China Bayles' Book of Days (71 page)

DECEMBER 12

Ma in her kerchief and I in my cap
Had just settled down for a long winter’s nap . . .
—“ ’TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS”

Winter-Thyme Dreams

Looking at my holiday list (how did it get so long?), I see that I need a few more little gifts. Dream pillows—fun to design, easy to sew, soothing for a long winter’s nap—make a unique and interesting present. And I can use up some of those dried herbs I harvested last summer.

For centuries, people believed that herbs placed under the pillow protected against evil, foretold the future, and attracted love. Other herbs simply brought peaceful rest and sweet dreams. The dried material was often stuffed into little pillows and tucked beneath the sleeping pillow.

But instead of ordinary rectangular pillows, I’m being creative. I’ve raided my fabric stash for pieces of felt, cotton, satin, and silk. With right sides together, I’ll cut two layers of different fabrics into various shapes: a crescent moon, a circle, a heart. Then I’ll seam the edges, leaving a narrow opening. I can stuff six or seven small pillows with this dreamy mix of calming, relaxing herbs:

• 4 cups rosebuds and petals (for sweet dreams)

• 1 cup dried chamomile flowers (for calm dreams)

• 1 cup dried mugwort (to help you remember your dreams)

• 1 cup dried lavender flowers (in case you have a headache)

• 1 cup dried thyme (to help you dream of faery folk)

Once the pillow is stuffed, I’ll turn in the open seam and whip it. And for more fun, I’ll add lace, ribbons, and other fine fripperies.

Need more ideas? Try these aromatic herbs:

• Clove, for romantic dreams

• Dill, to go to sleep quickly

• Lemongrass, for dreams of the future

• Mints, for vivid dreams

• Peppermint, for romantic dreams

• Rosemary, for protection from nightmares

More Reading:

Making Herbal Dream Pillows: Secret Blends for Pleasant Dreams,
by Jim Long

DECEMBER 13

In Scandinavia, today is St. Lucia’s Day, celebrated as a Festival of Lights.

Santa Lucia, thy light is glowing
Through darkest winter night, comfort bestowing.
Dreams float on dreams tonight,
Comes then the morning light,
Santa Lucia, Santa Lucia.
—TRADITIONAL SONG

Celebrating Light in the Darkness

St. Lucia, whose name means “light,” is honored at the darkest time of the year. Throughout northern Europe, this special day marks the beginning of Christmas celebrations, feasting, and merriment. Traditionally, the oldest daughter of the family, wearing a coronet of pine sprigs decorated with five lighted candles, wakened her parents with a breakfast of saffron buns (
Saffronsbrod
) and coffee. The golden saffron was symbolic of sunshine and light.

SAFFRONSBROD

¼ cup hot water
¼ teaspoon crushed saffron threads
½ cup milk
¹
/
₃
cup sugar
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
1 teaspoon salt
1 large egg
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons dry yeast
3 to 3¼ cups flour

Glaze:

1 egg white, beaten lightly with 1 teaspoon water; sugar

Soften the saffron in the hot water (about 10 minutes). In a mixing bowl, blend the saffron water, milk, sugar, butter, salt, egg, and yeast. Add 2 cups of the flour and mix well, then add enough of the remaining flour to make a soft dough. Knead the dough (15 minutes by hand, 12 minutes in an electric mixer), then set it aside to rise until light and puffy (about 2 hours). Punch the dough down, and let it rest, covered, for 10 minutes. Divide into 16 pieces: divide into fourths, divide each fourth into fourths. Shape each piece into a ball. Place the balls fairly close together (but not touching) in a 9 × 13-inch pan, cover them, and let rise for 1½ hours, or until they’re puffy. Glaze the buns with the mixture of beaten egg white and water, then sprinkle them heavily with sugar. Bake them in a preheated 375° oven for 20 minutes, or until golden brown. Yield: 16 buns.

Learn more about Scandinavian culinary custom:

Scandinavian Feasts: Celebrating Traditions throughout the Year,
by Beatrice A. Ojakangas

Lucy light, Lucy light,
The shortest day and the longest night.
—TRADITIONAL SAYING

DECEMBER 14

At Thyme and Seasons, I buy mistletoe from a local supplier and Laurel and I package it in plastic bags tied with festive holiday ribbons. During the Christmas season, we process hundreds of mail and telephone and email orders for the herb, which grows in basketball-sized clumps on the hackberry and pecan trees in the wooded hills to the west of Pecan Springs. Once you’ve seen those fresh yellow-green leaves and translucent berries, glowing like huge pearls, you can understand why our mistletoe is so popular.

—MISTLETOE MAN: A CHINA BAYLES MYSTERY

Mistletoe Man
: About China’s Books

As China says, mistletoe is one of her best-selling herbal products, and the mysterious disappearance of her mistletoe supplier in the middle of the holiday season spells serious trouble. And when she and Ruby team up to find out what happened to him—well, it’s the usual mix of China’s serious detective work and Ruby’s high-jinks, made even more poignant when Ruby reveals the painful secret she’s been keeping. Everything works out for the best, though, and the book ends with one of my favorite scenes, in which a bare-breasted, body-painted Ruby confronts a cosmetics saleswoman. And throughout, there’s plenty of interesting information about mistletoe, everyone’s favorite Christmas herb.

