China Bayles' Book of Days

by Susan Wittig Albert

  1 orange, unpeeled, cut in fourths

  ½ teaspoon nutmeg

  2 quarts port wine

  Simmer for 20 minutes. Stir in wine. Heat until steaming and serve in pottery mugs with a stick of cinnamon in each. Makes twelve 8-ounce servings.

  Caprilands Herb Farm is located at 534 Silver Street, Coventry, Connecticut 06238 Phone: (860) 742-7244 Web site: http://www.caprilands.com

  Read more:

  Herb Gardening in Five Seasons, by Adelma Grenier Simmons

  DECEMBER 17

  In Mexico, this is the time of the celebration of “Las Posadas.” In Spanish, posada means inn or shelter.

  And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed. . . . And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem . . . there to be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child

  —LUKE 2:1-5

  The posada parties commemorate Mary and Joseph’s long and difficult journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem. The parties begin with a solemn candle-lit procession led by a child dressed as an angel and other children carrying figures of Mary and Joseph, followed by adults and musicians, singing and playing traditional songs. When they reach the house where the evening’s party is to be held, half of the group goes inside. The other half remains outside, begging for shelter. The door is finally opened, the petitioners are welcomed, and the celebration begins, with plenty of food and drink—and music, of course. The evening ends with the breaking of the piñata, traditionally star-shaped, to symbolize the star that guided the Three Kings to Jesus. The final posada is held on December 24 and followed by midnight Mass.

  The biscochito is a traditional cookie served at most posadas.

  BISCOCHITO

  6 cups flour

  3 teaspoons baking powder

  ¼ teaspoon salt

  2 cups shortening

  1 ½ cups white sugar

  2 teaspoons anise seed

  2 eggs

  ¼ cup brandy

  ¼ cup white sugar

  1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

  Sift flour with baking powder and salt. Cream shortening with sugar and anise seed until fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time. Mix in flour and brandy until well blended. Turn dough onto a floured board and roll ½‘ thick. Cut into shapes (the fleur-de-lys is traditional). Mix sugar and cinnamon and dust each cookie. Bake at 350° for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown.

  Use this book to share this holiday ritual with your children:

  Celebrating Los Posados: An Hispanic Christmas Celebration, by Diane Hoyt-Goldsmith

  DECEMBER 18

  The onion being eaten, yea though it be boyled, causeth head-ache, hurteth the eyes, and maketh a man dimme sighted, dulleth the senses, ingendreth windinesse, and provoketh overmuch sleepe, especially being eaten raw.

  —JOHN GERARD, HERBAL, 1597

  The Magical, Mystical, Magnetic Onion

  They’ve been around all your life. You’ve avoided them, indulged in them, and maybe even been embarrassed by them. But I’ll bet there are things about onions you don’t know. You’re probably not aware that the ancient Egyptians worshipped the onion, as a gift from the gods. In other cultures, though, onions belonged to the devil. The prophet Mohammed says that when Satan was banished from paradise, onions sprang from the print of his right foot. And the early Greeks believed that the onion, which was ruled by the planet Mars, exercised an attractive force so powerful that it could pull the magnetism right out of the rock magnetite.

  It may have been this association with the masculine Mars that gave the Romans the idea that eating an onion would increase the quantity and vitality of seminal fluid. And perhaps the onion’s purported ability to attract suggests why some Middle Eastern cultures considered it an aphrodisiac. This magnetic force might also be the reason the eighteenth-century herbalist Nicholas Culpeper thought that an onion could draw poison from the bite of a venomous snake or a rabid dog. It might explain, too, why American colonists hung onions outside their doors. They hoped it would attract, and then deflect, any evil spirits who attempted to come inside.

  There are plenty of modern folks who believe that the onion has a magnetic personality. As late as the 1950s, in England, people hung the cut half of an onion in the house to attract infectious germs out of the air. A friend’s mother remembers putting a small hot onion in her ear to draw out the pain of a childhood earache. And I recently read in a contemporary magazine that rubbing a bee sting with a raw onion will remove the pain.

