Natural Dyeing: Fresh & Wooden Eggs

Springtime brings a little bit of magic in every day - an awakening from a long winter sleep. The ground swells as the buds do too, flowers bursting up from the thawing earth; colors painting the landscape that has been neutral for months.

Celebrating the return of Spring

The celebration of spring takes many forms. One such celebration is Ostara, the pagan celebration of the vernal equinox that has many parallels to the contemporary Easter traditions that many have come to know. The vernal equinox falls somewhere between March 19th and March 23rd depending on the year, when the Sun is exactly above the Equator and day and night are equal in length. The name Ostara is thought to have been derived from the spring goddess named Ēostre, who brings renewal and rebirth after the cold and harsh winter. Amongst the symbols of fertility and rebirth, it is no wonder that the egg has long been used, as it quite literally brings forth new life in the early spring days. On our homestead, we welcome the sounds of baby birds hatching in nests throughout the treed landscape and on homesteads across the country, homesteaders are eager to welcome new baby chicks to their flocks of chickens, ducks and more. It is thought that the Easter basket was inspired by the bird nests - the perfect pair for spring!

When creating decorations in our home, I often find inspiration from the natural world around us. The materials that surround us, both outside and in our homes are full of textures and colors that are impossible to replicate synthetically. Even better, is when a decoration can be reused or composted when we’re done displaying it; it’s the ultimate love note to our natural world when we can enjoy the beauty of nature and respect it throughout, by creating little or no waste. That’s what I love so much about this simple natural dye project for decorating eggs! This method can be used for both fresh eggs and wooden eggs, though there are a few variations that work better than others for the wooden eggs - which we’ll share in further detail below. All of the scraps from the dyeing process can be composted when complete, and if you’re using wooden eggs, they can be enjoyed for many years to come!

Preparing the eggs

While there is very little that needs to be done to prepare wooden eggs, when using fresh hen eggs there are a few more steps to ensure successful dyeing. You can use either white or brown (or any color, really) eggs, though the base color will affect the final color of your dyed eggs.

• Choose eggs that are at least 1 week “old” as they will be easier to peel in the long run! This is especially relevant if you’re sourcing your eggs locally, as they tend to be much fresher than store-bought eggs.

• For fresh eggs, wash the exterior of the egg with a gentle cloth to remove the natural barrier that exists on the eggshell, which will allow the pigments to better adhere to the eggs.

Clockwise from top left: Red cabbage, yellow onion peel, turmeric, black beans, un-dyed natural egg. All eggs shown have been sealed with our Beeswax Cutting Board Conditioner - available in our shop!

Extracting colors from nature

We can extract a wide range of colors from ingredients that are found in our kitchens! It’s a great way to use up scraps and is especially fun for our youngest helpers. My daughter couldn’t believe her eyes when I pulled a wooden egg from a bath of black bean water and it was purple! Here are some of our favorite colors to use for fresh and wooden hen eggs.

For Fresh Eggs: Place eggs in a small sauce pan and cover with 1 quart of water, 1 tablespoon of salt, 2 tablespoons of vinegar, and 2-4 tablespoons of the respective fruit, vegetable, or spice (to create the color). Bring to a boil, then reduce to simmer and cover for 30 minutes. For a deeper color, leave eggs in dye bath and allow to set for 30 minutes or more. Remove and allow to dry - we use our empty egg carton as a perfect drying rack!

For Wooden Eggs: Place 1 quart of water and 2-4 tablespoons of the respective fruit, vegetable, or spice (to create the color) in a small sauce pan. Bring to a boil, then reduce to simmer and cover for 30 minutes. Remove from heat and strain liquid into a heat-proof jar, reserving the plant materials. Because wood floats in water, use either the food scraps from making the dye bath to keep the egg submerged or allow the egg to float and simply rotate the egg periodically until the desired color is achieved. After soaking in the dye pigment, allow wooden eggs to dry slowly to avoid cracking; We used our egg carton as a drying rack and put them in a spot out of direct heat or air flow, and they took about 2 days (with periodic rotating) to dry completely. Note: the color will lighten as it dries, but can be made more vivid by using a mineral oil or a cutting-board wax on the wood once it’s dried!

Now for the fun part:

Reds - Red or purple onion skins make a beautiful red dye pigment.

Orange - Yellow onion skins yield a bright golden orange color.

Yellows & Gold - Turmeric! The easiest dye of all for eggs - and a little goes a long ways.

