Tools & Resources · A Living Almanac

The Seasonal Almanacplant lore, weather omens, kitchen witchery

Our grandmothers' grandmothers kept almanacs by the stove: when to plant, what the clouds were saying, which moon was rising. This one is kept in the same spirit, a month at a time.

Written for the Northern Hemisphere. South of the equator, read six months ahead.

Januarythe deep-rooted month

January is the hush after the feasting, when the light returns so slowly you have to trust it. The ground is locked and the trees stand bare, yet everything that will bloom is already waiting underneath. This month asks you to rest, to tend your roots, and to begin gently.

The full moon

Wolf Moon

also called Ice Moon · Old Moon

The name is usually linked to wolves heard howling in the long winter nights, and like most full moon names it comes from a blend of Native American, early Colonial American and European traditions. Keep this moon by stepping outside, letting the cold wake you, and naming one thing you want to protect this year.

Plant lore

Birch

Birch is the tree of beginnings: in the Ogham tree alphabet it is Beith, the very first letter. Birch twigs were bound into the besoms that swept out the old year, so it carries a sense of cleansing and fresh starts.

Witch Hazel

Witch hazel opens its spidery, scented flowers in the depths of winter, a small defiance of the cold. Its forked branches were favored for water dowsing, and the 'witch' in its name likely comes from an Old English word meaning pliant rather than from witchcraft.

Winter Jasmine

Winter jasmine opens small yellow flowers on bare green stems in the deepest part of winter, long before its leaves return. In China, where it grows wild, it is called yíngchūnhuā, the flower that welcomes spring, and it has long been painted and praised as a promise that the cold will not last. Unlike its summer cousins it has almost no scent, as if it saves its whole voice for color.

Weather omens

As the days lengthen, so the cold strengthens.

This old English proverb is well supported by science: the ground and seas keep losing stored heat after the solstice, so the coldest weeks usually arrive in January even as daylight grows. Meteorologists call it seasonal lag.

If the grass grows in Janiveer, it grows the worse for't all the year.

This English farming saying warns that a mild January coaxes growth that a later frost will punish. There is no reliable link between a warm January and a poor year overall, but early growth can certainly be nipped by a hard freeze.

Kitchen witchery

Root and Barley Hearth Soup

Root vegetables hold the strength of the earth through winter, and barley is one of the oldest grains of the hearth. Simmering them together is a way of feeding your own roots.

You'll need

2 tablespoons butter or olive oil
1 onion, diced
2 carrots, diced
1 parsnip, diced
2 celery stalks, sliced
1/2 cup pearl barley, rinsed
6 cups vegetable or chicken broth
2 sprigs of thyme and a small sprig of rosemary
Salt and pepper to taste

Method

Warm the butter or oil in a large pot over medium heat and soften the onion for about 5 minutes.
Add the carrots, parsnip and celery and stir for another 5 minutes.
Add the barley, broth, thyme and rosemary, bring to a boil, then lower the heat.
Cover and simmer for 40 to 45 minutes, until the barley is tender.
Remove the herb stems, season with salt and pepper, and serve hot.

What is rooted in me will hold me through the cold.

In the night sky

The Quadrantid meteor shower usually peaks around January 3 to 4, with a short, sharp peak best seen in the dark hours before dawn. Look toward the northeast sky, away from city lights.

A small practice

Choose one word for the year rather than a long list of resolutions. Write it on a slip of paper and tuck it beneath a candle or a houseplant, and let it quietly root there through the dark weeks.

For your journal

What in your life needs rest more than it needs effort right now?

Write in your journal

Februarythe quickening month

February is the month of first stirrings: the light is noticeably longer, the sap begins to rise, and lambs are born in the cold fields. It is still winter, but the year has turned its face toward spring. This month asks you to kindle a small flame and believe in what is coming.

The full moon

Snow Moon

also called Hunger Moon · Storm Moon

The name reflects the heavy snows that often fall this month, and Hunger Moon remembers how hard late winter once was when stores ran low; these names come from a mix of Native American, early Colonial American and European sources. Keep this moon by sharing food with someone, or by setting out seed for the birds.

On the wheel this monthImbolc →

Plant lore

Rushes

On the eve of Imbolc, families in Ireland wove Brigid's crosses from fresh-pulled rushes and hung them over doors and in byres to protect the household and animals for the year ahead. Weaving one is still a lovely way to welcome Brigid.

Hazel

Hazel catkins dangle like pale lambs' tails in late winter. In Irish legend, the Salmon of Knowledge gained its wisdom by eating hazelnuts that fell into a sacred pool, so hazel is the tree of wisdom and inspiration. Hazel rods were also prized for wands and divining.

Camellia

The tea in your cup comes from a camellia, Camellia sinensis, a cousin of the glossy shrubs that bloom through late winter in mild gardens and on sunny windowsills. In Japan the camellia is tsubaki, loved for centuries in poetry, painting and temple gardens. Linnaeus named the genus for Georg Joseph Kamel, a Jesuit botanist who studied the plants of Manila.

