As the winter frost settles in and the days grow shorter, I've found myself falling into a gentle rhythm of work and rest, crafting essentials that will help sustain us through the chilly months ahead. From homemade soap to bubbling batches of kombucha and rows of meticulously canned goods, my humble (by humble I mean very small) kitchen has transformed into a place of productivity. Alongside making these functional goods, I've been delving deeper into nurturing my artistic practice by reading Julia Cameron's classic, "The Artist's Way" and carving out space for creativity. Mornings have become a ritual of journaling, drawing sessions, and brainstorming. This convergence of practical craft and artistic exploration has been delightful and very inspirational.
A mess of a side table filled with art supplies, and a mouse, apparently
The process of crafting soap, fermenting kombucha, and preserving nourishing foods mirrors the deliberate steps of the creative process. Through these projects, I've realized a connection between the act of making practical, everyday items and the act of making art. I studied studio arts with a focus on printmaking and bookmaking in university. I have always loved drawing and painting, but I was very drawn to the tactile and slow nature of these mediums. There is something very special about a printed object made with a human touch: the texture of cotton paper, the variation of text and image etched in that paper, seeing and running your fingers over the fresh imprint from the press, repetitively sewing the spine of a book, all done using a slow and deliberate process. Of course one could use a digital medium to create a similar work of art in a fraction of the time. It could be more efficient and more cost-effective, but the act of making something in this way and then seeing it finished is priceless. It’s the same with practical objects like soap and food. The richness and character that is an intrinsic characteristic of objects/art made by hand is one of my favorite things in the world.
Practice, Practice, Practice
Something similar happens every year as the winter solstice approaches. I find myself with less physical energy but much more mental energy. I get a rush of creative ideas, all flooding me at once. I try to grab a few of them and make them stick. Sometimes it works, sometimes none of them stay. Last winter it was this Fox Hollow project. During my winter break from my day job, I found myself obsessed with creating it and I didn’t even fully understand what it was. Nevertheless, I woke up early each morning and wrote, painted, or worked on the website with coffee and a good playlist.
This winter, I’ve felt even more creative and inspired to sketch, paint, and write. I’m reading Julia Cameron’s “The Artist’s Way,” a book I’ve avoided due to preconceived judgments about it being too “woo-woo-hippie” for my taste. In some ways it is, but it’s filled with a lot of good wisdom as well. In it, the author emphasizes the importance of writing “morning pages” which is her term for morning stream-of-consciousness journaling meditation. I’ve been practicing this on most mornings. So far, it’s made me realize how harshly I judge my creative thoughts before even giving myself permission to get them out. A lot of the time, this habit prevents me from actually making, let alone finishing, anything. How ridiculous! Upon this realization, I decided to make a silly little drawing or write a little bit every day (in reality it’s most days) and collect them all, just in case there’s something good in there somewhere. Even if there isn’t anything good, I think that keeping up the momentum is important.
One of my dreams is to have a printmaking and bookmaking studio, but the tools I used during university for these mediums were thousands of dollars each: Vandercook printing presses, photopolymer platemakers, etching presses, and so on. Since I don’t have the space or funds to obtain any or all of these tools, I have decided to start small, focusing on hand-printing. I’ve never experimented with this kind of printmaking, but since Michael’s art supply store recently ran a big sale, I took advantage of it and bought all the basic tools I’ll need to get started with printmaking.
Sometimes collecting/buying new art supplies can serve as a distraction from the actual art making. “I’ll be able to make art once I have all the things I need, but not until then” I often tell myself. But in this case, having the tools I need for printmaking truly has given me the motivation I needed to start making something. My creative practice is building momentum, and I’m grateful for the winter and a slower pace for making it feasible.
Soap Success
I’ve wanted to try making soap since at least 2017. I’ve always lived in apartments and shared spaces until recently, and I was always afraid of mixing lye– a crucial part of what makes soap, soap. I was still pretty anxious about it when I made soap a few weeks ago, so I took the ingredients out back, far away from the house just in case of an explosion. It turns out that if you have a heat-proof bowl and make sure to slowly add the lye to the water and NOT the other way around, it’s actually very anticlimactic and simple to do that step. While the lye solution cooled, I mixed the oils together and then added everything together, pouring it into a soap mold. The hardest part is letting it sit for an entire month to cure.
This soap was a simple recipe of lye, water, olive oil, coconut oil, and tea tree oil. By the time this post is published, it should be finished curing. I’ll let you know how well it turns out.
