Mum's Virtual Tea Party

Everyone is invited to Mum's Virtual Tea Party on Sunday 27th October hosted by Mum's Simply Living Blog, you don't have to have a blog, more details here.

I love a good tea party don't you? One with lots of sandwiches and cake and pots and pots of tea.

Anyone care for a cup of tea?

Milk?

Sugar, one lump or two?

And how about a little something to nibble upon?

I' rather fond of Tunnock Teacakes, how about you?

10 Things about Halloween

Gladys Gladrags is taking part in The Haunted Halloween Tea Part hosted by  A Fanciful Twist so here goes 10 things you might not know about Halloween and Halloween customs:


 Did you know that the custom of trick or treating is believed to have developed from a medieval custom called souling?
 The poor would go from door to door asking for food in return for prayers for the dead.

And do you know why folk dress up for Halloween?
Why to fool the spirits that are wandering on All Hallow's Eve when the veil between the world of the living and the dead is said to be at it's thinnest.

Do you know the legend of the Jack O Lantern?
 Apparently Jack tricked the devil into agreeing never to collect his soul. Unfortunately for Jack when he died he wasn't allowed into Heaven and because of the agreement the Devil had made he wasn't allowed into hell either. Jack's spirit was left to wander the earth moaning about how dark it was. Someone took pity on Jack and tossed him a lump of glowing coal which he put into a hollowed out pumpkin which he now uses to light his way - especially on Halloween!

And did you know that large turnips (swedes, rutabaga) were once used to make Jack O Lanterns in the UK?
Pumkins were very much a North American crop but now they are very popular in the UK too and they make a far more dramatic, and easier to carve Jack O Lantern.

Do you know why orange and black are such popular Halloween colours?
Well orange is a symbol of strength and endurance and black symbolizes death and darkness. These two colours  symbolize the demarcations between life and death and as the veil between the living world and the world of the dead is said to be at it's thinnest during Halloween they have been adopted as Halloween colours.

And did you know that some people suffer from a Halloween phobia?
No me neither but they do and it's called Samhainophobia.

Do you know that Halloween is also known as Samhain?
Samhain is a Celtic festival, a pagan sabbat, that marks the end of harvest.

And did you know that Samhain / Halloween is also The Celtic New Year?
In the old Celtic calendar the New Year began at sunset on Samhain.

Do you know that Halloween is the perfect time for scrying, trying to see the future?
There are many ancient Halloween traditions for trying to see into the future, especially for finding out who you are going to marry.

And did you know that Halloween is a time to honour  the dead?
Many cultures honour their dead and remember their ancestors at this time of year in a way we do it too with Remembrance Sunday in November.

(Image copyright James Caton)

A Haunted Halloween Tea Party

It looks like it's the season for tea parties, and yes Gladys Gladrags will be joining in Vanessa's  Halloween Tea Party on Saturday October 26th.

If you'd like to join in take a look at A Fanciful Twist for more details.

Wild Damson Gin and Sloe Gin recipes

Do you see them? High up in the tree. Yes wild damsons are still to be found as indeed are sloes if you look around the hedgerows so with Christmas in mind here are our recipes for both Damson Gin and Sloe Gin. Make them now and they'll be ready to decant for the festive season. They do make rather super gifts if you can bare to share:

Damson Gin

You'll need:
1lb/454gm of washed wild damsons
 6 ozs/168gm of white sugar
 75cl of gin
Large sterilised jar

Method:
Prick the washed damsons with a fork or something and put in the jar, add sugar and gin. Shake daily but keep the jar out of sunlight. Around Christmas time strain off the liqueur and bottle.

Sloe Gin

You'll need:
 1lb/454gm of washed sloes
4 ozs/112gm of white granulated sugar
 75cl of gin
Large sterilised jar
 Prick the washed sloes with a fork or something and put in the jar, add sugar and gin. Shake daily but keep the jar out of sunlight. Around Christmas time strain off the liqueur and bottle.

Joining in ~ Mum's Virtual Tea Party

Sometimes it's nice to join in with other bloggers so I'll be attending Mum's Virtual Tea Party on Sunday 27th October hosted by Mum's Simply Living Blog. If you'd like to attend you can find more details here.

A Video Guide to Fermenting Vegetables

Want to try fermenting vegetables as a means of preservation, then take a look at this Sandor Katz video as he takes you through the process of making saurkraut:

How to divide up (split) Aloe Vera plants and pot up to give as a gift

 Aloe Vera is sometimes known as the miracle burn plant because of the Aloe Vera gel's ability to heal and soothe burns. Apparently the Native Americans used the gel to ease sunburn.
A Aloe Vera plant would make a great gift for someones kitchen window sill, here's how to "make" your own.

  Obviously you'll need an Aloe Vera plant to start off with, it will quickly produce new plants on runners.You can see them sprouting around the edges in this pot. All you have to do is knock the plant from its' pot and gently prise away the baby plants.

 These can then be potted up individually in the container of your choice.

For something different how about using a mug?
If you get the babies potted up earlier enough you can grow them on for Christmas presents, they make great gifts for teacher and an unusual hostess gift.
Don't forget to add a homemade tag explaining that the Aloe Vera is the miracle burn plant, something like:
To Heal Burns: Break off one leaf at the base of the plant and squeeze the gel onto the burn.