I know where my Rosemary Goes

Lammas is the first of the harvest festivals, celebrated by the early Celts on August 1^st. It is the celebration of the grain harvest. According to tradition, the first sheaf of wheat is ceremoniously harvested, reaped, milled and baked into bread. In Celtic tradition, this ceremonially bread was considered the bread of life, which is similar to the Christian tradition of communion.

 

Today, it is common to celebrate Lammas by baking bread. One of my favorite, easy recipes is perfect for this time of year:

 

1 ½ c water + 2 tbsp

2 tbsp olive oil

2 tsp salt (I use Celtic sea salt)

1/3 c organic sugar

4 ¼ c whole wheat flour

2 tsp active dry yeast

2 tbsp rosemary

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tbsp basil

 

 

Put ingredients into the bread machine in the order listed in instructions. Use the whole wheat cycle. Serve with butter or non-dairy spread

Let No man Steal your Thyme

Thyme has been used since, well the beginning of time. It was used as part of the Egyptian mummifcation process. Ancient Greece burned it as temple incense, thinking it brought courage to those who smelled it. In Europe, it was used to ward off nightmares and placed on coffins to ensure passage from one life to the next. Today it is used as an active ingredient in Listerine and against brochitis, toenail fungus and as an antibiotic. Thyme is traditionally associated with the summer solstice, and this bread recipe is perfect to celebrate it.

 

1 ¼ c warm water

1 ½ tbsp yeast

2 tsp honey

1 ½ tsp sea salt

3 ½ c flour

2 tbsp fresh thyme

1 tbsp olive oil

 

Add ingredients in the order listed above to a bread maker. Use the white bread cycle to bake. Serve hot with butter or cashew cheese