10 Healing Samhain Recipes Inspired by Hildegard of Bingen

10 Healing Samhain Recipes Inspired by Hildegard of Bingen

When Samhain arrives — October 31st and November 1st, Halloween and All Saints' Day — the ancient Celts honored the threshold between life and death, summer and winter, abundance and scarcity. This is the final harvest, the last gathering before winter's grip, the moment when the veil between worlds grows thin. The agricultural year ends. Winter begins.

Historical note about pumpkins: Before we begin, it's important to understand that pumpkins are a New World crop from the Americas. They did not exist anywhere in Europe until after Columbus in the 1490s — over 300 years after Hildegard's death in 1179. The Irish tradition of jack-o'-lanterns originally used turnips, not pumpkins. Irish immigrants in America switched to pumpkins in the 1800s because they were bigger and easier to carve.

Hildegard of Bingen knew late October as the final push before winter. At her Rupertsberg monastery, the last vegetables were frantically gathered before frost. Late squash (not pumpkin!), beets, turnips, cabbage — everything still in the ground had to come in now. Apples hung heavy. Pears ripened. The final herbs were cut. Mushrooms appeared after autumn rains. This was nature's last generosity before months of scarcity.

In her Physica, Hildegard wrote about squash: "are good for both sick and healthy to eat." She valued late autumn vegetables, apples, nuts, mushrooms, and noted that "kids, whether males or females, are good for people to eat until autumn" — making goat perfect for Samhain.

For Hildegard, this season called for gathering every last gift from earth and celebrating abundance while preparing for winter's lean months.

🎃 10 Samhain Recipes from Hildegard's Final Harvest

These recipes use what late October offers — the last fresh abundance before winter storage.

1. Roasted Goat Kids with Root Vegetables

Historical note: Hildegard: "kids...are good for people to eat until autumn." Samhain is the last chance for young goat. Late roots still in ground.

Ingredients

  • 2 lbs young goat (or lamb)

  • 3 cups turnips, cubed

  • 2 cups beets, cubed

  • 2 cups carrots, cubed

  • 4 tbsp butter

  • 2 tbsp fresh sage

  • 2 tbsp fresh rosemary

  • Salt and pepper

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 375°F.

  2. Brown goat in 2 tbsp butter.

  3. Toss vegetables with remaining butter, herbs, salt, pepper.

  4. Arrange around goat in roasting pan.

  5. Roast 1 hour until tender.

✨ Young goat before winter, last roots from the ground — Samhain's final meat and vegetables.

2. Game Bird with Apples & Mushrooms

Historical note: Late autumn hunting brought wild birds. Peak apples, late mushrooms. Forest and orchard united.

Ingredients

  • 2 game hens (or Cornish hens)

  • 3 apples, quartered

  • 2 cups fresh mushrooms

  • 3 tbsp butter

  • 2 onions, quartered

  • 2 tbsp fresh thyme

  • 1 cup wine or broth

  • Salt and pepper

Instructions

  1. Brown birds in butter.

  2. Add apples, mushrooms, onions, thyme.

  3. Add wine, cover, simmer 45 minutes.

  4. Season with salt and pepper.

✨ Wild birds, orchard apples, forest mushrooms — autumn's three gifts in one pot.

3. Roasted Beets with Sage & Honey

Historical note: Hildegard had beets and squash (not pumpkins!). This recipe honors what she actually had.

Ingredients

  • 4 cups beets, cut in wedges

  • 3 tbsp butter, melted

  • 2 tbsp honey

  • 2 tbsp fresh sage, chopped

  • Salt and pepper

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 400°F.

  2. Toss beets with butter, honey, sage, salt, pepper.

  3. Spread on baking sheet.

  4. Roast 40 minutes, turning once, until caramelized.

Modern adaptation (not historically accurate): Today we associate Halloween with pumpkin. If you want that flavor, substitute 1 medium pumpkin (cut in wedges) for beets using same recipe. BUT remember: pumpkins are New World crops. They didn't exist in Europe until 300+ years after Hildegard. Original Irish jack-o'-lanterns carved turnips. Hildegard had squash and beets, never pumpkin.

✨ Beets red as blood, blessed with sage — autumn's vitality roasted.

4. Pike with Late Herb Butter

Historical note: Hildegard praised pike. Autumn fish, last fresh herbs before frost.

Ingredients

  • 4 pike fillets (or firm white fish)

  • 4 tbsp butter, softened

  • 2 tbsp fresh parsley

  • 1 tbsp fresh sage

  • 1 tbsp fresh thyme

  • 2 cloves garlic, minced

  • Salt and pepper

Instructions

  1. Mix butter with herbs and garlic.

  2. Season fish.

  3. Top with half the herb butter.

  4. Bake at 400°F for 15 minutes.

  5. Serve with remaining butter melted over.

✨ Autumn fish, last herbs before frost — river meets garden one final time.

5. Apple & Walnut Tart

Historical note: Peak apples, fresh walnuts just fallen. Samhain's fruit and nut harvest.

Ingredients

  • 1 spelt pastry crust

  • 4 apples, sliced

  • 1/2 cup walnuts, chopped

  • 1/4 cup honey

  • 1 tsp cinnamon

  • 2 tbsp butter

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 375°F.

