A recipe for May Wine with Sweet Woodruff

A Recipe for May Wine with Sweet Woodruff

5/30/2016

The delicious smell of lilac is in the air and afternoon thunderstorms rumble through the land leaving trails of bright green across the hills.

The days are longer and baby birds are purring in their nests waiting for momma bird and worm.

Everything feels fresh and new and possible. Couples are getting married to the backdrop of purple irises and bright pink peonies and the gorgeous warmth of the sun calls us out of our weathered skins and onto trails, mountains and lakes. Mother nature asks us to linger awhile, to get reacquainted with one another.

We seem to wake up inside, to this primeval certainty of early summer. We have made it through the dark, cold months and it is time to celebrate.

With roots in old pagan fertility rites, May wine is part of the ancient magic that calls us outward.

May Wine is the perfect early summer brew. Light and refreshing and full of charm, just like the season.

What a perfect way to invoke a summer love spell! Whisper your wishes into the liquid while making your sweet, herb wine. Make intentions to call in a lover, a beloved or some deep self love. As you sip the wine feel the fresh energy infuse your entire being. Have an inner smile and connect to your juicy self.

Flavoring wine is as old as wine itself. Using herbs as flavoring and as medicine is a part of our heritage. Using these sacred and medicinal wines for ritual and spells is a potent way to acknowledge the changing seasons and energies within us. We intuitively know how to shift energy through the use of herbs and spices. It is a natural relationship that incites exploration. Even if you are not an herbalist there are many plants that you use everyday in your kitchen without even thinking about it. Try to see these seemingly mundane herbs with new eyes. Tune in and see if they have anything to share with you!

May Wine (Maibowle)

What is May Wine?
Traditionally, May Wine is a combination of a sweet sparkling wine/champagne or a light German wine, sweet woodruff and fruit. Simple and beautiful. It is used as a tonic and to celebrate the new season.

Where do you get Sweet Woodruff?
Sweet Woodruff can be found dried in your local herbal apothecary, online through Mountain Rose Herbs, or growing as a perennial in the woods or through your local garden store.

Sweet Woodruff (Galium odoratum)

Sweet Woodruff: A vibrant green little plant, also known as bedstraw, has been used throughout history to scent perfumes, flavor drinks, jellies and ice cream to name a few.

As with lavender it was strewn across floors and used in beds to impart a sweet fragrance. Magically, Sweet Woodruff is used for protection and to draw close the sweetness of life. It is said to be good for the heart and liver and can change your outlook on life.

Using Sweet Woodruff in the Spring or early summer is a wonderful way to slough off winter's cloak and dreariness. Its merry attitude dispels the shadow side of life and opens the windows into the sparkling green and sun filled days.