Your January recipe round up includes a favorite nervine tea, plus things to do with all those cranberries you bought
I feel like December was a whirlwind. Beyond the usual holiday reasons, there was an air of tension, of shedding those last bits of old selves off to leave behind in the old year. Of itching to have things concluded, wrapped up, and put on a shelf. It’s a sense I got from myself and something I saw in others, and while I think things are brighter coming out on the other side, it also felt intense.
So, with the new year, as you’re reading this issue, just let your jaw unclench and your shoulders relax a bit. Maybe take a deep breath. We still have a whole year ahead of us, but I feel that new year energy extra strong this year.
In honor of that, I’m sharing a favorite tea I make when I want something in the fridge to sip on when I’m stressed.
And, in honor of repurposing the old into something new, I’m also sharing some ideas for what to do with all those bags of cranberries you bought on sale after the holidays (including freezing them, if anything else feels like too much right now).
Read it, get cozy, maybe take a nap, and let’s get ready for the new year together.
To inspire you, here’s the card meaning for Cranberry Relish from The Fermentation Oracle Deck:
Making cranberry sauce is often a winter holiday ritual, but it doesn’t have to be. Rituals help us mark points in time as special, and adding pleasurable rituals into our lives makes each day special, too. What rituals, big or small, can you incorporate into your life year-round?
Your monthly recipe round up includes:
Lemon balm refresher tea
How to freeze cranberries
Cranberry, persimmon, and apple refrigerator pickle from Essential Food Preserving, building on last month’s unintentional persimmon theme
Fermented lemon and cranberry relish (from a new project I can’t tell you about yet…but soon)
P.S. There are still spots available in my Our Fermented Lives place-based fermentation and writing retreat in county Clare, Ireland this September.
This 4-day workshop is about half the price of standard package tours (and in my opinion, infinitely more interesting).
We’ll talk and make everything from sauerkraut to butter (and maybe even bog butter?) while building the foundations of lifelong nourishing writing practices, all rooted in a beautiful landscape.
If you book this month I’ll also give you a free 1-hour writing coaching session (a $200 value) to use after we return, so you can get some extra support to incorporate what you learned, and to continue building your own place-based writing practice into your daily life.
Lemon balm nervine iced tea
This soothing tea is nice to keep in the fridge to sip on throughout the week (I use repurposed swing-top bottles). The pinch of salt helps replenish electrolytes if you’re dehydrated, the lemon is uplifting (and if you use the juice, also gives you a bit of vitamin c), while the lemon balm is soothing and a nice, gentle nervine to help your body relax. When I drink this in the afternoon, it feels like my whole body just sighs and unfurls. I highly recommend it.
2 c packed fresh lemon balm (stems and leaves), or 1 1/2 c dried
1 lemon
5 c simmering, but not boiling, water
1/8 tsp good quality salt for electrolytes
Sugar, 1/2 c or honey to taste
Zest lemon in strips, add lemon zest strips and lemon balm to a large heat proof pitcher
Juice lemon and set aside
Pour water over lemon and lemon balm mixture, stirring gently to dissolve sugar and salt
Allow to steep for 10-15 minutes or until it’s as strong as you like, then strain and cool
Add lemon juice to taste and stir to combine
Store in an airtight container in the fridge. Serve cold and use within several days.
Keep reading for a few of my favorite ways to use cranberries when I overbuy (which is often…) plus a nice picture of a lady in a cranberry bog!
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