{"id":13957,"date":"2017-06-01T01:10:50","date_gmt":"2017-06-01T06:10:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/paganpages.org\/content\/?p=14631"},"modified":"2017-05-24T12:48:57","modified_gmt":"2017-05-24T17:48:57","slug":"notes-from-the-apothecary-28","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/2017\/06\/01\/notes-from-the-apothecary-28\/","title":{"rendered":"Notes from the Apothecary"},"content":{"rendered":"

Notes from the Apothecary: Apple<\/b><\/u><\/span>
\n\"apple1\"<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The apple is a fruit that is either revered or maligned, depending on which tradition or religion you look at. For Christians, it is the forbidden fruit, the ultimate temptation in the Garden of Eden. Strangely, the bible itself never names the type of fruit as an apple, and some studies suggest it may actually have been a fig, a pomegranate or even a grape. Despite this, the image of the apple as a fruit of seduction and forbidden knowledge has persisted into the modern age. For the Celts, however, there was nothing sinful about the apple at all. The fruit was associated with the afterlife, yet also with immortality and health. It was also closely associated with the faerie realm, and those who ate an apple whilst in the world of the good neighbours, would never again be able to return.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Kitchen Garden<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

There is so much you can do with apples one hardly knows where to begin. For me, it\u2019s my \u2018go to\u2019 fruit for jams and jellies. As well as making a fantastic preserve all by itself, it can be added to other fruits low in pectin (the setting agent for jelly and jam) to ease the preserving process. I\u2019ve mixed apple with blackberry, blackcurrants, rowanberries, elderberries and even citrus fruit, all with good results.<\/span><\/p>\n

As well as preserves, apples make fantastic crumbles, pies and cakes. One of my favourite apple cake recipes can be found here<\/a>, and is an absolute doddle to make. I use eating apples rather than cooking apples, but experiment and find out what works for you.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"apple2\"<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

One of my favourite uses of apples is something I\u2019ve not yet experimented with, and that\u2019s the craft of making cider, or cyder. There is a difference, other than archaic spelling! Cyder is traditionally made from apples that have only been pressed once, rather in the same way that extra virgin olive oil is produced. Cider is made from a repressing of the same apple pulp, mixing it with water. This makes a longer and lighter drink. I\u2019ve always fancied making my own apple press, although I have a friend who uses a hand blender on chopped apples, with some fantastic results! There\u2019s a guide to making your own cider press here<\/a> at Mother Earth News. If anyone does this or has done this please let me know how it turns out!<\/span><\/p>\n

The Apothecary<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

Surely everyone has heard the aphorism, \u2018An apple a day keeps the doctor away.\u2019 The original saying stems from 1866 and was originally, \u2018Eat an apple on going to bed, and you\u2019ll keep the doctor from earning his bread.\u2019 Pithy though these little rhymes are, the apple certainly has many qualities that recommend it as a health food, if not actually a cure-all.<\/span><\/p>\n

The pectin mentioned previously is a type of soluble fibre, and we need fibre for a healthy diet. There is some evidence that pectin can also lower blood pressure and glucose levels. Apples also contain nutrients that promote healthy bones and brain, and they also contain vitamin C which boosts the immune system and keeps cells healthy. <\/span><\/p>\n

So while apples won\u2019t necessarily keep all ills at bay, they will certainly contribute to good all round health.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Witch\u2019s Kitchen<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

The apple appears throughout various myths from many different backgrounds. We briefly mentioned the Celtic links between apples and immortality. In Norse legend, the apple was given to the gods to provide them with eternal youth. Apples also appear associated with fertility, including the gift of an apple being given to one praying for a child. Apples are also associated with the goddess Hel, and possibly her realm of the same name, the ninth of the nine worlds on the world tree, Yggdrasil. Hel is a realm of the dead, so here we have apples associated with fertility and birth, long life, and death and the afterlife. They are a fruit of cycles, circles and representative of all aspects of being. They are of this world and of magical realms, and represent the link between this world and others.<\/span><\/p>\n

The apple is also a symbol of poetic inspiration. A branch of apple can symbolise a Bardic or Ovate path. If seeking inspiration yourself, a leaf or small twig from an apple tree in your sacred place may help, or place an apple leaf under your pillow and see what dreams may come.<\/span><\/p>\n