Weather omens

If Candlemas Day be fair and bright, Winter will have another flight; But if Candlemas Day be clouds and rain, Winter is gone and will not come again.

This old British rhyme for February 2 shares its root with Groundhog Day, which grew from a German Candlemas custom that Pennsylvania German settlers carried to North America. There is no scientific basis for it, and the groundhog's forecasts are right less than half the time.

February fill-dyke, be it black or be it white.

This English saying expects February to fill the ditches with rain (black) or snow (white). Records suggest February is not usually the wettest month, but snowmelt and saturated ground can make it feel that way.

Kitchen witchery

Brigid's Oat Bannock

Imbolc has long been linked with milk, butter and oats, and a warm bannock shared at the table honors Brigid as keeper of the hearth.

You'll need

1 1/2 cups rolled oats
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon honey
4 tablespoons cold butter, cubed
3/4 cup buttermilk (or 3/4 cup milk stirred with 2 teaspoons lemon juice and left to stand for 5 minutes)

Method

Heat the oven to 375°F (190°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment.
Mix the oats, flour, baking soda and salt in a bowl, then rub in the butter with your fingertips until crumbly.
Stir in the honey and buttermilk to make a soft dough.
Pat the dough into a round about an inch thick and score it into eight wedges.
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until golden, and serve warm with butter.

May this hearth stay warm and this home be blessed.

In the night sky

There is no major meteor shower this month, but Orion stands high in the south on early February evenings. Follow the three stars of his belt down and to the left to find Sirius, the brightest star in the night sky.

A small practice

On the eve of Imbolc, light a single candle in a window to welcome the returning light. Before you blow it out, name one creative spark you want to tend as the days grow longer.

For your journal

What small flame in you is ready to be fed?

Write in your journal

Marchthe balancing month

March is restless and changeable, all wind and mud and sudden sunshine. At the equinox, day and night stand nearly equal before the light takes the lead. This month asks you to find your balance and make room for new growth.

The full moon

Worm Moon

also called Crow Moon · Sap Moon · Lenten Moon

The name is often tied to earthworms and their casts appearing as the ground thaws, while Sap Moon marks the season for tapping maple trees; these names come from a mix of Native American, early Colonial American and European sources. Keep this moon by putting your hands in the soil, even in a single pot on a windowsill.

On the wheel this monthOstara →

Plant lore

Magnolia

Magnolias belong to one of the oldest lines of flowering plants, a lineage that appeared before there were any bees, so their tough, cupped blossoms evolved to be pollinated by beetles. The name honors Pierre Magnol, a French botanist who taught at Montpellier. When their great pale flowers open on bare branches, you are looking at a very old kind of spring.

Forsythia

Forsythia is named for William Forsyth, a Scottish botanist and royal gardener of the 1700s, though the shrub itself came from East Asia. It blooms in a rush of gold before a single leaf appears, which has earned it the common name golden bells. For many northern gardeners its first yellow flowers are the surest sign that winter is letting go.

Pansy

The pansy takes its name from the French pensée, thought, and Ophelia gives it that meaning in Hamlet: "pansies, that's for thoughts." Its old English name is heartsease, and in A Midsummer Night's Dream the wild pansy, called love-in-idleness, becomes Oberon's love charm. Its hardy little faces shrug off a late frost, carrying color into the first days of spring.

Weather omens

March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb.

This saying goes back at least to the 1600s in England and reflects the general shift from stormy late winter toward milder spring. Science gives it no predictive power: a gentle start does not guarantee a rough finish.

A peck of March dust is worth a king's ransom.

This old English farming proverb praises a dry March, when soil can be worked and seeds sown on time. As a forecast it means little, but the farming wisdom behind it is sound, since waterlogged fields delay planting.

Kitchen witchery

Green Equinox Soup

Green foods carry the color of returning life, and a bright soup at the equinox is a simple way to welcome the season's balance.

You'll need

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 leeks, white and pale green parts, sliced and rinsed
1 potato, peeled and diced
4 cups vegetable broth
2 cups frozen peas
2 large handfuls baby spinach
A small handful fresh parsley or dill
Juice of half a lemon
Salt and pepper to taste

Method

Warm the oil in a pot over medium heat and soften the leeks for about 8 minutes.
Add the potato and broth, bring to a boil, then simmer for 15 minutes until the potato is tender.
Add the peas and cook for 3 minutes, then stir in the spinach and herbs until wilted.
Let it cool slightly, then blend until smooth, taking care with the hot liquid.
Stir in the lemon juice, season with salt and pepper, and serve.

As the light and dark are balanced, so may I be.

In the night sky

The spring equinox usually falls around March 20, when day and night are nearly equal. In the evening sky, look east for Leo, whose bright star Regulus marks the bottom of a backward question mark.