  Superstition or not, you’ve got to admit that the onion exerts a powerful force. Think about it the next time you slice into one of these pungent beauties.

  A folk remedy for ringworm: a poultice made of onions or garlic, treacle, rue, wormwood, borage, and soapwort.

  More Reading:

  Onions, Onions, Onions: Delicious Recipes for the World’s Favorite Secret Ingredient, by Linda and Fred Griffith

  DECEMBER 19

  The shop was beautifully decorated for Christmas, with wooden bowls of clove-studded pomanders and potpourri, a tiny Christmas tree decorated with gingerbread cookies and popcorn-and-cranberry chains, and fresh green branches of rosemary everywhere.

  —MISTLETOE MAN: A CHINA BAYLES MYSTERY

  Holiday Fragrance

  In China’s shop, the scent of Christmas fills the air. One of her perennial best-sellers at this time of year is her stovetop simmer, which she makes at home in her kitchen and sells in bulk and in smaller packages. Of course, she’s always (well, almost always) willing to share her recipes with a few special friends. Here it is, just for you:

  THYME & SEASONS HOLIDAY STOVETOP POTPOURRI

  ¼ cup whole cloves

  ¼ cup cinnamon chips

  ¼ cup allspice berries

  ¼ cup whole rose hips

  ¼ cup dried orange peel

  ¼ cup dried lemon peel

  1 tablespoon cardamom seeds

  1 tablespoon aniseed

  6-8 bay laurel leaves

  Combine all ingredients and store in lidded container. To use, bring 3 cups water to a boil in an old pan. Add 2-3 tablespoons of potpourri and a sliced apple, if you wish. Reduce heat to a simmer, and add water as necessary to keep it from boiling dry. Mixture may be stored in refrigerator between uses (don’t drink it!) Makes about 1 ¾ cup potpourri, enough for the rest of the holiday season!

  For more fragrance ideas:

  Herbal Treasures Inspiring Month-by-Month Projects for Gardening, Cooking, and Crafts, by Phyllis V. Shaudys

  By this time, the less devoted gardeners have hung up their tools and retired indoors to continue gardening by the fire.

  —MARGERY FISH

  DECEMBER 20

  Pressed Flower Gifts and Cards

  “Mom, I’m bored! I don’t have anything to do, and it’s too cold to go outside!”

  If you pressed some of those garden flowers during the summer (see September 11), they’ll come in handy for holiday gifts, cards, and stationary. Youngsters enjoy pressed flower crafts, so get out the flowers and herbs you’ve saved from summer’s bounty and let the children go to work.

  PRESSED FLOWER CHRISTMAS TREE HANGERS

  What you’ll need:

  tiny pressed flowers and leaves

  glass microscope slides (available in craft shops)

  glue

  -inch ribbon

  How to do it: Arrange the dried material on a glass microscope slide, securing with a tiny bit of glue dabbed on with a pin. When dry, cover with another slide, securing at the corners with four dabs of glue. Press under a large book until dry. Glue a 1-inch ribbon loop at the center top edge of the slide. When that’s dry, glue a ribbon border around all the edges, beginning and ending at the center and leaving 5 inches of ribbon at each end. When the border is dry, tie the ribbon in a bow and trim ends
.

  HOLIDAY CARDS AND GIFT TAGS

  Flowers and herbs can be sprayed with gold paint, which will camouflage any imperfections in the flowers. To make the cards, score and fold a 12 × 8-inch piece of red or green card stock or construction paper. Glue the flowers to the cards in a pleasing arrangement. For gift tags, cut out 1 × 2-inch rectangles, decorate, and punch a hole in the corner for a gold tie.

  CANDLES

  Follow the directions for making Brighid’s candle (February 1), using a red or green candle and gold-sprayed herbs and flowers. Center the candle in a wreath of rosemary, cones, and holiday ribbon.

