Scripture Cake

At our Plants of the Bible program earlier this month, we served a sampling of Scripture Cake. This old time recipe is based on ingredients found in Bible verses.

As a favor for the evening, our guests received a package of the spices used in the cake along with the recipe and the Bible verses listed.

A good hearty spice cake that includes raisins, figs and almonds, many of the attendees remembered it as something their grandmother used to make.




Although this recipe says to bake it in a loaf pan, there was entirely too much batter. It fit perfectly in a Bundt pan.

And if you are interested in the original Biblical references, they are listed here. (Click on the photo to enlarge it.)

Plants of the Bible

Wendy Plowman has been a gardener all of her life. She has extensive nursery experience, is a master gardener and has studied plants of the Bible for decades. Recently she presented a very informative program for The Rosemary House. She began by explaining some of the challenges with studying the plants of the Bible in that the Hebrews weren't scientists/botanists and plants are often misnamed.  Additionally, different versions of the Bibles give us different names. She also introduced to us that today we have a clearer picture that there are over 2,500 native plants in Palestine.

Her comprehensive view of plants of the Bible included the trees, fruits, barks, gourds, foods, incense, lamp oils, cultivated plants, wild crafted plants, flowers, plants used to make tablecloths and garments, plants used for decoration such as henna, and symbolic plants. The evening was completed with some hot tea and scripture cake.

Crown of Thorns

Euphorbia millii (nicknamed Crown of Thorns) is native to Madagascar and legend tells us this plant was what was used to make the crown of thorns that Christ wore.    Evidence shows that the plant did migrate to the Middle East many years prior to the time of Christ. This plant is a woody, climbing succulent that thrives in hot climates and is tolerant of both heat and drought.  It flowers almost all year and can reach up to 6 feet in height.  The thorns can reach 1 to 2 inches in length. Here in Pennsylvania, it is a houseplant.   The exact plant species that was used to make the crown of thorns is not specified in the Bible.   Interestingly, the thick stems can be intertwined...... 

Passion Flower

One of our most exotic native American flowers  is often considered a world wide symbol of Christ's Passion. Emblematic of faith and piety, the mystical Passion Flower repeats the drama of Easter in its stunning waxen blossom. This flower is so extraordinarily beautiful that one can understand why the early Spanish explorers and Christian missionaries were overcome by its glory, so much so that they endowed its intricate structure with all the symbolism that has now become an accepted part of the legend of the Passion Flower.   The five petals and five sepals are said to represent the ten apostles (excluding Judas and Peter, the doubtful one), the three parted leaves symbolize the Holy Trinity, the three stigmas are said to look like the three nails; each stamen resembles the cross and the arrangement of the stamens together is in the form of the cross.  The central column or style represents the pillar to which Christ was bound for the scourging and the many tendrils of this climbing plant are the whips and cords.  The leaves are referred to as spear shaped. The double corona of 72 purple filaments which form an exquisite fringe within the flower are representative of the crown of thorns. The vigorous growing strong vine is compared to the Gospel and of course the lavender and purple colors of the passion flowers are the colors traditionally associated with Lent and Easter.
Gorgeous, Medicinal, Edible, and Symbolic - we are lucky to be able to grow a variety of this plant in our garden!

What I got for Christmas

I had a great secret-sister-Santa and it was a banner year for gifts for me. Three new herb books to spend January reading.

Wild Jams & Jellies by Joe Freitus and Sally Haberman printed by Stackpole Books, featuring over 75 wild edibles and over 400 recipes on 320 pages. More than just jellies, it has mustard, vinegar, and oil recipes. Spiced Sea Grape Butter anyone? or Wild Onion Relish? Maybe I'll start with Sumac jelly.

Figs, Dates, Laurel and Myrrh: Plants of the Bible and the Quran, by Lytton John Musselman printed by Timber Press, 335 pages. Gorgeous color photos, the plants are listed in alphabetical order, well indexed by Bible or Quran verse and by Latin and common names, and easy to read for anyone interested in the plants of the Bible (not just for Botanists). I am loving and learning from this book.

See Inside Fairyland by Susanna Davidson, published by EDC company, 15 thick and busy pages. This lift the flap and peek gem of a book explores various areas Fairyland from The Frost Fair to Lily Pad Lake, it is all here. What did you want to peek into? The Rainbow Waterfall or The Goblin Market.