  2. Arrange apples in crust.

  3. Mix walnuts, honey, cinnamon.

  4. Sprinkle over apples.

  5. Dot with butter.

  6. Bake 40 minutes until golden.

✨ Apples heavy on trees, walnuts littering the ground — autumn's abundance before winter.

6. Late Squash Soup

Historical note: Hildegard wrote squash "are good for both sick and healthy to eat." This is what she actually had — not pumpkins!

Ingredients

  • 1 medium winter squash, peeled and cubed

  • 1 onion, diced

  • 3 tbsp butter

  • 4 cups broth

  • 1 cup milk or cream

  • 2 tbsp fresh sage

  • Salt and pepper

Instructions

  1. Sauté onion in butter.

  2. Add squash and broth, simmer 25 minutes.

  3. Purée until smooth.

  4. Stir in milk and sage.

  5. Season with salt and pepper.

Modern adaptation (not historically accurate): Modern Halloween recipes call for pumpkin. Remember: pumpkins didn't exist in medieval Europe. If you use pumpkin instead of squash, you're using a New World ingredient that arrived 300+ years after Hildegard.

✨ Golden squash — what Hildegard actually had, not the pumpkin that didn't exist yet.

7. Mushroom & Cabbage Stew

Historical note: Late mushrooms, fresh cabbage, last vegetables. Samhain's earthy abundance.

Ingredients

  • 2 cups fresh mushrooms, sliced

  • 4 cups cabbage, chopped

  • 3 tbsp butter

  • 2 onions, diced

  • 3 cups broth

  • 2 tbsp fresh thyme

  • Salt and pepper

Instructions

  1. Sauté onions and mushrooms in butter.

  2. Add cabbage, broth, and thyme.

  3. Simmer 20 minutes.

  4. Season with salt and pepper.

✨ Forest mushrooms, garden cabbage — earth's last fresh gifts before winter.

8. Turnip & Apple Mash

Historical note: Fresh turnips (the ORIGINAL jack-o'-lantern vegetable!), peak apples. Simple autumn comfort.

Ingredients

  • 3 cups turnips, cubed

  • 2 apples, peeled and chopped

  • 3 tbsp butter

  • 2 tbsp honey

  • 1 tsp cinnamon

  • Salt and pepper

Instructions

  1. Boil turnips and apples until tender.

  2. Drain, mash together.

  3. Stir in butter, honey, cinnamon, salt, pepper.

✨ Turnips — the vegetable Irish really carved — mashed with apples, sweetened with honey.

9. Hazelnut & Pear Cakes

Historical note: Fresh hazelnuts, late pears. Hildegard: pears should be cooked. Autumn's sweetness.

Ingredients

  • 2 cups spelt flour

  • 1 cup hazelnuts, toasted and chopped

  • 2 pears, diced small

  • 1/2 cup honey

  • 1/2 cup butter

  • 2 eggs

  • 1 tsp cinnamon

  • 1 tsp baking powder

Instructions

  1. Toast hazelnuts, chop.

  2. Cream butter and honey.

  3. Beat in eggs.

  4. Mix flour, hazelnuts, cinnamon, baking powder.

  5. Fold dry into wet, fold in pears.

  6. Drop spoonfuls onto sheet.

  7. Bake at 350°F for 15 minutes.

✨ Pears and hazelnuts — orchard and forest, autumn's sweet partnership.

10. Samhain Ancestor Tea

Historical note: Last fresh herbs, dried flowers, apples. A tea for honoring those who came before.

Ingredients

  • 1 tbsp fresh sage (if still available)

  • 1 tbsp dried rose petals

  • 1 tbsp dried chamomile

  • 1 tsp dried lavender

  • Thin apple slices

  • 3 cups boiling water

  • Honey to taste

Instructions

  1. Mix all herbs.

  2. Add apple slices.

  3. Pour boiling water over.

  4. Steep 10 minutes.

  5. Strain, sweeten.

✨ Last fresh sage, dried summer flowers, autumn apples — tea for the threshold between worlds.

✨ Closing Blessing

Samhain teaches us about endings and beginnings. The agricultural year ends. Winter begins. The veil between life and death grows thin. We honor ancestors who walked this path before us. We gather the last harvest before frost.

Hildegard understood this urgency. Late October meant racing against frost. Every vegetable still in the ground had to be harvested now. Every apple picked. Every herb cut. Every mushroom gathered. This was the last chance before winter's grip.

But Samhain was also celebration. The year had provided enough. The storerooms were full. The animals were fat. Survival was possible. We feast on young goat and game birds, roasted roots and late squash, apples and mushrooms and nuts. We celebrate while we can.

Her recipes for Samhain honor what late October actually offered: beets and squash (not pumpkins!), turnips (the original jack-o'-lantern vegetable!), apples, mushrooms, nuts, young goat, game birds. This is authentic harvest food.

As you cook these recipes, imagine Hildegard on October 31st. Frost threatens. Everything must come in. The storerooms fill. Winter waits. But tonight, we feast. Tonight, we remember. Tonight, we celebrate the harvest that will sustain us through the dark months ahead.

This is Samhain. This is the final harvest. This is the threshold.

Note: The pumpkin's association with Halloween is an Irish-American tradition from the 1800s. Original jack-o'-lanterns were carved from turnips. When foraging for mushrooms, ensure expert identification.

DietChristine PalmaHildegardComment