Wildcrafting for Christmas, Part 1

One benefit of living in the country is the easy access to crafting and decorating materials. On Sunday I took a little walk out in the yard and in the woods surrounding my house to find the materials for a wreath and perhaps another arrangement or two.

I was looking specifically for running pine, also called creeping cedar, ground pine and a few other things, but my mother always called it running pine.

 
It grows on runner just under the surface of the soil so it's easy to pull up. It takes a good bit to make a wreath full enough, but usually there is plenty in any patch. I find it in cool damp, darker places in the woods where the soil is good and rich. This patch is just a little ways from my house, and I have been getting my running pine out of it for years.

I came back with the pine, some moss and a few other odds and ends and got to work. I use a wire coat hanger for the frame; these are getting harder and harder to find but they make an easy circle, and the top makes a great hanger for the finished wreath.

Making the wreath is simple: just wind the running pine around and around the coathanger until it's full enough to suit you. I add smaller pieces to fill in any thin areas.

The running pine will dry out and hold the shape perfectly, and it will stay green for a long time which makes it a nice choice for a wreath. It also does not shed needles, another plus!

Here's the finished wreath:

Then I added some red berries from my asparagus plants. They are full of berries this year, so I thought I'd make use of some of them (I planted some too--I've had a little luck with that in past years).

 I went back to the woods yesterday for some pine cones, and added those:

I may still add more to this wreath, as I find things in the woods that will add to its wild look. It will remain in place most of the winter, since it's not specifically a Christmas wreath.

More wildcrafting projects tomorrow!

Holiday Traditions, Recipes, Crafts, and Folklore

I have compiled a list of posts I've written since beginning this blog that have ideas, stories, crafts, folklore, traditions and more about this holiday season.

I hope this post helps you get in the mood.

From Yule and Solstice to Old Christmas to elves and paper stars and simple gifts to make, there is a bit of something for everyone in the list below.

Enjoy!

Pumpkin Butter, a quick and easy gift to make

Mincemeat and the mincemeat tarts recipe

Green Tomato Mincemeat

How to Make Eggnog

Wassail! Recipe and Folklore
Date Bars recipe
Buckeye Candies and Peanut Butter Kisses

Mom's Trifle Recipe
Family and Christmas
My Family's Christmas Traditions
Apple Tree Wassailing
Twelfth Night
Making Fruitcake with my Sisters

Appalachian Christmas Traditions

The Recipe

The Christmas Elf
Make a $1.00 Christmas Wreath Natural Decorations

Low-cost Natural Decorations
Christmas Bouquet, quick and easy

Country Christmas Jars

Clove Orange Pomanders--pretty and a natural holiday scent
How to Make Paper Stars

The kissing ball, a good book for winter solstice and folklore
My Kissing Ball and how to make one

My poem about the Kissing Ball

Easy to Make Christmas Gifts-Vanilla and Rosemary Oil

St. Nicholas story and a recipe for a "Black Forest Good Works" cake
The Story of Mistletoe

A Story for the Season

The Coming of Yule
Story with a Simple Cut-and-Tell Pattern for Christmas
Mistletoe Legend and Lore

Christmas Story: The Christmas Spider

My Christmas in Iraq poem

Story of Why the Evergreens Never Lose Their Leaves

Story of the Little Tree Who Longed for other Leaves

Baboushka: A Christmas Story from Russia
Grandfather Frost
Here I Come a-Caroling

Our New Year's Bonfire

Old Christmas

The Passing of Christmas

Hmmm, I'm feeling more in the spirit already! 

Rosemary Oil

I mentioned yesterday that I planned to make rosemary oil to give some people on my holiday gift list. I thought some of you might be interested in how to make it. Believe me, there is nothing simpler.

First, find some bottles with good lids or that can be corked. I found that the best bottles and most readily available are those little four-packs of wine that can be found in most stores that sell wine. And just think, you have to drink the wine first! The sacrifices we make. Well, I suppose you could use it in cooking, or to make wine vinegar or sangria. The little bottles have screw-on goldtone lids and the labels come off easily so they are super easy to re-use. Whatever bottles you use be sure to wash them thoroughly and sterilize. I suppose if you wash them in a dishwasher they would be sterilized enough, but use your own judgement on that. Then let them dry completely. This is important, otherwise you'll have drops of water floating around in your oil, not pretty.

