December's Delight

Exploring the abundance offered to the body, mind and spirit through the month of December as seen through my lens.

"It is the life of the crystal, the architect of the flake, the fire of the frost, the soul of the sunbeam. This crisp winter air is full of it."

-John Burroughs

December, where we live, is typically a month in which the precipitation is rain and some years, if we are lucky, some snow. I tend to do lots of preserving of cold hardy crops via fermentation, make big pots of hearty soups and it is a time when I like to explore the fleeting beauty of crystalline snow flakes and icicles visiting the forest.

When the below zero temps arrive the only things that continue growing (and being able to be harvested) outside in our garden is our Red Russian Kale (shown in the pic above), Egyptian Walking Onions, and, depending on the year, some special December treats like Goji Berries too.

We also bring some of our subtropical and tropical potted crops inside to over winter as well (such as Ginger, Turmeric, Krishna Tulsi and our little Persian Lime Tree.)

This is the time of year when I give thanks for the blessings of the abundance I have received from our Mother Earth by collecting, sharing and spreading her seeds on the wind. I collect seeds from pinecones, I gather any acorns that were missed by the squirrels, I take Paw Paw and Malus Sieversii seed out of the fridge, I mix them with the seeds of native medicinal herbs from my garden (that are beloved by the pollinators) and then plant them out in the bare patches of land on the edges of the forest that need regeneration so the the life giving gifts of the trees that I enjoy can also be bestowed upon future generations.

planting paw paw seeds in the woods in our local park (stealthily as this is considered “illegal”)

sacred geometry (fractal patterns that repeat all through nature) are everywhere if we open our eyes to see

As someone who strives to apprentice and learn from the Living Earth I also like to use the winter months to go into the woods with the explicit intent of exercising and honing my pattern recognition capacities by seeking out sacred geometry. I open my heart and allow myself to be guided to perceive fractal patterns expressed in decomposing leaves, ice formations, pinecones, fungi, bark patterns, snail shells, rocks and other beings/artifacts that embody the genius of Creator’s design.

snow beginning to gather on a decomposing magnolia leaf, revealing the fractal dendritic patterns in the exposed veins

Come take a take with me into the sanctuary of winter stillness where the forest sleeps and her dreams of rebirth and renewal are reflected to us within each dendritic branching vein of a fallen leaf and refracted to use through each shimmering crystalline snowflake. Here in the vibrant majestic silence of winter one can hear the steady heartbeat of our Great Mother and listen for the whispers of wisdom she shares with those willing to learn her ancient language.

a snow flake after just landing on the soil our garden (it melted in about one second after this was taken, but i took another shot a fraction of a second later that shows it beginning to melt and lose its intricate crystalline definition)

a fraction of a second later.. it was beginning to melt (notice it was losing its three dimensional crystalline definition and becoming very transparent)

a tiny piece of snow on our railing (probably about 2 cm wide by one cm deep), ultra close up

Turkey Tail mushrooms we found growing on the log while walking in the woods the other day

Scots Pine cones

Scots Pine seeds

Oak Acorn “caps” ( the top part of the acorn) revealing sacred geometry (“the flower of life pattern”)

The creation of a thousand forests is in one acorn

-Ralph Waldo Emerson

𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐮𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐯𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐚 ‘𝐬𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐩𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞’ 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐟𝐚𝐫 𝐨𝐥𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐦𝐚𝐝𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐭𝐞𝐱𝐭𝐬. 𝐈𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐠𝐨𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐥 𝐚𝐬 𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐬𝐝𝐨𝐦 𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐛𝐞𝐝 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐡 𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐬 𝐮𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐞, 𝐚𝐛𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞, 𝐬𝐲𝐦𝐛𝐢𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐲 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐟𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰 𝐛𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬. From Chapter 14 (Regenerative Poetry and Short Stories) of Recipes For Reciprocity: The Regenerative Way From Seed To Table

I firmly believe that when we use our pattern recognition skills to identify, observe and understand the repeating fractal patterns which exist at the foundation of nature we are gifted opportunities to align our designs with the schematics and architectural design of the Creator of all things. This is a pathway that invites us to apply biomimicry to become a regenerative force on this Earth, empowering is to be capable of solving some of the greatest challenges we face as a human civilization and as a species.