There is an old superstition that if you can peel an apple in one go, without removing the knife until the peel has come off all in one piece, then toss it over your shoulder whilst looking in a mirror, it will fall in the shape of the initial of your loved one to be. The root of this is most likely an older association with prophecy and fortune telling.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"apple3\"<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Apples are strongly associated with magic of all kinds, in fact they are a kind of catalyst. Any spell can be \u2018offered\u2019 to an apple tree. Charge items with intent, and hang them from the tree, trusting that the intrinsic magic of the tree will aid your spell. Water the tree, and if your spell is successful, plant an apple pip at some point in the future as thanks.<\/span><\/p>\n

The apple is a wonderful offering to many gods and goddesses (always research first though!), and also to the good neighbours (fairies), along with butter and milk. <\/span><\/p>\n

Home and Hearth<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

<\/a> Towards the end of summer, or start of winter, make a Wassail Bowl. There is a druidic celebration known as \u2018Day of the Apple\u2019 after Samhain, and a Wassail Bowl is one interpretation of the brew that was made at this time to ensure a good apple harvest the following season. You don\u2019t have to wait until Samhain though. As soon as you have good apples, you can roast them, and mix them with ale, cider, honey or sugar (honey is nicer) and spices such as cinnamon or ginger, to make a warming, hearty drink to share with family and friends.<\/span><\/p>\n

Pass your brew around while you brag and boast; not merely an excuse for showing off, but a serious exercise in sharing your ambitions and achievements with your loved ones and your gods. Any commitments made at this time must be seen through, or a forfeit paid.<\/span><\/p>\n

I Never Knew\u2026<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

In Greek mythology, Atalanta, the virgin huntress, was tricked into losing a race by Hippomenes rolling three irresistible golden apples in front of her. She had to marry him, which just shows, keep your mind on the job and your head in the game!<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

(Image credits: Top: Red Delicious, copyright Bangin via Wikimedia; Next, De Klok jam apple and roses, copyright Queeste via Wikimedia; Final, Malus Sylvestris, copyright Per Arvid \u00c5sen via Wikimedia.)<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

