We hope you’ve had the time to throw together our Mother Earth Spinach Salad and play around a little with our ink recipe!

This week we would like to share with you the magic of Rosemary. “Rosemary has always been one of the cherished herbs of the Goddess Foremothers. Infused with spring water, it was used to ground and purify the mind, body, and psyche. Rosemary smudge pots were burned as offerings to keep bad spirits away and were a constant companion in the birthing room, at house blessings, and on the battlefields.” ~ see below for instructions for making Rosemary smudge wands.

“The provocative scent of Rosemary awakens the body to sexual arousal in an enchanted way, like a vision or a dream. This beloved herb has long been woven into wreaths and bridal bouquets as a symbol of everlasting love and remembrance. Hung in sprigs above the bed it will help bring harmony into your love life.”

We are very pleased and excited to offer you one of our favourite recipes – the delectable Rosemary Beef on a Bun.
This recipe has been in our families for decades, is so very easy to prepare and makes for a wonderfully satisfying and filling meal.

ROSEMARY BEEF ON A BUN

“Three basic cuts of meat guarantee a great-tasting roast – sirloin, sirloin tip, or inside round
(Baron or Beef.) What you are looking for is a nice solid meat with a small amount of marbling
for tenderness and gravy drippings. Choose the size according to the number of people
you are feeding.”

“We always rinse any meat before cooking. Slice some garlic – 4 cloves for a medium size roast – into slivers and push it into the meat along the fat line of the roast. Do this on both sides. When you slice the meat, you will have garlic in the slice, along the marble of the beef.”

“Rub the roast with a good covering of olive oil, then a generous amount of coarse salt. Pat on enough mustard to coat the whole roast. Prepared mustard works great. If you want more zest or tang, use Dijon or hot mustard.”

“For a medium-size roast, take 1/3 cup fresh Rosemary and 1/3 cup fresh peeled garlic and chop together into small pieces.”

“Press this mixture onto the roast, making sure you have a nice thick covering on all sides.”

“Place the roast on a rack in your roasting pan. You need a rack to get all the drippings for your gravy. For darker gravy, add 2 to 3 sun-dried tomatoes to the bottom of the pan. Cut a large onion into thick slices and place around the roast.”

“Add enough water to cover the bottom of the pan – not much, you do not want to steam the roast – making sure not to let the bottom dry out during the cooking process. Do not cover with a lid.

Bake at 325 degrees for 20 minutes per pound.” Throw on your favourite bread or bun and get ready to be astounded!

ROSEMARY SMUDGE

“Where Rosemary flourishes the Lady rules.”

Smudging Rosemary is nowhere near as commonplace as smudging Sage. Each has its unique uses  and purposes; smudging Rosemary evokes ethereal wisdom – its smoky presence in the air strengthens virtue, stimulates the senses, and improves clarity of mind.

To capture its potent blessing, dry branches of a Rosemary plant you have grown yourself.
Clip 5 equal-sized pieces about 12 inches long.
The number 5, like the 5 points on the pentagram,
represents spirit, water, fire, earth and air.

When encased in a circle, the pentagram symbolizes the Goddess. Gather the stalk ends of the branches and bind them together with 2 pieces of twine knotted at the end.
As you wrap the twine around the stalks,
cant or sing a blessing – a wishing of
well-being, a charm of protection, the gift
of the third eye for inner sights, a bringing
of action to manifest wealth and prosperity – each and every time you knot the cord.
Wrap the twine one third of the way up
the stalk, leaving the end to burn.

Now hang it in a cool dark place to dry for 2 to 3 days.

When you are ready to cant your blessing and smudge either the person you are trying to help of the house you are trying to heal, light a candle and run the fire up and down the Rosemary wand, twirling it at the same time, catching the outer stems on fire. Quickly blow out the flame, allowing the smoke to spirit through the air.

As always, we would love to hear about your experiences – leave us a note here or find us on facebook at http://www.facebook.com/WisewomansCookery.

Enjoy!

Herbal Sachet

We have harvested and hung to dry all the herb flowers and herbs from our lovely garden for a number of  years now.  Mixing them together and filling beautiful Organza bags is a lovely gift to give, something you have put your time and love into. They can be used for everything from making a lingerie drawer smell beautiful or brewing a cupful of herbal tea to sprinkling them onto an offering when asking the Universe for direction of focusing your intent for a change.