Bealltainn-1 May
Astronomical Bealltainn/Old Bealltainn-5 May
Full Flower Moon (in Scorpio)-9 May—12:01am EDT
New Moon in Gemini- 24 May—8:11am

‘But I must gather knots of flowers,
And buds and garlands gay,
For I’m to be Queen o’ the May, mother,
I’m to be Queen o’ the May.’
-The May Queen Alfred, Lord Tennyson

May brings us the cross quarter of Bealltainn (Beltane, Bealtuinn, May Day). Six months from Samhuinn, this celebration is marked by a thinning of the veil and magic abounds! The fae activity is increasing daily to its’ high point of Midsummer.

Bealltainn is reflected by the greening of our surroundings; the Earth is sighing lustily, stretching and coming alive. Bealltainn of old was marked with the coming together of couples to celebrate the union of the God and the Goddess.

For the Bealltainn feast look to foods that represent all of the above-honey; creamy, rich sweets; early greens; eggs; dairy foods; asparagus; oats; red berries (if you are so lucky to have early red berries!).

In addition to Bealltainn, this month brings us a Full Moon in Scorpio. Celebrate this esbat with foods ruled by Scorpio—asparagus, garlic, chocolate, shellfish, kale, salad greens, mushrooms and anything pungent or spicy.

So take your pick for the month of May, celebrate the fae, the greening, and/or the Full Moon. Honor this Earth with early spring harvests, locally grown of course! Fresh, young sprouts, veggies, etc. to help start the body cleansing from the winter of heavy foods.

Happy Spring!

Hot Crab Dip

14 oz cream cheese
8 spring onions, very finely chopped
2-3 tsp prepared horseradish sauce
1 1½ oz can crabmeat, drained
1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped

Mix the cream cheese, spring onions and horseradish until smooth. Heat the mixture slowly over low heat in a saucepan or fondue pot until soft. Take off the heat and stir in the crabmeat and parsley. Return to the heat for 1 minute, stirring gently.

Serve immediately.

Serves 4

Early Spring Salad with Creamy Lemon Dressing

4 cups wild greens (including Shepherd’s Purse, dandelion leaves, garliс mustard)

Dressing:

1-1/2 cups olive or vegetable oil
1 tsp rosemary
1 cup water
1 tsp turmeric
2 cloves garlic
1 tsp miso
1 tsp fresh ginger
1/2 cup any cooked root vegetable
1/2 small onion
Juice of 1 lemon
Small handful parsley

Wash the greens and pat dry with towels. Chop greens into bite-sized pieces.

Add oil, water, and lemon into a blender. Blend. While the blender is running, put in the remaining ingredients except root vegetable.

Blend until smooth, adding the root vegetable to thicken the dressing.

Toss the salad with the dressing and serve.

SOURCE: unknown

Crab and Leek Quiche

1 prepared flat pie crust or a home made crust
3 eggs
1/2 c. fat free half and half
2 cups leeks, chopped
1 lb. shredded Swiss cheese
1 lb. fresh crab or fresh frozen crab
1 tsp. nutmeg

Form the pie crust along the bottom of the pie pan. Place crab, broken into pieces along the bottom then top crab with leeks. In a separate bowl, whisk eggs with cream, salt and pepper. Pour over the pie ingredients. Top with shredded cheese and nutmeg.

Bake at 350 for 1 hour. Serve hot, cold or room temperature.

Spanakopita (Spinach Pie)

2 lbs Spinach
2/3 lb green onions, diced
1 bunch dill, finely chopped
1 leek, finely chopped
2 Eggs
1 ½ cup Olive oil
1 lb Filo pastry
Salt
Pepper

Clean and boil the spinach lightly. Strain it well and chop it. Using half the olive oil, saute the green onions and the leek lightly in a pot. Remove from the heat and add the dill, the eggs, the spinach and salt & pepper. Oil a 13” x 9” pan and spread half the sheets of filo sheets. Spread the spinach mix on top and then cover with the other sheets. Oil the top, sprinkle with a bit of water and bake in 350* oven for about 1 hr.

Serves 6

Spiced Honey Biscuits

2 c. white whole wheat flour
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1/2 c. unsalted butter
3/4 c. fat free 1/2 & 1/2
2 Tbsp. honey
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg

Preheat to 450. Combine flour, baking powder, spices and salt in a medium bowl. Cut in butter until the mixture is crumbly. Combine 1/2 & ½ and honey and add to flour mixture, stirring until moistened. Knead dough briefly, shape into a ball. Roll out on a floured surface to about 3/4 inch thickness. Cut out biscuits using a biscuit cutter or the rim of a glass. Cluster together on a lightly greased baking sheet and bake until barely brown, about 13 minutes. Serve hot with butter and honey.

Makes 12 biscuits.

Berry Cream Cheese Muffins

1 cup butter, softened
1 (8 ounce) pkg cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 eggs
2 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups fresh or frozen berries* dusted with 2 tablespoons flour
1/2 cup pecans or walnuts, chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line muffin pan with paper liners or spray with nonstick cooking spray. In a mixing bowl, beat together the first four ingredients. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Add to the butter mixture gradually. Fold in cranberries and nuts. Spoon batter into greased muffin cups. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until golden and toothpick inserted in middle comes out clean. Let muffins stand on a cooling rack for 5 minutes before removing from the pans.

*can cranberries, raspberries or blueberries, etc.

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By Stephanie Lowell-Libby ©Copyright 2009