Harvesting Winter

The gardens have long since gone to bed for winter, and yet there are still things to harvest. Not food for the body, perhaps, but food for the soul--evergreens, herbs, vines and red berries provide just the right color for drab December days.

Today I was out with my clippers, cutting boughs and twigs and anything that looked interesting for my winter arrangements and holiday decorations. Darkness caught me before I was finished so I will be back at it tomorrow.

On the porch--the brown teapot has no lid but it makes a good vase.

A few of the completed evergreen decorations:

Also on the porch, but too dark to show the arrangement of greens, twigs and berries.

 Beside my parking place--it really does get dark here with no exterior light except what glows from the house.

Along the walk:

And still left to do tomorrow. My hands feel rough and prickery from today's work, but I have never been able to work with gloves on.

Tomorrow, I hope I can get our tree up. We usually just have one these days, and it's a small one so that job shouldn't take long. We're actually enjoying getting the house ready for the holidays; what seems like a chore some years has been fun this time. Perhaps it's because the weather is unusually warm, in the 70's today. I can remember stringing lights up in the rain and snow and bitter cold wind, so this year I feel like this is an extension of our time in Florida.

One of the percs of country living is the abundance of wild plants right at hand. While in town this morning I noted evergreen arrangements, swags, wreaths and picks for sale at Walmart and the grocery store, something fairly new in this area as far as I know. It used to be that fresh greenery was available only at the florist or perhaps at a larger tree lot, but this year nice fresh wreaths are selling for as little as $5.00. I still prefer my own wild arrangements made with what I can gather from my yard, gardens and the woods. I like to amass a great pile to work with and then start putting together whatever looks good to me. I am fortunate to have so much available. Today as I slogged along a muddy path and complained about getting mud on my shoes, I reminded myself that mud is part of living here-it means good deep soil and no pavement. I think I'll take it--even if it means my shoes will be left on the porch tonight.

Linking to Ivy and Elephants. Check them out for lots of great decorating ideas!

Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.

Wildcrafting, Part 2: Moss Gardens

When I have time in late fall or early winter, I like to make a moss garden or two to provide a spot of green in the cold, dark months. My critters went with me, apparently thinking I needed escort service.


Moss is so pretty with its endless shades of green and even its shapes. I know there are people out there who can tell me that names of the various kinds; I've never attempted to learn them but I do enjoy looking at moss and lichen. I found a selection of odds and ends to add to the gardens, too--a moss-covered stick,

a lichened rock, 

different colors of moss

and a few plants.

I pulled up the geraniums and lobelia even though the plants were still thriving, even this late in December. I've never had flowers so late in the year! I put the geraniums in the cellar, to replant in the spring. Then I arranged the moss and other items in the flower pots.

You can click on each picture for a closer look at the mosses. 

This is a great project to do with children, too--they can find the mosses and the different items to add to their gardens to create a little moss world. 

I have one more wildcrafting project to share tomorrow. All of these took very little time--or as much time as I wanted to spend. The gathering process can be a lingering one as you see things in the woods and meander from place to place looking for the "perfect" items for your project. Gathering combines several pleasant and necessary activities: exercise from walking and bending, relaxation through contemplation of nature, and mindfulness from close attention to surroundings and the smaller things that make our forests so lovely.

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! 

My Funny Little Tree

It's bare on the back and fairly sparse everywhere else. It has branches that stick way out and branches tight to the trunk. The top was hard to identify at first and the branches bend easily with the weight of ornaments.


I love it. I wanted a tree from the woods this year, a little wildling that would not be perfect or so full I couldn't hang ornaments on it. This one was growing on an old gas line right-of-way and it fit all my criteria pretty well. I would have preferred a more perfect shape, but then my own shape isn't so perfect so who am I to judge?

For the past 5 years we've had an artificial tree because my allergies were so bad we were removing all potential causes. It took a while to realize that the main culprit was our little cocker spaniel, and even longer for my allergies to settle down to the point where one pill a day is all I need for control. This year, I wanted a live tree again. And not one from a tree lot. So Larry and I went for a walk a couple weeks ago and found this little guy. He's just what I wanted.