Greens - This is arguably the hardest color we tried to achieve. While many sources suggest parsley or spinach for dyeing green eggs, we didn’t have any success. I would instead recommend a double-dye starting with turmeric and followed by the red cabbage dye bath below (without vinegar).

Blues & Purples - Red cabbage can be used to create a range of blues and purples. Without vinegar, the color is more blueish purple. With vinegar added, a bright fuchsia! For wooden eggs, black beans can be used to create a nice blueish purple too - simply soak a handful of beans in a pint of water over night, then place your wooden egg in the dye bath and allow it to soak for about 30 minutes.

Share the love!

If you’re on social media, be sure to tag your photos with #MyPerennialHomestead - we would love to see what colors you create. Want to learn more about natural egg dyeing? Join us on Saturday, March 13th, 2021 with Lesley Darling Fibers for a virtual workshop on natural egg dyeing! The workshop will also be recorded and shared after - to register, visit: https://lesleydarling.bigcartel.com/easter-egg-dyeing-workshop

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Harvesting Sap: A Primer to Tapping Trees for Syrup Making

Updated February 2023

Harvesting sap for syrup making has become one of our favorite harvest activities of the year! The sap moon, typically the full moon in late February or early March, marks the beginning of the flow of sap. The flow of sap in trees is a simple miracle, one of abundance in a time of hibernation. When all the world seems to be asleep blanketed under a layer of snow, the sweet flow of sap begins in the trees around us. Of course, you cannot see it when you simply look with your eyes, but as you feel the warming of days contrasting with the freezing temperatures of the cold dark night, you can feel the changing of seasons present in the air and with it comes the sap flow; the sweetness an indicator of the sweetness to come as spring approaches. 

Practicing gratitude and mindfulness in the harvest

We owe our knowledge of sugaring to our Indigenous brothers and sisters, who have harvested the sap flow for generations, returning gratitude to the trees and the land through stewardship and care. In her essay titled “Maple Sugar Moon” in Braiding Sweetgrass, Robin Wall Kimmerer shares the story of the Anishinaabe Original Man, Nanabozho, as he finds his people lying lazily beneath a maple tree, with their mouths open catching the falling syrup from the trees. “They had become lazy and took for granted the gifts of the Creator” … so he “went to the river and dipped up many buckets of water. He poured the water straight into the maple trees to dilute the syrup. … Today, maple sap flows like a stream of water with only a trace of sweetness to remind the people of both possibility and responsibility. And so it is that it takes forty gallons of sap to make a gallon of syrup.” (Braiding Sweetgrass, Robin Wall Kimmerer, page 63).

To harvest sap from a tree is a great responsibility and ought not be taken lightly. Harvest only from trees that are large enough to support themselves and you as well - with a diameter of at least 10” and in good health. Trees with diameters over 18″ can accommodate two taps, while those with diameters over 25″ can accommodate three. Throughout the rest of the year, offer gifts in return - spread compost at the base, care for the health of the tree, say thank you and reflect on the many gifts the trees offer us throughout the year: shade, oxygen and shelter. 

Tapping a line of Black Walnut trees along the edge of our neighbor’s homestead

Materials needed

• Power Drill

• Sharp drill bits, sizes to correspond with chosen spout size and dropline size

• Hammer

• Spout or Spile, 1-3 per tree depending on tree size
  The spouts, also called spiles, are used to tap into a hole in the tree and allow the sap to flow out of the tree and into a collection container. There are various sizes available on the market, and spiles can be either plastic or metal.  (Here is the one we use)

• Droplines, 1 per spout
  Droplines are plastic tubing that is used to connect the spile to the collection vessel. Some spiles don’t require droplines, but many do.  (Here is what we use)

• Collection container with lid (at least 1 gallon capacity), 1 per tree
  You can use any variety of collection containers, though we recommend using something that is easily cleanable and has a secure lid to keep out rain, snow and debris. We use 5 gallon food-grade buckets with lids. You can also use cleaned and empty milk jugs or any other food-grade container. 

• Filters
  Filtering your sap before and after cooking helps to remove any debris and sediment that collects in the sap, resulting in a cleaner finished syrup (Here is what we use) 

• Heavy-bottom Pot

• Candy Thermometer

Preparing your materials

Clean all of your tapping materials with hot water, boiling to sterilize. Avoid the use of soap, as it is hard to remove all the residue and can affect the final taste of your syrup. 

Assemble the spouts with droplines by connecting droplines to the down-spout of the spile. Using a drill bit that corresponds with the diameter of the dropline, drill holes around the top edge of the container. Insert the droplines into the holes, with the appropriate number of droplines per the size of the tree. 

