Le Cercle de l'Ombelle · Moon 5 out of 12
May — The rising sap
Spring · 11 references pickeds this moon · leaves steeped in the southern winter
First movement
The harvest
The essentials at a glance
The rising sap · Spring
11 references pickeds this moon, of which 9 contain caffeine.
Leaves steeped in the southern winter.
May sees South American maté enter the height of its winter harvest, while our meadows offer the first chamomile and sage before flowering. It is the moon of high sap: the leaves are at their most vigorous, just before the plant thinks of flowering and diverts its energy to its blooms. Chamomile is picked at the very start of flowering, flower head by flower head, when its apple scent is clearest; sage is cut before it bolts, when its leaf is most aromatic. Maté, for its part, is harvested under the cold sky of the southern winter, then dried and sometimes roasted. May is a moon of balance between two hemispheres and two gestures: one that hastens the picking of our herbs before they flower, and one that makes the most of the winter rest of the Paraguayan holly.
Under the May full moon, the almanacs' flower moon, the garden does not sleep: moths and nocturnal pollinators visit the petals left open, and chamomile smells more fragrant at dusk. Tradition picks flowers in the morning, as the dew dries; but it is the night that has filled them, the plant spending in fragrance what the day gave it in light.
Second movement
The moon lesson
This moon harvests 3 plants ; here are their botanical profiles and their rituals.
Maté
Ilex paraguariensis · Aquifoliaceae
May is the height of the maté harvest, and it is also the moon of its ritual. Traditionally, it is not steeped in a teapot but in a hollowed-out gourd, filled two-thirds with crushed leaves; hot but never boiling water is poured in, and the drink is sipped through the bombilla, a metal straw whose tip filters out the leaves. The gourd then passes from hand to hand, each person drinking from the same straw before returning it to the one who serves. In the countryside of Paraguay, Argentina and Uruguay, this sharing is a form of conversation. Dried and sometimes passed over a flame, maté gives a green, grassy, frank cup, carried by the caffeine the plant naturally contains.
Chamomile
Matricaria chamomilla · Asteraceae
Chamomile is a small member of the Asteraceae, cousin to the daisy and the dandelion, of which only the flower head is harvested: the flower itself, with its domed yellow heart and crown of white petals. It is picked at the very start of flowering, in May and June, flower head by flower head, when its characteristic apple scent is clearest; this is in fact where its name comes from, the Greek khamaimêlon, the apple that grows on the ground. Harvested too late, the flower loses its petals and some of its aroma. Carefully dried to preserve its delicate oils, it gives a golden infusion, soft and rounded, with notes of hay and ripe fruit. It is one of the longest-cultivated garden plants in Europe, found in every medieval physic garden.
Sage
Salvia officinalis · Lamiaceae
Common sage is a Mediterranean subshrub of the large Lamiaceae family, that of mints and thyme, recognisable by its thick, downy, grey-green leaves. It is picked before flowering, when the leaf is at its richest in essential oils and at its most aromatic; once it has risen into mauve spikes, the plant diverts its vigour to its flowers. Its name comes from the Latin salvia, derived from salvare: it was the plant kept preciously in the physic garden, so highly esteemed that a medieval saying wondered how a man could die if he had it in his garden. As an infusion, it gives a warm, camphorous and lightly peppery cup with a frank herbaceous presence. A powerful aromatic leaf, to be measured with a restrained hand so as not to overpower the rest.
Third movement
Tasting at home
The Moon Basket of May
Maté
Maté Orange Sanguine Ardent Bio
100°C · 5-10 min · 14-17 g/L
Nearly two thirds green maté, green rooibos second, then orange peel, marigold flowers and natural blood orange flavouring: this organic citrus maté embraces intensity. The dry blend, green flecked with gold, smells of yerba and freshly pressed zest; the yellow-green liquor sets the frank herbaceous bitterness of maté against the sunny roundness of blood orange, with green rooibos slipping in a mediating vegetal sweetness. Caffeinated and fiery, it is the maté for determined mornings, and an iced infusion base with real vigour.
