Celebrate the Seasons: May!

(Reposted from 5/12/2018. It's always a good time to celebrate!)

(See the other Celebrate the Seasons posts.)

I love May! It’s the time of year when everything explodes with life— the trees leaf out, the flowers bloom, and the whole world (well, at least St. Louis) becomes a tangled mat of green. Here are some ways to celebrate this exciting month!

Celebrate the Seasons: April!

(Reposted from 4/14/2018. It's always a good time to celebrate!)

Welcome to my new series, “Celebrate the Seasons”! Each month, I’ll be posting a few suggestions for how to fully appreciate the changing of sunlight, weather, flora, and fauna. Being grounded in the seasons helps us to connect more deeply with the natural world, and to appreciate the ebb and flow of the year.

Celebrate the Seasons!

We made it through another year! I hope that the Celebrate the Seasons series has inspired you to take some time to plug into the rhythms of the seasons, appreciating the magic of every temperature and sunrise and cloud.

You’ll notice some recurring themes, such as...

Go outside, even when you don’t like the weather. Whether it’s in the single digits, raining buckets, or swampy-hot, find time to go outside and try to appreciate every moment for what it is. (Don’t go outside in a tornado or a lightning storm, though.)

Honor the season-related holidays. Every culture has a wealth of season-related holidays to draw on. The solstices and equinoxes are good places to start, along with more modern holidays like Earth Day. Take time to honor the changing of the seasons.

Autumn is still my favorite season, but
I'm learning to appreciate them all!

Gather food from your surroundings. Food is one of the most tangible ways to connect to the seasons, so I encourage you to continue to look for ways to eat from the abundance in your area. Whether that’s tossing dandelion greens into a stir-fry, growing herbs in a windowsill, planting radishes in a spare piece of earth, finding community fruit trees in your area, visiting a farmers’ market, or joining a CSA, nothing says “seasons” like the first strawberry of June or the peaches of August.

Here are the recaps of each month:

April 

May 

June 

July 

August 

September 

October 

November 

December 

January 

February 

March 

I hope you’ve enjoyed this journey through the seasons as much as I have. Next week I’ll be posting details about a new year-long blog series, which I’m super-excited about. Stay tuned!

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Celebrate the Seasons: March!

After the long, dark winter (longer and darker for some parts of the country than others), spring is just around the corner for most of the United States. Although the “New Year” takes place in the dead of winter, the Vernal Equinox seems like a better time to review the year, to contemplate where you’ve been and where you’re going, as cultures all over the northern hemisphere celebrate the birthing of spring. Here are some ways to celebrate!

1. Look for spring foraged foods. The first foraged foods of the year are here! If you’ve never foraged before, start with the dandelion: pick the early leaves and throw them in your next batch of stir-fry or pasta sauce. Violet flowers are also delicious, and a host of other edibles are at your fingertips: redbud blossoms and pods, henbit or deadnettle, and wild garlic, to name a few.

2. Have a vernal equinox party. It’s a time of renewal, rebirth, and new life, so celebrate by serving up some foraged greens (see point #1) along with eggs, asparagus, new potatoes, lamb, or other traditional spring foods.

3. Sow early seeds. In the St. Louis area (zone 6), now is a great time to plant cool-season crops such as peas, spinach, lettuce, or onion sets.

4. Divide perennials (or ask for some). This is also a good time of year to dig up sections of summer-flowering perennials and herbs; they need to be divided to keep them healthy, and you can share your bounty with other people. If you don’t have any perennials of your own, try putting out the word that you’re looking for some— if you have any gardening friends, they’ll likely jump to the rescue. (If all you can manage are houseplants, ask if anyone has succulents they can divide.)

5. Think of how you will celebrate this upcoming year in tune with the seasons. Humans, like nature, are meant to live in predictable cycles, and I can think of no better cycle than the passing of the seasons. Wherever you are, and whatever you’re doing, take time to notice the rhythms of sky and clouds, seed and harvest, hibernation and foraging. As Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience.”

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Celebrate the Seasons: February!

In my part of the country, February is one of the most temperamental months, weather-wise (yesterday the state of Missouri had a tornado warning, freezing rain, dense fog, flash flood warning, snow, sleet, sub-zero temperatures, and everything in between— in just one day). When the weather is being crazy, it’s tempting to stay inside, but I encourage you to put on some good clothing and head outdoors! (Then come home afterward, make yourself a hot chocolate, and consider some of the suggestions below.)