North American mistletoe (
Phoradendron tomentosum
) does not belong to the same genus as the European mistletoe (
Viscum album
), but the legends and lore of the European plant long ago made their way to America. In fact, this evergreen herb that seems to miraculously grow in trees has spread its magic across many different cultures. Here’s some fascinating mistletoe information I gathered when I was doing research for the mystery:

• Norwegian peasants hung mistletoe from the rafters of their homes to protect against lightning.

• In Wales, mistletoe gathered on Midsummer Eve was placed under the pillow at Yule-tide to induce prophetic dreams.

• In northern Europe, mistletoe was thought to act as a master key that would open any lock.

• Swedish farmers hung mistletoe in the horse’s stall and the cow’s crib, to protect against evil trolls. They also used the wood to make divining rods.

• In the south of France, mistletoe was thought to be an antidote to all poisons.

• Everywhere, people enjoy kissing under the mistletoe

• European mistletoe (
Viscum album
) has been used for millennia for a variety of illnesses, including epilepsy, heart disease, rheumatism, anxiety, exhaustion, asthma, diarrhea, and hypertension. Claims for its efficacy as a cancer treatment have not yet been fully evaluated.

• In the Victorian language of flowers, mistletoe symbolized “I overcome everything”; I surmount difficulties”; “I rise above all.”

DECEMBER 15

In some years, today is the beginning of Hanukkah, the Jewish Feast of Lights.

Celebrating the Return of the Light

The eight-day celebration of Hanukkah opens with the ritual lighting of the Menorah, a candelabrum with eight branches. According to Hebrew historians, a single flask of sanctified olive oil—just enough for one day’s lighting—was discovered when the Temple was reclaimed after a period of pagan defilement. Miraculously, this small amount of sacred oil kept the Menorah burning for eight full days. Chanukah, a time of rededication, is celebrated with festive foods fried in oil: fritters, potato pancakes, or latke, and doughnuts. Every family has its favorite traditional foods, the recipes often handed down through the generations.

My favorite potato pancake recipe comes from my mother, who learned to make them during the Depression when she worked for the Schwartzes, a family of Polish Jews in Chicago. My own version leaves the potatoes unpeeled (Mom and Mrs. Schwartz would be horrified!) and adds dried and fresh herbs.

MOM’S POTATO PANCAKES

1 pound small red potatoes, scrubbed (really well, Mom)
and unpeeled tops of four green onions, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 teaspoons fresh or 1 teaspoon dried herbs: oregano,
thyme, or savory
2 teaspoons minced fresh parsley
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 egg
1 teaspoon salt or Savory Blend (August 29)
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
oil for frying

Heat ½ inch of oil over medium heat in heavy skillet to approximately 350°. Grate potatoes. In a large glass bowl, mix potatoes and other ingredients and let stand until potatoes soften and become watery (about 10 minutes). Drain most of the liquid. Make small round balls about the size of golf balls. Fry 7-8 at a time, until golden brown (about 5-6 minutes). Turn and press down lightly. Fry 5 minutes longer, until golden brown. Drain on paper towels and serve with sour cream.

More Jewish foods:

The Essential Book of Jewish Festival Cooking,
by Phyllis and Miriyam Glazer

DECEMBER 16

Today is the birthday of Adelma Grenier Simmons, herbalist, author, and founder of Caprilands Herb Farm.

Happy is the herb gardener through all the seasons and the years.

—ADELMA GRENIER SIMMONS (1904-1997)

Adelma Grenier Simmons: Herbalist Extraordinaire

In 1964, Adelma Simmons’ book
Herb Gardening in Five Seasons
broke a long silence. There had been no herb books of any consequence written since 1942, when Rosetta Clarkson’s
Herbs: Their Culture and Uses
was published. The war had intervened, of course, and after the war America was captivated by fast foods and modern technology, and the “little green plants” didn’t stand much of a chance. But that didn’t deter Adelma, who was pursuing her dream. In 1929, her family had bought a farm in Coventry, Connecticut, and over the years until her death in 1997, Adelma made it into an herbal showplace—“America’s Herbal Homestead,” it is sometimes called. Caprilands became a mecca for herb enthusiasts.

Adelma was not only a creative, inspiring herbalist, however; she was a writer, as well, as her nearly two dozen titles suggest. Some of these are informative pamphlets she published and sold in her shop; a few of these have become collectors’ items. Others—
Herb Gardening in Five Seasons
, for instance—are important additions to any herb bookshelf. Everyone who visited Caprilands and saw an “herbal lifestyle” first-hand wanted to taste her food and take away some of her books, as well as the dried herbs, wreaths, and craft items sold in the shop. And everyone took away with them the powerful impression of a woman with tremendous energy and a dedicated commitment to a calling: teaching modern Americans that there is something profoundly worthwhile in the small green plants under our feet.

BISHOP’S WINE FROM CAPRILANDS

2 quarts sweet cider
4 sticks cinnamon
6 cloves
1 orange, unpeeled, cut in fourths
½ teaspoon nutmeg
2 quarts port wine