As the days get shorter and the sun stares to light up my kitchen for most of the day; nights in the 50’s and days in the low 70’s are making the leaves start to change and my body left feeling the shift. 
Since the day after full moon passed, I have been truly exhausted to my bones.  What is normally a one day restock became a weekend!  Mowing the yard and tending the garden has been a strain. 
I would like to think it’s my body getting more in tune with the nature around it and recognizing that sleeping and fat storage are high priorities this time of year.
My cucumbers are finally done and dead, so I pulled them down and by the 22nd I’m hoping that my very full tomato plant will ripen all at once, giving me a day of making tomato paste.
The roses are loving the weather, and the second crop of beans is going gangbusters.  I even have peppers – finally!

This panty restock – Yard Bird !  One whole raw chicken as the base makes a TON of food for the freezer and easy canning stock to be used as a base in everything from spaghetti and chili to soups and stews.

$25 Dollars – 9 jars of chicken broth and 9 – 13 meals.

One whole raw Chicken - $8
From the farm stand - $12
     Carrots, Celery, Onion, Garlic, Basil, Rosemary, parsley,
Backyard – Free
     Bay leaves, oregano, Lemon balm, Basil, Rosemary, chives, celery, green beans.
Arrowroot flour (or thicken flour of your choice) - $2
½ stick a butter (I use vegan as I can’t have dairy) - $1
Milk / Milk substitute (Ripple is what I use) - $2
Salt / Pepper.

Broth First -
Little water in the bottom of the pot.  I add a little moon water from my fridge water collection. 
Peeling from the carrot, garlic cloves, an onion, chive tops, Celery tops and bottoms and most of the herbs on the top.
Rinse your chicken real well, neck and innards go into the pot.
Stuff rest of your herbs in the center of the chicken and place it in the pot.
Cover 2” over with water, bring to a simmer and simmer it, lid on for 90 minutes.

Pull the chicken out and set it aside to completely cool.  I put mine on a rack so that I can pour off the chicken fat back into my broth.

Stock – I hot bath my jars to ensure proper sealing.  I process for 10 min since there is nothing in the liquid.  Pour stock while still hot into sterilized Jars, hot bath for 10 min.
I got 6 16oz jars, 3 32oz jars and 4 cups for the fridge.

Left over veg and herbs went into two of my large dead plant pots outside with a huge scoop of worms from my worm bins.  Then I cover the mess with a little soil and torn up weeds.  The worms will eat all the dead roots, and the castings will make it fertile.  By next spring I’ll have two large planters with soil ready to go.

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Freezer Chicken Pot Pie filling, chicken salad, breast chicken dinner and Chicken soup.

Pull all the chicken meat off your bones.  It should fall off easily.  Give skin and icky bits to the hound at your right and the Blackmouth Cur on the left.

Carrots and celery get sliced into my food processor.  Chop another onion.

Chicken Salad – throw some dark and white meat into the processor with some onion slices, celery and carrots.  Salt and Pepper and some miracle whip.  I like a little oil and vinegar.  Pulse till chopped and mixed well
Great with Crackers.  Two Lunch’s.

Chicken Pot Pie Filling –
Find three or four small containers and line them with plastic wrap.  Layer in chicken on the bottom, celery, carrots and onion.
In a pan, melt ½ stick a butter, I like it a little toasty, add arrowroot till you have a paste.  Add milk or milk substitute (I use Ripple) till you have a consistency you like for your pot pie.  Make it thick.  Keep stirring for 5 minutes. 
Pour the filling into the containers.  It’ll seep slowly down around the veg, but if it’s good and thick most will stay on the surface.
Wrap and freeze.  After frozen pop out and switch to a large freezer bag.
When getting ready to eat it – defrost slowly in fridge.  Add stock to thin it out and allow simmering for 10 min. 
If you can do wheat, you can use a pie crust (prebake and skip the 10 min simmer as you will do that in the oven)
For non-wheat people, I put it over a twice baked potato, rice, mashed cauliflower, over wheat free toast, etc.
3 large dinners (or for me, 3 dinners and three next day lunches).
 
Take any left over Filling, add some chicken, carrots, celery and onion and throw it in, add chicken stock to thin it out and bring it to a simmer for 10 minutes.   I had mine over left over rice.
1 meal

Chicken breast’s and green beans with white gravy.  I save one whole chicken breast, Green beans out of my garden (you do you) and some of the pot pie filling with extra pepper thinned with a little chicken broth.
1 Meal

Chicken Soup – Split whatever is left with carrots, celery, onion and garlic into two small freezer bags.  Chop leftover chicken into easy to eat bites and divide it into each bag.  Get all the air out and freeze. 
To use, boil a jar of chicken broth and add the frozen packet.  Add what you are feeling you want at that time.  I generally add some potatoes, frozen peas or corn, maybe a little crab boil if I’m sick and want to clear my sinuses out.    Crackers or bread on the side.
2 Meals.

 I also had a full chicken breast and most of a leg I ate leaning over my sink for the weekend while I did all of this.   

The leftover chicken broth in the fridge will be making chili and spaghetti sauce with the soon to be ripening tomato crop I have coming next week.  

