The Eight Sabbats

Parchment tablets with correspondences, “witch’s kitchen” ideas, and a featured recipe for each turn of the wheel.

Mabon ✦ Balance

Season: Autumn Equinox
Deities: Demeter, Persephone
Elements: Earth & Air
Colors: copper, russet, moss, cream
Symbols: scales, lanterns, keys
Altar: apples, pumpkins, leaves, pie, candles

Witch’s Kitchen — quick makes

  • Apple Blessing Slices: fan sliced apples, drizzle honey + cinnamon, bake briefly; offer the first slice with thanks.
  • Hearth Cider: warm apple juice with orange peel, clove, star anise; float a cinnamon stick; light a candle for balance.
  • Gratitude Bread: write gratitudes on bay leaves, tuck into a small loaf before baking.
Mabon altar with candles, squirrel, pumpkins, cornucopia and harvest pie

Featured Recipe — Harvest Orchard Pie

Ingredients

  • 1 ready pie crust (or your favorite shortcrust)
  • 5–6 apples, mixed tart & sweet, sliced
  • 2 tbsp lemon juice
  • ⅓ cup brown sugar (to taste)
  • 2 tbsp honey or maple syrup
  • 1½ tsp cinnamon • ¼ tsp nutmeg • pinch clove
  • 2 tbsp flour (or 1 tbsp cornflour)
  • 1 tbsp butter, in small dots
  • Egg wash + coarse sugar (optional)

Method

Heat oven to 200°C / 390°F. Toss apples with lemon, sugar, honey, spices, and flour. Line a pie dish, fill with apples, dot with butter. Top with crust or lattice; egg-wash and sprinkle sugar.

Bake 25–35 mins until deeply golden and bubbling. Cool slightly, slice, and share with a thank-you to the land for its abundance.