( the Moon is in the sign of Leo)
February is usually the month of the most snowfall around here, so this Full Moon is kown as the Snow Moon.
Night walking takes you into a world aglow, as the moonlight reflects off the clouds and also off the snow all around. Ice in the trees? All the better, as ice magnifies and distorts the light. The air is crisp, and so clean you're inclined to breathe more deeply. (It's important to remember your inhaler if you're asthmatic!) As you breathe, take in some of the magical atmosphere and keep it with you. With so little sunlight this month, you're gonna need it!
You'll encounter more wildlife now, as stores are dwindling and everyone's looking for scarce tidbits.
Coyotes can be heard more often (calling their mates, perhaps?) and provide an eerie soundtrack for a snowy glowy night!
I opened the back door after dark and startled a pair taking their meal from my garbage bin! Beautiful creatures, and quick as lightning they were! I walked out further to see where they ran, but they were long gone before I took two steps! Oh, but what a sight! The almost full moon had a pink ring around......Breathtaking!
I was so grateful! Felt sorry for the interruption of those coyotes, however, because I know all the critters are feeling the food crunch.
Even us bipeds........
It's the time of year when the shelves in the root cellar are getting bare. It's funny, no matter how much I put up out of my garden, come February it's slim pickins.
But it's not poor preparation, Oh No! It's merely tradition. This month's full moon is also known as the Hunger Moon; wasn't me who named these moons, after all. In fact, some of our local tribes refer to this one as the Death Moon!
See, if I put away a lot of vegetables and fruit, I'll share more. Smaller harvest, still the same amount of food left! Doesn't matter.
But it's the perfect time for my hearty cabbage soup. Since the raw veggies are going to turn bad if I don't use them now, and the canned offerings are few and far between, it's never the same soup two years in a row!
Always delectable, it's the perfect way to warm up after a long walk on a
moonlit night.Snow Moon Cabbage Soup
I head Cabbage
4 to 6 Carrots
2 to 3 Onions
3 to 4 stalks Celery
a few Small potatoes (optional ... to taste)
3 quart jars Tomatoes
2 quart jars refried beans or bean paste
1 or 2 quarts beef broth
2 cups water
2 Tablespoons honey
1 clove garlic (optional ... to taste)
1 Tablespoon butter
1 Tablespoon sea salt
1 Tablespoon pepper
2 Bay leaves
Cut up raw vegetables into large chunks and set aside.
In a saucepan, cook the carrots and garlic in some of the beef broth and butter just until the carrots are a little tender. Smile as you inhale, and remove the pan from your stove.
In a large kettle or soup pan, add all the vegetables together with the broth, including the mixture from the sauce pan. If your tomatoes were canned without bay leaves, add the leaves to the pot. Add water and stir. As you add the salt, think of the salt in our own bodies. Consider the salt in the ocean. Smile at the connection.
As you add pepper, be thankful for the spice in your life.
Turn the burner on high, and add the refried beans after the soup begins to boil, (it'll stir in easier), then turn down the fire to medium.
As you add the honey, imagine all who eat this soup will ingest its sweetness and behave likewise!
Cook over a low flame for three hours or until it is to your liking, thinking kind thoughts as you stir occasionally.
Serve hot with crusty bread for a winter's treat you won't soon forget!
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Comments: 17
Nice intro/build-up to the recipe.
Thanks for this nice piece. While the cabbage soup sounds delicious, unfortunately, my root cellar's been bare for months. (I'll have to pick up the ingredients at the local grocers.)
I particularly like the way you weaved in to this piece a subtle comparison between man and beast: the coyotes out scourging for food in contrast to us humans with our dwindling supply from the fall harvest. We're all animals after all.
Look forward to reading more.
You won't be dissappointed!
Save some for the coyotes.
I've been looking for a new soup recipe, and this one caught my taste buds.
Hey, Carl, thanks for the compliment.....even though you won't be dining with us, unless you get out this way soon!
Mandi, you always make me smile!
AHHH....FOOD.....MY FAVORITE DISH....