A small practice

At the equinox, set out two bowls, one for what you are releasing and one for what you are calling in, and write a word for each on paper slips. Bury or compost the first, and keep the second on your altar until the new moon.

For your journal

Where in your life are you longing for more balance?

Write in your journal

Aprilthe opening month

April is the month the ground lets go. Rain softens everything and green comes back in a haze before it comes back in leaves. It asks you to loosen your grip and let things begin before they are ready.

The full moon

Pink Moon

also called Sprouting Grass Moon · Egg Moon · Fish Moon

The name is usually traced to creeping phlox, a pink wildflower of North American woodlands; like the other popular moon names, it draws on a mix of Native American, early Colonial American and European sources. Keep this moon by setting seeds to sprout on your windowsill under its light.

Plant lore

Sweet Violet

Violets were sacred to the Greeks, who made them a symbol of Athens, and Christian lore made them a flower of humility because they grow low and hidden. Folk custom held that the first violet of spring, found and kept, brought luck for the year.

Dandelion

Its name comes from the French dent de lion, lion's tooth, for its jagged leaves. Children have long blown dandelion clocks, counting the puffs to tell the hour or sending a wish or a message to a faraway love on the seeds.

Lilac

Lilacs came to western Europe from the mountains of the Balkans, and early colonists carried them to North America, where old farmhouse lilacs often outlive the houses they once stood beside. Walt Whitman made them a flower of grief and love in "When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom'd," his 1865 elegy for Abraham Lincoln. In the Victorian language of flowers, purple lilac speaks of the first stirrings of love.

Weather omens

March winds and April showers bring forth May flowers.

A version appears in Thomas Tusser's 1557 farming verses as "Sweet April showers do spring May flowers." There is real truth in it: spring rain soaks the soil just as temperatures rise enough for plants to grow.

Red sky at night, shepherd's delight; red sky in the morning, shepherd's warning.

This one is ancient enough to appear in the Gospel of Matthew. In the mid-latitudes, where weather moves west to east, it often holds: a red sunset means clear air to the west, while a red sunrise can mean moisture moving in.

Kitchen witchery

Spring Herb Butter

The first tender herbs of April carry the season's green straight to the table. Spread on warm bread, this is a small rite for clearing out winter heaviness.

You'll need

1/2 cup (115 g) butter, softened
2 tablespoons fresh chives, finely chopped
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, finely chopped
1 tablespoon fresh dill, finely chopped
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
a pinch of flaky salt

Method

Leave the butter at room temperature until it gives easily under a spoon.
Wash the herbs, pat them completely dry, and chop them finely.
Mash the herbs, lemon zest and salt into the butter with a fork until it is evenly flecked with green.
Spoon it onto parchment, roll it into a log, twist the ends, and chill for an hour until firm.
Slice onto warm bread or new potatoes, and keep it in the refrigerator for up to a week.

As the green returns to the earth, let it return to me.

In the night sky

The Lyrid meteor shower, one of the oldest on record, usually peaks around April 21 to 22. Look up after midnight, away from city lights, toward the bright star Vega in the northeast.

A small practice

Choose one patch of ground, a garden corner or a park tree, and visit it once a week this month. Notice what has changed each time, without trying to name or fix anything.

For your journal

What in me is ready to begin, even if it does not feel finished yet?

Write in your journal

Maythe blossoming month

May arrives in blossom and birdsong, the month of Beltane fires and long green evenings. It asks you to say yes to pleasure, to warmth, and to being fully alive in your body.

The full moon

Flower Moon

also called Milk Moon · Corn Planting Moon · Hare Moon

The Flower Moon names the abundance of blooms this month, and like the other popular moon names it draws on a mix of Native American, early Colonial American and European traditions. Keep this moon by setting a few flowers in water where its light can reach them.

On the wheel this monthBeltane →

Plant lore

Hawthorn

Hawthorn, also called the May tree, is the classic Beltane blossom, and in Britain and Ireland a lone hawthorn was thought to belong to the fair folk and was never cut. Its blossoms were hung on doorways for protection, though bringing them indoors was widely thought unlucky.

Strawberry

In medieval and Renaissance art the strawberry was an emblem of goodness and righteousness, and it was often painted at the feet of the Virgin Mary or tucked into the borders of prayer books. Its botanical name, Fragaria, comes from the Latin for fragrance. The small white flowers that open in May are a promise of the red berries of June.

Snapdragon

Squeeze the sides of a snapdragon flower and its little mouth opens and shuts, a game children have played for generations. Those closed lips are a clever lock: only a bumblebee is heavy and strong enough to push them apart and climb inside to the nectar. Its botanical name, Antirrhinum, comes from Greek words meaning like a nose.

Weather omens

Ne'er cast a clout till May be out.

