#barmbrack

“A soule cake, a soule cake, Have mercy on all Christen soules for a soule-cake.” John Aubrey, 17th century

I found a modern recipe that combines barmbrack and soul cakes. I made saints’ bones yesterday as offering for the Moravian lineage. These today will honor my ancestors from the British and Irish Isles.

The recipe, of course, uses berries and nuts foraged on the Isles so I’m making some changes.

I’m using fresh blueberries that were left behind by our recent houseguests and walnuts, instead of hazelnuts.

When I inspected the walnuts I foraged last month and never got around to hulling, I found that the hulls had shriveled and dried and I could peel them right off! I had stored them on flat surfaces, well apart from each other and only a few had to be tossed for mold. I cracked one open—and perfection!

Instead of using tea to soak the berries and nuts I’m soaking them in my beautyberry wine for a local, foraged berry. And instead of candied ginger and orange peel, I’ll be using flying dragon orange jelly from my foraged oranges.

It's absolutely delicious 😋 and easy to make!

"The Irish term for this, Bairín Breac, means ‘speckled bread’ indicating that the fruit was scarce in the loaf."

Not in mine, I can assure you, full of fruit, nuts, 1 beten egg, flour, Barry's tea and a drop of Jameson!

I made up my own 'future-telling' surprises with things I had in the house!