GREEN HERBS
Green magic is all about nature as it works with the energy of Mother Earth, usually with a positive attitude and positive goals.It bases its roots on natural sources, and it has a strong will to respect the world around us and its creatures.By green magic, we mean the magic practice carried out through the prevalent aid of herbs, flowers, and spices (both fresh or dried).
The use of plants is linked to magic and religious practices since the dawn of time. All ancient civilizations were profound connoisseurs of the plant world and used its properties both to treat body diseases and for magical and religious rituals.
In fact, every natural element of the Earth has a specific virtue and is linked to the celestial world, from which it receives strong occult influences, acting as an intermediary between us and power.Plants, spices and flowers commonly used in this practice are defined as: Green Herbs, even if they are fruits, flowers or vegetables.
The practice of Magical Cooking comes from the fusion of the Green Magic and the alchemical art of cooking.
In this tradition each common ingredient is observed for its symbolic qualities and represents an attribute that we want to add to our dishes.
pictures @Frames of Sugar
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The green herbs we will be treating in the book LOVE TO TASTE
are almost all easily available.
We can grow them in the garden, in pots on our windowsills or we can buy them in herbalists and specialist shops.
Others are common spices found at the supermarket.
If we grow them, we will be able to talk to them, caress them and fill them with loving attention, ensuring a beautiful, happy and powerful plant.
Plants expand their energy all around, they are a form of life, a spiritual presence able to interact with the surrounding environment.
Wild plants, found in nature, are doubly charged with power.
The power of the plant increases in proportion: the more the place where it is born and grows is uncontaminated, the more effective it will be.
The juniper picked by us in a forest will obviously be more powerful than the berries we can buy in the shop.
Herbs should be harvested on a crescent or full moon, preferably at the peak of their ripening.
There are special days, these are equinoxes and solstices, excellent for harvesting and processing!
There is also a unique night full of magic, the 23rd of June, the night of St. John also called
“the night of witches.”
The first three days of summer, June 21/22/23 are the most suitable for harvesting. In ancient times they knew it well, and it should not be considered a superstitious idea.
Rather as the knowledge that on some days of the year it was possible to get the maximum active powers from the plants.
It is said that the herbs collected during the night of St. John's have a particular power to drive away any disease because all their characteristics and properties are enhanced to the maximum power.
The harvest must always be done with respect. It is appropriate to ask permission of the plant or field in question and give thanks at the end of the work.
It is also useful to choose a harvesting tool that we will use exclusively for the collection of our magic herbs.
Whether it be a knife, a crescent scythe as tradition dictates, or a shear. We can name it and we must cherish it with love!
We should remember that there is a big difference between collecting flowers and wild plants and exterminating them.
We always leave flowers for the bees, so that they continue to reproduce.
We never collect everything. We always give thanks.
The herbs should be dried in the shade in well-ventilated places.
We can divide them into bunches that are not too big to hang upside down, or spread them with care on a cotton cloth. Either way, we will preserve their properties, fragrance and color.
Let them dry completely,
they must be dry enough to crumble.
Store them in containers made of natural breathable materials, completely avoiding plastic. Paper, cardboard, fabric, terracotta, wood, glass and ceramics are excellent.
If the plants are fresh, we can choose to freeze them.
Wash them well and dry them carefully before putting them into the freezer.
We can freeze the herbs in bunches and crumble them according to our needs just like the dried herbs, or, alternatively, we can make small portions ready to use.
To dry fruit and vegetables we will need a dehydrator.
This is the only method to ensure proper drying and preservation of flavor.
You can also store your ingredients in oil, vinegar, syrup or in the form of jellies and jams.
It is preferable to always use fresh and seasonal ingredients.
Picture @We Heart It
Classification of Green Herbs
Definition of:
APHRODISIAC herbs
HEALTH herbs
Herbs of LOVE
PROTECTION Herbs
Herbs of GOOD LUCK
Herbs of the MIND
MAGIC Herbs
Aphrodisiac herbs
These plants have been used throughout history to stimulate desire and the sexual act. They work on the spiritual body of the individual by activating the energy centers, stimulating mental images or promoting the desire to seek the union in someone else's arms. Aphrodisiac means that the function of these ingredients is sexual stimulation, this should not be confused with the stimulation of love or romance.
Health herbs
These plants help in healing processes by stimulating the body's natural wellness abilities. They give strength, energy and vigour. They trigger self-healing processes. Spiritually they rebalance inner energies, restoring calm and peace where needed.
Herbs of Love
We will work with these herbs to increase our ability to love and be lovable, or to revitalize an already proven relationship. These herbs are capable of reminding us why we fell in love, awakening the spark of love and affection in a relationship suffocated by daily routine. The plants of love are connected with the mysteries of emotional relationships. They help us to evolve by awakening the unconditional love that resides in each of us.
Protection and cleaning Herbs
These plants are spiritual guardians, they have the power to scatter negative energies by generating positive energies.
They dissipate darkness through the power of light. We can use them in all circumstances, even on others without their specific permission because their magic is not manipulative.
They are also used to eliminate unwanted moods such as anger, sadness, depression, apathy.
Herbs of Good Luck
They are herbs that attract good fortune and joy!
They help us to keep our vital state high so that we can always take advantage of the opportunities we encounter on the way.
Often they also manifest material successes, abundance and prosperity. They are real "good luck catchers.”
Herbs of the Mind
By plants of the mind we mean all those plants that stimulate our mental activities such as memory, concentration, mental lucidity and creativity. They increase wisdom, common sense and psychic powers.