Maté Chai Crème de Vanille Bio
100°C · 5-10 min · 14-17 g/L
Maté turns chai: cinnamon, ginger and cardamom spice it, sencha joins it, vanilla wraps it. The dry blend, green flecked with spices, smells of the chai latte to come; the golden green liquor pairs the herbaceous vigour of maté with the warmth of cardamom, vanilla laying down its cream on the finish. Caffeinated and invigorating, it is the chai for green mornings, and with frothed milk it works wonders.
Camomile & company
Fleurs de Camomille Matricaire Bio
100°C · 5-10 min · 12-15 g/L
Whole German chamomile flowers, from organic farming, with their golden heart intact, the sign of careful drying. Dry, they release the scent of ripe apple and sweet hay that gave the plant its Greek name; the pale yellow liquor offers a delicate honeyed roundness, without bitterness when the infusion is kept measured, with a calm floral finish. It is the most universal evening herbal infusion there is, one that every generation knows. Naturally caffeine-free.
Sourire du Matin Maté Mûre Bio
100°C · 5-10 min · 12-15 g/L
Green maté, caffeinated and frank, leads this organic morning blend in which blackberry leaves and nettle bring their vegetal register, softened by rosehip and a hint of fennel and aniseed. The dry blend, very green, smells of a freshly mown meadow; the yellow-green liquor opens on the noble bitterness of maté, quickly rounded by blackberry, with a lightly fruity finish signed by rosehip. A straight, clean first cup, for those who prefer to start the day on a vegetal rather than a coffee footing.
⚠ Precautions: Contient de la réglisse. Déconseillé en cas d'hypertension artérielle, de maladie rénale ou cardiaque, et pendant la grossesse. Éviter une consommation élevée ou prolongée.
Sage & company
Sauge Officinale Feuilles Bio
100°C · 5-10 min · 14-17 g/L
Pure common sage, from organic farming, in leaves with the characteristic grey-green down. Dry, it releases the camphorous, Mediterranean scent every kitchen knows; the infusion reveals another side: a yellow-green liquor with a frank aromatic taste, between garrigue and bitter almond, with a noble bitterness and a very singular dry length. It is a herbal infusion of character, enjoyed on its own by bold palates or softened with honey and lemon. Naturally caffeine-free, in small doses it also scents homemade blends.
Maté Myrtille Citron Vert Bio
100°C · 5-10 min · 14-17 g/L
Here maté takes on a tang of wild blueberry and lime, supported by sencha, matcha and guarana. The dry blend, green flecked with dark tones, smells of berry and zest; the green liquor sets the herbaceous vigour of maté against dark blueberry, with the brightness of lime running through the cup. Truly invigorating, with maté, green teas and guarana combined, it is the cup for mornings full of drive.
⚠ Precautions: Riche en caféine (plusieurs sources : maté, guarana, matcha, thé). À consommer avec modération, de préférence pas en soirée. Déconseillé aux enfants, aux femmes enceintes ou allaitantes et aux personnes sensibles à la caféine.
A source of pleasure, not a medicine. If you are pregnant, breastfeeding, undergoing medical treatment or have a medical condition, seek the advice of a healthcare professional.
The moon's ephemeral
A limited series, available for the duration of the harvest of may. When the moon passes, the ephemeral goes with it.
The Twelve Moons subscription
Every moon, twelve times a year, the harvest basket arrives at your door: 6 references, two per type, making 72 references over the year, the story of the picking and the ritual.
Subscribe to the Twelve MoonsFourth movement
All the moon harvests
The other references picked this moon, to record in your tasting notebook.
Maté Pêche Abricot Lumière Bio
Maté Amazonie Mangue Bio
⚠ Precautions: Riche en caféine (plusieurs sources : maté, guarana, matcha, thé). À consommer avec modération, de préférence pas en soirée. Déconseillé aux enfants, aux femmes enceintes ou allaitantes et aux personnes sensibles à la caféine.
Maté Pamplemousse Citron Vif Bio
Maté Fraîcheur Latine Citron Bio
Chai Maté Vert des Gauchos Bio