Wisewoman’s Cookery: Food, Sex, Magic & Merriment
Regular readers of this blog will know that as well as adoring edible and useful plants of all kinds, I am very interested in the uses to which they are put. The official name for this is ethnobotany (or economic botany, but to me that adds a different connotation). I’m always on the look-out for interesting information about how people use plants around the world. A lot of what I find is from exotic places, where plants I can’t hope to grow in this climate thrive without much effort.
And so when I came across a review of a book that would let you grow your own garden of erotic delights then I just had to read it!
The book is called ‘Wisewoman’s Cookery: Food, sex, magic and merriment’, with a subtitle of ‘A Guide to Aphrodisiac Cooling, Sensual Simples and Folklore Erotica’. It is self-published by Shannon Loeber and Mary Edwards and available from bookstores in their home town of Vancouver, but for those of us a little further away it can be ordered from ChaptersIndigo.ca and Amazon.ca.
The book itself is divided into four main sections. In ‘Herbal Lore’ you can read about the erotic history of herbs such as parsley and rosemary and there are delicious recipes for both enticing meals and herbal body preparations to enhance all aspects of your wellbeing. For example, the first recipe is for a lover’s massage oil, but there are main courses and baked goods as well.
Things heat up a bit in the next section, ‘Spice Sorcery’, as you discover sensuous uses for cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and more. Here there’s an ancient recipe for the spicy elixir hippocras. According to the book the “seduction of its erotic aroma combined with the therapy of it’s mind-calming effects and heart-warming afterglow make it a perfect aperitif”.
Section three is ‘Bountiful Earth Fruits and Vegetables’ and shows us how to turn the common fruits of our kitchen gardens into enticing edibles. The tomato (in past times known as the love apple) is here, but so is the beetroos, and I’m guessing that most gardeners don’t know that beetroot has a sensuous side!
The final section, ‘Garden Alchemy’ is all about the spiritual connection we make to nature when we garden, and use the produce we grow. It’s about the magic of following natural cycles and closing the loop as we watch seeds sprout and grow into mature plants, harvest their fruits and compost the remains. Here you will also find a section on moon planting and some lovely recipes for enchanted bath salts.
Shannon and Mary spent about five years researching this book. They travelled to folk lore libraries in England and Ireland and collected stories about the great lovers of history and the contributions that strong and vibrant women have made. Their stories are woven into the books with the recipes, all of which have been tried and tested by Shannon and Mary and their families. They also took most of the photographs in the book.
The result is a beautiful and fascinating collection of folklore and history, recipes for food that is simple and healthy but tasty and enticing and for herbal products that you can make in your kitchen that will enhance your love-life but are also healthy and chemical-free. This isn’t a gardening book, it doesn’t explain how to grow these plants in your garden, but if you’ve been looking for interesting ways to add another aspect to your garden or make better use of your produce then this may be the book for you. It is very much in the wisewoman’s tradition of using herbs and natural ‘magic’ to help and heal, and you can find out more about the book on the Wisewoman’s Cookery website.
While I was waiting for my copy of the book to arrive I got in touch with Shannon and Mary and asked them whether they would like to be on the Alternative Kitchen Garden Show. They said yes, I interviewed them last week, and you can now hear them talking about the book in episode 105. They are really down-to-earth and fun, good natured women, and that comes across both in the book and in the interview. They’ve also kindly offered three copies of the book to give away to listeners, so if you’d like to be in with a chance of winning, listen to the show!