This English proverb warns against shedding warm layers too early, and people still argue whether "May" means the month or the hawthorn's May blossom. Either way it is sensible advice, since late frosts can still strike in May across much of the north.

Rain before seven, fine by eleven.

This old rhyme reflects the way fast-moving weather fronts often pass through in a few hours. It works sometimes, but morning rain can just as easily settle in all day, so science gives it only a modest nod.

Kitchen witchery

Lemon Honey Fool

A fool is one of the oldest English puddings, a soft cloud of cream folded with something bright. Lemon and honey make this one a Beltane sweet of sunshine and tenderness together.

You'll need

1 cup heavy cream
1 cup plain Greek yogurt
3 tablespoons honey, plus more to taste
finely grated zest of 1 lemon
4 to 6 shortbread cookies, crushed

Method

Whip the cream to soft peaks in a large chilled bowl.
In a second bowl, stir the yogurt, honey and lemon zest together until smooth, then taste and add a little more honey if you like.
Gently fold the yogurt mixture into the whipped cream in loose swirls, keeping it light and airy.
Spoon into small glasses and chill for at least 30 minutes.
Scatter the crushed shortbread over the top just before serving, setting the first spoonful aside as an offering to the land.

May this summer be full, kind and well fed.

In the night sky

The Eta Aquariids, born from the dust of Halley's Comet, usually peak around May 5 to 6. They are best seen in the dark hour before dawn, low in the eastern sky.

A small practice

Early this month, go outside before breakfast and wash your face in the dew on the grass, an old May Day custom said to bring beauty for the year. If there is no dew, a splash of cool water at an open window will do.

For your journal

Where in my life am I ready to let more joy in?

Write in your journal

Junethe sun-crowned month

June is the year at its brightest, with evenings that go on forever and the solstice crowning the month. It asks you to stand in your own light and enjoy what you have grown so far.

The full moon

Strawberry Moon

also called Rose Moon · Hot Moon · Honey Moon

The Strawberry Moon marks the short season when wild strawberries ripen in North America, and like other popular moon names it comes from a mix of Native American, early Colonial American and European sources. Keep this moon by sharing a bowl of berries outdoors.

On the wheel this monthLitha →

Plant lore

Rose

The rose belonged to Aphrodite and Venus, and later to Mary, and has stood for love across European tradition. The phrase sub rosa, under the rose, comes from hanging a rose over a meeting to show that what was said there must stay secret.

Calendula

Calendula takes its name from the Latin calendae, the first day of the month, because it was said to bloom at the start of nearly every month of the year. Its golden petals were once used to color butter and cheese, and in medieval England it was called Mary's gold, one root of our word marigold. It opens with the morning sun and folds up toward evening, a small, faithful clock of light.

Cornflower

Cornflowers once grew so freely among fields of grain that they took their name from corn, the old English word for any grain crop. Cornflowers were woven into the floral collars and garlands found in Tutankhamun's tomb, and today the cornflower is the national flower of Estonia. Its clear blue has long stood for hope, faithfulness and simple joy.

Weather omens

A dripping June sets all in tune.

This English farming proverb reflects how a showery June helps crops and pastures grow. It is less a forecast than good farming sense, since steady rain in early summer really does set up a healthy harvest.

When the dew is on the grass, rain will never come to pass.

This one has real science behind it. Heavy dew forms on clear, calm nights when heat escapes into the open sky, and those conditions usually mean fair weather is holding.

Kitchen witchery

Strawberry Honey Refrigerator Jam

Strawberries are heart-shaped and red, long linked with love and Venus. This small batch keeps a bit of Midsummer sweetness in your fridge.

You'll need

2 cups hulled and chopped strawberries
1/3 cup honey or sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
a pinch of salt

Method

Put the strawberries, honey or sugar, lemon juice and salt in a heavy saucepan.
Bring to a gentle boil over medium heat, stirring often and mashing the fruit lightly as it softens.
Simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring more as it thickens, until a spoonful dropped on a cold plate wrinkles when pushed.
Let it cool, spoon it into a clean jar, and keep it in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.
Stir clockwise as it cooks and name aloud the people you love.

Sweetness kept, sweetness shared.

In the night sky

There is no major meteor shower in June, but late on a clear night you can watch the Summer Triangle rise in the east: bright Vega, Deneb and Altair. It will keep you company through the rest of summer.

A small practice

On or near the solstice, around June 20 to 21, watch the sunset from start to finish, then light a single candle indoors as the light fades. Let it burn for a few minutes while you name what has bloomed for you this year. Snuff it gently as a thank you to the longest day.

For your journal

What have I grown this year that deserves to be celebrated?

Write in your journal

Julythe honeyed month

July is the year at full stretch: long light, heavy air, bees drowsy in the clover. This month asks you to stop pushing and let warmth do some of the work for you.