Pick your rosemary on a dry sunny day, or buy fresh rosemary. Wash it and pat it dry. Then allow it to air dry until you are sure all trace of moisture is gone--for the same reason as drying the bottles.It's a good idea to leave it out to dry overnight in a dry spot out of direct light. If there is too much moisture in the rosemary, the oil could be cloudy and may spoil. I've never had that happen, but from what I have read, it's possible.

When bottles and herbs are dry, put sprigs of rosemary into the bottles. I usually use sprigs that go up to within an inch of the top of the bottle, and I put two of these in each bottle. Then use a funnel to add olive oil until the bottle is filled to 1/2  inch or so from the top. I prefer the lighter flavored olive oil. Olive oil assures a beautiful, clear golden oil with a lovely sprig floating in the bottle.

Then cap the bottle. That's it! It will take a week or two for the flavor of the rosemary to infuse the oil. You can add pretty trim or ribbon or whatever you like to dress up the bottle. Some websites suggest pouring the oil off into a new bottle without the rosemary as it will supposedly keep better. I've never done that, and have never had a problem with my oil going bad. It's best to store the oil away from sunlight--which is a pity, really, because it looks so lovely in the light!

What can rosemary oil be used for? I love it for tossing the veggies for roasted vegetables; it's also a wonderful dipping oil, or use it to saute vegetables or meats (I love venison with rosemary). You might want to include a recipe or two with your gift. It's also great to use as a hot oil treatment for hair, or as a facial cleanser. Italian women have used olive oil for centuries on their skin. I often use it myself--it's a great make-up remover.

I should mention that your oil will not smell like rosemary when it's in the bottle. But when you use it in cooking--ahhhhh. The pine-y scent of rosemary will delight your nose then.

Back to the kitchen. The canner of turkey meat is ready to take off the stove.

Pot of Soup and Pot Pourri

When the weather outside looks like this...

we can warm up our insides and the inside of our homes with these:

This is a simple potpourri, and actually it started life as the ingredients of a garland for our Christmas tree that never got made. I started to pack away the dried apple and orange slices, but they smelled so good and I decided to use them as potpourri instead. To make:

Dry apple and orange slices--you can use a dehydrator or your oven on very low heat (when I do it in the oven, I turn the oven on 200 degrees for a few minutes, then turn it off and repeat at intervals until the slices are dry). You can also dry them over your woodstove, but be careful because they could burn--put a trivet under the pan to keep it from being too close to the heat.

Once your slices are dry, break up some cinnamon sticks, add some whole cloves and if you have it, sprinkle some cinnamon oil over the slices and mix it all together. I put mine in a pottery bowl and in a little silver bowl, but a glass jar or other container would work well too.

Now for your insides---vegetable soup!

This soup was made from vegetables I'd frozen or put up this the summer. I mixed squash, green and wax beans, carrots, onions, celery, cabbage, canned tomatoes, and potatoes with beef bouillon, thyme, red and black pepper, Worcestershire sauce, paprika, garlic and probably a few other spices. I browned some cubed venison and added that too, but you could make the soup without any meat. I cooked it until the vegetables were done and the meat as tender.

This isn't a recipe I can give exact amounts for. I made a huge batch--we ate it for dinner and I still had 10 quarts left. I put the leftover soup into freezer bags and put it in the freezer.

Winter Bouquet

The holidays are almost over, and the house looks drab without the festive lights and decorations. Here's one way to keep a little of Christmas with you for awhile:

Put some cut greenery in a container--a red one is perfect, but milk glass, copper, brass, silver, pottery or even galvanized tin would look great.

Add some red foliage. I used twigs from my Burning Bush which has retained its leaves and red berries from my cottoneaster plant. Red berries would be perfect, and the multiflora rose bushes around here still have plenty of them if you're willing to take on those thorny shrubs to cut some stems. Holly, dogwood, rose hips, barberry and even bittersweet could yield acceptable berries. I'm in the eastern US, remember, so those of you in other locations may know something that grows in your area that would work.

