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Issue: November 2008
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Contests! Congrats to my winners in my many October contests! Stay tuned for the next one...this one will be a December scavenger hunt sponsored by Samhain Publishing. Details will be available on my blog and in my next newsletter. For other monthly contests, remember to sign up for my email list and make sure your account is set to at least Special Notices.
Elder is known as the "poor man's medicine chest" because it grows everywhere and all parts of it have medicinal and healing properties. The berries are used to make a rich, red wine, tea, and jam. Elderberries are an excellent cough/cold remedy as they are rich in vitamins A and C. The leaves can be made into a salve that can be rubbed on the chest and back to make breathing easier. It's also great for bruises!
Here's a simple recipe for a multipurpose salve:
1 pint olive oil 4 oz. green elder leaves 1-1/2 oz. beeswax
Gently heat the oil and leaves over LOW heat for about an hour. Strain and discard leaves. Add beeswax and stir until melted. Keep stirring until the mixture cools and thickens. Pour into a widemouth jar and store in the refrigerator.
Caution: ONLY THE BERRIES are safe to consume internally. NEVER ingest any other part of the tree.
Magically, the elder tree represents a simultaneous ending and beginning. In ancient times it was considered unlucky to sleep beneath its branches, and also unlucky to cut one down. Elder was associate with the White Goddess, an also with the Norse goddess Freya. As it grows near water, it is also connected deeply with the waters of life.
St. Andrew Nov. 30 marks the feast day of St. Andrew, patron saint of Scotland. Any coincidence that my birthday falls only one day before? :) The Saltire Flag holds the St. Andrew Cross, representing the sacrifice he made that prompted more than one country to adopt him as their patron saint.
This Month in Scottish History I ran across this interesting BBC web page and here are a few tidbits from it:
Nov. 9 - The Royal yacht Britannia leaves the Clydebank shipyards to begin time trials. She carried the Royal family around the world until her decommissioning in 1997.
Nov. 11 - Martinmas, the feast of St. Martin
Nov. 12 - Edinburgh University admits the first women into its medical program.
Nov. 13 - Robert Louis Stevenson born.
Nov. 15 - In 1996, the Stone of Destiny was returned to Scotland.
Nov. 23 - Nigel Tranter born.
Nov. 25 - Andrew Carnegie born at Dunfermline.
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Carolan's Cauldron In honor of St. Andrew's Day, here's a recipe for The Laird's Shrimp. I've made this easy recipe for guests and it's always a hit!
The Laird's Shrimp
1 stick butter 2 garlic cloves, crushed 1 Tb. finely minced onion 1 lb. raw, peeled, deveined shrimp 1/4 cup scotch whiskey 2 tsp. fresh lemon juice 1/4 tsp. dried basil Salt and pepper to taste
Heat butter in skillet. Add garlic and onion and "sweat" over low heat until translucent. Add lemon juice, basil and scotch.
If you're feeling ambitious, you can use a propane lighter to set fire to the scotch to burn off the alcohol and add a smoky flavor. Otherwise, if you're a clutz like me, just leave it alone and let it cook. :)
Add shrimp and cook, stirring often, until just pink. Do no overcook. Salt and pepper to taste.
Can be served with buttery egg noodles, angel hair pasta or rice. Serves 2 generous helpings, or 3 more reasonable helpings. :)
Variation: Add a half cup or so of heavy cream for an extra-decadent dish. Or add a handful of fresh (or thawed, drained and dried) spinach for a lovely florentine touch.
What's Cooking...On the Keyboard?
A Ghost
of a Chance has been officially put to bed, and the alarm is set for
Dec. 30 for its release! Hm, and my editor has once again run away to
Paris. Any connection???
I'm currently working on a quickie FREE story that will be given away in December exclusively on the SamhainCafe loop. Dozens of other authors are participating, but you have to be a member of the loop to get these goodies! ~~~ ~~~ My fellow Beyond the Veil blog denizens are gleefully planning the next installment of this wildly popular, FREE short story collection. To download volume 1, click here. (18 and older only, please! This one's hot!)
Feb. 27-March 1, 2009, Portland, OR
Grandfather Mountain Highland Games July 9-12, 2009
"The thinnest yellow
light of November is more warming and exhilarating than any wine they tell
of. |
 Copyright 2008 Carolan Ivey, All Rights Reserved. |
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