How to Make Magical Elderberry Syrup
How to Make Magical Elderberry Syrup
Give yourself a healthy boost with a healing plant and powerful inscriptions.
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Hello wonderful witches!
I was super excited this week to learn that Kitchen Witch got a little bit more press! I did an interview with Penny Hoarder about using Substack to send out a newsletter, and I also got to chat for a hot second about something really important to me: paying talented writers to cover witchcraft when many other pagan publications ask for it for free. We have things to say, witches, and those things are valuable! Remember to always stand up for what you’re worth (which is a lot), and don’t give away your labor for free. OK, hopping off my soapbox now…
Summer’s going to be wrapping up soon, which means flu season is just on the horizon. Don’t forget your flu shot! And then add an extra layer of healing power to it with the below: Jessica Triana de Ford’s elderberry syrup in a magical bottle. We’ve also got a great gazpacho recipe today that you can find in the Recipe Box section.
Medicinal Elderberry Syrup With a Magical Boost
By Jessica Triana de Ford
Elderberries and elderberry syrup. Creative Commons.
Healing is a gift we all intrinsically know how to do. Understanding the properties of herbs and food goes a long way in supporting your physical body’s ability to heal itself—and witchcraft enhances your energetic intention and helps focus your spirit. In this article, I’ll show you how to give your healing a magical boost using ruis, the last tree of the Celtic year, and symbols from the Ogham, an early Medieval alphabet…
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Jessica Triana de Ford is an author, philosopher, and copywriter. She’s a member of Exeter Writers. Her parting wisdom? “Life's better when you live it as a witch.” Follow her on Medium and Twitter.
Recipe Box
Every now and then, Kitchen Witch publishes bonus recipes in this section, Recipe Box. If you have a great one you want to share, send it along! Today we’re enjoying summer tomatoes in a chilly gazpacho.
Beat-the-Heat Gazpacho
by Rachel Kowalczyk
Photo by Marco Verch on Flickr.
Summer’s winding down here in Chicago—even though we’re still in the vice grip of a potentially record-breaking heat wave for this time of the year. Luckily we have the bounty of the season’s tomato harvest to keep us cool. This gazpacho is a refreshing appetizer or snack for when it’s too hot outside to eat anything even remotely warm.
Yield: 4 servings
25 minutes prep; chill at least 6 hours
Ingredients:
6 ripe tomatoes, peeled and chopped
1 15-ounce can crushed tomatoes
1 red onion, finely chopped
1 cucumber, seeded and chopped
1 sweet green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 to 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 teaspoon raw honey
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
Salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste
6 or more drops Tabasco sauce, to taste
Directions:
Blend all the ingredients together in batches to desired smoothness, leaving it at least a little chunky. As you blend the ingredients, focus on an intention of summer’s bounty coming together to see you through the upcoming fall and winter.
Chill overnight or at least 6 hours to let flavors blend.
Garnish (if desired) with muddled cumin and mint. As you muddle the two, feel the blending together of mint’s vitality and cumin’s tranquility.
Serve cold.
Rachel Kowalczyk has written and edited for sustainable development publications and aspires toward zero-waste kitchen magic. Find her on Instagram at @callaeyer.
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Coming Up Next Week…
In our next issue, we’ll take an important look at how modern-day witches sometimes co-opt Indigenous and African spirituality.
See you then!