Preheat oven to 325F.
Butter and flour an 8-9 inch baking pan.
Sift flour, ginger and cinnamon, set aside.
Cream brown sugar and butter until light and fluffy.
Combine molasses and eggs.
Add alternately with the dry ingredients into the sugar mixture.
Dissolve baking soda in hot milk.
Stir into the batter.
Pour into pan.
Bake 1-1/2 hours or until done.
Cool about 10 minutes, remove from pan and cool completely.
Dust with powdered sugar.

makes 5 quarts

2 large lemons
1/2 cup plus 5 teaspoon granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/8 cup dark corn syrup, optional
5 quarts boiling water
1/8 teaspoon active dry yeast
15 or so raisins

Peel lemon remove any of the white pith from the peel.
Slice lemons as thin as possible.
Combine lemon slices, lemon skins, 1/2 cup sugar and the brown sugar in a large enameled or stainless steel bowl.
Pour boiling water over the mixture, stir then let cool to tepid.
Stir in the yeast and allow the sima to ferment, uncovered, at room temperature for 12 hours.

Bottle it: use 5 one-quart bottles with tight covers or corks. Place 1 teaspoon of sugar and 3 or 4 raisins in the bottom of each bottle. Strain the sima through a sieve and pour liquid into bottles. Close bottles tightly and let stand at room temperature 1 to 4 days until the raisins have risen to the surface. It will then be ready to drink, the raisin will rise according to the temperature of your home. Chill the bottles until ready to serve. Serve well chilled!

Beat egg yolks, sugar, butter, thyme, basil, and orange water until smooth.
Mix enough of the butter with the hot noodles to coat them.
Garnish with orange slices.

Pour wine into carafe.
Add strawberries and woodruff and allow to stand no less than one hour.
Strain and refrigerate.

*Also called sweet woodruff . Live plants may be found in most nurseries; the dried herb is available in gourmet stores and through mail order.

1 envelope active dry yeast
2 tablespoons warm water
2 eggs
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 cup milk, scaled, cooled
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups all-purpose flour
oil for deep-frying
powdered sugar, for dusting

Stir yeast in to water and let stand 5 minutes.
Meanwhile beat eggs and sugar until blended.
Stir in milk, yeast mixture and salt.
Whisk in flour mixture until smooth.
Cover the bowl with a dry towel and let set 45-60 minutes or until bubbly.
Heat 1-1/2 to 2 inches of oil in a pan over medium-high heat. Bring to 375F.
Pour some of the batter into the squeeze bottle.
Squeeze batter in to oil in a swirling circular pattern, about 3-4 inches in diameter.
Fry one minute on each side or until golden brown.
Remove with a slotted spoon and place on a paper towel to drain.
Dust with powdered sugar.
Serve hot!

type: rolled
makes: 1 dozen

1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 cup quick cooking oatmeal, uncooked
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 cup butter, room temperature
pinch of salt
1/4 cup milk

Preheat oven to 450F.
Combine flour, oats, sugar, baking powder, and salt in large bowl.
Add butter, rub with clean dry hands or a spoon until mixture is blended and crumbly. Slowly stir in enough milk to make smooth but firm dough.
Turn dough out on to lightly floured board and knead until dough hold together.
Roll dough 1/3″ thick.
Cut into 2-1/2″ rounds and place on an ungreased cookie sheet about 2″ apart.
Bake 12-15 minutes or until light brown.
Transfer to wire rack to cool.

paper towel roll
cardboard square about 6 x 6 inches
paint
ribbons in various colors (or streamers)
tape
flowers

Paint the paper towel roll and let dry.
Tape one end of the painted paper towel roll onto the cardboard allowing it to stand up.
Wrap ribbons around Maypole and secure with tape.
Cut some ribbons to hang from the top of the Maypole to different places on your table.
Tape one end of the ribbon to the inside of the top edge of the paper towel roll.
Secure the other end to a designation on your table.
Tuck flowers in the top of you Maypole and at the ends of the ribbons.

If it is a hot day or you think the person might not be at home, wrap the bottom of fresh cut flowers in a wet paper towel. Wrap that in aluminum foil so that it doesn’t drip. This should preserve the flowers until the recipient gets home.

fabric or cloth doily, cut into an 8-10 inch circle
spray starch
iron
straight pin or clothespin
assorted colors of ribbons, 1/4″ or 1/8″
hot glue and glue gun
flowers and ferns

Press the cloth then spray on starch following the manufactures directions.
Starch both sides.
Wrap cloth into a conical shape.
Use a pin or clothespin to hold it in shape while you tie on the ribbons (or staple it).
Tie ribbons around the center.
Cut a piece of ribbon about 8 inches long.
Loop and secure to the top, this will be the hanger.
Remove pin or clothespin.
Fill with flowers and ferns.

This is an idea that I found people of all ages like. On May Day I wanted to do something special with my friends so I decided to take them all on a picnic. I made everyone’s favorite finger foods and some drinks and packed them in the basket along with a blanket to sit on and some water in a thermos and some paper towels and tin foil.

When we finished eating and playing a game of Frisbee I took them all out to pick some wild flowers. They all picked their own bouquet of flowers and tied them with a ribbon. I put them in wet paper towels and then in tin foil so it wouldn’t leak. Then I pulled out a list of all the flowers and wrote down what they meant and also the color of the ribbon’s meaning. When we were satisfied with what we made we took the bouquets home and left them on people’s door knobs or in that general vicinity. It’s like ding, dong, ditch only with a nicer intent. The tradition was that if you get caught by the person when you leave the flowers that you get a kiss. We decided to bypass that. If you wanted, you could make flower garlands of the flowers you picked instead and give those away to people or wear it yourself.

When bluebells ring they warn of approaching evil faeries.

Did you know you could attract specific faeries by planting certain flowers? Or that a particular plant would ward off evil ones? Well, the folks of the Middle Ages did and here are their findings.

• Bluebells: Plant bluebells, when they ring they warn of approaching evil faeries.
• Carnation: Red colored ones draw faeries who enjoy healing animals.
• Clover: Wildly attractive to faeries.
• Cowslip: The best choice for attracting faeries to your yard.
• Dandelion: Believed to be used by faeries to make beverages.
• Dill: The fresh plant has a scent faeries dislike.
• Foxglove*: A favorite of earth faeries.
• Hawthorne: Sacred to faeries, as well as to the May Queen.
• Heliotrope*: Enjoyed by fire faeries.
• Gorse: Repels virtually all faery life.
• Hollyhock*: A faery favorite, particularly the pink variety.
• Lilac: The gentle scent draws faery life.
• Lobelia*: Will help attract winged faeries.
• Mistletoe*: Can also attract unpleasant tree faeries, so we suggest using this with caution!.
• Morning Glory*: Repels unwanted night faeries.
• Mushrooms*: Used by faeries to mark the boundaries of their sacred circles or portals to their world.
• Pansy: Known to attract parades of trooping faeries.
• Primrose: Believed to give faeries their power of invisibility.
• Rosemary: The fresh plant protects from depraved faeries, so be sure plant some.
• Sassafras: Enjoyed by air faeries.
• Shamrock: A form of clover Celtic faeries adore.

* poisonous plants

This is adapted from an article titled “Flowers, Herbs, and the Faeries of May” written by Edain McCoy found in “Llewellyn’s 1995 Magical Almanac”, pages 88-92, Llewellyn Publications, 1994.