I found this object shown in the video clip below being sold as a "toy" in the city. I think it has the potential to be a great educational tool for kids (and adults) to learn about toroidal geometry in a tactile, visual and visceral way.

In case anyone reading this is unfamiliar with the torus I will now provide a general description. The torus is a geometrical configuration that is found at every level of life and existence in the universe. It is one of the central building blocks of all matter and is woven into the atomic, molecular, cellular fabric of life. The torus shows us how energy moves in its most balanced dynamic flow process.

In the Torus, energy flows in one vortex, through the central axis, out the other vortex, and then wraps around itself to return to the first incoming vortex. The simplest description of its overall form is that of a donut, though it takes many different shapes, depending upon the medium in which it exists. For example, a smoke ring in air or a bubble ring in water are both very donut shaped. And yet an apple or an orange, which are both torus forms, are more overtly spherical. Plants and trees all display the same energy flow process, yet exhibit a wide variety of shapes and sizes. Hurricanes, tornadoes, magnetic fields around planets and stars, and whole galaxies themselves are all toroidal energy systems.

The torus is the fundamental form of balanced energy flow found in sustainable and regenerative systems at all scales. It is the primary component that enables a seamless fractal embedding of energy flow from micro-atomic to macro-galactic wherein each individual entity has its unique identity while also being connected with all else. When nature repeats a pattern over an over again all over the place, we are being offered an opportunity to learn about what forms are the most efficient, resilient, self-regulating, and dynamic for allowing life to thrive and energy to flow and be recycled. Nature has had billions of years to experiment with what works and what does not for building living systems and unfolding dynamic interconnected cycles of energy and matter exchange.

Okay that is enough science for today! Lets get out of the classroom head back out into snowy winter wonderland…

snow storm in Algonquin Provincial Park

after the snow melts on the branches of the tree in front of our house

looking out of the window shield of our vehicle in Algonquin Provincial park one frost morning

looking very closely at the outside of the window of our vehicle in Algonquin Provincial park one frost morning (reveals the artwork of the elementals)

looking very closely at the outside of the window of our vehicle in Algonquin Provincial park one frost morning (reveals the artwork of the elementals)

frost patterns on our deck in southern Ontario

BurrrRRRRrr all this frost is making me wanna head inside to warm up and grab a bite to eat.

Lets go take a look what is going on in the kitchen and check on our little lime tree where its cozy and warm! :)

When I find organic cabbages available at our local farmer’s market on sale at the end of the season I get a few extra for creating various kraut and chi recipes.

a cabbage like this cost me a few dollars but it will allow me to make 4 liters plus of Sauerkraut or Kimchi. In our area, a tiny 250 ml jar of unpasteurized sauerkraut costs about 10 dollars (7 on sale). That means by combining this cabbage with a little salt and some elbow grease with a little patience, I can increase the value of this cabbage from 3 or 4 dollars to 150 dollars worth of kraut or chi. That is a 3650% increase in value. Through teaming up with our elders and allies in the bacteria kingdom (allowing them to carry some of the work load) we are empowered to beat inflation (while increasing our health) one cabbage at a time.

The two big jars of kraut in the back of this pic came from that one cabbage above. The jar in front is filled with homegrown turmeric rhizome (and some big slices of horseradish root on top to weigh the turmeric down). Even if you bought the turmeric rhizome at the store that would cost like 10$. Little jars of fermented turmeric capsules go for 30-40$ and this jar in the pic above has about 4 times as much in it as those jars. Plus, this fermented turmeric is packed full of probiotics as well as all the beneficial compounds so it is way more potent.