Add a few cinnamon sticks for scent and color, and there you are.

You could also add:

• dried orange slices, using florist wire to hold them upright in the arrangement;


• twigs from spirea, which give a woodsy, wild feeling to a bouquet;


• dried wild grasses


• ivy vines


• anything else you imagine that would be colorful.

I've made several of these arrangements to scatter around the house. With a few lighted candles (not too close!) the essence of the holidays can still be had, and at little or no cost. Typically a bouquet will last at least two weeks and occasionally longer, depending on the heat and humidity in your house (and you remembering to add water as needed).

You could also make it a symbolic bouquet but looking up the meanings of the plants you use. For example, in the Celtic folklore, the fir tree symbolizes honesty, progress, longevity, resilience, friendship, remembrance and perceptiveness. Holly means action, assertion, and objectivity. Look up the symbolism of your plants online--I found several sites that offer this information, including:

What's Your Sign? offers Celtic symbolism of plants.

Cooktown Life lists symbols frequently found on gravestones, but there are many plants listed (scroll down to "Plant"). Okay, this bouquet is supposed to cheer you up, so don't linger too long in Cooktown!

Plant Meanings or Symbols for many plants are listed on this website.

If you prefer to find your information in books, you must find a copy of The Language of Flowers by FWL ( no name for the author is listed and was apparently to be kept a secret). This little book is just beautiful, with color illustrations and careful hand lettering. It includes trees as well as flowering plants.

Making your bouquet can while away a good bit of time on a cold winter day as you collect your plant material, find a container, and look up the folklore connected with your arrangement. What better way to spend a cold January day?

Morning Reindeer

It is cold this morning, and the frost is thick on the trees and grass. In the parking garage elevator people were quiet as we rode down to the first floor.

I waited at the curb with a smartly dressed young lady. As the light light turned, we saw a pickup truck pass by us, driven by a young man with a grin on his face. Beside him sat a woman wearing gold antlers.

The girl beside me turned to me and smiled. "She was wearing antlers!"

Thank you to the girl in antlers for sending many of us into our offices with lighter hearts and a smile on our faces.
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To make your own antlers, try these websites:

Kaboose.com for easy "hand" antlers

Kizclub for a cut-out pattern of realistic antlers

The BestKidsBookSite for antler patterns and a paper bag puppet pattern

Teachingheart.net has crafts like reindeer food, riddles, quizzes, reindeer facts and more.

DLTK has many reindeer, Christmas, and related crafts and coloring sheets.

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Other intriguing information about reindeer:

Was a reindeer really on board a submarine in World War II?

A clip from a movie about a shamanic white reindeer is available on YouTube. I want to see this movie!

A discussion of Lapp legends that includes the reindeer is here.

We usually connect reindeer with Christmas, but in some cultures, the reindeer is both a mythical figure and a vital part of everyday life.

For a scholarly study of reindeer folktales from of the Sami tradition, visit this link.

For more information about the Saemieh, or the reindeer people (a culture that depends on the reindeer for their survival) read this fascinating site.

From the same site, information about the reindeer's food, habit, and uses by the Sami people.

Links to information about reindeer in many cultures can be found on the Rangifer Resources site.

White deer have a lot of folklore connected with them. A haunting story from New York state tells the story of Aunty Greenleaf and her white deer.

Native Americans considered white deer to be sacred and did not kill them. The Chickasaw people tell the tale of a ghostly white deer.

Over the past few years, we have seen several albino deer; sadly they never survive hunting season. Perhaps if the hunters read this poem, they would think again before taking aim on one of these beautiful white creatures.

Celtic tradition also regarded the white deer, and deer in general as having special powers. Deer were believed to be the messengers of the fairies, for example. Much more information about deer and reindeer is available here.

