A Midsummer Recipe and 11 Simple Ways to Celebrate Solstice
Ink-Stained Compass is the weekly (on Sunday) newsletter by poet and witch Caitlin Gemmell. Today’s newsletter is a bonus one in honor of summer solstice tomorrow. Enjoy!
I gathered the first herbs of summer, their fragrance instantly elevating my mood. The scent of dill, peppermint, and chives from the garden mixed pleasantly with the warm, bright scent of lemon balm wild foraged from the verges.
The following recipe is the perfect treat on a hot summer’s day. I’m sharing it today in case you want to add it to your Midsummer celebration tomorrow.
Midsummer Tea Sandwich
This sandwich isn’t a delicate tea sandwich. Instead, it is a hearty meal meant to honor the solar energy at summer solstice.
Ingredients:
1 package cream cheese, softened
handful of garden herbs, such as dill, mint, and chives
(optional: wild foraged herbs such as lemon balm)
1 heirloom tomato, sliced and sprinkled with salt and pepper (or a handful of sliced cherry tomatoes)
seeded multigrain bread
salt and pepper
Add finely chopped herbs to the cream cheese and mix well. Spread thickly on slices of bread. Add thin slices of tomato. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Cut sandwiches into triangles. Enjoy with an iced cup of Earl Grey for a refreshing summer treat.
11 Simple Ways to Celebrate Summer Solstice
Awaken with the sun and enjoy watching the sun rise as you make a wish and envision what you would like to grow in your life over the summer season.
Relish the warmth of summer by enjoying a meal outdoors. This could be a picnic in a field, a quick lunch break enjoyed from a park bench, or an extravagant feast with friends.
Collect nature treasures and set up an altar outside. Spend a moment in quiet contemplation as you gaze at your altar.
Write a love letter to a solar goddess. Ones to consider: Amaterasu, Brigid, Sol, Aine, Saule, Sekhmet, Bast.
Go on a nature walk and enjoy the sights and sounds of summer. A visit to a wildflower meadow or a sunflower farm with friends can be just the ticket to a simple yet meaningful solstice celebration.
Curate a sun-themed playlist and listen to it as you go about your day.
Gather with friends for an evening bonfire, light candles and enjoy the light and warmth, or even put on a crackling flames video courtesy of YouTube for atmospheric background noise.
Research summer solstice stories and then write your own summer solstice myth.
Make a cool, refreshing treat such as watermelon popsicles. Share with someone you love.
Create a suncatcher by sandwiching grated crayons between strips of waxed paper and melting with a hair dryer on a low setting. Hang from your sunniest window.
Work in the garden and talk to your plants to encourage them to grow.
Bonus: If you are blessed to live somewhere magical, visit a sacred site and celebrate this longest day of the year with kindred spirits.
How will you celebrate Solstice? I’d love to know!
Just a little reminder that I Capture the Story Book Club has begun! If you want to be part of a seasonal, go with the flow book club, I Capture the Story Book Club is for you. Our three summer reads are…
I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith
Wild is the Witch by Rachel Griffin
Black Girl You Are Atlas by Renee Watson
Read as much or as little as you want. Pop into chat to discuss anything you want to share.
As always, a fun and inspiring newsletter Cinders. Never imagined that I'd enjoy and be a "retired gardener " but here I am. In the past my wife and I have put in vegetable gardens but I didn't personally tend it, just the rototiller part. This summer I've done both spending the cooler mornings and early evenings in the garden. Having fun actually and I've really enjoyed harvesting the home grown vegetables for dinners.
I love the idea of a midsummer tea sandwich! I will definitely be trying that out. ☺️ Some other lovely ideas here too.