"The pungent odor of sauerkraut filled the butter yellow kitchen, carrying with it memories of Christmas at grandma's house, and a crockpot filled with kraut and Polish sausage. For my husband, it brought back recollections of Belgian kermis, with massive booyah pots, trippe, and Belgian pies. The older generation of ladies would cook up a storm and debate the merits of various meats being paired with the kraut."

This week we packed up the sauerkraut we made in October for long term storage. It was a good harvest, and we have enough to share with friends. Some was canned, and some was packed in jars for the refrigerator to preserve the probiotics. I invested in crock weights for my ten gallon crock, and they made a huge difference. The kraut stayed submerged below the brine so much better, greatly improving quality.

Our yo-yo temperatures swung back up again this week after last week's bitter cold, much to the delight of the flocks. We took advantage of the warmer weather to do some spot cleaning of the greenhouse where the ducks had spilled feed in the straw bedding. By tossing the grain-filled bedding in the chicken run, it gave the chickens some entertainment as they cleaned up the spilled grains. Waste not, want not.

Duncan's therapeutic massage training continues, and he's learning a lot, regularly rattling off information about how a particular bone, muscle, or connective tissue system works. I'm proud of him for working his tail off and figuring out ways to get things done in spite of his dyslexia. He has a healing touch. Right now he has two weeks off for the holiday (though he still has homework to do). When he gets back in January they'll be starting clinic duty and he'll be working with clients (under supervision).

This Week’s Resilience & Abundance Boost

• Share the surplus. If you have extra eggs, produce, or rarely used winter clothing, pass some along to friends or neighbors — abundance grows when it’s shared.
• Use every byproduct. Look for ways to turn “waste” into nourishment, compost, animal feed, or soil — efficiency is a quiet form of resilience.
• Support learning seasons. Whether it’s formal training or hands-on skills at home, honor the effort it takes to grow into new abilities, and don't be afraid to tackle challenging projects.
• Notice the helpers (and give thanks). From microbes in a crock to animals cleaning up spilled grain, many systems work behind the scenes to keep things running smoothly.

Resilience is built through care, patience, and making the most of what we already have.

All our best to you and yours,

Laurie (and August IV, August V, and Duncan)

This week's featured articles...

These maple candied walnuts make a great last minute gift, or a special holiday treat. With just 5 ingredients (including the nuts), they are easy to make (plus the house smells great).

There's a lot of "yuck" making the rounds again, so I thought it was a good time to update this article on herbal antibiotics.

If you're traveling this holiday season, don't forget the winter car kit checklist and winter vehicle prep checklist.

And just for fun:

Some Yule Log History​

​Workin’ in my Winter Underwear (sung to the tune of Walking in a Winter Wonderland)

​A Homestead Night Before Christmas poem