There is a lot of potential with regards to variations on Kraut, here are a few pics of a fun variation I like to create that offers a flavor spectrum that lends it self well to Mexican (and Central American) food. It is called Cordito

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Cordito (fully assembled ready to begin fermenting)

Another thing I like to create with cabbages (and when combined with other ingredients) is something I call Garden Chi’

Sometimes I try fun experiments like this turmeric, paprika and onion infused grainy dijon mustard (which I fermented in a strong Chaga tea salt brine).

The making of Grainy Chaga Infused Fermented Dijon Mustard (including two different types of organic mustard seeds, fresh sliced turmeric, black pepper, onions and paprika) this pic is before adding the chaga brine

the mustard after addding brine

the finished Chaga Infused Fermented (raw) Grainy Dijon Mustard (it has a nice tang, lovely texture and just a hint of smokeyness provided by the chaga brine, it went beautifully on sandwiches and was a fantastic living salad dressing ingredient

a close up of a spoonful of the finished Chaga Infused Fermented (raw) Grainy Dijon Mustard

I also like to make hearty dishes with roasted root veggies and tubers from the garden this time of year. We grow lots of sweet potatoes and fingerling potatoes so those are a main theme to stick to your gut type recipes in the winter months.

I love roasting up sweet potatoes and other root and tuber harvests so I have them on hand for adding to hearty salads and soups like our Thai Roasted Sweet Potato, Ginger and Carrot Soup

some of the ingredients that go into the soup

simmering veggies before building the broth base for our Thai Roasted Sweet Potato, Ginger and Carrot Soup

adding cilantro and spices to soup to all an extra dimension of flavor and nutrition

simmering up all the ingredients in a big stock pot to unify flavors before blending into a puree in the blender

Thai Roasted Sweet Potato, Ginger and Carrot Soup (the full recipe for this soup is available in print in my recently published book). I will also share the full recipe here on Substack next month.

Warm Roasted Root Vegetable Winter Salad. Consisting of hearty roasted root vegetables, beans and fresh greens this satisfying 'stick to your bones' hot salad was served on a bed of wild rice and ancient grains (with fresh red russian kale for greens) and drizzled with a ginger, lemon, mandarin orange, miso dressing. Salads like this offer a symphony of flavors from savory, to sweet, to tangy.. umami notes with earthy hints and a nutty background. It was very filling and offered a full spectrum of amino acids, vitamins, minerals, omegas, probiotics, antioxidants and healthy fats.

We have a little potted lime tree that we bring inside each winter and have sitting near a south facing window in our dining room. The potted tree is about 4 feet wide by 5 feet tall now (the biggest I can let her get while still being able to handle lifting the pot through our back door) and each year when I prune I propagate the pruned branches (removing 80% of the leaves and rooting the cuttings in a willow water root starter) to start new trees for sharing with friends. I save the the pruned leaves for making tea.

Persian Lime Leaves in the morning light in our Dining Room

close up of a new lime leaf in the morning sunlight

super close up of a new lime leaf in the morning sunlight (showing the "pellucid dots" which are glands that are reflecting the light, they produce the medicinal essential oils in the leaves)

ultra close up of new lime leaf in the morning light (showing the showing the "pellucid dots", glands that produce the essential oils in the leaves and the veins in the leaf). I love how the essential oil glands in the leaf ("pellucid dots") reflect the sunlight from the other side of the leaf and appear like stars.

lime leaf tea.. its subtle and flavorful.. floral, fresh and smooth with a zingy end note. The fruit are not the only crop one can harvest from a lime tree. Lime leaves are a good source of vitamin C, natural antioxidants and antimicrobial compounds. Regular lime leaf tea consumption has been proven to help protect the liver from toxins. The peel and leaves have been shown to reduce the oxidative degeneration of cells in neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s.