  RIBBON BOOKMARKS

  For this project, you will need a wide ribbon (about 1¼ inches) and clear self-laminating film (available in sheets at craft stores). Cut the ribbon into 12-inch lengths. Apply the flowers to the ribbon with a bit of glue (use a toothpick or match). Following the package directions, sandwich the ribbon between two sheets of self-laminating film. Trim. Punch a hole in the top and add a ribbon. (Every grandma needs at least two bookmarks, and probably more!)

  By all those token flowers, that tell,

  What words can never speak so well.

  —LORD BYRON

  DECEMBER 21

  Today or tomorrow, the Sun enters the sign of Capricorn.

  The tenth sign of the zodiac, the masculine sign Capricorn (the Goat) is ruled by Capricorn, a cardinal earth sign. Capricorns are practical, prudent and patient, as well as self-disciplined and ambitious; however, they can also be fatalistic, pessimistic, and often grudging.

  —RUBY WILCOX, “ASTROLOGICAL SIGNS”

  Capricorn Herbs

  The planet Saturn was said to rule the systems that give the body its structure and form: the skeletal system and the skin, teeth, joints, and knees. Saturn-ruled herbs, useful in treating arthritis and rheumatism, are often high in calcium. The list includes woody plants and shrubs that show annual growth rings, as well as some poisonous plants.

  • Comfrey (Symphytum officinale). Comfrey leaves boiled in water form a sticky paste that hardens like plaster and was used to set broken bones. (That’s how it earned the names “knitbone” and “boneset.” Allantoin, a valuable cell-proliferating healing agent, is its principle chemical, making it a reliable wound-healer. In skin preparations, it is used to treat psoriasis, skin ulcers, acne, and impetigo.

  • Mullein (Verbascum thapsus). Culpeper writes: “The seed bruised and boiled in wine and laid on any member that has been out of joint, and newly set again, takes away all swelling and pain.” Mullein has other medicinal uses, chiefly in the treatment of respiratory irritation and as an ingredient in a healing salve.

  • Horsetail (Equisetum arvense). Rich in silica, horsetail is used in both Eastern and Western medicine as a treatment for arthritis and as a wound healer. In Chinese medicine, the herb is valued for its ability to absorb and dispense the minute amounts of gold that is used to treat rheumatoid arthritis. Recommended by the Roman physician Galen, the herb has been used for kidney and bladder troubles, arthritis, bleeding ulcers, and tuberculosis.

  • Other Capricorn herbs. Wintergreen is often a component in liniments for chronic skeletal ailments like sciatica. Goutweed was used in folk medicine to treat gout, rheumatism, and arthritis; it is also known as “goat-herb” because the leaves are shaped like a goat’s foot. Slippery elm is made into a poultice to treat boils and abscesses. Black poplar buds have been used in a salve to treat wounds and hemorrhoids.

  The nearer the New Moon to Christmas Day, the harder the winter weather.

  —TRADITIONAL WEATHER LORE

  DECEMBER 22

  Make thee a box of the wood of rosemary and smell to it and it shall preserve thy youth . . . Smell it oft and it shall keep thee youngly.

  —BANCKES’ HERBAL, 1525

  Banckes’ Herbal: Rosemary

  We don’t know who the author of Banckes’ Herbal was, although we know that it was “imprynted by me Rychard Banckes” in London in 1525. It seems to have been based on some medieval manuscript, which is now lost, for (as Eleanour Rohde says in her book The Old English Herbals), it gives the impression of “being a compilation from various sources, the author having made his own selection from what pleased him most in the older English manuscript herbals.” One of the most charming sections of Banckes’ Herbal is the chapter on rosemary. These selections from the text will make you “light and merrie”—and perhaps appreciate your rosemary just a little bit more!

  • Take the flowers [of rosemary] and make powder thereof and binde it to thy right arme in a linnen cloath and it shall make thee light and merrie.

  • Take the flowers and put them in thy chest among thy clothes or among thy Bookes and Mothes shall not destroy them.

  • Boyle the leaves in white wine and washe thy face therewith and thy browes, and thou shalt have a faire face.

  • Also put the leaves under thy bedde and thou shalt be delivered of all evill dreames.

