I want to wish all my readers a very happy Summer Solstice. This year, the Summer Solstice falls on the twentieth of June. Druid teachers say it is okay to celebrate one of the Eight Great Festivals the day before, the day of or the day after. Druids love threes. In fact, if you feel like it, I am sure it would be fine to celebrate all three days.
This has been a very chilly spring. I have never before had a fire in the house in June and we have worn wool toques some mornings. I expect the weather will improve as we move into July. If not, we just have to make the best of the weather the Gods give us.
A good way to celebrate the Summer Solstice might be to plant some flowers for our poor struggling pollinators. A friend from South Denman sent me a message that honey bees have been swarming her hummingbird feeder. When she spilled some syrup, a great crowd of them came for a drink.
I have heaps of flowers at my place but when it is too cold, most insects cannot fly. It may be worth our while to set out some saucers of hummingbird syrup (1 cup of sugar boiled in 4 cups of water, no red dye) for the pollinators.
The strawberry crop is coming in gangbusters this year. Strawberries do not mind the cold. I think a nice bowl of strawberries with some cream or a cake baked, cooled, split open horizontally with a knife and loaded with strawberries and cream would be an excellent addition to the dessert table for the celebration.
This is the longest day of the year so I plan on getting into the garden and planting at least a couple of beds of carrots. They make a great salad vegetable in the winter and after the Summer Solstice, the world turns away from the sun a little every day until we are in the dark, cold days of winter.
I plant my carrots in rows instead of drifts because I learned from Bernard Moore, Joan Vinnedge’s favourite garden writer, that if you hill up carrots so their shoulders are buried, the carrot rust fly will not be able to attack them. Carrot rust flies need to lay their eggs on the shoulders of a carrot or parsnip to infect the root.
A good way of celebrating the Summer Solstice is to make some rose jam to give as presents for the Winter Solstice. Make sure your roses have not been sprayed and use good fragrant roses such as rugosas.
I have used this recipe for ages and have never had any trouble with it. One lady on Denman told me she only makes rose jelly, which is very good, because her rose petals bleach out when she tries to make jam. I hope people will try this recipe. I have never had any trouble with my petals bleaching.
The recipe calls for 8 oz fresh rose petals, two cups of white sugar divided, the juice of two lemons, 3 cups of water and one 1.75oz package powdered fruit pectin. Toss the rose petals, lemon juice and one cup of sugar in a bowl until the petals are coated. Let them stand, covered, at room temperature overnight.
The next day, bring the water to a boil over medium-high heat. Stir in the rose petals and one cup of sugar. Stir until the sugar has dissolved. Reduce the heat and simmer, stirring frequently, for about twenty minutes. Increase the heat and boil for five minutes. Stir in the pectin and boil for one minute.
Pour the jam into 4 half-pint jars, seal with lids and rings and process in a water-bath canner for ten minutes. Store the jam in a dark pantry to keep the beautiful colour.
Rose gin is another nice product to make on the Summer Solstice to preserve the sweetness of this time of the year. Take a quart of vodka or moonshine and place it in a large jar. Add several handfuls of rose petals, the peel of one citrus fruit, 2 bay leaves, 4 split cardamom pods, 3 allspice berries and 2 tablespoons of juniper berries. Leave this in the pantry for about two weeks to infuse and strain out the solids. Bottle and impress your friends with this lovely, refreshing gin. The rose petals can be replaced with blackberries, sour cherries or, best of all, dried pears.
We have invited some friends over for a feast to celebrate the season and will have a roast leg of lamb with seasonal vegetables and new potatoes. This is the time of year to be grateful for all we have but especially our good friends and neighbours.