1. Find a new nature area to explore. It can be tough to find energy to go out in the weather, but exploring a new place can provide the motivation. Look around what’s near you and see if anything sounds interesting! (St. Louisans, I highly recommend Powder Valley Nature Center— which features a cozy indoor area with a bird-watching wall. For Missourians in general, check out the new Missouri Department of Conservation's Outdoors App.)

2. Have a waste-free Valentine’s Day. Holidays are always a good time to consider gift-giving and wastefulness. See the New Dream guide for a meaningful (and environmentally-friendly) Valentine’s Day. 

3. Try your hand at a craft. Traditionally, winter months were mostly spent inside working on things that would be useful for the upcoming year. If you’re looking to try a new craft, now is a good time to start! Choose one that doesn’t require buying a lot of gear (for instance, ask to borrow someone knitting needles and buy a single skein of yarn, rather than buying several sizes and a rainbow of colors), ask a friend who knows the skill, see if your library offers free classes and instructional books, or check out the ever-helpful mentor, Uncle Google. I’ve enjoyed making wreaths and other decorations out of natural materials, and have been practicing my drawing more lately. How about whittling, weaving, candle-making, or baking?

4. Swap seeds. There may be a seed swap happening near you, but you can always hack it by asking other gardening friends if they have seeds to trade. If you’re in the St. Louis area, make plans to attend the STL Seeding Frenzy Seed Swap— last year I brought zinnia seeds and came home with all sorts of veggie and flower seeds, plus a Jerusalem artichoke tuber that grew into towering sunflowers!

5. Read aloud to a friend. Storytelling around a fire has been part of winter in the North for time out of mind, and reading a book aloud by candlelight honors that tradition. Waiting for spring is inherent in winter, but listening to stories in the meantime is a beautiful way to embrace this unpredictable month.

How do you celebrate February?

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Celebrate the Seasons: January!

It’s the dead of winter, which may mean knee-deep snow or just a lot of gray days, depending on where you live. January to me is a time of reflection and reframing, a time to appreciate cozy evenings, warm drinks, and fires. Here are five ways to celebrate the new year!

1. Start a library habit. There are few habits that will reap more rewards than getting into the routine of visiting the library. If you don’t have a card, figure out how to get one, then mark “Go to library” on your calendar. Visit on a prescribed schedule until it’s just habit. Libraries are one of the most amazing underutilized resources. Even if you don’t like reading, check out the movies, video games, audiobooks, and more!

2. Order seeds. If you’re thinking about a garden for springtime, now is the time to cheer yourself up by thumbing through seed catalogs. I highly recommend Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds.

3. Forage some pine needles. Learn to identify white pine, and you’ll have ingredients for an herbal tea chock-full of Vitamin C to get you through the winter months! Simply chop the needles roughly and steep them for several minutes in boiling water.

4. Figure out how to cook something you’ve never tried. Winter is the perfect time to learn different cooking techniques— whether you’re baking, braising, roasting, or sautéing, the extra heat in the kitchen is a plus rather than a minus this time of year. Do you want to learn how to make sourdough bread? The perfect soufflé? Sushi? Meatloaf? The Internet (or the library, see above) has everything you need to get started.

5. Bundle up and get outside. Play in the snow, take a walk, watch winter birds (St. Louisans, did you know it’s eagle-watching season?), throw some rocks into a frozen pond. It can be intimidating to brave the cold during the winter, but the benefits are well worth it!

How do you celebrate January?

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Celebrate the Seasons: December!

“December” has always been synonymous to me with “Christmas,” which I’ve always considered a season unto itself. Since I’ve worked an outdoor Christmas job for the past 13 years, I have a lot of firsthand encounters with the weather! Despite that, it’s often difficult for me to slow down and truly appreciate the beauty of the onset of winter. Here are some ways I’ve been celebrating December so far.

1. Decorate with natural materials. Working with evergreens, twigs, or berries to make something beautiful is one of the most satisfying feelings in the world. This can be anything from placing a few fir sprigs around a candle on a plate, to bunching together a bundle of attractively-shaped branches, to making a wreath. Don’t forget the traditional decorations for birds: string popcorn into garlands, decorate pinecones with suet and seeds, or simply leave fruit hanging from ribbons.

2. Celebrate the Winter Solstice. Light a candle or a bonfire and celebrate that the darkest day of the year is past! If you want to curl up with a mug of glögg and a book of Norse mythology, even better.

