"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....

The brilliant sunlight promised warmth, but it was a false promise, as the temperature barely crept above zero, even at high noon. Inside, however, was a different matter indeed, with the kitchen filled with the aroma of gingerbread and family members gathered round, working together to create their "masterpiece". Growing up back on the family dairy farm as the youngest of six, Christmas season was cookie season. We poured over recipes, usually trying one or two new ones each year. We made up...

She wandered boldly into the yard in the waning late day sun, searching for a snack in the faded garden beds. Discovering the nubs of frozen cabbage, cauliflower, and broccoli stems, she stopped to browse. The fawn was entering her first winter, and had not yet learned to be particularly wary of humans. Though the season was starting off cold, there should be ample browse available from the autumnberry shrubs, and the snow was light enough that ground forage could still be reached. It's not...