kitchen witching
oh, hi
after a hiatus due to life, queer domesticity is back! look out each tuesday for a reflection on domestic life. starting 13 december, we’ll be reading Cheryl Mendleson’s Home Comforts chapter by chapter, dyking it up.
been taking rebekah erev's class on jewish magic healing and art over the past few weeks. been thinking about my ancestors (broadly defined), been thinking about the plants/herbs/minerals that were special to them.
at first i was like...salt. especially lawry’s. maybe i should look up the plants/herbs in seasoned salt. that could be a sweet offering for my altar.
but then, i thought scraps and green beans. my grandpa was a green bean farmer. grew lots of things, but his green beans were his favorite thing. he is also known to eat anything. he does not believe in food waste.
the plants that have nourished and protected my people are scraps. the leftovers, grown into something else. like my "heritage broth" which is just me repeatedly using a bit of my last broth in my new broth.
i'm cooking smothered turkey with TG leftovers, green beans and rice right now. comfort food. making something new out of scraps. like an edible zine. i learned this from my mom. who learned it from her father the green bean farmer.
i read a tweet once (maybe of a tumblr post? who knows) that said something like "your grandmother's dresser top was also an altar". and i think in the same vein, their kitchen work cast spells.
idk i just chopped an onion and threw some leftovers into a few pots, threw some frozen green beans in a pot. but i also feel like i called in some folks who i'm struggling with my relationship to. at a time when closeness to bio family has felt far away, today brought us close. i feel held, seen.
it feels good to be writing again. life is pretty different right now, but good. for more writing like this, you might consider becoming a patron where you’ll get these essays a little earlier, plus some other stuff.
also! it’s my half birthday! if you wanna leave a ble$$ing, i wouldn’t say no.
@/alaina-monts
$almonts