Celebrating Ostara

The Spring Equinox is just around the corner 🌿

Here in the Northern Hemisphere we are in the weeks building up to Ostara, the Spring Equinox on 20th March this year. The festival in the Celtic Wheel of the Year marks a time of transition, and the balance shifting back towards longer, lighter days. Have you felt it too? It was still light today at 5.30 p.m. and it was glorious in spite of the relative grey! Although we’ve got colder weather forecast still here in Edinburgh, those signs of Spring are growing abundantly as the crocuses line the roadsides and daffodils are opening their cheery petals. Sometimes, the start of Spring can feel frustratingly slow, but there’s a feeling of hope and change in the air, as well as the knowledge of so much seasonal goodness arriving in the coming weeks and months. Here’s how I’ll be celebrating this beautiful time of promise at home and in nature.

Spring Foraging

Have you had your first whiff of wild garlic yet? It’s the scent of Spring woodland walks to me, and I’ve already caught its smell on the breeze on recent trips. Foraging is the ideal antidote to our sped-up modern lives: slowing down, engaging all the senses and embracing nature’s wild, seasonal offerings. Last year I went on a birch sap tapping course (you can read about it in my paid post from last year here) and as the sap begins to rise I’m going to try and collect some from the silver birch in our shared communal garden. The time to collect birch sap is just as the leaves are in bud, and the taste is delicately sweet and incredibly refreshing. For beginners, wild garlic is a failsafe plant to forage thanks to its distinctive smell. It goes without saying that you should always forage with an expert or guidebook and never eat anything you’re not sure of. Take sparingly and never uproot anything - you can read more guidance here. I share my tips for finding wild garlic in my book, Slow Seasons, as well as a recipe for wild garlic pesto. Flowering currant is another easy spot that’s unlikely to be confused with other species thanks to its striking pink flowers and blackcurrant scent; you can pick the flowers to infuse them in a sugar syrup to make a delicious Spring cordial.

Foraged Baking

As well as the mindful act of foraging itself, I love the time spent in the kitchen afterwards: preserving, pickling, baking and making. As well as wild garlic pesto, if you’re looking for a recipe with wild garlic I can’t recommend wild garlic scones enough! I like the taste of wild garlic best once the sting has been taken out of it by baking or blanching. It adds a gorgeous herbal note to cheese scones, particularly lovely with a pinch of cayenne pepper for a spicy kick, served fresh from the oven and slathered in melted butter. Rosie Birkett has a wonderful recipe on her Substack, which I thoroughly recommend. The scones would also be perfect with Anna Jones’ wild garlic and puy lentil soup, which is a Spring favourite in our house. Simple, seasonal, mindful cooking to soothe the soul.

Decorating for Spring

In the coming weeks, my thoughts turn to Spring decorating - one of my favourite seasonal rituals that grounds me in the moment. Bare branches and berries are being replaced by bunches of British narcissi and the first tulips. In Slow Seasons I share lots of ideas for Spring decorating, with step by step instructions for gathering branches of blossom to “force” and making a Spring bulb display. At this time of year I swap my textiles for lighter, brighter and more Springlike colours and as we near the Equinox I can’t wait to dig out some of my egg-themed decorations, especially my hand-painted eggs from one of my favourite Scottish makers, Amy of Pops and Piaf (who I interviewed for my paid community here!). Setting a seasonal table is one of my favourite traditions at each time of year and especially around Ostara - in my book I share instructions for how to make your own table runner and napkins, and how to create a Spring tablescape. More on that soon! Edinburgh residents, keep your eyes peeled for another workshop along this theme…

Opting Outside

We are lucky to live near so many green spaces in Edinburgh and I plan to be outside as much as possible over the next few weeks spotting signs of Spring, whatever the weather! National Trust properties will begin to reopen and I’ll be taking my camera and sketchbook on days out to capture the Spring flowers in bloom - is there anything more pleasing than a sea of cheery daffodil heads, bobbing in the Spring breeze? One of my favourite walks at this time of year is the Daffodil Avenue along the Fife Coastal Path between Aberdour and Dalgety Bay; it was the scene of many childhood walks and adventures (which I write about extensively in Slow Seasons ) and is just as beautiful as I remember it. A flask of tea and taste of something homemade is mandatory (idea below). Is it just me, or does a cup of tea just taste better outside?! Pop a simple picnic in a basket and head to a quiet green space near where you live.

Hot Cross Buns

Easter is at the end of March this year, so I thought I would share my recipe for hot cross buns so you can enjoy them in the run-up to Easter and to celebrate the Equinox on the 20th. These cherry and almond hot cross buns combine dried sour cherries that pack a flavour punch and rich, buttery almonds. The buns are vegan but you could make them with ordinary milk or butter too. It’s best if you start them the evening before, so they can rise overnight and get their final prove and bake in the morning.

To make them, you will need:

250g plain flour
40g caster
7g fast action yeast sachet
180ml oat milk (or cow’s milk)
20g vegan butter substitute (or butter)
1 tsp mixed spice
1 tsp cinnamon
40g cherries
30g flaked almonds, toasted
Golden syrup or maple syrup for glazing.

Warm the milk and butter then add the yeast and set aside for a few minutes to activate (it will begin to froth). Pour into the flour, caster sugar and spices, then mix the ingredients in a stand mixer with a dough hook and knead for 10 minutes until they come together as a dough. Add the dried fruit and almonds at the end. Cover and leave to prove overnight, or for at least 12 hours.

In the morning, knock the risen dough back and divide it into six pieces, formed into ball shapes. Set aside to prove until double in size, covered with a damp tea towel. Preheat the oven to 200C fan. Make the crosses by mixing 50g flour with a tablespoon of water at a time, until you have a thick paste. Pipe crosses onto the top of the buns then bake for 20 minutes until golden brown. Glaze with warmed golden syrup or maple syrup and cool on a wire rack.

What are you doing and making to celebrate the arrival of Spring?

If you enjoy my monthly seasonal newsletters, do consider joining us in my paid subscriber community for more regular posts. Together in this wee corner of the Internet we are creating a beautiful community of like-minded old souls who want to slow down, simplify and connect with the seasons. Here’s a flavour of what I’ve been posting over there this last month:

Slow Decorating: Bathroom Plans

Imbolc In Season Ingredients

Seasonal Rituals: Cambo Snowdrops (this became a bit of a bonus post for non-paid subscribers as it sent without the paywall in!)

Sow, Grow, Harvest, Rest Book Group: February

And if you’ve enjoyed my newsletter I’d love it if you could share it too to help me spread the word:

Thanks so much for reading, and see you next month xxx

p.s. Slow Seasons is filled with seasonal crafts, recipes, nature notes and celebrations inspired by my Scottish heritage and if you enjoy this newsletter I think you’ll love it! I follow the progress of the year through each mini season, from Imbolc at the start of the year to Yule at the end and the book is beautifully illustrated by Holly Ovenden throughout. You can read more about it in this post and you can order ‘Slow Seasons’ here.