3. Commit to eating seasonally. When consumers eat food that’s out of season (for instance, “fresh” tomatoes in December), it creates pressure to grow food in a way that is often exploitive, both to the land and the people who harvest the produce (check out Barry Estabrook’s Tomatoland for a great example of this). The way forward to sustainable agriculture lies in being in tune with the seasons, and that is paved by more and more consumers commit to eating winter vegetables in winter— kale, broccoli, root vegetables, and so on. Learn more about what’s in season in your area here!

4. Take a walk on Christmas Day. Christmas can be a hectic day for many people, but try to take some time to step outside and center yourself. Breathe the crisp air (or the unseasonably warm air, depending), look for birds, get your blood moving, and remember what the holiday is about.

5. Consider an eco-friendly New Year’s Resolution. I actually prefer the idea of replacing “resolution” with “habit:” think about one habit that you would like to cultivate in the upcoming year, and consider taking on an environmentally-related one. This could be committing to using a canvas bag instead of plastic, eating less meat, carrying a reusable water bottle, shopping at the farmers market, or doing a retail-shopping ban. Whatever you choose, let people know you’re trying to build the new habit so they can join you!

How do you celebrate December?

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Celebrate the Seasons: November!

Between sub-freezing temperatures and a four-inch snowfall, this November has been anything but ordinary, but there are still many ways to celebrate it! Here are some good ways to embrace the month of changing winds and oncoming winter:

1. Celebrate Buy Nothing Day. While many people are stampeding to the sales on Black Friday (and don’t even get me started on stores that have “Black Friday” on Thanksgiving) choose to do the opposite: Buy Nothing Day! This is a great way to protest consumerism and to remember all the wonderful things you already have. You might choose to take a hike, stay at home playing board games, pack a nice leftover Thanksgiving meal as you go to work, read books, or create something. (I always spend Buy Nothing Day at St. Charles Christmas Traditions!)

2. Go bird-watching. With the leaves falling or down, it becomes a lot easier to spot birds flitting among the bare branches. When I’m biking down the Katy Trail, I’m treated to flocks of cardinals, juncos, white-throated sparrows, mockingbirds, robins, and downy woodpeckers. You’ll also spot huge murmurations of starlings drifting through the sky. 

3. Find a winter farmers market. Although most farmers markets are closed for the season, if you Google “winter farmers market near me,” you might be surprised at what you discover! For instance, St. Louis features Creve Coeur, Tower Grove, and Lake St. Louis. These are great places to pick up hardy greens, preserves, meat and dairy, and other winter fare.

4. Make fire cider. Cold and flu season is upon us, but homemade remedies can really help! My mom and I swear by this Cold Kicker Remedy, otherwise known as Fire Cider— it tastes terrible but is a tremendous immune system booster.

5. Embrace the cold weather. The environment and your wallet will thank you if you take some time to bundle up over the winter, even when you’re indoors. There’s no reason to walk around indoors in a t-shirt when it’s freezing outside— put on a long-sleeved shirt and a cozy sweater, turn down the house heat, and allow yourself to feel part of the season. Zach and I keep the house at 60-62 most days and 57 at night, and I use a space heater and/or a hand warmer when I’m sitting at the computer for a long time. I wear two layers of pants and three layers on top all the time throughout winter, and sometimes more when it’s really cold. Consequently, when I step outside I’m not as shocked by the temperature. Winter is coming, after all!

How do you celebrate November?

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Celebrate the Seasons: October!

This is the craziest fall I can remember, with muggy 90-degree heat and lightning storms, but I am holding onto hope that autumn really is coming! Here are some ways to celebrate one of my favorite months.

1. Go hiking. In St. Louis, there is no better month for hiking than October (well, usually). Check out some of the amazing fall colors along the Lewis and Clark Trail, Powder Valley Nature Center, Pere Marquette State Park, or any local park, or make the drive to Elephant Rocks or Johnson’s Shut-Ins.

2. Make some cozy hot drinks. Tea, hot cocoa, fancy coffee drinks, apple cider, wassail... ‘tis the season for hot drinks! (If you don’t know how to make any of these, Google is your friend.)

3. Don’t rake your leaves. Just joking... sort of. Instead of bagging up leaves and setting them out on the curb, think about how you can use this huge pile of nutrient-dense carbon to your advantage. Start a compost pile, mulch your garden for the winter... or give them to a neighbor who likes to garden!

