Lammas is the first of the harvest festivals, marking the long slide from hot, sunny summer into the cold darkness of winter. The problem is, August is the hottest month of summer. There are few physical sign that winter is coming, indeed the days are now getting hotter and more humid and will remain that way until well into September.
Lammas and Imbolc, for me, are festivals of hope. It may not seem like it, locked in the snow or stifling in the humidity, but the seasons really are changing. This season really is ending. You need to start preparing for what is to come, so you can make what it is to come the best it can be.
We spend Lammas talking about our plans for the fall. What chores need to be done outside before the days get too short to work on them after our day jobs end? What things do we want to work on inside the house once the lure of long sunny days has gone? Where do we want to spend our fall vacation? School is starting soon. What activities do the boys want to participate in? What about Thanksgiving and Christmas? They may seem a long way away, but Lammas reminds us we are moving inexorably towards them. We should think about them now, in this calm time, rather than deal with them in the rush of the season..
We also consider the workings we did at the Solstice. How are they coming along now? Are we moving toward what we wanted to gain, moving back from what we wanted to lose or are we just stagnating in the sameness still? What have we done about it? What do we want to do? Lammas is a good time to give that working a boost or renewal.
The best part of Lammas is the feasting. Freshly caught fish, barley & leek soup, grilled corn & fish, flatbread, corncakes and everything seasoned with herbs right out of the garden. (or, lets be honest, herbs purchased somewhere because you lost track of time & never got around to weeding or perhaps even planting that herb garden).
I make a special pesto cornmeal bread for Lammas. It’s like foccacia though it makes a decent pizza crust as well. I usually cook it on a pan in our gas grill because I hate using the oven in August .
You will need:
1 1/2 teas salt
1 1/4 cup water
1/2 cup cornmeal
1/3 cup olive oil
3 cups flour
1 tablespoon yeast
2 tablespoons pesto
Mix the flour, cornmeal, yeast & salt together. Add the water, olive oil and pesto & stir until it starts to become sticky. Knead for 7-10 minutes. (I use a stand mixer for this). Let the dough rise somewhere warm (I use my microwave oven) for 1-2 hours. Punch it down
Heat your oven or gas grill to 475. Pat the dough out into a 9 inch round. Place it on a cornmeal covered baking tray and cover with a clean cloth. Let rise 15-20 minutes. Dimple the surface lightly with your finger tips. Scatter some chopped basil on top & then drizzle lightly with olive oil. Bake for 15-20 minutes & serve warm
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