Got your tree up yet? What kind do you have this year? Has anyone tried a "twig" tree--one with no needles at all?

Trimmings

Yesterday was D Day here--decorating day for Christmas. While I didn't get finished (the tree will go up today) I did get a good bit done. The outside lights were up two weeks ago; yesterday we added the greens.

It seems odd to put up Christmas decorations when the grass is still green, but it's been an unusual autumn, hasn't it? Only one snowfall so far.

On the porch, the rainy wet day isn't a problem for the greenery.

Some porch plants are still living. So odd ,especially after the recent 15-degree nights. This planter adds its green to the red door for a simple touch.

Looking out from the log room on today's gray, cold drizzle. It's toasty warm inside by the fire, though.

I've noticed that over the years my decorating taste has changed. Nowadays I use more natural decorations--evergreens, wreaths, apple and orange garlands, fruits, and live poinsettias. I am also using more fabrics--table covers, pillows, wall hangings, etc. Many of the things I have out year-round fit the holiday color schemes anyway. So it's easier to do, but messier too, because pine boughs do shed and fabrics need laundering.

I like warm reds and golds and deep greens for Christmas. Traditional colors. I am still surprised when I see lime-green ornaments and wrapping paper. That's a summer color to me! I suppose in parts of the world it is summer, so maybe that's why we're seeing more of it? I like the deep cranberry reds too, but they would certainly look odd beside lime green.

I suppose I'm old-fashioned in my tastes. Christmas time reminds me of my mother's absolute delight in the holidays--the old ornaments and decorations that were re-used year after year, the special baked treats only made at this time of year, the traditions she continued from her childhood that have now become part of my holiday routine as well.

The new colors--pinks, silver, cool greens and orange-reds--are probably right at home in some places, and I admire the magazine spreads showing daring new takes on the season. That's for other people, though--at my house, it will always be a simple, country Christmas with the old carols, lots of pine, and the smell of fruitcake and cinnamon in the air.

The Mistletoe Hunt

Once upon a time there was a tree that grew in a multiflora rose briarpatch on the side of a ridge road that shall remain nameless to protect the green-gold wealth it harbors.



The hunter packed gun, shells, gloves and mate into his chariot and sallied forth in search of treasure of the golden green variety.

The trusty hunter looked far, far up into the blue sky and saw the prize he was seeking--mistletoe. But how to get to it? The tree stood over 40 feet tall, and the hunter was not even five and a half feet tall. The trunk rose as straight as Cupid's arrow from the forest floor, surrounded by the steel-thorned roses.

With shotgun in hand, the hunter made his way gingerly over the road bank, too aim, and fired.

The shot echoed between the hills, but no one noticed. Not because no one was listening but because these days the forest is full of deer hunters and the sound of gunfire is frequent.

Success! The pellets of shot loosen sprigs of mistletoe which the hunter picks up as his mate takes photos with a camera that has a grandchild's finger smudge on the lens (sorry, friends!).

Hunter and mate are aware that they made a folkloric faux pas but not bringing a sheet to keep the mistletoe from touching the ground. Both are hopeful that the druid guards of superstition were not paying attention to the goings-on on a remote ridge in West Virginia at the moment.

The hunter's mate uttered encouraging words from the safety of the road ("There's some." "You missed a piece under that stickerbush.").

The hunter returned with a satisfying gamebag. The holidays are guaranteed to be filled with teenagers doing body contortions to avoid being caught by Granny (or worse, Poppa Larry) under the kissing ball. Granny Sue will nonchalantly stand in the doorway, supposedly unaware of the green magic hanging over her head. Poppa Larry, the great hunter, will lurk in corners waiting for the unsuspecting teens to stop under the mistletoe bough to answer a text message.

The holiday season has officially begun.

The Coming of Winter and Yule

Solstice is past, and winter is here. He came in with cold snowy breath and icy winds that kept us mostly indoors during the shortest day of the year. It was a good day to be inside: the fires were burning brightly while I finished the Christmas cleaning and decorating.