4. Learn how to roast vegetables. Autumn is the beginning of a season of hearty vegetables that are best roasted in a hot oven until caramelized. Try out butternut squash, sweet potatoes, beets, turnips, onions, carrots, potatoes, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, or cauliflower with the same method: chop into bite-sized pieces, spread on an oiled rimmed sheet pan, drizzle with olive oil, salt, and pepper, and roast in a 450º oven. Check after twenty minutes by piercing one of the pieces with a knife to see if it’s soft. Toss and roast the pieces further if necessary. Roasted veggies are delicious mixed with rice or pasta, spread onto toast with a sprinkle of cheese, scrambled into eggs, tucked into a burrito, or simply drizzled with sauce (kung pao, sweet chile, herbed melted butter, gravy, and more).

5. Press some autumn leaves. Gather colorful leaves that suit your fancy, and press them between any kind of paper in a thick book. In a couple weeks they’ll be dried out and ready for fall-themed decorations! You can glue them onto greeting cards, use them for crafts, or simply scatter them around the home for decoration.

How do you celebrate October?

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Celebrate the Seasons: September!

To be honest, this year it’s been hard to celebrate September because summer has draaaagged on. We’ve finally started getting a few cool days now, so I thought I should post this before the month is up. Cooler weather is coming, and that’s always something I like to celebrate!

1. Air out the house. The stupidly hot weather can’t last forever. Let the fresh air rush in, and the scent of falling leaves and bonfires will help get you in the seasonal mood.

2. Celebrate the autumnal equinox. September 22nd (this year) is the halfway point between the summer and winter solstices, so for those of us of European persuasion, it’s time to party! Try cooking some seasonal food, go outside, and make a bonfire if the weather/fire regulations allow.

3. Go apple-picking. ‘Tis the season to head for the orchards! I know Eckert’s is a time-honored St. Louis tradition, but a quick Google search will reveal many more. And, as long as you have a ton of apples...

4. Learn some sort of food preservation technique. In September the summer harvest reaches a breaking point, so whether you’re working in your own garden or buying the cheap surplus at the farmers’ market, learning how to preserve some of it is a great idea. Freezing is one of my favorite ways, although I’ve been doing a lot of dehydrating, too. Other techniques I’m learning include curing (for sweet potatoes and winter squash) and fermenting. I’m also interested in preserving tomatoes in a confit. I haven’t tried canning yet, but I know it’s a great skill to learn! Whatever you do, learning to “put food by” for the winter is an ancient art that will keep you eating healthy, delicious food all year long.

5. Explore a new park. The nicer weather is a great chance to get out and explore somewhere new in your area. If you’re in St. Louis, check out the county parks or state parks (and, of course, Pere Marquette State Park right across the river)!

How do you celebrate September?

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Celebrate the Seasons: August!

'Tis the season for tomatoes!

August has historically been my least favorite month because it’s the time when summer just... keeps... going. However, as with most things, the problem isn’t with the month itself, but with my attitude about it. This year, I’m determined to make the most of the things that make August special!

1. Scour the farmers’ market for deals. By late August, farmers (and gardeners!) usually have a glut of tomatoes, zucchini, and corn, and prices for these seasonal items drops. I’ve found organic heirloom tomatoes for 75¢ a pound at the market this time of year, or freshly-picked sweet corn for 10¢ an ear. Check out a market and see what you can find!

2. Sample some seasonal fruit. Yes, this is related to the previous point, but it bears repeating because August is peach season. If you have never tasted a freshly-picked peach, you are missing out.

3. Make your own celebration, since there aren’t any holidays. As a kid, it always depressed me that August had no major holidays. But now I realize that I can’t celebrate anything I darn well want! Make up your own holiday, or try one of these...

National Friendship Day- first Sunday of the month

Book Lover’s Day- August 9th

National Thrift Shop Day- August 17th

National Honeybee Awareness Day- Third Saturday

Just Because Day- August 27th

National Eat Outside Day- August 31st

4. Attend some live music. A lot depends on where you live, but most cities have free live music if you know where to look. For instance, St. Charles’s municipal band plays every Thursday in Frontier Park, for free. Festivals and free outdoor music events are pretty common this time of year, too.

5. Visit a butterfly garden. It’s prime season for butterflies— here in Missouri, the monarchs are passing through, but my garden is also full of black swallowtails, cloudless sulphurs, common buckeyes, and red-spotted purple admirals. You can hunt for butterflies anywhere that wildflowers grow, but a lot of conservation areas (and even public buildings, such as libraries) have gardens specifically dedicated to attracting these winged beauties. 

