Forest Wassail

Offered with love by Tara Lanich-LaBrie

Wassail is an ancient brew for dreaming and protection, celebration and healing, and for welcoming in a new season and year of potential. Wassail is a celebratory drink with Pagan roots that pre-dates christianity in its origin with stories that stretch across the British Isles. In the Norse tradition, Wassail would have been called "Ves Heil", and in English "was hál", meaning "good health" or "good fortune".

Wassail is one of my favorite rituals for this time of year as well as a delicious, nourishing drink to share in the darker months.

Wassail was brewed originally as a way to honor the fruit trees and the Goddess of the Apple, Pomona, honoring them and calling on protection for the future harvest from evil, and wishes for a good harvest in the coming year.

It has been celebrated in a variety of ways over the centuries, and each region and country has their own take on things. It has had many evolutions including "wassailing", (a precursor to Christmas caroling) which involves singing or caroling to one another & neighbors, and adding alcohol or just making it entirely of hard apple cider or wine. For this recipe, I added a splash of Hawthorne brandy, but it is just as festive and special without any alcohol.

As you brew your own wassail, I would invite your dreams and visions for the new year as your stir the pot, offering gratitude for the fruits and beings that nourished you over the previous year. As you add each ingredient, offer another dream, thought, or idea you are calling into fruition for you & the wider world, and be sure to thank the plants as you add them for the medicine they bring to your brew pot.

I am including lots of ideas for herbal additions here, but use what you have one hand or what is easiest to find!

INGREDIENTS

• 8 Cups of Unpasteurized Apple Cider or Apple Juice

• 3 Cinnamon Sticks

• 1/4 Teaspoon Cloves

• Sprinkling of Nutmeg

• 3 Tablespoons of Dried Hawthorn Berries

• 2 Tablespoons Elderberry

• 1 Tablespoon Rose Hips

• 1-3 Tablespoons of Spruce, Fir, or Pine Needles

• 1/2 of a Rind & 1 Tablespoon of Grapefruit Juice

• 1/4 Cup Cranberries

• 3 Apples, sliced in rounds and roasted in the oven

• 1 Cup Infused (or regular) Brandy (optional)-I used a Hawthorne-infused brandy

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat the oven to 350F. Slice apples in rounds, and place on a parchment-lined cookie sheet. Sprinkle with cinnamon and bake for about 10-15 minutes until the apples are soft. Add the apples to the pot of cider/juice.

2. In a large, heavy-bottomed pot, bring all the ingredients except the brandy to a low simmer and cover the pot.

3. Stir in your dreams and intentions for the New Year, thanking the plants that went into your brew.

4. Simmer on low for 20 minutes to an hour & then turn off the heat. Remove the citrus, and let it sit for about 20 minutes.

Alternatively, if you have a crockpot or slow cooker, add all the ingredients and turn it on low for about 4 hours, removing the citrus after about an hour or two.

Strain the Wassail & stir in the brandy while it is still warm. Serve warm!

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