I even got a few gifts wrapped while listening to the Chieftains' album, "Bells of Dublin," my absolutely favorite holiday recording. I know I drive my family crazy with it. As soon as Thanksgiving is past, I get the CD out and start listening to it at every opportunity. I sing along with a lot of the songs because I know almost all of them by heart after about 15 years of dedicated listening.

Larry worked on the New Year's bonfire, carefully piling brush and logs into a giant pile that will burn brightly to light in the year. Although tradition in many places has a bonfire being lit and maintained through Solstice night, we do ours at New Years and it's become a special and central part of our holidays.

We save part of the central log from the past year to start the next year's fire, a custom evidently that goes back to Scandinavian times. This practice is supposed to bring luck and good fortune--we can all use that!

The Book of Days for December 24th (the book is a real compendium of information for any day of the year) provides a wealth of background information about the yule log, as well as several poems that detail the customs of ancient celebrations.

Here is one short poem supposedly from the time of Henry the VI, from the Book of Days:

WELCOME YULE

Welcome be thou, heavenly King,

Welcome born on this morning,

Welcome for whom we shall sing,

Welcome Yule,

Welcome be ye Stephen and John,

Welcome Innocents every one,

Welcome Thomas Martyr one,

Welcome Yule.

Welcome be ye, good New Year,

Welcome Twelfth Day, both in fere,

Welcome saints, loved and dear,

Welcome Yule.

Welcome be ye, Candlemas,

Welcome be ye, Queen of Bliss,

Welcome both to more and less,

Welcome Yule.

Welcome be ye that are here,

Welcome all, and make good cheer,

Welcome all, another year,

Welcome Yule.'

My mother always prepared a Yule log as a decoration--Dad would save part of the trunk of the Christmas tree and bore it with little holes and three bigger holes.

Mom put bits of greenery and Christmas trims into the small holes, and three candles into the larger ones. It made a pretty decoration, and I have one in my home today. Mom's heritage traces back to Scandinavian roots (her surname Hagger traces to Hagar) so perhaps that is where her tradition originated.

Today many people equate "Yule log" with a Christmas cake, and I have to say those cakes are a delicious tribute to an old custom. But for me it will always mean Mom's log decoration, and our own New Year's bonfire.

A Story for the Season: Silver Pine Cones

Here is an interesting story to tell during the holiday season, and an idea for a simple craft and gift--a pine cone painted silver. The story is said to be from the Hartz Mountains of Germany, according to this website. You can find many other versions of the tale online, although I found no print source of the story listed. If you know one, please share!)



Legend of the Silver Pine Cones

There once lived a poor family without enough food to eat or wood for their fire. The mother decided to go into the forest to search for pine cones; these would burn brightly, if only for a short time, and provide some warmth for her cold house and family. Perhaps, she thought, I might be able to sell a few of the pine cones and make a little money to buy food too.

In the forest, the woman kicked away the snow and began picking up the fallen cones. Her fingers were soon numb with cold, but she persisted in her task.


“Why are you stealing my pine cones?” She looked around and saw a tiny elf on a log beside her.


"My family is cold and hungry," the woman explained. "The pine cones will warm us in the fire, and I might be able to sell a few and then buy a bit of bread for my little children."


"Well," the elf said, “Go into the next forest. The pine cones there are much better.” the elf disappeared as quickly as it had come.


The woman was tired, but the elf had spoken so assuredly that she decided to see if the elf was right. She made her way to the next forest, which was quite a long walk. But the elf had not lied--there were pine cones all over the ground and the woman quickly filled her basket. How happy everyone will be at home tonight, she thought. The sun was setting as she made her way home.


As she opened the door, she glanced down at her basket. The pine cones had all turned to silver!


The woman was able to buy all the food her family needed for the winter, and even then she had many silver pine cones left for the coming years. And because of her saving, careful ways, her family was never hungry or poor again.


Some people still believe that a silver pine cone brings luck. Hang one on your tree, or paint some pine cones silver this holiday season and give them to friends and family, along with a copy of this story. It is a simple gift, but one that is sure to be cherished.

