September Newsletter
Welcome to our September 2023 Kitchen Witch newsletter.
The first stirrings of autumn are with us - early morning dew on the grass, the nights gradually drawing in and a coolness to the morning and evening air. Thoughts turn to preparing for the cooler months ahead (although I'm still hoping for a couple more weeks yet of warmish weather for my break away). Time for harvesting - nature is at her most abundant at the moment - look out for our blogs on rosehips and the KW herbal medicine walk.
Work with the energies of the month - tidy up, declutter and start to think about slowly winding down.
Ness x
What's Going on in Nature this Month from Ness Armstrong
September?...Really? I know its September because Christmas cards have made an appearance in the card shops and the 'seasonal' aisle at a local supermarket is also stocking Christmas trees and ornaments already - sigh!
Looking towards nature, there are signs that it is starting to slow down. Grasses are turning brown and the hedgerows are looking a little tired. There is browning to the leaf edges and signs of decay are on the oldest of the nettles, dock and earlier summer flowers. Hawberries are ripe now, as are sloes (Blackthorn), blackberries and rosehips. Burdock is flowering but thistle flowers have given way to thistle down that are blowing in the late summer breezes. Apples and plums are ripe now - just ready for picking and making into crumbles, pies or jam.
Blackberry by Heather Dewhurst
Harvest is in full swing now, almost as though the plants know end of season is almost here and want to give that final burst of produce, it would be rude not to thank them and enjoy their fruits.
From muffins packed with plump sweet blackberries; to jams, chutneys, and fermented vegetables stored in cupboards, this is a kitchen witch’s busiest season.
Here are a couple of recipes that are useful and simple -
Blackberry Traybake
225g (8oz) butter or margarine
225g (8oz) sugar
275g (10oz) self-raising flour
2 level teaspoons baking powder
4 large eggs (or vegan alternative)
4 tablespoons milk (or vegan alternative)
2 cups of blackberries
Preheat your oven to 180C/350F/Gas mark 4. Grease a 12 x 9 inch baking tray or roasting tin and line the base with baking parchment.
Put all the ingredients but only one cup of the blackberries into a bowl and mix until combined. Then fold in the second cup of blackberries, which means they stay whole. Pour the mixture into the baking tray, bake for 35 – 40 minutes until golden. Leave to cool in the tin then cut into pieces.
From Cakes from the Cauldron by Rachel Patterson & Tracey Roberts
Carrot Apple Zucchini (courgette) Bread
I am including the glaze/frosting as this was the recipe online, however I prefer the bread without the frosting, not using a topping also allows slices (or whole loaves) to be frozen for future use.
Ingredients
1 cup unsalted butter/margarine melted
2 cups granulated sugar
3 eggs room temperature (or vegan alternative)
¼ cup fresh orange juice
1 tbsp vanilla extract
3¼ cups all-purpose flour
½ tsp salt
2½ tsp baking powder
¾ tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
pinch of ground cloves
pinch of ground nutmeg
2 cups shredded/grated carrots
1 cup shredded/grated zucchini/courgette
1 cup diced peeled apple
½ cup pecans chopped (optional)
Cream Cheese Glaze/Frosting - optional
½ cup cream cheese softened
¼ cup butter softened
2 - 3 cups powdered sugar
1-3 tbsp orange juice as needed
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350 F/180 C/gas 4. Grease and line two 8x4 inch loaf pans.
Place zucchini in a large kitchen towel. Bring up the four corners and twist. Squeeze the towel to extract all the liquid from the zucchini, or as much as you can.
In a large bowl, whisk together flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg together.
In a separate large bowl, whisk together the butter and sugar. Add eggs, orange juice, and vanilla and whisk until combined.
Fold dry ingredients into wet ingredients along with the shredded carrots, shredded zucchini, apples, and pecans. Pour into prepared pans.
Bake until golden brown, 55 to 60 minutes, or until loaves spring back when gently pressed with fingers.
Let cool completely before icing.
Cream Cheese Glaze/Frosting
Cream together cream cheese and butter with a hand mixer. Add in 2 cups of powdered sugar and continue mixing. Drizzle in orange juice until desired consistency is achieved. Frost bread and enjoy!
https://www.momontimeout.com/carrot-apple-zucchini-bread-recipe/#recipe
For a gluten free version of this cake, this recipe works well –
Selenite from Sue Perryman
There’s no obvious link between September and Selenite, but I felt a very strong draw to it when I was sorting out some of my crystals. I’m not one to argue with my intuition, so this is the result of my research.
This beautiful crystal is a form of gypsum. It has a hardness of 2, meaning it can be scratched by your fingernail and easily broken if dropped, it also dissolves in water so cleansing can be done by smudging, visualisation and sound (singing bowls are good for this) It can be charged by leaving it on a windowsill overnight, to catch the light of the full moon.
The name Selenite means ‘moonstone’ it is said to be named after the Greek moon Goddess Selene.
Selenite has a very fine high vibration; it is a highly spiritual stone that stimulates and clears the Crown and higher Crown chakras, making it perfect for meditation and journeying to connect with your spirit or celestial guides.
This powerful crystal can be used to grid your home or a room by placing four crystals at each corner to bring peace, harmony and protection.
A wonderful crystal for women at each stage of their lives, it is especially supportive during pregnancy, childbirth and breastfeeding.
Selenite's calming energy can bring balance and harmony to erratic emotions and ease feelings of jealousy, anxiety, doubt and confusion.
To shift energy blockages and clear stagnant or negative energy from your body, hold a Selenite wand a few inches away and move it slowly in a downwards direction all over yourself. This can be done as often as needed.
If you suffer from brain fog or are having a particularly forgetful day, holding a Selenite crystal will melt the fog away and bring back clarity.
Placing a Selenite crystal under your pillow or beside your bed will ensure a peaceful night's sleep.
Selenite's high frequency cleansing energy makes it superb for cleansing and charging other crystals. You can buy Selenite bowls and plates specifically for this, but tumble stones or small items of crystal jewellery can be placed on the side of a wand and left overnight to charge.
For healing, Selenite is said to be good for aligning the spinal column and bringing back flexibility to stiff joints. It is also said to help with vitality, youthfulness, adhd, fertility, pregnancy, PMS, fluid retention and blood cell regeneration.
Element: Water
Planet: Moon
Zodiac: Cancer
Magical Properties: Clarity, protection, cleansing, balance, stability, emotions, spirituality, psychic abilities, spirit work, protection, healing, breaking barriers, decisions, intuition, meditation, money, success, love.
Sources:
The Crystal Bible – Judy Hall
Crystal Magic – Rachel Patterson
The New Crystal Bible – Cassandra Eason
Rune of the month from Ness Armstrong
This month's rune is Raido. I like this rune and it is also fitting this month as we move into a new season. Raido is the chariot, forward movement and getting things done. I should be saying that we've had the 'hazy, lazy days of summer' but that wouldn't quite be the truth! This month we need to be putting things into a forward motion, starting to prepare for autumn and the winter months ahead. I get an urge for an autumn clear up - a declutter physically and mentally. Perhaps it is time for you too..
With Blessings of the Month from Rachel, Ness, Sue and Heather