We will often be blessed waves of blossoms opening up in December (after we bring the tree inside) which fills the dining room with the sweet scent of citrus blossoms. When that happens I temporarily take on the job of our winged friends and hand pollinate each blossom with a cue tip so we can have fruit growing through the winter. Not sure if its the change in light exposure (from outside to in) or humidity, or temperature (or something else I have not considered) that triggers this unusual blooming time, but I am grateful for it as it means (with a bit of hand pollinating) we will end up with couple dozen limes ripening up in late winter/early spring.

Persian lime blossom preparing to open

Persian lime blossom opening up to the morning light

Persian lime blossom ultra close up

these blossoms smell heavenly. I often linger in the dining room in the winter while writing or reading just so I can enjoy their divine fragrance a little longer

limes almost fully ripe growing on our Persian lime tree (late December) The blossoms that produced these fruit were pollinated by bees and other winged allies white the tree was outside in the summer.

a freshly harvested home grown Persian Lime

I felt very grateful to be able to enjoy our own Ontario grown limes and so I found a recipe that could put every bit of our beautiful home grown limes to good use (peel, pith, leaves, juice and pulp). I combined that with some other favorite ingredients (peppers, lemongrass, shallots, kaffir lime leaves etc) and created my own interpretation of an exuberant and delightful Balinese condiment called Sambal Matah.

It is another recipe which is included in my recently published book (Recipes For Reciprocity: The Regenerative Way From Seed To Table) and I will also share the full recipe with all of you here on Substack some time this winter.

some of the ingredients that went into the cooked semi-traditional version

I made two different versions. One fresh (the traditional way but with non traditional ingredients) I omitted the garlic (my wife is allergic) and instead used Galangal.. went easy on the hot chilis and included sweet peppers. That version is super fun and refreshing.. its floral, tangy and playful and is fantastic on rice. I fermented another version for 7 days (with lots of hot chilis, garlic, kaffir and persian lime and raw finely diced lemongrass) so I can preserve the goodness for the long haul, add an extra tang and create a mind blowing probiotic brine for flavoring dishes in the months to come.

Adding the Sambal Matah ingredients to jars to begin fermentation. This pic taken before adding the glass fermentation weights to keep ingredients submerged and before adding salt brine to cover ingredients to begin fermenting. The liquid shown here is mostly lime juice and some lemon grass infused water from simmering half the ingredients in a pan to open up flavors.)

Sambal Matah after being weighed down in a light salt brine to begin fermenting

After 7 days of fermenting at room temp I opened up the jars of Sambal Matah and was delighted to find the flavors had married seamlessly to become a tangy, warming (but not hot), floral and fruity elixir that is very inviting and stimulating to the senses.

It is really an amazing 'explosion of flavor' whether fresh or fermented. I love using this for making salad dressings, adding to hot sauces and adding to rice dishes for an extra burst of flavor and nutrition.

Okay that is enough fun in the kitchen lets go see what is going on in the garden and forest with our rooted and winged friends in late December.

milkweed seeds about to take flight on the winter winds

Okay now I think I need to get a campfire going to warm up! :)

I love to watch the embers at this stage of the fire, sometimes I just watch and listen for hours, sometimes I roast preserved garden peppers for making fiery hot sauces to keep me warm through the winter ;)

I especially love to make camp fires on the beach and listen to the waves. So in closing this month I will leave you all with this video clip. Enjoy! :)

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Now that our exploration of the nourishment for the soul that is offered in the month of December has come to an end I hope you will take some time to go out and experience similar moments of magic in your local area. Each moment we spend in nature opening our heart, our eyes and our other senses to what she is communicating to us offers us a chance to gather spiritual sustenance and enrich the eternal part of one’s Being.

I hope you all take time to get out in that crisp winter air, exploring nature and enjoy all the nourishment for the soul, mind and body that January has to offer.

Wishing you all many majestic, serene, inspiring, healing and refreshing moments outside and many heartwarming, cozy and joyful moments spent in the kitchen and with loved ones in the month ahead.

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