***<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Mabh Savage is a Pagan author and musician, as well as a freelance journalist. She is the author of A Modern Celt: Seeking the Ancestors<\/a> and Pagan Portals: Celtic Witchcraft<\/a>. Follow Mabh on Twitter<\/a>, Facebook<\/a> and her blog<\/a>. <\/i><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Notes from the Apothecary: Apple   The apple is a fruit that is either revered or maligned, depending on which tradition or religion you look at. For Christians, it is the forbidden fruit, the ultimate temptation in the Garden of Eden. Strangely, the bible itself never names the type of fruit as an apple, and some studies suggest it may actually have been a fig, a pomegranate or even a grape. Despite this, the image of the apple as a fruit of seduction and forbidden knowledge has persisted into the modern age. For the Celts, however, there was nothing sinful about the apple at all. The fruit was associated with the afterlife, yet also with immortality and health. It was also closely associated with the faerie realm, and those who ate an apple whilst in the world of the good neighbours, would never again be able to return. The Kitchen Garden There is so much you can do with apples one hardly knows where to begin. For me, it\u2019s my \u2018go to\u2019 fruit for jams and jellies. As well as making a fantastic preserve all by itself, it can be added to other fruits low in pectin (the setting agent for jelly and jam) to ease the preserving process. I\u2019ve mixed apple with blackberry, blackcurrants, rowanberries, elderberries and even citrus fruit, all with good results. As well as preserves, apples make fantastic crumbles, pies and cakes. One of my favourite apple cake recipes can be found here, and is an absolute doddle to make. I use eating apples rather than cooking apples, but experiment and find out what works for you.     One of my favourite uses of apples is something I\u2019ve not yet experimented with, and that\u2019s the craft of making cider, or cyder. There is a difference, other than archaic spelling! Cyder is traditionally made from apples that have only been pressed once, rather in the same way that extra virgin olive oil is produced. Cider is made from a repressing of the same apple pulp, mixing it with water. This makes a longer and lighter drink. I\u2019ve always fancied making my own apple press, although I have a friend who uses a hand blender on chopped apples, with some fantastic results! There\u2019s a guide to making your own cider press here at Mother Earth News. If anyone does this or has done this please let me know how it turns out! The Apothecary Surely everyone has heard the aphorism, \u2018An apple a day keeps the doctor away.\u2019 The original saying stems from 1866 and was originally, \u2018Eat an apple on going to bed, and you\u2019ll keep the doctor from earning his bread.\u2019 Pithy though these little rhymes are, the apple certainly has many qualities that recommend it as a health food, if not actually a cure-all. The pectin mentioned previously is a type of soluble fibre, and we need fibre for a healthy diet. There is some evidence that pectin can also lower blood pressure and glucose levels. Apples also contain nutrients that promote healthy bones and brain, and they also contain vitamin C which boosts the immune system and keeps cells healthy. So while apples won\u2019t necessarily keep all ills at bay, they will certainly contribute to good all round health. The Witch\u2019s Kitchen The apple appears throughout various myths from many different backgrounds. We briefly mentioned the Celtic links between apples and immortality. In Norse legend, the apple was given to the gods to provide them with eternal youth. Apples also appear associated with fertility, including the gift of an apple being given to one praying for a child. Apples are also associated with the goddess Hel, and possibly her realm of the same name, the ninth of the nine worlds on the world tree, Yggdrasil. Hel is a realm of the dead, so here we have apples associated with fertility and birth, long life, and death and the afterlife. They are a fruit of cycles, circles and representative of all aspects of being. They are of this world and of magical realms, and represent the link between this world and others. The apple is also a symbol of poetic inspiration. A branch of apple can symbolise a Bardic or Ovate path. If seeking inspiration yourself, a leaf or small twig from an apple tree in your sacred place may help, or place an apple leaf under your pillow and see what dreams may come. There is an old superstition that if you can peel an apple in one go, without removing the knife until the peel has come off all in one piece, then toss it over your shoulder whilst looking in a mirror, it will fall in the shape of the initial of your loved one to be. The root of this is most likely an older association with prophecy and fortune telling.     Apples are strongly associated with magic of all kinds, in fact they are a kind of catalyst. Any spell can be \u2018offered\u2019 to an apple tree. Charge items with intent, and hang them from the tree, trusting that the intrinsic magic of the tree will aid your spell. Water the tree, and if your spell is successful, plant an apple pip at some point in the future as thanks. The apple is a wonderful offering to many gods and goddesses (always research first though!), and also to the good neighbours (fairies), along with butter and milk. Home and Hearth Towards the end of summer, or start of winter, make a Wassail Bowl. There is a druidic celebration known as \u2018Day of the Apple\u2019 after Samhain, and a Wassail Bowl is one interpretation of the brew that was made at this time to ensure a good apple harvest the following season. You don\u2019t have to wait until Samhain though. As soon as you have good apples, you can roast them, and mix them with ale, cider, honey or sugar (honey is nicer) and spices such as cinnamon or ginger, to make a warming, hearty drink to share with family and friends. Pass your brew around while you brag and boast; not merely an excuse for showing off, but a serious exercise in sharing your ambitions and achievements with your loved ones and your gods. Any commitments made at this time must be seen through, or a forfeit paid. I Never Knew\u2026 In Greek mythology, Atalanta, the virgin huntress, was tricked into losing a race by Hippomenes rolling three irresistible golden apples in front of her. She had to marry him, which just shows, keep your mind on the job and your head in the game!   (Image credits: Top: Red Delicious, copyright Bangin via Wikimedia; Next, De Klok jam apple and roses, copyright Queeste via Wikimedia; Final, Malus Sylvestris, copyright Per Arvid \u00c5sen via Wikimedia.)   ***   Mabh Savage is a Pagan author and musician, as well as a freelance journalist. She is the author of A Modern Celt: Seeking the Ancestors and Pagan Portals: Celtic Witchcraft. Follow Mabh on Twitter, Facebook and her blog.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":206,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"iawp_total_views":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13957","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13957","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/206"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13957"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13957\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13297,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13957\/revisions\/13297"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13957"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13957"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13957"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}