How do you celebrate August?

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Celebrate the Seasons: July!

July is my birthday month, so I’ve always held a fondness for it, even though the summer heat usually hits an unbearable level at this point. I appreciate this month more than ever now that I have a garden of summer crops; I may wilt in the heat, but my squash, cucumbers, tomatoes, corn, and sweet potatoes are in heaven! As Zach so eloquently said, “The garden makes me realize what summer is for.” Here are some ways to embrace it!

1. Make hot-weather treats. ‘Tis the season for popsicles! I pulled out some old popsicle molds and blended some peeled and seeded cucumber, watermelon, lemon juice, and a bit of honey, then froze them into delicious popsicles that hit the spot whenever I come inside after a walk. I also love freezing chunks of watermelon, then salting them right before I eat them. Don’t forget drinks, too— peppermint-infused water, homemade ice tea or lemonade, sparkling drinks, and more!

2. Go swimming. Whether it’s a local pool, a river, or a natural water feature like Johnson’s Shut-Ins, this is a great time of year to be in the water! 

3. Ask people to show you their gardens. Anyone with a garden, whether flower or vegetable, is usually happy to show off what they’ve planted, and summer is the time for seeing gardens at their best. I enjoy strolling through my neighborhood and seeing coneflowers, zinnias, and marigolds blooming everywhere.

4. Swap food from the garden. On a similar note, see if you can find people who are willing to trade food; you’ll both benefit! Even if you don’t have a garden of your own, you can offer cookies or something; or, chances are you know someone who is absolutely swimming in produce, and will thank you for taking cucumbers or tomatoes or zucchini off their hands. If swapping isn’t an option, farmers markets are still full of increasingly cheap produce for the same reason.

5. Sweat. Some people pay good money to visit a sauna, but the Midwest offers non-stop sauna conditions— all you have to do is step outside! Seriously, though, a good clean sweat is helpful for the body every once in a while, and you might as well embrace it. Sunscreen and deodorant both inhibit sweat, so try to find a shady place outdoors, or on a hot night. Walk, jog, garden, or do whatever you need to do to sweat, and when you’re thoroughly soaked, duck into a cold shower. It’s like a sauna in reverse... and trust me, you’ll appreciate air conditioning much more.

What are you doing to celebrate July?

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Celebrate the Seasons: June!

Wild mulberries, free for the taking

It’s that time of year again... when you bless the inventors of air conditioning! (We try to keep our house at 80, but have a window air conditioner for nighttime.) But seriously, there are lots of ways to enjoy this month that brings us into the official start of summer. For instance...

1. Observe the summer solstice. The European winter solstice celebrations have been immortalized in our celebration of Christmas, but the summer solstice got lost in the shuffle. Time to bring it back! The solstice traditionally involved a bonfire, feasting, and communing with nature, so take some time to do one or all of the above on June 21st. (See more fun ideas here.)

2. Start carrying a water bottle. No, you won’t die if you go out without one, but as the heat intensifies, having water close to hand is helpful. There’s no need to waste a bunch of plastic, though! Get a reusable water bottle and get into the habit of carrying it around. I use a Nalgene my brother brought me from Yellowstone, but you can almost always find water bottles at thrift shops. Or you can follow Zach’s lead and use an old kombucha bottle.

3. Go berry-picking. If you live in the Northwest, berry-picking is as easy as walking to, well, pretty much anywhere, and grabbing delicious blackberries straight off the vine. In the Midwest, we have a glut of mulberries, which are less tasty but still fun to pick. Or you could try a U-Pick farm! (Here’s a list of U-Picks in the St. Louis area.)

4. Catch fireflies. It’s prime season for fireflies— they light up the woods like crazy around our house! (If you happen to live west of the Rockies, I’m sorry that you don’t get fireflies. Maybe you can eat some wild blackberries to console yourself.)

5. Choose humanely-raised meat for a barbecue. You guys know I have a thing with meat— I’ve written about it here, here, and here. And while I love barbecues, I think there are better ways to celebrate that buying cheap meat made from an animal who lived a life of suffering. Ideally, it’s best to buy meat from a local farmer whom you trust (for St. Louisans, check out the package Thies Farm offers, and for everyone, look at EatWild for more ideas), but in a pinch, choose something labeled “Organic,” “Grass-Fed,” or “Humane Certified.” Yes, it’s a lot more expensive than CAFO meat, but you could make up for it by buying less meat and filling in with side dishes. 

How are you going to celebrate June?

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