Mabon with a Kitchen Witch: 10 Traditional Foods for the Fall Equinox

Planning to celebrate Mabon with a traditional meal?  Try including some of these homemade, from-scratch traditional Mabon foods to bring the spirit of the season to your table.

Sometimes called “The Witch’s Thanksgiving,” Mabon is a holiday traditionally celebrated with a large meal of harvest foods shared with family and friends.

(For many more ideas on how to celebrate Mabon, check out this link).

Sweet potato mash. 

No need for a recipe, this one makes itself.  Just pop sweet potatoes in the oven for 45-50 minutes at 400 degrees.  If you want to step it up, add maple syrup and butter.  Amazing. 

Bonus:  you can make this up to two weeks in advance and freeze them for a no-fuss side dish.

Pumpkin seeds. 

If your grocery started stocking the first of this season’s pumpkins, pick one up to gut and use those seeds.  But take caution: roasted pumpkin seeds disappear quickly!

Chai-inspired tea. 

While not itself traditional to neopagan traditions, the typical recipe for spice chai tea usually includes many of the traditional fall equinox ingredients used in Mabon spell craft, like cinnamon, ginger and cloves.

Bacon Maple Cornbread

This Southern-inspired bacon maple cornbread is a perfect blend of in-season flavors and a great side dish!  

Ground turkey balls. 

While roasting a whole bird might not be practical for the average solitary practitioner, ground turkey balls freeze well and be made ahead to heat up on Mabon, which is especially helpful if Mabon happens to fall on a weeknight.

Brandied cranberries.

If you like to get fancy, brandied cranberries make for an elegant twist on the more typical cranberry sauce.

Spiced Wine

Give your Mabon meal a sophisticated touch with a batch of Fall Equinox spiced offering wine.

It’s easy to make and can also be used for libation or cakes and ale for the Mabon ritual.

Spice cookies. 

Remember these?  Nothing conjures the thrill and excitement of the imminent fall season like a fresh batch of gooey spice cookies. 

They make a lovely addition to a group ritual as an alternative to the cake in the “cakes and ale” portion of the ceremony.

Corn on the cob. 

If you haven’t yet experienced the magic of wandering through a cornfield to gather your own fresh corn on the cob right off the stalk, go!  Before it’s too late! 

And if you’ve already got Samhain on your mind, make it spooky by watching Children of the Corn before you do it!

Green beans. 

If you already canned some, consider Mabon the time to break your first seal.  Or, if you live in a region where green beans still arrive fresh at the market, fry them in garlic, butter and sprinkle some red pepper flakes on them to “heat up” a lively dinner conversation.

Spiced pears. 

One lesser-used, but uniquely wonderful dish for Mabon takes the form of the spiced pear.  Make it as a (slightly) healthier alternative to heavier desserts.

Apple pie or apple crumble. 

Of all the traditional Mabon foods, if one symbol dominates the holiday of Mabon in North America, the apple wins!   Nothing ushers the essence of fall into your home like the sweet, warm awesomeness of a well-baked apple crisp Feature it in this traditional recipe for apple crisp.  On that note, take a moment to learn more on the significance of apples in witchcraft.

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