Hold the witches all in dread.
It's possible you might just recognise those lines as the chorus of a song by Steelye Span called The Twelve Witches. The song is based on a traditional counting tune (like Ten Green Bottles or Ten Little Indians) but catalogues the particular powers of a coven of twelve witches.
The chorus then describes a traditional form protection against them - making a cross from rowan twigs, wrapping it in red thread and hanging it over the door.The emphasis on the colour red and the wood of the rowan itself perhaps comes from the fact that these trees, with their distinctive red berries, had long been associated with agriculture. Trees like the rowan – along with holly, elder and hawthorn – all came to be a common feature in the landscape due to the process of clearing the land for cultivation. It’s notable that all of these trees bear red fruits except the elder, although it does produce a dark purple berry that gives up a red juice.
Top to bottom: Elder, Holly, Hawthorn (haws), and Rowan Berries.
There are many rites and rituals in paganism that involve the rowan, mostly centred around the time of Beltane (May Day). If you want to read a lot more on the subject, click here.
Rowan berries are edible although, as you'll know if you've ever tried eating one off the tree, they are very bitter and astringent - think cranberries turned up to 11. Or 111. However, that doesn't seem to worry the birds who will soon strip a tree clean. Which is a real shame because the berries, if given an extended period of cold weather and several hard frosts, eventually become quite palatable. However, you can still use them as an ingredient in hedgerow jams and jellies by pairing them with super sweet fruits like blackberries, strawberries and damsons. Using a limited amount just takes the edge off the sweetness, which makes it a nice accompaniment for strong meats like venison or lamb. The Vikings certainly rated them very highly and surviving recipes show that they ate them with game.
Or do what I do and make a rowan berry schnapps. I got the recipe from the Forager Chef blog and it's simplicity itself. In preparation, gather in a good pile of ripe berries and keep them in the freezer for a month or so.
Then you get a half litre of vodka - a cheap one will do - and mix in half a pound of sugar and a good handful (10pz) of rowanberries. Put the mix into sealed bottes or jars and leave for a couple of months. Then strain through muslin and drink.
As the site says, 'The maceration seems to draw out the flavor of the rowanberries, without the bitter, tannic quality. The colour is a beautifully pale orange that reminded me a bit of rosewater. The fruity taste of the berries, typically obscured by bitterness, comes through in the finished product, and there’s noticeable aromas of grapefruit and orange peel.'
Definitely worth a try and a nice alternative to sloe gin at Christmas.
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