These are just a few of the treasures. Silver bangles, herbal pottery and a few more Santas were also added to my collection. Thank you, Thank you to all my Santas! It was a Merry Christmas!

What didja get?

~Epiphany~

. . . . .And when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto Him gifts; gold, and frankincense and myrrh. ~Matthew 2:11

Herbs of Advent

The advent wreaths we made as a class earlier in December are holding up very well. This is one has been used as a table centerpiece all season and it is still as perky and fresh looking as the day it was made.

The last herbs to discuss in our advent series are the Gift of the Kings, Frankincense and Myrrh. Frankincense (Boswellia carterli) is an exudate from the wounded bark of a tree. The milky secretion forms tear drops that are used world wide as an incense. According to the ancient law of Moses, it should be burned in a proportion of six parts to one part of myrrh, and its pleasant fragrance compliments the musky odor of myrrh. Its presentation to the Child signified recognition of His divinity. Myrrh (Conniphera myrrha) is a dark resin that exudes from the bark of a small tree of East Africa and Asia. This forms"tears" which are used in perfumes, as incense, and as a healing agent for embalming purposes. In ancient times it was valued more than gold. As a gift to the Christ Child, it signified his mortality.

Herbs in the Advent Wreath

As we light the third advent candle on this rainy/icy Sunday I thought I would mention some of the herbs we've added to the Advent Wreath
Thyme - is allegedly one of the herbs of the manger along with pennyroyal and bedstraw. All three of these herbs are both soft to lay a baby on and also flea repelling herbs.
Rosemary - while not mentioned in the Bible, it is said that Mary lay her coat on a white flowering Rosemary during her trek to Bethlehem. Ever since that time Rosemary has had blue flowers
Sage - The beautiful silvery foliage of sage is delicious in poultry stuffing but also Moses was directed to make the gold menorah based on the growth habit of Salvia.
Bay Laurel - Native to the Holy Land, it spreads into thickets, used throughout the Greek and Roman period as a sign of nobility and honor. King David says in Psalms "I have seen the wicked in great power and spreading himself like a green bay tree."

While there are many other herbs and plants of the Bible, these are a few that are available in our garden now and that are relevant specifically to the advent season.

Plants in our Advent Wreath.

Wet, wet, wet on this second Sunday of Advent.

The Advent wreath is a circle to remind us of God's love which never ends. Evergreen branches in the wreath and Christmas trees are symbols of everlasting life. The advent wreath we began last Sunday had a nice base of evergreens. To that we added a bundle of mature ivy (Hedera helix) with berries and also some berried Holly (Ilex aquifolium). The ancients believed evergreens to be symbols of the continuity of life through the dark days of winter. The plants verdant foliage has decorated homes at midwinter solstice since pre-Christian times. Early Christians saw in the spiny leaves of the holly the crown of thorns, the red berries symbolized for them the blood of Christ. Ivy was believed to lessen the influence of wine, as well as assisting in predicting the future. In folklore, both plants are powerful protectors against evil.

Advent Wreaths

Brrrr, it is a damp and chilly first day of the Advent season!

Another of our Christmas workshops was to create these beautiful advent wreaths. We used a block of floral oasis, which we quartered lengthwise to fit around a 10 inch box wire wreath form. Everyone worked on a black catering tray to keep the moisture off the table and to make it easy to carry the wreath home. We added a large variety of fresh cut greens and herbs to the oasis. Since these greens and herbs are in oasis that you can continue to add water to, they will stay green and fresh throughout the whole season of advent. To make our wreaths even more special we used a number of herbs and greens that are found in the Bible. A few of the greens of the Bible used in this wreath are mentioned in Isaiah 60:13 'The Glory of Lebanon shall come to thee, the fir tree, the pine tree and the box together'. Those three greens and the majestic Cedar of Lebanon formed the base of our advent wreath. Cedar was for centuries a rich source of timber for countries around it. Solomon built his great temple which endured for 300 years. Not only is it a strong tree but a beautiful one as well. Cedrus means "strong and firmly rooted". We also added other herbs of the Bible or plants that have an association with the advent season. We will blog on those on the other advent Sundays.