This week provided a massive, bright harvest moon which still looms overhead in the peaceful skies. Leaves are beginning to fall and get crunchy underfoot. The nights are cool and the mornings are crisp. Harvest season is here.
I cannot think of a more peaceful time for my soul than the season between the autumn equinox (the second-to-last harvest season of the year) and the winter solstice. It encompasses all of my favorite holidays.
Autumn is about to show us how good it feels to let things go.
Many people signify those periods as Mabon and Yuletide. I’m neither Wiccan nor Druid, but I have always been drawn to the significance of the seasons and feel that there is a special magic that exists in this time of year.
What is Mabon
According to Mabonhouse.co, Mabon is considered the pagan Thanksgiving, marking the Autumn Equinox, when day and night are equal. This is a time of balance, equality and harmony.
“In ancient times Mabon was a celebration of the second harvest (Lughnasadh was the first) when farmers gathered hearty foods like gourds, pumpkins, grapes and apples.”
There are mixed stories on how old or young this holiday is. Some say it is ancient. Some say it has only been observed for less than 100 years. What everyone does agree upon is that it is a time for giving thanks, celebrating the second to last harvest of the year, and opening the holiday season with the first day of autumn.
Whatever you may believe, I think this is a wonderful time to follow nature’s examples and shed the weight of things we no longer need in our lives, and to make room to welcome in new joys. My family has never formally celebrated Mabon, but we have always celebrated acknowledging the beginning of our favorite season and counting our blessings.
I hope you have an incredible autumn.
Mabon Bread
Ingredients
- 2 1/4 cups flour all-purpose
- 1/3 cup butter softened, but still cool
- 1 cup sharp white cheddar grated, plus extra for top
- 1 tbsp baking powder aluminum free, if possible
- 1/2 tsp salt kosher
- 1 tbsp sugar granulated
- 1/8 cup everything bagel seasoning
- 1/8 cup herbs de Provence blend
- 1/8 cup dried marigolds or favorite dried edible flowers
- 1 cup milk Any % fat is fine. Can sub cream, buttermilk, or half & half if necessary
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425F
- In a medium bowl, mix flour and butter together. A pastry/dough cutter is perfect for this. Aim for coarse sand consistency.
- Add grated cheese, baking powder, sugar, salt, herbs, spices, and flowers. Gently stir to combine.
- Add milk, and fold together by hand until biscuit consistency.
- You may roll into walnut-sized balls, or put dough on a bench and roll out with biscuit cutter.
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