This is just a taste of the many stories and the folklore connected to reindeer, white deer, and deer in general. But before closing, here is one of my favorite poems:

The White-Footed Deer
by William Cullen Bryant

It was a hundred years ago,
When, by the woodland ways,
The traveller saw the wild deer drink,
Or crop the birchen sprays.

Beneath a hill, whose rocky side
O'erbrowed a grassy mead,
And fenced a cottage from the wind,
A deer was wont to feed.

She only came when on the cliffs
The evening moonlight lay,
And no man knew the secret haunts
In which she walked by day.

White were her feet, her forehead showed
A spot of silvery white,
That seemed to glimmer like a star
In autumn's hazy night.

And here, when sang the whippoorwill,
She cropped the sprouting leaves,
And here her rustling steps were heard
On still October eves.

But when the broad midsummer moon
Rose o'er that grassy lawn,
Beside the silver-footed deer
There grazed a spotted fawn.

The cottage dame forbade her son
To aim the rifle here;
"It were a sin," she said, "to harm
Or fright that friendly deer.

"This spot has been my pleasant home
Ten peaceful years and more;
And ever, when the moonlight shines,
She feeds before our door.

"The red men say that here she walked
A thousand moons ago;
They never raise the war-whoop here,
And never twang the bow.

"I love to watch her as she feeds,
And think that all is well
While such a gentle creature haunts
The place in which we dwell."

The youth obeyed, and sought for game
In forests far away,
Where, deep in silence and in moss,
The ancient woodland lay.

But once, in autumn's golden time,
He ranged the wild in vain,
Nor roused the pheasant nor the deer,
And wandered home again.

The crescent moon and crimson eve
Shone with a mingling light;
The deer, upon the grassy mead,
Was feeding full in sight.

He raised the rifle to his eye,
And from the cliffs around
A sudden echo, shrill and sharp,
Gave back its deadly sound.

Away into the neighbouring wood
The startled creature flew,
And crimson drops at morning lay
Amid the glimmering dew.

Next evening shone the waxing moon
As sweetly as before;
The deer upon the grassy mead
Was seen again no more.

But ere that crescent moon was old,
By night the red men came,
And burnt the cottage to the ground,
And slew the youth and dame.

Now woods have overgrown the mead,
And hid the cliffs from sight;
There shrieks the hovering hawk at noon,
And prowls the fox at night.

Getting Ready for Christmas

Here are a few of the decorations we've put up so far. We still have a lot to do, but I think we'll be able to finish this weekend. I prefer to wait to bring in the live greens until a week prior to the holiday to keep them fresh longer.

It's funny. Only Larry and I are at home these days, and we wondered, why bother? Then we got down the totes of decorations, and the memories began. As we put each thing out, we remembered when we got it, or who liked it most. We debated about outside lights but the truth is we both love them, so we're putting up some that don't require climbing on the roof and such.

Here is the tree, with the apple and orange garlands and the paper stars. When we decorated it, I put a lot of vintage ornaments on it, then stood back to look. We both agreed--it was too much. So many ornaments were taken off the tree, and we like it better like this. What stayed were the beaded ornaments my mother made, a few that Tommy made, one I made when I was about 13, a bell from my granddaughter's wedding, and just a few others.

It is by far the simplest tree I've ever had, but it suits what we want this year. The older ornaments went back into the boxes for another year. Next year I will undoubtedly want a different tree.

The last photo is of Larry's fireplace. I call it that because he built it with stones from our land. Every night during the winter we have a fire in it, and every night I am amazed all over again at my husband's ability to build something like this with what is at hand. He always said what this house needed was a fireplace.

He was right.

A Card and Craft Idea

A few days ago I posted the story called Legend of the Silver Pine Cone. Here is one way you can use the story as a party favor, a teacher gift, or just to give to a special friend.

I bought the pine cones at the Dollar Tree, 18 for $1.00. If you have access to nice cones, you could gather and paint them yourself. I have cones, but not the time this year. So I cheated.

I formatted the story to fit two copies to one sheet of paper, printed on heavy cream colored card stock with green ink. Then I hole-punched one corner and tied the pine cones on with green ribbon. The cones already had little hanging strings on them so it was easy.