Tree Selection

While the Sugar Maple is the most commonly tapped tree for making syrup, there are many types of trees that produce a sap flow with a sugary sap that can be cooked into syrup. In our experience, we have tapped primarily Black Walnut trees, which grow in abundance near our homestead. Other trees that produce sap include: Silver maples, Boxelder and Birch trees to name a few. Here is a great resource that explores the differences of these different trees (and more!) for syrup production: 27 Trees to Tap for Syrup. Each variety of tree will yield a slightly different flavor of syrup. Of course, you can combine the saps of many types of trees, but it may also be fun to keep them separate to taste the variances!

Identify your tree and inspect it for good health. Avoid harvesting from a tree that has signs of damage, such as splitting or bark peeling, as this will not only produce a lower yield but may also further damage the health of the tree. 

A sample of our set-up: holes drilled on the east, south and west side of a black walnut tree, into the ridges of the bark, spiles tapped into the tree with downspouts emptying into a 5 gallon bucket with a lid.

Drilling a hole

Identify the south-side of the tree - you will place your holes about 18” apart on the East, South and West sides of the tree, as these sides will be warmed by the sun and produce the best flow of sap. Only tap trees with a diameter of at least 10” and in good health. Trees with diameters over 18″ can accommodate two taps, while those with diameters over 25″ can accommodate three. 

Using a power drill and a sharp bit (very important that it’s sharp, so the hole is smooth and clean) that corresponds with your chosen spout, bore a deep hole in a tree to a depth of 2” to 2 ½” or until you reach the lighter inner sapwood of the tree. Blow out any wood shavings or pulp with a quick, close breath. For reference, you can wrap a piece of tape around the drill bit 2 ½” from the tip to use as a guide. Drill at a slight upward angle to promote a downward flow of sap from the hole. The hole should be situated at a comfortable working height, approximately 2′ to 4′ above the ground. If you tap the same tree each year, drill holes at least 6” apart from previous holes to allow the tree to recover from the holes and remain healthy.

Tapping the Tree

Place the pointed end of the spile (another name for the spout) in the hole and gently hammer into place, with the droplines pointing towards the ground and the collection container resting on the ground at the base of the tree. Collect the sap daily by pouring it into a collection bucket or replacing the current collection container with an empty one. Refrigerate the sap in a large covered container until you’re ready to boil it down. Filter your sap through a filter or two layers of cheesecloth before boiling to remove any debris or sediment.

Boiling the sap

Bring the sap to a boil in a large heavy bottom pot over high heat. Then, reduce heat to medium high and maintain a low boil. Using a pan with a larger surface area will help the cooking process to progress quicker, as the steam can cook off more quickly. It is best to start with at least a gallon of sap to prevent the final syrup from scorching on the bottom of the pan. As the water boils off, you can add more sap.

The temperature of the sap will indicate the sugar concentration. Using a candy thermometer is a great way to measure the sugar concentration. At 215 degrees F, pour your syrup through a filter to remove excess minerals before cooking to the final temperature between 217 and 219 degrees F. This is also a good time to transfer the syrup to a smaller pot to finish the cooking process so the syrup doesn’t scorch on the bottom of the pan. The syrup is finished when it reaches the optimal temperature between 217 and 219 degrees F - the higher the temperature, the thicker the finished syrup will be. If you don’t have a thermometer, you can also use a clean spoon to do a “drip test” - dip your spoon into the thickened syrup and stop cooking when the syrup drips off the spoon in a thick drip. Note that the syrup will thicken as it cools. 

One gallon of sugar maple sap cooks into approximately 4 ounces of syrup. Other tree saps tend to have a lower sugar concentration, though final yields depend on the time of harvest, the location of the tree, tree species and other environmental factors. For example, trees that are higher on a slope or hill will tend to have a higher sugar concentration while trees at the bottom of a slope or hill will tend to have a lower sugar concentration, as they are subject to more water flow as snow melts and flows in the ground. There are many factors that can affect the final yield, and really, only time and experience will tell! 

Bottling the syrup

Using a metal funnel lined with a clean filter, pour the hot syrup into clean glass bottles, and cap them. To prevent the bottles from cracking, warm them by filling with hot water and pouring it out right before filling with syrup. To bottle for shelf-stability, fill with hot syrup (at least 214 degrees F), cap with a clean, solid lid (i.e. not a pour top) and invert the bottle until it’s cooled. Bottled this way, unopened bottles should remain shelf-stable for two years. After opening, store syrup in the fridge for up to a year. Some minerals and sediment may settle to the bottom of your finished syrup - it’s still edible, just slightly different texture and flavor! If you choose to bottle at a cooler temperature or into a container that you’re not able to invert, just store your syrup in the fridge to prevent spoilage.

