Tag Archives: Food

March 22, 2022 · 10:15 am

I stand with the Ukraine )O(

Merry meet all,

The world has gone mad! Like the Covid pandemic was not bad enough, Ukraine is under merciless fire from Russia. I can’t believe what is going on. I feel so bad for the Ukraine. They never hurt anyone. Now their homes are bombed, no heat, no love. It is awful. It breaks my heart. I found out that not everyone in Russia agrees with the cruel attacks on the Ukraine. Celebrities like Arnold Schwarzenneger and Baryshikov spoke out and expressed their feelings and opinions about the senseless attack. 

Yet there is hope. I found an interesting article on Twitter about local pagans making sure no one goes starving!!! 

Cape Breton pagans launch new programs to combat food insecurity

Candice Hannah, a founding member of the Circle of the Raven Society, shows off the group’s food pantry with Joe Townsend. (Christian Roach / CBC)

A small pagan society in North Sydney, N.S., is expanding community outreach and food insecurity programs with a new location for free meals and the addition of a community garden.

The Circle of the Raven Society is a non-profit organization started by Candice Hannah and her daughter, Briana Berardinelli, almost two years ago. They formed the group after seeing how many people in the community needed help.

The pair started out in Millville, N.S., giving away a free meal to anyone who needed one. Originally, the pair paid out of pocket for all the food but they soon began to sell small items from a trailer in their yard to help with the cost.

“We’ve moved from a tiny little trailer into a giant Addams Family building now where we’re currently located in North Sydney,” said Berardinelli, adding that the hard work has always been worth it.

“Any personal stories that we’ve heard just keeps pushing us to continue doing this, because we’re seeing just how many people that we can help.”

The group has grown and now gives away about 100 free meals on the last Sunday of every month from their location on Commercial Street. They also sell crafts and books and run a free clothes market.

The society offers free clothing in its store on Commercial Street in North Sydney. (Christian Roach / CBC)

Expanding to Glace Bay

In the short term they hope to feed more people by expanding to Glace Bay.

Member Mary Dillon will be giving away 30 free meals from her home in Glace Bay starting March 27, while other members continue to offer free meals in North Sydney.

Dillon said she loves being a part of the group and wants it to grow so they can help more people.

“We’d love to get as much places as possible for people to have food, for people to come, get readings, be able to connect with people who understand them, that aren’t going to look down on them,” she said.

Briana Berardinelli is a founder of the Circle of the Raven Society. (Christian Roach / CBC)

New community garden coming

Although the society has only six official members, the Facebook page has over 700 followers. The group has made community connections with the Ally Centre, NSCC and Cape Breton University to spread the word about the free meals.

They’ve also partnered with other community groups like Community Cares to install a red food pantry behind their building — the home of the new community garden that’s expected to be ready this summer.

“We want to be able to fill it up with an array of fruits and vegetables or herbs, anything that can really go a long way for people who need it and it will be easily accessible.”

Berardinelli said she still can’t explain the feeling she gets helping others.

“It just fills my heart just seeing how many people that we’ve helped, even just in this amount of time in the last two years,” said Berardinelli.

“I can only imagine just how much more we’re going to grow and how many more people will be able to help.”

That warms my heart. I love this story of people trying hard to help others. It proves we don’t need a war. No one wants war. When willl it end? 

I am almost done sewing the wool coat. I am so excited and brimming with anticipation. I promise to post pics when it is done! 

Ostara is upon us. It is still snowing. March is the cruelest month of winter. Spring battles with winter for supremacy. The other day was so warm and today I saw a skiff of snow on the ground. 

Well we can warm our hearts and stand together for the Ukraine against the cruel and needless war. 

Blessings, Spiderwitch

 

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September 11, 2021 · 12:48 pm

Raccoons in the yard again

Merry meet all,

The raccoons- those daring masked thieves invaded my garden. I thought they wanted the apples but they were on another prize. I had a compost bucket, a bird feeder, and – potatoes! Yes I grew potatoes this summer. I cleaned up the apples to toss in the compost bin and found small brown things on the ground. The raccoons were more interested in the taters that grew in pots on the back step. I have since tossed the contents of the compost bucket into the green bin ( a feat in itself), emptied the bird feeder and relegated the plant pots to my Mom’s place. The pots are up high on her deck. Let em try. They can sniff all they want. The prized food is gone. 

Potatoes grew in my compost bucket! I. harvested 3 pounds of potatoes- so far! I was growing the spuds in a big wooden box. I shoveled all the soil out and searched for potatoes. Nothing. There were a few tiny potatoes, that was all. The healthiest strongest best ever stalks grew in the box but no taters. I was so disheartened. That was weird. The taters in the compost bucket grew much better.  There were more nutrients in the compost perhaps which may explain why they grew like taters should. I’m planting garlic in the woodn box. I will wait a few weeks till it’s cold to grow them though until the raccoons to move on. 

