FRESH AS A DAISY

Merry Meet to All of You!

With summer in full bloom don't all the meadows and gardens look just lovely with all the different flowers shining with colour?

In all this splendour, have you ever spared a thought for the humble Daisy?

The Daisy is as a flower linked to the star sign of Taurus as well as to the planet of Venus and therefore Aphrodite, the goddess of love.

In magick, Daisies are a good-luck charm and are used with spells or in potions to bring purity, innocence and loyal love. You may prepare a balm from Daisies, to anoint the person for which you wish these things.

To prepare a balm of Daisy flowers, simply put fresh, slightly crushed (or dried and powdered) Daisies in a pan, together with Vaseline (or lard/unsalted butter, if you like). Bring to the boil slowly, so the Vaseline has time to melt evenly. Once boiling, stir and take of the heat, sifting out the residue via a tea towel or muslin cloth, giving the leftover residue a good squeeze. Finally leave to cool and bottle the balm.

(Information of planetary and zodiacal correlations taken from:'Herbs in Magic and Alchemy'; C.L. Zalwski; 1990 : http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1853270466?ie=UTF8&tag=therichchal-21&linkCode=xm2&camp=1634&creativeASIN=1853270466 )

As well as for magickal uses, the Daisy can also be a colourful ingredient in your kitchen, as young leaves and flowers can be used in salads (country folk in old Italy and Spain used to eat the roots as well) and the flower petals make lovely decorations for puddings, biscuits and cakes.

So, next time you want to bake for your other half, why not make some muffins decorated with one of the flowers of Venus?

(You find a lovely muffin recipe on: http://theherbalchalice.blogspot.com/2009/05/reciepe-of-week-daisy-muffins.html )

As you take your next walk, why not spare a little thought for the lovely little Daisy, and the innocence, love and good luck it stands for?

Summer Blessings,

Ilona

RECIEPE OF THE WEEK - DAISY MUFFINS

Merry Meet to All!

As I have mentioned in the blog about Daisies, the make lovely decorations for cakes, so here is an easy recipe for Daisy Muffins.

You need:

115g soft, unsalted butter

115g sugar

2 eggs

115g flour

1 TS baking powder (TS = teaspoon)

10ml lemon juice

To decorate:

115g icing sugar

1 Tbs water (Tbs = Tablespoon)

2-3 Daisy Flowers

1. pre-heat the oven to 180C; prepare the muffin form with paper cups.

2. put the butter sugar and eggs into a mixing bowl, topped by the sieved flower and backing powder. Add the lemon juice and mix, until the dough is light and creamy.

3.fill the paper cups with the dough and bake for ca 15 minutes, until golden brown. Set to cool.

4. mix the icing sugar with the water and decorate the cakes with the icing. Top with flower petals of the Daisies anyway you like (you can do a circle, to imitate the form of the flower).

These muffins are easy to make and a treat to eat, so get baking!!!

Spring Blessings,

Ilona

FLOWER OF THE MONTH - DAISY

Merry Meet to All of You!

May is in full bloom and don't the meadows look just lovely with all the different wild flowers, like Dandelion and Bluebells?

In all this splendour, have you ever spared a thought for the humble Daisy?

As we are astrologically in Taurus at the moment, I would like to write about the Daisy, as it is linked to this star sign.

The Daisy is also a flower linked to the planet of Venus and therefore Aphrodite, the goddess of love. In magick, Daisies are a good-luck charm and are used with spells or in potions to bring purity, innocence and loyal love. You may prepare a balm from Daisies, to anoint the person for which you wish these things.

To prepare a balm of Daisy flowers, simply put fresh, slightly crushed (or dried and powdered) Daisies in a pan, together with Vaseline (or lard/unsalted butter, if you like). Bring to the boil slowly, so the Vaseline has time to melt evenly. Once boiling, stir and take of the heat, sifting out the residue via a tea towel or muslin cloth, giving the leftover residue a good squeeze. Finally leave to cool and bottle the balm.

(Information of planetary and zodiacal correlations taken from:

'Herbs in Magic and Alchemy'; C.L. Zalwski; 1990 : http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1853270466?ie=UTF8&tag=therichchal-21&linkCode=xm2&camp=1634&creativeASIN=1853270466 )

As well as for magickal uses, the Daisy can also be a colourful ingredient in your kitchen, as young leaves and flowers can be used in salads (country folk in old Italy and Spain used to eat the roots as well) and the flower petals make lovely decorations for puddings, biscuits and cakes.

So, next time you want to bake for your other half, why not make some muffins decorated with one of the flowers of Venus?

As you take your next walk, why not spare a little thought for the lovely little Daisy, and the innocence, love and good luck it stands for?

Spring Blessings,

Ilona