Magic Herbs
All plants possess magical and spiritual powers! All plants are magical herbs! But, in this case, "magic herbs" refers to plants that are ideal for enhancing our magical work.
They are herbs that support us in the processes of change and are precious allies that help us to refine our senses in order to "feel" more. They are plants associated with the spiritual realm of visions, linked to the world of dreams and practices that allow you to broaden your vision beyond that of your physical eyes.
They assist us and help us to extend our perception beyond the known by stimulating intuitions.
But let's see some examples together!
Love to Taste offers you a taste of its contents,
three Spices
three flowers
three fruits and
three vegetables
listed for their symbolic power
and a "magic" recipe, that is full of GOOD INTENTS.
SPICES:
Cinnamon
The aroma that warms! Cinnamon is easily recognizable by its warm and unmistakable scent, bringing gifts of good luck and prosperity. It is a love plant and aphrodisiac. It rekindles the dormant senses giving sweetly spicy emotions. This bark also evokes protection and inner peace.
Nutmeg
It is an ingredient known for its aphrodisiac powers. Nutmeg should be used with caution, as it warms the soul... and uninhibits minds. This spice also has a reputation for being a good luck catcher, attracting good fortune
Saffron
also called Vegetable Gold, Red Gold or Gold of the Gods, because of its color and value. This delicate ingredient concentrates the energy and strength of the sun, the symbol of life, into our dishes. It brings protection, good luck, richness and an abundance of joy and vitality.
FLOWERS:
Daisy
The daisy helps us to enter into communion with the Spirit of Nature and it stimulates wisdom. Daisiesare a beautiful decoration for all dishes and speak to us of goodness of spirit, candour and innocence. This is the flower of purity par excellence. Purity of body, spirit and mind. No evil can disturb the soul and conscience of those who consume it.
Dandelion
The dandelion brings gifts of healing and longevity, protecting and purifying. Its flowers, bound to the sun and gold, increase wealth and donate powers of protection and purification.
Elderberry
The elderberry is considered a magical tree much loved by witches, who proclaimed November 25th as their feast day. It is the tree of the beginning and the end and is said to offer protection to fairies. The essence of the elder is changeable, elusive. It carries the gifts of the nocturnal birds of prey, whose sight is capable of penetrating the blackest darkness to see the truth beyond the visible.
FRUITS
Coconut
Coconut has several characteristics. First is the consistency of its shell, hard and strong. By breaking it we find coconut water, or milk, and a white, bright, sweet and crunchy pulp. For its shape and the colour of its pulp, coconut is connected to the magic of the moon. It brings purification, protection and peace as a gift.
Date
Dates are very sweet and super nutritious fruits. They grow in clusters, in groups, and symbolize fertility, victory and honour. This fruit also has the power to bring peace of mind where it is needed.
Fig
The fig tree is a sacred tree that speaks to us of knowledge, longevity, wisdom. Its fleshy fruits are soft, sweet and full of seeds. It is a fruit that has many properties speaking to us of passion and tenderness, disinhibition. It brings gifts of fertility, power, and abundance. It help
VEGETABLES
Fava beans
These beans are used in agriculture to remove pests from other crops, just hiding some of them underground saves nearby plants. In the same way, they remove hypocrisy, opportunism and unclear situations from our life. Fava beans have the power to strengthen dreamlike visions and omens about the future. They can help us make an important discovery by increasing intuition.
Fennel
Fennel is a nice guy! Jovial, dishevelled, cheerful! It symbolizes an idea of rebirth, or better yet, of spiritual regeneration. In ancient times it was used to cover the flavour of sometimes slightly fresh foods. Fennel helps us eliminate the useless by ensuring protection.
Garlic
Garlic offers us many gifts of healing, protection, abundance and purification. According to many, garlic protects against any evil and is considered the best protection against vampires.
Picture@Nadeen Flynn Photography
LOVE TO TASTE'S RECIPE:
BRIGHT ENERGIZING PUDDING
Made of Saffron, an ingredient that concentrates
the energy and strength of the sun,
the symbol of life, into our dishes.
It brings protection, good luck,
richness and an abundance of joy and vitality.
The use of saffron in cakes is perfect because its aroma is very similar to the one of vanilla. Saffron is therefore good in preparations such as custard, spoon desserts, short pastry cookies and pastries of any kind.
Ingredients:
500 ml of vegetable milk;
100 g of coconut sugar;
1 tea spoon of agar-agar
0.20 g Saffron
rose petals
Preparation: (10 minutes + 4h in the fridge)
Melt the agar agar and the sugar powder in few spoons of warm water.
Pour the milk into a saucepan, add the saffron and the agar agar water into the milk and put on the heat for a few minutes.
Let it comes to the boil, and continue stirring until you reach the desired consistency, a little thick, in case you can add a bit of agar agar.
Remove the milk from the heat and let it cool slightly:
Pour pudding into molds or glasses, deorate with dried rose petals and let cool for 4 hours in the refrigerator.
Do you know agar agar?
There is a plant-based alternative to gelatin and it’s called agar-agar.
Agar is a type of seaweed that has extremely powerful thickening and gelling properties.
Agar is commonly used by modernist chefs who specialize in molecular gastronomy, but you don’t need a chemistry degree to use it. Here’s everything you ever wanted to know about agar-agar, the plant-based answer to gelatin.
Read the article: Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Agar-Agar - One Green Planet
