Happy Lammas!
Strawberry Cardamom Bread - My Lammas Tradition
Hi everyone!
August 1st marks the half-way point between the Summer Solstice and the Autumnal Equinox - sometimes referred to as a cross-quarter day if you follow the wheel of the year. While Lammas is just one name for this time of year, I tend to like this name the best because it literally means ‘loaf mass’ and many traditions have it marked by making bread from some of the first harvested wheat. Some other names for this time include first harvest or first fruit, and depending on where you live, you may be harvesting some of your first vegetables & fruits or are already well into the harvest season. In Georgia, we have been harvesting for the past two months but many fruits and vegetables are hitting their peak. We are getting the tastiest tomatoes, lushest strawberries and a lot of summer squash right now.
When August 1st arrives, I know here we still have more than a month of the hot humid summer before we get to start my favorite season - fall! That said, there is still an entire month (and sometimes more) of some of the most uncomfortable weather we can have here. For me to be intentional about this time of year without letting myself fall into the trap of constantly complaining about the weather and wishing for the month to hurry on by, I find letting myself look forward to some practices and rituals that I hold just for August helps.
My favorite place to bring in a tradition is in my kitchen and that is where one of my first August rituals takes place. As the harvest becomes more abundant, this is a great time to begin canning, making fruit butters and jams. As I mentioned, many traditions around this time of year center on baking bread. I love this idea and started making my version of this tradition every August 1st by making Strawberry Cardamom Bread (recipe below). Delicious for breakfast or a snack, it captures the spirit of a first harvest and gives me something to look forward to even as the heat of the summer is still making most outdoor activities unbearable and the cooler fall weather seems too far away for my pleasure.
Learning to work with the seasons and changing our rituals and practices with them is one of the most important ways to bring about intentional living and add more magick to your life. In the free Intentional Living Collective private FB group, we work with each season and create practices that help to nurture our mind, body & spirits. For September we will spend a month devoted to our Fall Healthy Habit/Ritual Reset.
I will share more ways I help make August more intentional for me in upcoming newsletters. If you missed our first newsletter, check it out and get five easy ways to add intention to your mornings.
If you have a special tradition for August and/or if you try the bread recipe, please email me and let me know. I would love to hear from you!
Intentionally yours,
Lara
🍓 Strawberry Cardamom Bread 🍓
1 1/2 cups All Purpose Flour
1 tsp Cinnamon
1 tsp Cardamom
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 large eggs
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup strawberries, hulled and chopped
1/2 cup toasted pecans, chopped
Preheat oven to 325˚. Grease and flour a 9x5 loaf pan.
Whisk the flour, cinnamon, cardamom, baking soda and salt together in a large bowl. Mix the eggs, sugar and oil together in a small bowl until blended. Add the egg mixture to the flour mix and stir until well combined. Gently fold in the strawberries and pecans. Pour into prepared pan. Bake for 50-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool on rack for 10 minutes before turning out. Then let cool completely. Delicious plain or serve with honey butter.