The full moon

Buck Moon

also called Thunder Moon · Hay Moon

The Buck Moon is named for new antlers pushing from a male deer's brow, while Thunder and Hay speak to summer storms and the first cutting; like most moon names, these come from a mix of Native American, early Colonial American and European sources. Keep this moon outdoors if you can, naming one thing that is quietly growing in you.

Plant lore

Basil

Basil's name comes from the Greek basilikon, royal, and it has long been treated as a herb fit for kings. In John Keats's poem "Isabella, or the Pot of Basil" (1818), drawn from a tale in Boccaccio's Decameron, a grieving young woman tends a pot of basil and waters it with her tears. Set on a sunny windowsill, it fills a warm afternoon with its sweet, peppery scent.

Zinnia

Zinnias came from Mexico and are named for Johann Gottfried Zinn, an eighteenth-century German botanist. In the Victorian language of flowers they meant thoughts of absent friends, so a jar of them on the table is a quiet way to remember someone far away. They love the heat and keep blooming through the hottest weeks of summer, bright as paper lanterns.

Nasturtium

Nasturtiums came from the Andes of South America and scrambled their way into cottage gardens across Europe, climbing fences and spilling over paths. Linnaeus named the genus Tropaeolum, from the Latin for trophy, because the round leaves reminded him of shields and the flowers of helmets hung on a victory post. Their flame colors have made them a flower of warmth and good cheer.

Weather omens

St Swithin's day if thou dost rain, for forty days it will remain; St Swithin's day if thou be fair, for forty days 'twill rain nae mair.

This English rhyme for 15 July is said to come from the rain that fell when the bishop's bones were moved into the Old Minster at Winchester in 971. Records show no forty-day rule, though British summer patterns can settle into a run of similar weather by mid-July.

Swallows fly high, clear blue sky; swallows fly low, rain we shall know.

Swallows follow the insects they feed on, which ride warm rising air in settled weather and stay low when damp, unsettled air moves in. It is a fair short-range sign, though not a forecast to rely on alone.

Kitchen witchery

Honey Basil Lemonade

Basil brings summer sweetness and lemon brings brightness, so this is a drink for cooling a hot temper or a hot afternoon. Sweetness shared is a small spell of friendship. Honey is not suitable for babies under a year old; sweeten their share with a little sugar instead.

You'll need

6 to 8 fresh basil leaves
1 cup boiling water
1/3 cup honey
1 cup fresh lemon juice (about 5 to 6 lemons)
4 cups cold water
Ice and lemon slices to serve

Method

Pour the boiling water over the basil leaves in a heatproof jug, cover, and steep for 10 minutes.
Strain out the basil and stir the honey into the warm infusion until it dissolves.
Add the lemon juice and cold water, stir well, and taste; add a little more honey or water as you like.
Chill for an hour and serve over ice with lemon slices.

Let this sweetness cool what runs too hot, and let it be shared.

In the night sky

Look high overhead after dark for the Summer Triangle, three bright stars (Vega, Deneb and Altair) that crown the July sky. On a dark night the Milky Way runs straight through it.

A small practice

Choose one warm evening to sit outside until the first star appears, with nothing to do. Notice how the birds give way to insects. Let this remind you that rest is also part of the season's work.

For your journal

What in my life is ripening on its own, without my needing to push it?

Write in your journal

Augustthe first-harvest month

August is gold at the edges: fields turning, evenings arriving sooner, a first coolness at dawn. This month asks you to gather in what you have grown and give thanks before the gathering is done.

The full moon

Sturgeon Moon

also called Grain Moon · Red Moon

The Sturgeon Moon is named for the great fish most readily caught in the Great Lakes at this season, while Grain and Red speak to ripening fields and a haze-tinted moon; these names come from a mix of Native American, early Colonial American and European sources. Keep this moon by setting a little bread or grain outside in thanks to the land.

On the wheel this monthLammas →

Plant lore

Wheat

Across Britain and Europe the last sheaf of the harvest was believed to hold the spirit of the grain, so it was woven into a corn dolly and kept through winter. In spring it was ploughed back into the field or given to the animals so the spirit could return to the land.

Sunflower

Sunflowers have long been tied to devotion and loyalty, and the Greek tale of Clytie, who longed for the sun god until she became a flower that turned to follow him, was later attached to them. Young sunflower heads truly do track the sun across the sky, while mature blooms settle facing east.

Hollyhock

Hollyhocks are the tall sentinels of the cottage garden, their flowers opening one by one from the bottom of the stalk to the top as summer goes on. Generations of children have made hollyhock dolls, using an open bloom for a ball gown and a bud for the head. The old name holyhoc means holy mallow, and legend says the plant came home with travelers from the Holy Land.

Weather omens

Dog days bright and clear indicate a happy year; but when accompanied by rain, for better times our hopes are vain.

The dog days of high summer take their name from Sirius, the Dog Star, which the Greeks and Romans saw rising with the sun at this season. There is no science behind the forecast, though the hot, heavy spell it names is real enough.