  • Also if thou be feeble boyle the leaves in cleane water and washe thyself and thou shalt wax shiny.

  • If thy legges be blowen with gowte, boyle the leaves in water and binde them in a linnen cloath and winde it about thy legges and it shall do thee much good.

  • If thou have a cough drink the water of the leaves boyld in white wine and ye shall be whole.

  • Make thee a box of the wood of rosemary and smell to it and it shall preserve thy youth.

  • Take the Timber thereof and burn it to coales and make powder thereof and rubbe thy teeth thereof and it shall keep thy teeth from all evils. Smell it oft and it shall keep thee youngly.

  Read more about Banckes’ Herbal and other old texts:

  The Old English Herbals, by Eleanour Sinclair Rohde

  Evergreen rosemary—the rose of the Virgin Mary—is one of the special plants of Christmas. It was believed to blossom at midnight on Christmas Eve, and to have acquired its scent from the garments of the Infant Jesus, which the Virgin hung out to dry on a rosemary bush.

  —CHARLES KIGHTLY, THE PERPETUAL ALMANACK

  OF FOLKLORE

  DECEMBER 23

  The winter solstice occurs about now: the shortest day and the longest night of the year. The Celtic Tree Month of Birch begins.

  The north wind doth blow

  And we shall have snow.

  —TRADITIONAL

  The Yule Log

  The burning of the Yule log is an ancient tradition that has more to do with the celebration of the solstice than with Christmas. In England and Europe, the logs most often burned were that of the birch, the oak, and the yew, all held to be sacred trees, related to the cycle of birth and death.

  Since fire and light were of such great importance at this darkest time of the year, it is easy to see why the burning of a great log was included in the ritual. In England, it was often covered with herbs and lit with one of the candles that had been blessed at Candlemas. The log was burned throughout the twelve days of Christmas, often with the addition of symbolic fuels. In Serbia, for instance, wheat was tossed on the fire to represent the sacrifice of the harvest and ensure a bountiful harvest in the coming year. Even the ashes were disposed of ritually. In France and Germany, they were mixed with the cows’ feed to keep the animals safe from harm. In Eastern Europe, they were scattered around the fruit trees to increase their yield.

  You can begin a memorable Yule tradition by inviting the children to help with this holiday herbal project. Find a large fireplace log. (Sometimes this can come from a tree that has some special significance for the family.) Using sparing amounts of white glue, cover the log with glued-on oakmoss (available at craft stores) or moss that you have gathered. Decorate with glued-on cinnamon sticks, star anise, whole cloves, juniper berries, holly leaves, pine cones, bits of lichen, and sprigs of rosemary and sage. Drop fragrant herbal oils (balsam, cinnamon, orange, bayberry are ideal) onto the moss-covered log, and add a paper bow.

  When it’s time to light your Yule log, gather t
he family for carols, holiday treats, and a ceremonial lighting. If you made Brighid’s candle for a Candlemas celebration (see February 1), it would be perfect for the occasion. When the log is almost completely burned, save a last bit to incorporate into next year’s log. And don’t forget to use the ashes in a way that enriches your garden.

  Come bring with a noise, my merry, merry boys

  The Christmas log to the firing;

  With last year’s brand light the new log, and

  For good success in his spending

  On your psalteries play, that sweet Luck may

  Come while the log is a-tending.

  —ROBERT HERRICK, HESPERIDES, 1648

  DECEMBER 24

  Tonight is Christmas Eve.

  O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree!

  Tonight is a night for friends and family, and—at our house—trimming the tree. We’ve already chosen a fresh green juniper tree from among the many that grow along the creek, cut it with ceremony, and brought it home, with the help of our dogs, of course, who love to join in the fun. Bill puts the tree up and adds strings of lights, I spread the old quilted skirt beneath it, and—joined by those of the clan that have arrived for the holiday—we decorate it with the herbs and flowers saved from the Lammas gathering (see August 1). When it’s finished, our tree is breathtaking, a kaleidoscope of colors and a rich bouquet of fragrances.