End of season considerations

After the harvest season, typically when the temperatures no longer fall below freezing, it is important to clean up your materials and tend to the trees. Remove all taps from the trees and gather the materials you’ve used. Clean and sterilize all of your spiles and downspout tubes and allow to dry completely before storing. Do not plug the holes you’ve drilled in the trees - instead, allow the tree to recover on it’s own.

Think of reciprocity - how will you show your gratitude to the trees and their generosity? Will you plant more trees in your community? Offer compost to the trees who have shared their abundance? Or perhaps you will say “thank you” as you crack open a bottle of liquid gold and pour it a top a tall stack of pancakes on a cozy weekend morning. There are endless ways to share your gratitude as you enjoy the golden syrup of these crisp winter days throughout the year!

Simple Gatherings for a Warmer Winter

I spent my early twenties living in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. I was a student at Marquette University and was living on my own for the first time. I suppose “on my own” is not quite the right way to put it, as I lived with an assortment of roommates throughout my time there, and in that time spent with others, I learned something that has forever shaped my life: winter (even a Milwaukee winter!) is more than tolerable when spent in the company of others.

Towards the latter part of my time in Milwaukee, I lived in a quirky little “underground” apartment we lovingly called “the Garden Unit.” For those of you who’ve known me through that time of my life will know that it was my first real home away from home. I started my first blog there, I made my first batches of caramels there, I knit with my roommates there and started my own crafting business there (with two of my dearest friends!).

Food is a natural magnet to bringing people together!

I remember the first time my roommates Jill and Kelsey and I hosted our first potluck in the Garden Unit - we spent the day jamming to Tina Turner as we cleaned the place from top to bottom, prepared food to share and added finished touches to make our home extra inviting. The invitation had been extended to twenty or so of our close friends and the party was to start at 6 pm. When 6 o’clock rolled around, we hosts were dressed and ready for our guests to arrive and when they didn’t come at the stroke of 6 I remember thinking to myself as we waited anxiously “Oh no - what if no one comes? What if our party is a total flop?” But of course our friends came! In their own time, with warm food and big hugs. Our little apartment quickly filled with the joy of company and shared food. No one cared that our house was meticulously cleaned, what mattered was that we were together.

After that first gathering, I learned something that has been a guiding principle in my life since: “No one knows what the party was supposed to be except the host; and everyone else just has a good time!” What I mean to say is that even if we hadn’t mopped our kitchen floors that day or baked the perfect pie, our guests would have enjoyed themselves just by being in each other’s company. It took SO MUCH pressure off of hosting! And it started a tradition of gathering in our home and in our friends homes for years to come.

If you’ve got the time, it’s really fun to send an invite in the mail!

Of course, there are some things to consider when hosting others, but I am here to say that YOU CAN DO IT! And it’s not that hard and it will probably make your days feel full: of love and friendship. Especially in winter, I truly believe there is nothing like a gathering with friends and loved ones to brighten even the darkest of days. Here are a few simple things to help you host your way through winter (or any season really):

1. Pick a date & time and put it on the calendar!

   You won’t be able to accommodate everyone’s schedule, but do your best to consider your friends and their schedules to pick a time that generally works for them and for you. Sometimes picking a date can be the hardest part, but don’t let it keep you from getting together!

   I was talking with my friend Bridget recently, and she shared with me her family’s new years resolution: they made a list of things that are important to them to do on a weekly and monthly basis and put it on their fridge. Gathering with friends was a shared weekly priority, so they made it just that: A PRIORITY!

2. Invite your friends, new and old

   In this day in age, an invite can be anything from a formal letter (I know I love to receive mail!) or a text or an email or a call. You get the picture! Write down a list of friends you want to invite - it doesn’t have to be everyone you know, or maybe you want it that way - you can host how ever you’d like!

   Have a neighbor or a new friend that you’d like to introduce to your community? Hosting a small gathering is a great way to encourage new friendships! It can be fun to see what comes of bringing unique groups of people together.

   When I lived in Milwaukee and even onto Omaha, I loved to host a weekly gathering we fondly called “Chili Night” - it was every Sunday from November through March-ish, and it was an open invite. I would make a pot of chili and friends could bring anything (or nothing!) to share on the side. Two of our friends even met at a chili night years ago and have since gotten married and are expecting their first baby in March! Talk about magic!