Penny hissed at them from her high point on her scratching post. They hissed at each other. But now that there is no food – or, should I say, no five finger discount, they will likely move on. I will harvest the tomatoes and remaining pickling cucumbers in a few weeks. Then the frost hits. Pickling brine can be bought at your local grocery but I made my own mixture. It makes me feel more like a real kitchen witch that way. 

Here is a recipe for to make your own brine. It is affordable and simple to do. The taste of the pickled cucumbers is amazing. You may never go back to eating the store bought kind. 

Master Pickle Brine Recipe
You only need four ingredients and 20 minutes of hands-on time to turn yourself into a master pickler. Vinegar combines with sugar and salt to create this basic pickling brine that can be used for any of your seasonal fruits and vegetables. With pickling, you can transform fresh summer produce, such as small cherry tomatoes, cucumber and zucchini spears, okra, and red onions, into lip-smacking sides. Or use them as garnishes to top pulled pork sliders or hotdogs. Prepare your canning containers by sterilizing the jars and lids. Since you will be storing these pickles in the refrigerator, you won’t need to bother with a water bath. Wash and cut (if needed) your produce, then pack into your pickling jar. In a medium saucepan, stir together water and the four ingredients, boiling and stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Remove the mixture from the heat and let cool, then pour over the produce into the pickling jar. Seal tightly and refrigerate for up to 2 months. Pickling and freezing are popular methods of preserving seasonal produce so that you can enjoy the tastes of summer all year long. Some vegetables, including corn on the cob and sugar snap peas, can be blanched and frozen whole. Tomatoes can be stewed, then frozen or canned, to be used later in meat sauces, soups and stews, or even Bloody Mary drinks. If you want to freeze blueberries, don’t wash them. Instead, lay them out on a baking sheet and pop them in the freezer; once berries are frozen, you can then store them in freezer-safe baggies.
Active:
10 mins
Cook:
48 hrs
Total:
20 mins
Yield:
4 cups (1 [32-oz.] mason jar)
Master Pickle Brine Recipe

Ingredients

  • 1 1/3 cup white vinegar
  • 1/3 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 tablespoons kosher salt
  • 1 cup water

Directions

 

Stir together 1 cup water and all ingredients in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over high, stirring until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat; cool 10 minutes. Pour over vegetables or fruits. Cover with a tight-fitting lid; chill 2 days. Store, covered, in refrigerator up to 2 months.

That’s all for today. I shall post more soon. Stay safe and be well
Blessings, Spiderwitch

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September 4, 2013 · 10:25 am

Respect for the Earth- The importance of choosing organic food

Divination- Tea Leaf readings

Merry meet all,

I am now on a mission! I was inspired by the Starhawk Workshop. While I was there, it came to my attention that people are not aware enough of the importance of organic food. Now it is important to be aware. So my mission is to help make people more aware. That is what I am going to blog about here and try to make people more aware on a local level in my community. 

Being aware means many things. It means that you make healthier food choices, that you are critical of where you spend your hard earned money, that you strive to benefit the environment, that you boycott restaurants such as McDonalds or Wendys or Starbucks. It means that you are committed to helping the environment. It means that you are educated about the harsh realities of GMO food and stand against Monsanto. It means that you harbour a deep love of our Mother Earth, a love so deep it would never occur to you to step inside McDonalds. It means that you do not support that animals are forced into inhumane conditions and injected with chemicals. Those animals never see daylight or eat grass. How would you feel if you were in such a situation? 

Organic food is produced more humanely, retains the necessary nutrients, and is healthier for you. It saves the lives of bees, helps support local farmers, and lets you eat with a conscience. This may not seem like much but each step you take towards choosing organic food over processed does help the environment. Organic food keeps farmers in business and the more you insist on organic food being available, the more that the large grocery stores have to supply it. So keep buying organic food to make it available to as many people as possible. 

Commit to selecting organic food. You will stay fit, be healthier, help the environment and know you made a smart choice. When I was at the Starhawk workshop, I found it hard to eat the food that was served because the food wasn’t organic. The food that is being served should reflect the nature of the workshop. I had to throw a lot out and just eat my nature trail seeds because I couldn’t stomach the processed food. That is how committed I am to my course. It shocked me, the quality of food that was served to people. However, I had little choice. 

This is what I am trying to communicate. Not enough people are aware that organic food, toiletries, even linens are available and that it would benefit them much more than they realize. 

So stay tuned to learn more of the importance of organic food here. Trust me, the bees, birds, local farmers and your own body will thank you for it. 

Blessed Be,

Lady Spiderwitch )O(

 

 

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