabon-and-the-autumn-equinox-a-celebration-of-balance-abundance-and-natures-transition

Litha 2017

Last Wednesday it was Litha aka Midsummer/the Summer Solstice (21st June this year). As I mentioned in my Litha celebration ideas post (it was also part of a baking post) I made lemonade. I normally make it for Litha; the type I usually make is what I call "Hello Kitty lemonade" because the recipe is from a Hello Kitty book! Last year I used a recipe from The Real Witches' Kitchen book by Kate West. I didn't like that much because it was quite bitter, so this year I went back to my favourite type! lol. It's also easier to make since you don't have to boil the lemon rind or anything, you just mix the lemon juice with the water and sugar.

I had the lemonade with a salmon sandwich and sea salt crisps for lunch, and also made the same tomato and onion salad that I did last year. The recipe is from The Kitchen Witch book by Soraya. Here's a picture of the lemonade:

Imbolg 2017

For New Year I got the Llewellyn's Sabbats Almanac 2017 which has ideas for celebrating the sabbats. (In my family we also give a couple of presents at New Year, usually things like calendars and diaries). It started at Samhain 2016 but Imbolg was the first sabbat coming up after I celebrated. In the lead-up to it I did some activities suggested in the book, such as learning about chakras and lighting a candle. I got a Yankee Home Winter Season candle for Christmas, so I burnt that since Imbolg signals the end of winter and the beginning of spring.

Then on the day itself (last Thursday) I made pancakes like I usually do. As I mentioned in my last post I had a lemonade/lemon drink that I got before Christmas and hadn't got round to drinking, so I saved that for Imbolg. It was a lemon and mint one. (I also got a back-up drink in case I didn't like it, but I did, lol).

I made English pancakes (the bigger, thinner ones which are known as crepes in some countries). I don't make them that often so I'm not that good, lol. I did two and they didn't come out that well but never mind! Last year's were better.

Here's a picture from this year:

Quick Dinner Bread (+ Soup)

Last week I made 1 hour dinner bread. I've made bread a couple of times before in 2010, the first time it was a Bread Spell from the book Spells for the Witch in You by Marina Baker and the second time I used a recipe from a flour packet, lol. (I think we also made rolls at first school!). The first time it didn't rise but when I did it again the next day it worked. It was 31st July and  it was around then that I started celebrating the sabbats (the next day was Lammas, so I decided to make pasties for that and then I also celebrated Madron next month). Baking bread also fits that time of year, with harvest season.

Bread making can be quite a difficult process to get the hang of but I  expect once you've done it a few times it's much easier. What I liked about the dinner bread was that it only takes about an hour to make. It's quicker because it doesn't have any yeast in it, one of the main ingredients is Greek yoghurt. I'd had the recipe on my Pinterest Recipes To Make board for 2 years, so I'm glad I finally got round to making it! lol. The recipe is from a trEAT's affair (formerly Roxanna's Home Baking). Here's the link: https://atreatsaffair.com/1-hour-dinner-bread-recipe/

It's a good site; I also made her Christmas Vanilla roll cake for Christmas 2013.

I was pleased with the bread. I didn't have quite enough Greek yoghurt (I realised later that I'd got a smaller tub than the recipe said) so I wasn't sure how it would come out, but it was nice. I used Clover instead of I Can't Believe It's Not Butter! because that's the spread we have in my house. And I used white bread flour instead of wholewheat/wholemeal because that's the one I had in. So it came out slightly different to Roxana's. I also didn't use sesame seeds because I wasn't bothered about having them in it. It took me longer for the preparation part because I don't have an electric mixer, so I did it by hand and I'm a slow mixer! lol. But the baking time was 50 mintues or just under.

Here's a picture:

Soups

I thought I would do a  post on soups because they're good to have at this time of year. :)

I mentioned in my post on Sam Stern's Potato and Onion Soup before that I wanted to make his Potato and Onion and Herb one. I did make it last month and it was nice but I prefer it without the herbs. It's pretty similar to the Potato and Onion recipe but it has garlic and tarragon in it. Here's a link to the Potato, Onion & Herb recipe: https://www.samstern.co.uk/recipe/potato-onion-herb-soup/ 

And here's a picture of mine:

I also made Carrot and Parsnip Soup recently, using this recipe: http://www.erinlindstrom.com/carrotandparsnipsoup/

It was quite nice but I didn't like it as much as the Potato and Onion Soup. Here's a pic of mine:

 

It's quite lumpy rather than smooth because I don't have a hand blender anymore! I need to get a new one, lol.


P.S. Today is the Wiccan sabbat Yule (the winter solstice and shortest day). I will post about what I did for it tomorrow or Monday. Merry Yule! :)

Potato and Onion Soup

I sometimes make potato and onion soup for lunch. I started making it about a year ago and while I did have it in the summer too, I thought it was appropriate to post the recipe now because soup is nice to have in autumn and winter. :) I made it for lunch today. It's good if you don't have much money because there are only a couple of main ingredients (potatoes and onion). I don't have bacon on it that often, although I did today. It's also quite healthy (minus the bacon!).

This recipe is called Skint Potato & Onion Soup and it's from Sam Stern's Student Cookbook. He doesn't have that exact recipe online, so I've written it out here. He does have a similar recipe though, for Potato, Onion & Herb Soup, which you can see here: https://www.samstern.co.uk/recipe/potato-onion-herb-soup/

Skint Potato & Onion Soup
(with Optional Crumbled Bacon)


Ingredients

450g/1lb floury potatoes 
110g/4oz onions
50g/20z butter
850ml/1 1/2 pints water, mixed with 1/2 tsp Marigold veg stock
or own veggie/chicken stock or water
Few sprigs fresh parsley
3 tbsps milk
Salt and black pepper
2 rashers grilled streaky back bacon (optional)


This is similar to Sam's recipe for Potato, Onion & Herb Soup (minus the herbs), which you can find here: https://www.samstern.co.uk/recipe/potato-onion-herb-soup/

I use Chicken gravy granules or Oxo for the stock. I don't use that much milk because I don't like it too milky, so just pour in a bit. (I think that's why mine is darker than the one in the book picture). If you don't have a handblender (I don't have one anymore), you can mash or sieve it. I use a potato masher. I don't tend to use parsley.


Hope you like the recipe if you try it. :) I'll have to have a go at making the potato, onion and herb one as well.

Check out more recipes I've made here: https://uk.pinterest.com/moonsparkle84/recipes-ive-made/