3. Food is the key to everyone’s hearts!

   Want to make food for your company? Consider making something ahead of time so that you can be present when your company comes. A crockpot of a pot full of soup is always a welcome meal in the winter! Or a casserole or simple snacks depending on the time of your gathering. Remember, it doesn’t have to be complicated! Be sure to ask your guests ahead of time to see if anyone has food sensitivities so everyone feels welcome at the table.

   Don’t like to cook, but still want to host? No problem! You could make it a potluck - offer to provide a main dish and invite your guests to bring something to share on the side. Pro tip: You don’t even have to cook if you don’t want to! Call your favorite restaurant and see what they have for group takeout! Chances are they’ll be happy to work with you on even a small order and then you can focus on being with your company.

4. Don’t want to host at your house? No problem!

   Sometimes, your house isn’t the best place for large groups of people. Or you’re a private person who doesn’t like to have your life on display. Or, you just want a reason to get out of the house! NO PROBLEM! You can host a meaningful gathering in all sorts of places: consider meeting at a local coffee shop, your favorite restaurant, or a local museum. Plan a group walk with a stop for hot cocoa and a pastry afterwards. There are many ways to host, and with practice, you’ll find what works best for you. Every gathering can be different, so mix it up and try out new things - you’ll be surprised at what you can do together!

5. Be PRESENT

   Put away your phone & enjoy the company of the people you are with. You’ve taken time from your busy lives to be together! Play a card game, play a board game, play some music! You’ll be amazed at how wonderful it is what you’re not distracted.

My favorite group card games are Rummy and Palace - Click the links to learn how to play - they’re simple and easy to pickup for any group!

However you choose to gather, remember that what is important is the time spent together. It doesn’t have to be fancy or over the top to be special - but if that’s your style, then by all means! Most importantly, don’t let the planning and prep work get in the way of you hosting.

Gathering with others has been a key element to my well-being for many winters. I’ll be honest, I haven’t always loved winter and by the end of it, I am certainly ready for spring. But I find that the days I am feeling most blue are the days that have been uninterrupted - days spent in the humdrum routine of life. When I reflect on that, I realize that the best medicine (for me) is to gather with friends. So, I make it a priority, I reach out and set a date. And just like that, there is a new routine, a welcome routine and pretty soon spring is here!

Weaving a Basket, Building a Community

One of my new year’s resolution for 2020 is to learn more skills: skills with my hands, making things and learning from others. In a day when you can find almost anything on Youtube or order quickly on Amazon, I fear the loss of these skills and shared learning. I mourn the loss of the communities that are rooted in this type of exchange - one where skills are shared freely and competition doesn’t exist. Communities like those of people gathered around a quilt to finish the stitches together, not motivated by a paycheck or an exchange other than one of stories, friendship and love. Where the sharing of skills is done with the desire to preserve the traditions from generation to generation - not because you have to, but because you want to. Luckily, if you look for it, there are people who are still drawn to teach and share their skills and I imagine I’m not the only one who is eager to learn.

This past Saturday, I had the pleasure of learning about basket weaving. The class was being taught at our local botanical gardens. Tucked in a back classroom, myself and 9 classmates gathered to learn the art of basket weaving from Jeannie, our instructor, and Roxy, her assistant. Together, they’ve been making baskets for over a decade and have been teaching for almost as long. When I asked Roxy what drew her to basket weaving in the first place, she talked of the satisfaction of gathering with friends and making something with her hands, “instant gratification” as they’d finish a basket in a matter of hours. Compared to the instant gratification of just about everything these days, I’d say this is relative, but I know exactly what she meant. It is so gratifying to make something with your hands, in this case a basket, that is usable right away!

Building a strong base with wood & reed

The class was comprised of a variety of learners - some experienced basket weavers and some, like myself, new to the skill. I sat next to a woman who quickly became a new friend. We spent the four hours of our class talking about our gardens and natural dye projects, all while weaving a set of simple reeds into a basket fit to hold fruit. We shared so much in common, including friends, and yet it was the shared desire to learn new skills that brought us together.

The process of basket weaving is simple. Over, under, over, under: wrapping “weavers” over and under the spokes of the basket. Each pass adds structure and shape, style and color. We wove with prepared materials, but I couldn’t help but imagine of all the materials that grow around our home that would make a perfect spoke or a perfect weaver. I imagined the possibilities that I have never noticed before.

