How to celebrate Lughnasadh/Lammas 🌾
Hello my witchy friends! I am going to talk about Lughnasadh/Lammas and some ways to celebrate it.
First off a quick summary of Lughnasadh/Lammas, Lughnasadh/Lammas is a Irish festival marking the harvest season, it’s starts on August 1st!
Now some ways to celebrate Lughnasadh/Lammas 🌾
You can light a orange, yellow, red, or green candles to celebrate the seasonal energy as the earth heads into the harvest season and you can add it to your altar 🕯
Baking some bread for Lughnasadh/Lammas is a common ritual, here is a recipe to bake bread for Lughnasadh/Lammas!
Sourdough Braided Bread 🍞
Original recipe (press link)
• 1 1/2 cups whole milk warmed to 100-110 degrees F
• 1/2 cup whole wheat flower
• 1/4 teaspoon active dried yeast (optional)
• 2 tablespoons butter(softened)
• 1/4 cup dried calendula petals
• 1/4 cup sunflower seeds(divided)
• 2 tablespoon of raw honey
* In a large bowl or in a stand mixer, add the sourdough starter, whole milk, whole wheat flour, honey. Stir well to combine. If you are not confident your starters ability to "lift" your loaf (perhaps it is still young and hasn't fully developed), sprinkle the yeast over this mixture to hydrate. Let this mixture sit for approximately 20 minutes, after which you should see some bubbles forming.
* Remove 2 tablespoons of sunflowers from the called for amount and set aside. Coarsely chop the remaining seeds.
* Add softened butter, salt, calendula flowers, and sunflower seeds to the starter mixture. Mix and add bread flour in batches until the dough is cohesive and slightly sticky.
* Turn dough out onto a floured surface and knead, adding flour, until the dough forms a smooth elastic ball -- about five minutes. The dough should be very soft, but not sticky.
* Place dough in a buttered or oiled bowl and cover with plastic film or a towel. Let rise for about 1 1/2 hours or until doubled in volume.
* Turn dough out onto a floured surface and pat into a 12"x6" rectangle, approximately. Cut dough lengthwise into three logs. Separate the dough logs slightly and select a center point. From the center of the dough logs, braid dough from the center to the end, repeating on on the other side.
* Transfer braided dough loaf, to a parchment lined or buttered baking pan, tucking the ends under, I prefer a ceramic baking dish with sides, just slightly bigger than the dough braid itself to discourage spread in the next steps. Cover with plastic film or a towel and let rise until doubled in size, about an hour.
* Remove plastic film or towel and brush loaf with an egg wash created from one egg beaten with a small bit of water. Sprinkle the top of the loaf with the reserved sunflower seeds. Bake in a preheated 375 degree F oven for 25-32 minutes, until the top is evenly golden and the loaf sounds hollow if tapped (I suggest rotating at least once while cooking).
* After baking, remove from oven and cool completely before slicing.
Decorate your altar for Lughnasadh/Lammas ✨
Decorate your altar for Lughnasadh/Lammas! You can add flowers that are in season (sunflowers, zinnia, black eyed Susans, snapdragson, cone flowers etc) or add some crystals that support the season like Carnelian, Pyrite, Citrine, Green Aventurine, Tiger’s Eye and of course you can add candles (I talked about it in the beginning ^_^)
To show gratitude for our planet head down to your local park, beach, walking trails, etc. and clean it up. This would show how grateful you are for Mother Nature and your helping the environment :)
My favorite thing to do is make spell jars and of course we have to make a spell jar for Lughnasadh/Lammas!
Let’s make a prosperity and abundance spell jar for Lammas
• Basil- wealth/good fortune
• Adventurnite- luck/abundance
• Thyme- bringing abundance
• Dried Sunflower- flower that is in season for Lughnasadh/Lammas
• Cloves- attract good luck
• Orange Candle to seal it- if you do not have a orange candle you can use a white candle
You can set this spell jar on your altar for Lughnasadh/Lammas!!
Here are some cool fun activities to do for Lughnasadh/Lammas!
You can make a corn dolly and add it your altar, it’s a cute activity and very relaxing to do
Invite some friends and family members to sit down and enjoy a bonfire, you can reflect and think about bad habits and how you can change them or if you do not want to do a bonfire you can light a candle and reflect on your journal/meditate 🧘
Lughnasadh/Lammas is all about giving thanks for the delicious bounty of the first harvest! Here are more recipes for Lughnasadh/Lammas feast!
The original recipes I got it from (press the link)
• 5 Cups. vegetable broth
• 1 Cups. Barley (uncooked)
• 1/2 lb. mushrooms (use morels or enoki for a woodsy flavor)
• 1/2 C. fresh carrots (chopped)
• 1/2 C. celery (chopped)
• 2 cloves fresh garlic (minced)
• Salt and pepper to taste
* Bring the vegetable broth to a low rolling boil on the stove and then reduce heat. Add the mushrooms, onions, carrots and celery, and allow to simmer for ten minutes. Add the barley and garlic, cover and simmer for another hour.
* Add salt and pepper, seasoning to taste. Top with fresh croutons and chives, if you've got them handy. Serve as a side dish at your Lammas celebration, accompanied by a nice soft chunk of buttered bread!
The original recipes I got it from (press the link)
• Salt, pepper, and paprika
* Soak the corn cobs in the pot of water—leave the husk on—and let them sit for an hour or two. This will make the corn cobs nice and moist.
* Put the wet corn cobs, still in their husks, on a grill. If you're lucky enough to be using a campfire, drop them into the white coals on the edge of the fire ring. Turn the corn cobs once in a while, and let them cook for about half an hour. You'll know they're done when the husk is dry and slightly burnt.
* Remove the corn cobs from the grill and let them sit for a few minutes to cool a little. Don't let them get cold. Peel the husk all the way back and use it for a handle, or use wooden skewer sticks. Brush the cob with butter, and sprinkle with garlic, salt, pepper and paprika.
If you press the links I put under the recipes you can see even more recipes for the feat!
Have a Happy Lughnasadh/Lammas! 🌾