Mackerel sky and mares' tails make lofty ships carry low sails.

This sailors' rhyme describes rippled altocumulus and wispy cirrus, high clouds that often run ahead of a warm front, so wind and rain within a day or so is a fair bet.

Kitchen witchery

Lammas Honey Oat Soda Bread

Lammas means loaf-mass, the old feast of the first bread from the new grain. Baking a loaf thanks the harvest and invites enough into your home for the year ahead.

You'll need

2 cups plain flour
1 cup rolled oats, plus a handful for the top
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups buttermilk, plus a splash more only if the dough is dry
2 tablespoons honey

Method

Heat the oven to 425°F (220°C) and dust a baking sheet with flour.
In a large bowl mix the flour, oats, baking soda and salt.
Stir the honey into the buttermilk, pour it into the dry ingredients, and mix gently with a fork until a soft, shaggy dough forms.
Turn it onto a floured surface, shape it into a round without kneading much, set it on the sheet, and cut a deep cross across the top.
Scatter oats over it and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until golden and hollow-sounding when tapped underneath, then cool on a rack.

From the field, to my hands, to my table: thank you, and may there be enough.

In the night sky

The Perseid meteor shower usually peaks around 11 to 13 August. Find a dark spot after midnight, lie back, and give your eyes twenty minutes to adjust.

A small practice

Each evening this month, write down one thing you have reaped this year, however modest. At month's end, read the list aloud and bless it. The year has already given more than you noticed.

For your journal

What have I grown this year that I have not yet stopped to thank myself for?

Write in your journal

Septemberthe balancing month

September brings cool mornings, warm afternoons and light slanting lower through the trees. Day and night come into balance at the equinox, and the year begins its long exhale. This month asks you to take stock, store what nourishes you, and let the rest go.

The full moon

Harvest Moon

also called Corn Moon · Barley Moon

The Harvest Moon is the full moon nearest the autumn equinox (some years it falls in October, and September's moon is the Corn Moon); it rises soon after sunset for several nights running, once giving farmers extra light for the harvest. These names come from a mix of Native American, early Colonial American and European sources; keep this moon by watching it rise amber on the horizon and weighing what you will carry into the dark half of the year.

On the wheel this monthMabon →

Plant lore

Blackberry

Bramble canes arch over and take root wherever their tips touch the ground, which is how a single plant becomes a thicket. A widespread British tale says the devil, cast out of heaven on Michaelmas and landing in a bramble bush, spits or stamps on the berries every year in spite, so Michaelmas was said to mark the end of the blackberry season.

Michaelmas Daisy

These purple asters bloom around Michaelmas on 29 September, which gives them their common name. Aster means star, and a legend retold in flower lore says the first asters grew where the star maiden Astraea's tears fell to earth.

Fennel

In Greek myth, Prometheus stole fire from the gods and carried it down to people hidden in the hollow of a fennel stalk. The Greek word for fennel is marathon, and the battlefield of Marathon is said to take its name from the fennel that grew there. In late summer its feathery leaves often host the striped caterpillars of swallowtail butterflies.

Weather omens

Onion skins very thin, mild winter coming in; onion skins thick and tough, coming winter cold and rough.

This rhyme is a staple of North American almanac lore. Onion skins reflect the growing season just past, not the winter ahead, so science does not support it.

A ring around the moon means rain soon.

The halo is light bent through ice crystals in high, thin cirrostratus cloud, which often arrives ahead of a warm front. Rain or snow follows within a day or two fairly often, so this saying has real substance.

Kitchen witchery

Equinox Baked Apples

Apples hold the star of wisdom at their centre, and baking them with warming spice welcomes the cooler half of the year. Share them at dusk on the equinox, sweet and tart together.

You'll need

4 firm baking apples
1/4 cup rolled oats
2 tablespoons chopped walnuts or raisins
2 tablespoons brown sugar or honey
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons butter, softened
1/2 cup hot water

Method

Heat the oven to 375°F (190°C).
Core each apple with a small knife or corer, leaving the bottom intact, and stand them in a small baking dish.
Mix the oats, nuts or raisins, sugar or honey, cinnamon and butter, and press the filling into each apple.
Pour the hot water into the dish around the apples and bake for 35 to 45 minutes, until tender when pierced.
Let them cool for a few minutes and spoon the juices over before serving.

As the light and dark are even, may I hold both with grace.

In the night sky

As autumn begins, look east in mid-evening for the Great Square of Pegasus, four steady stars rising as the Summer Triangle slides west.

A small practice

On the equinox, make two short lists: what you are gathering in and what you are ready to release. Tear up the second and add it to the compost. Keep the first where you will see it through autumn.

For your journal

What do I want to carry into the dark half of the year, and what am I ready to set down?

