It’s already 17th January. The dog is pacing for her second walk of the day, and I know it will be dark in less than two hours. While she forages in the bin for cat food pouches, I lean on my bedroom windowsill looking at the garden in stasis.

Of course, it’s actually teeming with life down there. Microbes, fungi, nematodes, micro-organisms are all cracking on, gently turning the mulch to soil; the discarded stems and leaves delicious food for the invisible.

When we had the very brief cold snap, I lay the Christmas tree over my corn salad seedlings to protect them from frost. It’s probably time to rescue them from the pine needles.

Mmm, pine needles. They smell so evocative. A hint of winter, Nordicity and hygge.

Remembering Susun Weed’s words on pine sap, I think I might create her pine needle vinegar.

 

Pine Needle Vinegar

Ingredients

500ml apple cider vinegar*

12” of pine branch, cut into 2” pieces

 

Directions

Place the fresh pine needles into a wide-mouthed jar and add the apple cider vinegar.

Soak for 6 weeks, strain and taste.

 

I’ll report back to you, as this is a new one on me.

*  I started making my own vinegar last year, when I forgot about a batch of kombucha. If it is overfermented, it makes a great and healthy vinegar, and I also use it as a cleaning spray 🙂