KITCHEN WITCHERY
'Bubble, bubble, toil and trouble,
Cauldrons burns and brews will bubble,
From your kitchen, magick will come
To nourish the soul, and feed the tum!'
'Kitchin Witchin' is all about the magic in food and how the kitchen can become a sacred place filled with spell binding aromas. Your kitchen is a place full of magic, a place to conjure up brews and potions of old and new using the tools that are all around you. The natural tools of fire as you use your stove, the water from the tap, the steam representing air as your food cooks and the food itself, an earthing tool.
Cauldrons, pots, pans and bowls of all shapes and sizes become magical cooking vessels as you visualize their contents bringing love, happiness, protection and health. Spoons, also known as kitchen wands, help you stir these brews, sunwise of course. The magical knife, consecrated and used specifically within the kitchen helps to cut and prepare herbs and foods. And last but not least, visualization, which plays a big part in any magical working.
With all these ingredients, your kitchen will become more than just a place that pushes out a meal, it will become a place filled with magic and mystery. That pantry that was once taken for granted will become a cupboard of seasons, Sabbats and ritual foods. The old pot that was once used for making the Sunday pot roast will now transform as you take it out of the cupboard to prepare a dish overflowing with love and happiness. Allow your kitchen to come alive with magic, let it spill into the rest of your home and your lives. Cook with love and visualization. Allow the magic within an let the cooking begin!
WITCHY PLANETARY DAYS
Days of the week lend their magickal energies to the foods that are being cooked and served. For example, if you would like help with a project then make a dish of the corresponding foods needed and cook it on a Thursday to give an added planetary boost. To help with a relationship, serve love foods on a Friday and so on…
Monday – Moon. Insight, creativity, nurturing, moon and goddess magic.
Tuesday – Mars. Strength, issues with the law and court, combat and strategies.
Wednesday – Mercury. Communication, imagination, natural flow.
Thursday – Jupiter. Money matters, dedication, commitment to a project or cause.
Friday – Venus. Love, relationships, creativity and productivity.
Saturday – Saturn. Banishing and cleansing, as you sow, so shall you reap. Fruition, change.
Sunday – Sun. Solar and foods for the gods, strength, courage, healing, leadership.
SUPERSTITIONS
Eggshells - Never burn eggshells, otherwise Hens will cease to lay-1853 Sussex.
Lemon Peel - Lemon Peel Divination c.1760. A lady is to take two lemon peels in the morning and wear them all day under her arm pits, and at night, rub the four posts of her bed with the lemon peels, then place the peels under the pillow.In her sleep, her desired will come to her in her dreams and present her with lemons. If no-one comes, there is no hope!
Onions - An onion placed under the sink is said to absorb negativity. Discard onion monthly during the Waning Moon and replace with a new onion.
PANTRY PROTECTION SACHET
In a circle of muslin or cotton material, place the following herbs:
9 whole clove buds for protection
1 crumbled bay leaf for purification
1 tsp thyme to maintain good health
1 tsp marjoram for happiness within the kitchen
Pinch basil for peace
Tie the sachet together with black thread and place in the pantry, preferably up high. This sachet should be replaced monthly between the waning and new moon phase.
CARAWAY COOKIES
A treat for Spring time or any time for that matter.
4oz butter
4oz sugar
2oz coconut, desiccated
4oz flour
1 Tbsp caraway seeds
Cream butter and sugar and using a blunt knife, cut in the coconut, sifted flour and caraway seeds to make a dough. Bring together to form a ball, cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Remove from the fridge and take small spoonful’s and shape into a round. Place on a baking tray and gently flatten the top with a fork. Make another indent with the fork in the opposite direction to resemble solar cross patterns. Bake at 180˚C for 9 minutes or until lightly golden. Remove from oven and place the cookies on a baking rack to cool completely. Makes 16.
Witchy note – Don’t be tempted to add more Caraway seeds until you try the recipe with this amount first. They can take over the whole flavor if too many are added.
WITCHES CHOC CHIP COOKIES
1 cup plus 2 Tbsp flour
Pinch salt
120 gm butter
13 Tbsp brown sugar
1 egg
½ tsp pure vanilla extract
½ c chopped nuts such as walnuts, pecans or almonds
1 cup chopped chocolate, preferably Green & Blacks Organic milk or dark.
Sift flour and salt, set aside. Cream butter and sugar, beat in egg and vanilla. Stir in sifted dry ingredients. Stir in nuts and chocolate, do not over-mix. Place spoonfuls of mix onto a baking tray and allow room for spreading. Bake at 180°C for approximately 10 minutes or until golden. Store in an airtight container. Due to the natural content and yummy taste they may not last for a week! Being serious thou’, store in an airtight container for up to two weeks.
WITCHES SALT
This salt is not only used in cooking recipes, it can also be sprinkled around any areas needing protection and cleansing. As my Grandmother always said ‘Salt should be kept up high in the home as a protection against all evil spirits.’ So with that in mind I have always placed mine as high as it can sit within the kitchen.
2 Tbsp dried parsley for cleansing
1 Tbsp dried basil for love
1 Tbsp dried thyme for courage
1 Tbsp dried marjoram for happiness
½ tsp black pepper for protection
¼ tsp ground nutmeg for health
1 c sea salt for grounding
Place all ingredients into a mortar and pestle and pound until desired consistency is reached. Pour salt mix onto a clean piece of linen and using your finger, make a pentacle shape three times, then place the salt in a clean jar or bottle and mark the lid with a pentacle while saying the following,
‘Food or not. I ask this charm, to dispense only good. and keep all from harm.’
This chant can be repeated when using the salt for protective reasons by saying it three times as you sprinkle it around the area required. All the above herbs contain protective qualities as well as the ones listed. A little salt goes a long way.