Write in your journal

Octoberthe month of the thinning veil

October is the month of the thinning veil, when the fields are cut, the leaves let go, and the dark comes earlier each evening. It asks you to gather in what you have grown and remember the ones who came before you.

The full moon

Hunter's Moon

also called Travel Moon · Dying Grass Moon

The Hunter's Moon follows the Harvest Moon, named for the season when cleared fields made game easier to see; like the other popular moon names, it comes from a mix of Native American, early Colonial American and European sources. Keep it by setting a candle in the window and saying the names of those you have lost.

On the wheel this monthSamhain →

Plant lore

Pumpkin

The jack-o'-lantern began in Ireland and Scotland as a carved turnip, and the tale of Stingy Jack, who tricked the devil and was left to wander with a coal in a hollowed turnip, travelled with emigrants to North America, where the native pumpkin took its place. A candle in a carved face was meant to light the way for kindly spirits and turn the rest aside.

Corn

Corn was first grown from a wild grass called teosinte in what is now southern Mexico, roughly nine thousand years ago. Many Indigenous nations of North America plant it as one of the Three Sisters, with beans climbing its stalks and squash shading the ground, three plants that help one another grow. Braided ears of dried corn hung by the door are still a beloved sign of harvest and plenty.

Sage

Sage's Latin name, Salvia, comes from salvere, to be well, a hint of how highly the Romans prized it. Its soft, grey-green leaves hold on well into autumn, and bees crowd its purple flowers in summer. In the Victorian language of flowers it stood for esteem and domestic virtue, a fitting herb for a well-kept hearth.

Weather omens

Full Moon in October without frost, no frost till the Full Moon in November.

This saying was recorded in M. E. S. Wright's A Medley of Weather Lore in the early 1900s and later spread through North American almanacs. Science gives it no support, since frost depends on clear, calm nights and the slow cooling of the season rather than on the phase of the moon.

Long foretold, long last; short notice, soon past.

This old sailors' barometer rhyme says weather that builds slowly tends to linger, while a sudden change soon blows through. It is a fair rule of thumb for autumn gales, though not a law.

Kitchen witchery

Soul Cakes

Soul cakes were given at All Hallows to soulers who went door to door singing and promising prayers for the dead. Baking them is a way of feeding memory.

You'll need

1/2 cup (115 g) butter, softened
1/3 cup (65 g) sugar
1 egg yolk
2 cups (250 g) all-purpose flour
1 tsp cinnamon or mixed spice
1/3 cup (50 g) currants
2 to 4 tbsp milk

Method

Heat the oven to 350°F (180°C) and line a baking sheet.
Cream the butter and sugar, then beat in the egg yolk.
Stir in the flour, spice and currants, adding milk until a soft dough forms.
Roll 1/2 inch thick, cut rounds, and mark a cross on each with a knife.
Bake 15 to 20 minutes until golden at the edges.

With every cake I set a place for you at my table; you are remembered.

In the night sky

The Orionids, dust from Halley's Comet, usually peak around October 21 to 22, with perhaps 10 to 20 meteors an hour from a dark site. Look southeast after midnight, where Orion is climbing.

A small practice

Build a small ancestor altar: a photograph, a recipe card, a small pumpkin and a candle. Each evening, light the candle and tell them one thing about your day. When November comes, return the pumpkin to the earth with thanks.

For your journal

What am I ready to let fall, and what will I carry into the dark half of the year?

Write in your journal

Novemberthe month of bare branches

November strips the trees and shows you the bones of the land: the shape of the hills, the nests hidden all summer. It asks you to rest, tend the hearth, and trust what is working quietly underground.

The full moon

Beaver Moon

also called Frost Moon · Mourning Moon

The Beaver Moon is usually linked to beavers finishing their lodges, or trappers setting traps, before the ponds freeze; like most popular moon names, it draws on a mix of Native American, early Colonial American and European sources. Keep it by tending your own lodge: mend something, stock the pantry, and go to bed early.

Plant lore

Thyme

Thyme was long given as a token of courage, and medieval stories tell of knights carrying a sprig of it embroidered on a scarf from someone who loved them. Its name is often traced to Greek words for spirit or courage, though word historians still debate the root. A low mat of thyme keeps its green and its fragrance even in the November garden.

Moss

Moss stays green through the bare months, softening stones, roofs and fallen logs when almost everything else has gone brown. Old woodcraft says moss grows only on the north side of trees, but it simply prefers shade and moisture and will grow on whichever side stays damp. Mosses are among the oldest land plants on earth, and they have no true roots or flowers at all.

Cranberry

The name cranberry comes from crane berry, because early settlers thought its small pink flower, with its swept-back petals, looked like the head and bill of a crane. Cranberries grow on low vines in sandy bogs, and at harvest many bogs are flooded so the ripe berries float to the surface in a sea of red. This native North American fruit has been gathered for thousands of years, and Wisconsin now grows more of it than any other state.