Almost to the close of the season, and I’m settling into what will hopefully be a solid foundation for the coming year.  I have added a large white 3 wick candle, normally reserved for Yule “log”, to mark my season.  Lite the night on Feb 1st through morning of Feb 2nd and my purple scarf hung outside on the door for blessing from Bridget. 

From the start of my projects on Jan 25th, the cantaloupe has sprouted in the hydroponics, the citrus tree has sprouted new buds, mango is getting ready to bloom and my container garden is happy and attended.  Eastern Mandrake is looking great in this cool weather and full sun.  I’ve start a new business course to meld my spiritual side and my corporate side, hopefully promoting a fruitful outcoming to carry me into the next phase of my life. 
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*Fire safety first, I have a fire place, and my candle is in a large steal cauldron with nothing flammable and a sand base.  

Since I’m pretty much a moon child at heart, My wheel of the year is a celebration of the season, not a day picked out on the Gregorian calendar.  Imbolc for me this year is running Jan 25th (Full moon) to Feb 9th (New Moon). 

I finished up the ritual for this year last night on the full.  As I wrote the ritual, I found I was addressing two very specific spirit energies for assistance.  The first being ancestorial, calling directly to not only my ancestors but the common ancestor of Bridget most people call on this time of year.  I’m genetically Irish, I also believe in universal power.  In other words, if 100,000 people believe something, that creates energy to build and focus around that belief; and that energy can be tapped. 

The second spirit group I’m addressing are earth spirits.  Since this time of year is the very beginning of spring, the start of setting the intent, deciding which seeds to plant and where our energy is about to go; I’m focusing heavily on food production and storage this year.  Learning how and what is going to work best for me in the changing world. 

I will build out the entire ritual as the days go by during this season.

Today’s focus, nurturing.  My tiny home worm bin is multiplying like crazy.  I try to feed it, turn it and harvest the droppings every 14 days.  I keep this inside my home.  It’s clean, does not attract bugs (has never been exposed to them) and every plant I have no matter what it is, LOVE this stuff.  It’s a self-propagating system that doesn’t require animal waist.  Eventually, I will try the worm casting water in my hydroponics system.  

The Ritual - 
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In my mind, I do grow, a garden of fruits and vegetable,
 of vines of spice and trees of plenty,
 I grow this space for this witch’s bounty.
 
As we move into the next Earth phase,
 we must learn to adapt and pave our own way.
 
I called to my ancestors with this request,
 to support this witches garden, however it manifests
 
Let my mind open now to new ideas and understanding how,
 to build my garden strong and proud,
 feeding this witch, no matter the hour
 
From Earth I asked this day,
 support this witch’s way.
 guide her path, supporting her need,
 to feed herself and all her steed.
 
To Bridget I call in this hour, to bless this witch, and support her power,
 to nurture her home and help her plant the seeds.
 to lead this Witch to all she perceives.
 
Stable of ground and of heart, this witch will reveal in her art,
 sowing the seeds that will grow this year,
 into love and life without fear.

Imbolc 2024 : Part 2 Jan 23th         Wheel of the year series

The ritual spell is almost complete and I decided to do a call out for a blessing from Brigid as part of the spell.  I believe the collective mind of so many people call out to their universal connection in the same way (Through Brigid), it lend power to the intent and thought process. 

The last week has been filled with multiple threads on the same path.  A Barbados Cherry tree has been brought in, and my first attempt at canning fruit was a great success!  Star fruit, a sweet tree fruit in full production in the SE US right now lent itself well to the marmalade.   Cantaloupe seeds have been planted in their new hydroponics home.  My quest to produce fruit in a controlled environment begins today!

I finally wrote up my 10 minute anxiety / reset meditation and set it to post on Monday.
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Full moon is Jan 25th around 1pm for me.  It’s getting very lovely and round!  

​Imbolc : Part 1 Jan 20th
The wheel of the year are seasons, not specific dates, however in today’s world it does make it easier for us to celebrate as a “group” if we pick a day.
Imbolc is the celebration of the start of Spring, around the first of February.  With the continuation of global warming and the shutting down and slowing of the polar vortex on the north pole, the freezing temperatures and harsh weather continue in the northern hemisphere.  Hardly spring anymore, the basic celebration, the start of growth and fertility, is something I have spent a lot of time thinking about lately.
Most of the year I live in a Zone 10 growing location in the Southeastern US.  Next year I will be in a Zone 6 mountain climate for at least half the year, the growing half.   For several years I have been trying to stabilize my food supply to prepare for the coming issues in worldwide shipping.  I have purchased fruit trees that work well in containers, vanilla beans and cocoa trees, eucalyptus and coffee beans, just to name a few things. 
This Imbolc my ritual is focusing on my upcoming year and building my foundation for the gardening and food storage technics I will require in the coming decades to live a happy life with tasty things. 
I started early this year at the end of January.
I have transplanted a spring of Bay tree to create a new ancestorial tree in the new location.  Bay Trees were munchy food for dinosaurs long before mankind was running around.  To me, these leaves represent ancestorial lines.

The ritual spell is starting to construct itself in my mind, as well as the garden space on the mountain. 

Building rituals isn’t a single day moment, nor is it done in a single sitting.  It must develop and grow with your wants and desires.  This year’s Imbolc will not be next years, although it’ll be based on the same premise, spring.