If you'd like a copy of my already formatted story, email me and I'll send it to you via attachment ( susannaholstein@yahoo.com )

Now to get my Christmas cards done. I am so behind this year.

Paper Stars

I saw this in the December 2 issue of Woman's Day magazine. What a simple craft, I thought, and so pretty. I could use them to decorate the tree, in a wreath in inside the house, hanging from the ceiling, or strung on a garland. With so many possible uses, I got right to work.

Okay, pretty was right. But easy? You would think so by the directions in the magazine. But when I tried it, I found that 1) the directions were pretty vague, and 2) it was not so easy as it looked. Or maybe I'm just dense.

Many, many attempts later I had a star that somewhat resembled those in the magazine photo. But mine was little--theirs were all sizes, some of the huge. All I can figure is they used BIG paper to make the big stars, not the standard 8 1/2 x 11 paper.

Here is how I made the stars. If you try this and come up with a better way, or better instructions, please do tell! WD did not include photos of the process, so maybe that's why I had problems. I took photos as I made one tonight; I hope they are good enough to clarify the steps of the process.

Step one: Supplies. All you need is paper, scissors, rock (no rock--just joking!), stapler and tape. Simple so far.

Step 2: Cut your paper into the size you want. Bigger paper will make a bigger star (but I found it harder to work with).

Step three: fold the paper into accordion pleats. 4 folds made a nice star--more folds made it difficult to do the later step of taping.


Step four: fold the pleated paper in half.

Step five: Staple in the center. The directions in WD said to staple parallel to the folds but for me it worked better to staple across the folds (perpendicular to them). In the photo I followed directions; but I later pulled the staple and stapled across the pleats.

Step six: cut each of the two ends into points, starting about halfway down towards the staple.

Step 6: fan out the folds and attach the open sides together with tape as near to the center of the star as you can. (Goodness, I need some lotion on that hand!)

The finished products! As you can see, my stars came out in many different ways. The number of folds, the size and shape of the paper (square or rectangle, long narrow strip or wide) and how deep I cut the points account for the variety.

Can you imagine making these with gift wrap, or origami paper? I'm sure you more creative people will think of many ways to make these even prettier, like using those scissors that cut fancy edges for the cuts, or cutting designs into the folded paper before you fan out the folds.

Easy to Make Christmas Gifts: Vanilla Extract and Rosemary Oil

I found these little jugs in a consignment shop and bought all 17 of them for $3. As it happened, I had just the use for them and had been looking for little bottles to use for a Christmas gift project I had in mind. After hunting down corks at a craft store many miles away, and ordering vanilla beans online from even further away, I was ready.

What was I making? The first project was vanilla extract. I made it years ago and had forgotten about it until recently. The process is simple: sterilize some bottles or jars, add a vanilla bean or two depending on the size of the bottle (I used one bean per bottle, cut into 3 small pieces). More beans means stronger vanilla, of course. Fill the bottle with your choice of vodka, bourbon or rum. Cork or cap and put aside to steep. In about a month, your vanilla is ready to use.

You can add more alcohol as you use the vanilla; it will keep making extract for quite a while. The color will darken as the rich vanilla flavor seeps into the alcohol. You can use it just as you would any vanilla extract in baking.

Project 2 is Rosemary Oil. This is a lovely flavor for cooking or to use as a dipping oil. To me, rosemary has a scent almost like pine, and I like to use it in green beans, venison and herb biscuits. Rosemary oil is almost as simple to make as the vanilla extract. All you need is clean bottles, good quality olive oil, and sprigs of rosemary.

The one important thing to remember is to dry the rosemary first. If you don't, it will turn your oil cloudy (voice of experience speaking here).

Put a few sprigs into the bottle, fill with oil, cork or cap and let it sit for a while before you use it. Mine is about 2 weeks old and still needs a little more time before I use it. The finished product:

Some people recommend removing the rosemary after your oil has the desired strength. I like the way it looks, and the bottles are so small that the oil won't last long anyway once it's put to use.

That's it--two simple gifts that are easy to make, yet look so pretty and are appreciated by anyone who cooks.