Give Me an S-C-O-B-Y
Generally speaking, people either love or loathe kombucha. Either way, you’ve got to admit that it has some great benefits when it comes to health. As you may know, kombucha is a fermented drink of tea, sugar, yeast, and bacteria (the good kind!). It’s made by using a SCOBY (symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast) that you keep alive in a jar of water and sugar, feeding it regularly, and black tea (also adding fresh fruit makes it taste much better in my opinion). The SCOBY is a combination of bacteria and yeast that just vibe really well together. A batch of kombucha is filled with vitamins, antioxidants, and probiotics which are crucial to the health of your digestive system. Digestive health is important to your overall health, and kombucha gives you an extra boost of goodness. After a huge flop of a first try, I finally made a damn good batch of kombucha! The first time, I must have not sanitized my tools well enough because a bunch of nasty mold grew on top as it was brewing. Unfortunately, I had to compost that batch and start all over. Luckily, a friend had a SCOBY to share and I was able to give it another go.
It’s surprisingly easy to brew and difficult to mess up if you follow the proper steps and keep everything clean and sanitized. After the SCOBY had grown enough in volume, I brewed a few cups of organic black tea and added a cup of cane sugar while the tea was still hot. Then, I cooled it down by filling the gallon jar with cold water and moved the SCOBY from its jar to the new brewing jar and let it rest in a cool, dark place for several days. I decided to add some of the apples from my big November apple haul to the brew as well as some pineapple and let that ferment for another two days. It was delicious. It was as good as store-bought kombucha and that really surprised me. It was nice to have it on hand and not pay nearly four dollars per bottle. I recommend trying it, and if you’re local, I have a surplus of SCOBY babies I’d be happy to share.
Solstice Milk Tea Recipe
If homemade kombucha isn’t your thing, I get it. I want to share a simple recipe for a milk tea that I love. It’s similar to chai, a traditional Indian tea latte, but as a chai lover myself, I felt like I couldn’t quite claim that label for this humble yet delicious winter beverage. The warming herbs in this tea latte make it the perfect thing to indulge in on a cozy winter evening when you’re settling in for the night or to share with friends. Here’s what you’ll need for 4 servings (about 4 cups):
Ingredients:
4 cups filtered water
4 oz of fresh ginger, thinly sliced
3 cinnamon sticks, whole
5 whole cloves
5 whole black peppercorns
8 whole cardamom pods (these add great flavor, but can be expensive. The tea is also great without cardamom if you can’t get it)
2 teaspoons vanilla
Honey to taste (agave, sugar, maple syrup, or coconut sugar will work too)
Milk (any kind), half and half, or heavy cream to taste
Tools:
Medium saucepan
Spoon
Bring the water to a boil in a saucepan
Add in ginger, cinnamon sticks, cloves, peppercorns, cardamom pods, and vanilla
Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for about 10 minutes
After simmering, you can add the honey and milk to taste, either to the whole batch or individually in your own cup.
Serve and enjoy!
Winter Solstice
Thursday, December 21st is the winter solstice– the shortest day of the year and the official beginning of winter. For many, this is very near the time of traditional holiday celebrations. Of course, you can celebrate and acknowledge the winter solstice as well as other holiday traditions you may have. The solstice is often celebrated with fire, be it a bonfire, a cozy fireplace, or candles. The celebration should involve rich, tasty food and drinks and time spent with loved ones. You can easily create biodegradable solstice decorations like dehydrated orange slice garland, evergreen garland trimmed from trees, pinecones, and ice lanterns. I love celebrating the solstice because it doesn’t involve the commercialism of Christmas, the holiday I grew up celebrating. Plus, it centers around a warm, cozy fire and my favorite foods. This solstice, we will go to a solstice party with family and friends on the night of the solstice, followed by a Friday night bonfire to celebrate.
I encourage you to learn a little more about the winter solstice and develop your own celebrations, small or large. It’s a really nice way to connect with nature and get in the right mindset to emotionally and physically deal with the winter months that lie ahead.
As winter approaches, I enjoy the solace I find in creativity, handcrafting, and the rhythms of nature. Much like the solstice marks a moment of transition, these creative and practical endeavors serve as a jumping off point for a defined creative practice. Getting into the spirit of winter and embracing the dark, sometimes dismal days ahead is necessary to enjoy this time of year. Staying mentally and physically active with hobbies, crafts, etc. as well as spending time with loved ones and eating delicious and nourishing food will get us through the cold times. Plus, it’s not too long until we can start planning our spring garden and starting seeds! More on garden planning, a compost update, and another plant profile soon.
With warmth and holiday cheer,
Allyson
*This post was originally published at foxhollowfarm.substack.com/p/preparing-for-the-winter-solstice on December 19, 2023.