Apple and Orange Garlands

These garlands are so easy to make and take very little actual time. I plan to use mine to decorate my Christmas tree this year. Here's the process:

First, select firm apples and oranges with no bruises. I had some Golden Delicious apples (native to WV, did you know?) that were starting to get wrinkly but were otherwise blemish-free, so I used them.

Slice the fruit as thin as possible while still keeping a full circle of rind around the outside edge. (Don't try to use the stem and blossom ends for the garlands; instead, dry them for potpourri mixes).

Spread the sliced fruit on a cookie sheet or in a dehydrator and dry until leathery and no moisture is left in the fruit. I put mine in my electric oven on "warm" to dry overnight, and it worked very well. I also dried some by placing very near--but not on--the wood stove. Don't over-dry or your fruit rings will shatter when you try to string them.

Some people recommend dipping the apple slices in lemon juice first to keep them from turning brown, but I liked the way mine turned out without this step.

Once dry, push small holes in each piece of fruit with a nut pick or other small sharp tool; string the pieces on jute string in any arrangement that suits your fancy.

Use strips of fabric, cinnamon sticks, or other decorations to add to your garland as you like. I used fabric strips this time; in the past I've also used bunches of herbs and cinnamon sticks.

That's all there is to it! It took me about 15 minutes total to slice the fruit and about 30 minutes to make three garlands that are each about nine feet long.

My Kissing Ball

It only took about 20 minutes to make this kissing ball. We don't have mistletoe on our land, but a mile up the ridge there is a tree that is full of the vine and berries. We called for permission, then Larry went out with his shotgun and shot some out of the tree--the time honored way to gather it in the mountains.

I did not have an embroidery hoop, even though I'd bought one over the weekend. The storekeeper evidently forgot to put it in my bag, so I had to find an alternate way to make my ball. I used 4 pieces of florist stem wire (only 96 cents for a good-sized package), shaped to form two hoops which I put together with florist tape. I used something like doublestick tape around the hoops, a product called Grip 'n' Stick that was for sale beside the florist wire, on the outside edges of the wire. This gave me a sticky surface that I could attach ribbon to.

I used 1" ribbon around the wires, then wrapped with other ribbon and beads, leaving long ends hanging after wrapping. Then I used a piece of red ribbon to for the hanging loop, attached the mistletoe with florist tape, and the ball was ready to hang.

It would have been much simpler with the embroidery hoop--simply intertwining the two hoops and wrapping them with ribbon and beads--but this worked too. If I'd had a wire coat hanger, I could have cut it and used it to make the hoops, but I'm fresh out after last night's wreath making!

Make a $1.00 Christmas Wreath (or it could be free)

What you need:
a wire coat hanger

a LOT of running pine (what we have is also called running cedar, or Southern ground pine. It's a wild ground covering vine that has little green umbrella-looking leaves that stand up from the prone stems.)


What you do:

Go into the woods and find some running pine. It usually grows on the eastern or northern side of a hill, often under a stand of pines, at least in the eastern/southern US.


Pull up enough for your wreath (a large plastic grocery bag full should make one wreath) but don't denude the place you found it--you'll want it grow back so you can get more in future years.

Bend the coat hanger into a circle. Keep the hook at the top to hang your wreath, but bend it into a circle so it will hang better. You can see the top of the hanger in the top conter of this photo, before I bent it into a better "hook."

Twine the running pine around the coat hanger until your wreath is as full as you want it to be. You will use many strands of the creeper; interweave the stems so they hold each other on the coat hanger, it's the same as if you were winding winding ribbons around the hanger.

When your wreath is full enough, use small pieces of the running pine to fill in any holes or rough places in the green circle.

When the wreath meets with your satisfaction, add trim. If your wreath will be outside, take that in consideration when you choose decorations, and be sure to attach them tightly with wire or strong string.

I said this is a $1.00 wreath because that's how much the glass balls and beads I used cost me for the one I made today. If you decide to use natural trim--pine cones, holly, etc-- or items you already own, then your wreath could be free!

