Simple Observance For Lammas (Mid-Summer)
It’s only been a week since our re-branding as “Gaian Rhythm” and one of our first official holidays has already arrived. Moving forward we’ll be having retreats to celebrate this mid-season holiday, but for now, we’d like to share with you a very simple (and very tasty) way to honor this seasonal marking in your own life. Today, I (Stormie) will be sharing with you how I make strawberry honey lemonade.
Lammas or the Mid Summer is a solar holiday noting the middle of Summer. This is traditionally celebrated with bread and fruit. All solar holidays can be referenced both metaphorically and literally with gardening/farming, but we are all seeking to harvest something, so simply apply the concept to your own goals. Because Lammas is halfway through summer it’s a time when we can kind of know what our harvest is going to look like and then decide if we need to make additional winter preparations. The same is true for our personal intentions. What are you trying to grow this year? How is that looking right now at the halfway point (the year starting date is Spring - March 21st)? Do you maybe need to supplement something else for the year? Work harder for the second half of summer? Now is a time to take stock of these things. I recommend a little journaling or at least some reflection on what you’ve learned, what’s working well for you, and what isn’t.
Regardless of how your harvest is going, being in tune with the natural cycles of the earth helps us to be in alignment with the universe as a whole. It also helps by welcoming the nurturing energy of Pachamama into the flow of our lives. For this reason, I find it important to acknowledge these cyclical turning points with an observation of somehow. That can be as simple as sitting outside and giving thanks, bringing fresh flowers into your home, or for this example making some Strawberry Honey Lemonade.
Honey brings in bee energy which encapsulates working hard in the summer. Strawberries are a traditional food for this holiday because now is the time of year when the first harvests can begin to be made. And lemonade is just delicious, plus yellow is a traditional summer color. The exact date of Lammas is debated but is most often celebrated on August first or second. The Summer Solstice was 6 weeks ago and the fall equinox is 7 weeks away, so personally, I would say any day this week is a great day to celebrate. The Honey Strawberry Lemonade is a great way to do it so I’ll go ahead and stop rambling about the holiday and give you all some instructions now.
Lammas
(Mid-Summer) Strawberry Honey Lemonade
1. Honey Simple Syrup
Generally speaking, I don’t measure ingredients in the kitchen very much, but you kind of have to on this.
You need equal parts raw honey and water.
That’s it.
I usually use one cup of each because the finished product will about perfectly fill a mason jar. Simply cook them on medium-low in a sauce pan for a few minutes until it all dissolves together and then pour it in a jar. Voila! Honey syrup!
And that concludes the measuring portion of our show. Moving along. The rest is equally as simple. It’s worth noting that I make this lemonade by the glass, I don’t make large pitchers of it typically.
2. Mash Strawberries
If you’re fancy you can actually blend them, but I literally just mashed them into strawberry goo. I used three strawberries per serving (I only made 2.)
3. Add Syrup + Lemon Juice
I don’t know if you’ve ever tried to shoot a photo while also pouring a sticky syrup, but for the record, it was a mess. That being said, I juiced one lemon per glass and pour some honey syrup into each. I don’t know how much, not a lot, it’s pretty sweet.
4. Add Water
Of course, water. Just fill each cup the rest of the way and if you want to make an extra cute photo, add a strawberry to the rim and gather flowers and fruit around it for seemingly no reason.
5. Share it with someone you love
Drew approves of my Strawberry honey lemonade, and actually my son came out of his cave while I was taking this picture to ask if he could have one… so I had to make more but sharing is what it’s all about!