Weather omens

If there's ice in November that will bear a duck, there'll be nothing after but sludge and muck.

This English rhyme claims an early hard freeze means a mild, wet winter. Meteorologists find no reliable link between November cold and the rest of the season.

When the wind is in the east, 'tis neither good for man nor beast.

In Britain a winter east wind blows from the cold continent and brings raw air, so it holds true there. In much of North America an east wind more often signals an approaching storm.

Kitchen witchery

Roasted Squash and Sage Soup

Squash stores the last of the summer sun, and sage has long been an herb of wisdom. Make it for someone who needs looking after, yourself included.

You'll need

1 butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cubed
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic
2 tbsp olive oil
6 fresh sage leaves, or 1 tsp dried
4 cups vegetable stock
Salt and pepper

Method

Toss the squash, onion and garlic with the oil and a pinch of salt, and roast at 400°F (200°C) for 30 to 40 minutes until soft.
Tip into a pot with the sage and stock and simmer for 10 minutes.
Cool slightly, then blend until smooth, filling the blender only halfway.
Season with salt and pepper and serve with good bread.

May this warmth go where it is needed, and may I keep some for myself.

In the night sky

The Leonids, born of Comet Tempel-Tuttle, usually peak around November 17 to 18, rising from Leo after midnight. Most years bring 10 to 15 meteors an hour, but they are famous for rare storms, as in 1833 and 1966.

A small practice

Choose one evening a week as a hearth night: no screens after dark, a candle, something warm to drink, and a slow task for your hands. Let it be unproductive on purpose. Notice how your body answers when the house grows quiet.

For your journal

What is quietly taking root in me that does not need to be seen yet?

Write in your journal

Decemberthe month of the returning light

December gathers the longest nights of the year and then, at the solstice, turns them. It asks you to rest in the dark without fear and to welcome the light back a minute at a time.

The full moon

Cold Moon

also called Long Night Moon · Moon Before Yule

The Cold Moon rides high and stays above the horizon longer than any other full moon, and its other name, the Long Night Moon, honors the longest nights of the year around the solstice; these names come from a mix of Native American, early Colonial American and European sources. Keep it by stepping outside, wrapped up warm, and letting it show you how much brightness the dark can hold.

On the wheel this monthYule →

Plant lore

Rosemary

A Christmas legend tells that when Mary spread her blue cloak over a rosemary bush to dry on the flight into Egypt, its white flowers turned blue forever. Rosemary has long been the herb of remembrance, as Ophelia says in Hamlet, "There's rosemary, that's for remembrance," and it was carried at weddings and funerals alike. Its name comes from the Latin ros marinus, dew of the sea.

Christmas Cactus

The Christmas cactus is no desert plant. It grows wild on the trees and rocks of the misty coastal mountains of southeastern Brazil, and it sets its buds as the nights grow long and cool, which is why it blooms near the darkest time of year. Well-loved plants are often passed down through families, some for generations.

Cinnamon

Cinnamon is the inner bark of a tree, peeled and dried until it curls into quills, and in the ancient world it was a gift fit for gods and kings. Herodotus recorded a tale that great birds built their nests of cinnamon sticks on high cliffs, and that people left out heavy pieces of meat for the birds to carry up until the nests broke and tumbled down. A stick of it stirred into something warm is still a small, sweet way to call in comfort.

Weather omens

Clear moon, frost soon.

This short English country saying holds up well. A cloudless night lets the ground's warmth radiate straight out to space, so on still December nights a bright moon often means frost by morning.

A green Christmas makes a fat churchyard.

An old English proverb claiming a mild Christmas brings sickness and burials. There is no evidence for it; winter illness has more to do with crowding indoors than with missing snow.

Kitchen witchery

Yule Mulled Cider

Hot spiced cider recalls the old wassail bowl, carried round to wish good health to neighbors. Orange is the returning sun, cinnamon brings warmth, and cloves are kept for protection.

You'll need

4 cups apple cider
1 orange, sliced into rounds
2 cinnamon sticks
6 whole cloves
1 to 2 tbsp honey or maple syrup

Method

Put the cider, orange slices, cinnamon and cloves in a saucepan.
Warm over low heat for 15 to 20 minutes, keeping it below a boil.
Stir in honey to taste, strain into mugs, and add a fresh orange slice to each.

Welcome back, light. Good health to this house and all who gather here.

In the night sky

The Geminids usually peak around December 13 to 14 and are often the richest shower of the year, with 100 or more meteors an hour under dark skies. They begin well before midnight, so even an early evening look can reward you.

A small practice

On the longest night, around December 21, turn off the lights, sit with a single candle, and name what this year has asked of you. At bedtime or sunrise, light a second candle from the first to welcome the returning sun. Keep the stub for hard days.

For your journal

What small light have I kept burning this year, and how will I tend it as the days grow longer?

Write in your journal