Bringing in the greens

Yesterday was a dreary day, rainy and foggy in the morning and remaining wet and dark all afternoon. We were in the dumps after watching Derek leave; who felt like Christmas? But Larry got the clippers and went off to see what he could find in the way of pine, and I moseyed around the flower beds and herb garden to gather what I could.

After a little while, we both began to feel better. The smell of pine and rosemary and lavender have soothing effects on a person's mood, I think. We created a few arrangements and hangings, put on some carols and poured something bracing to drink. The world looked a little brighter when we settled in front of the fire in the evening.

All things pass--I must keep remembering that, and savor the good times while knowing that the harder times will be behind us before too long.

Naturally Christmas

When we first moved to the mountains, we didn't have a lot of money for Christmas decorations. But we were (and still are) surrounded by materials to make our own.

For example:

My favorite door decoration is a simple bunch of pine tied with a red ribbon. When we have a live tree we use the trimmed branches to make the swags, or go into the woods and cut a few. These bunches of pine are great for hanging along stair rails, too.


Bare branches can be painted gold or white, or left natural, and placed in a bucket, crock or basket and trimmed with tiny white lights. These arrangements can be as big or as small as you want to make them.

Running pine--look on the forest floor for tufts of green that look like little evergreen umbrellas.

Running pine is a wild evergreen vine that can be found in many eastern forests. It twines beautifully to make wreaths. We use wire coathangers--we bend the coathanger into a circle for the base of the wreath and bend the top "hanger" part of the wire to make a loop for hanging the wreath. Then we wind the punning pine around the wire until the wreath is full enough for our taste, and decorate it with Christmas balls, tiny boxes wrapped as packages, or other Christmas items. One year I collected wild berries for wreath decorations--the red dogwood berries and wild rose hips, the yellow horsenettle berries, dark blue greenbrier berries, and orange bittersweet. The wreaths were stunning, and practically free. Running pine can also be wound together to make garlands, or combined with tinsel into garlands.

Holly and mixed evergreens in jugs of water make beautiful centerpieces or accent pieces. Grapevine wreaths can be decorated with bits of greenery tucked into them or left plain and wound with tiny lights for a pretty effect.

My mother's Yule log was one of my favorite holiday traditions. Dad would use a piece of pine log for this. He'd drill small holes to hold greenery and decorations, and three larger holes to hold candles. He'd place small pegs to hold the log upright and stable, and we'd decorate it. It was always so pretty. Traditionally the yule log was made with a piece of the trunk of the last year's Christmas tree.

Baskets of pine cones decorated with red and gold ribbons are quick and easy accents, and pine cones can also be decorated with paint or glitter to hang on the tree.

Pretty, simple, natural and almost free. Those are the best kinds of decorations! I'd love to hear any other suggestions for natural ornaments and crafts for the holidays.

Clove Orange Pomanders: A Christmas Tradition

My mother used to make these pomanders at Christmas, one of her many English Christmas traditions. We'd help, although I seem to recall the help being limited to endless questions, a few cloves pushed into the orange, and then just talking to Mom as she completed the project. It's the smell that is so compelling--the rich spiciness of cloves mingled with the sharp citrus of oranges. It's the smell of Christmas coming.

I made clove oranges today for the first time in years. It was a perfect day for it--cool and rainy, just right for indoor activities.

Here's how to make them--so simple, and yet so rewarding. These would make good gifts.


What you need: oranges, whole cloves, ribbon, straight pins, scissors.

What you do: Wrap ribbon around the orange in any direction that works for you. Use straight pins to hold the ribbon in place. If you want to hang your orange, allow enough ribbon to make a hanger at the top.

Then simply push cloves into the orange in a pattern that pleases you. The only problem I had was that after the first two oranges my thumb was very sore. I found a work-around, using a small pair of very sharp scissors to pierce the holes first, then pushing the cloves in. Worked like a charm!

Hannah helped make the last two, and took the photos for me. Here's one of our finished products.