I’ve never had to notice, because we live in a world where the things we “need” are constantly available. Baskets are abundant in nearly every store, in any color, shape or size. They’re cheap and trendy. But what is the true cost? I imagine a time when people made baskets out of necessity. Where they spent time observing the natural materials growing around them. Where they attuned themselves to the materials in an effort to select only what was needed and the best for the end function. I imagine people gathered together, weaving over and under, over and under. Older hands guiding young hands, sharing skills and traditions. Making baskets worth saving, woven with stories and love. Baskets that aren’t discarded quickly for the next trend.

Adding variety and color, shape and style with naturally colored reeds

Basket weaving has a long and very rich history - with unique traditions and materials used by different communities of peoples throughout the world and throughout time. Neither am I an expert nor a historian, so I will leave you to your own research to discover the history of basket weaving. Check out a few books at the library! This is where I started learning and I couldn’t believe the amount of variations in styles, materials, uses and traditions that existed in basket weaving, especially when the craft hasn’t been part of my upbringing. It is part of what further drew me to the craft and inspires me to keep learning, from different teachers and communities. What I can tell you is that the basket I made was constructed of reeds, and is known as a “wicker” or “splint” basket. It has been a style of basketry in many countries and cultures throughout history.

What will it take to return to the times of making together and sharing skills? Perhaps it’s not as romantic as I imagine, but certainly there are aspects that are worth preserving. As I navigate the future of our business, I have such a strong desire to weave in aspects of learning and teaching - through workshops hosted here on our farmstead, by stocking goods made by artisans who are dedicated to preserving traditional skills, and by learning new skills myself to deepen the appreciation I have for those goods that are made with care.

When I brought my finished basket home, I felt a deep satisfaction that resonated through my body. The basket I made will likely stay in our family for many years to come. As I feel the texture of each reed, I already feel a rush of nostalgia as I remember the process of making it, with a sense of gratitude to the materials used to make it and the teachers who showed me the way. Sure, I probably could have watched a tutorial online, but then I wouldn’t have met my classmates or our teachers. I wouldn’t have had the company of others as I learned this new skill and I’m not sure the basket I made would have had as much of a story to tell.

I hope to make many more baskets and will likely do so in a variety of settings. I thank the many makers who have come before me and shared their skills, so that I may now learn the craft. I am so grateful for the physical space I had to learn a new skill in the company of others. And I look forward to many years of learning new skills from and with others, weaving together a new community each day through the exchanges of teaching and learning from one another. In my own personal exploration of this (and other) crafts, I set my intentions to honor those who’ve come before me, the materials that are harvested and used, and those who have yet to come - may my learning and curiosity be received as a thank you for the many gifts you have given!

Creating an Abundant Home

When I think about what makes our house a home, it isn’t the things that fill our spaces. It’s the memories and times spent with my family, cooking meals and playing games. The times spent working in the garden in the summertime, bringing in a harvest for dinner and cutting a bouquet for the table. When I find myself with a momentary pause in the busyness, I am able to sit and look at the life we’ve woven together. We live quite frugally, but even so, our home is full of love and memories.

Compared to my somewhat minimalist husband, Scott, I am a squirrel - gathering little tidbits from the outdoors, collecting items from artists and antique stores, and displaying them throughout our home. Our kitchen is the room we spend the most time in and it is filled with our finest collection of goods - from hand crafted spoons and serving ware, to locally-sourced pantry items and produce. To be honest, it is these things that inspired our business.

To me, surrounding ourselves with these intentional goods enhances the experiences we share together by “stacking” the goodness. When we sit down to a meal together, it feels better than when we eat on the go. When the meal we share are made with ingredients that have stories and served with dishes and utensils that were crafted with care, there is a depth and a beauty that is unmatched.

Here’s our favorite ways to add abundance to mealtime:

1. Source LOCAL ingredients & grow your own!
   When possible, seek out ingredients from farmers in your area. You define what is local to you! And don’t feel like you have to buy everything local all at once - that can feel overwhelming. Focus on a few things you use often and see if there is a local source. When you buy directly from a farmer or maker, you’ll be supporting your local economy, and starting a relationship both with the farmer and with the food!
   Growing your own food can be fun and rewarding - and, you can do it almost anywhere. Even herbs in a windowsill garden will add a certain amount of magic to your dinner plate!

2. Invest in tools, utensils and servingware that is made to last & made with love
   When I’m cooking, it feels great to reach for my favorite handmade spatula or ladle! Even when I am cooking alone, it feels like I’m in the company of others, as I honor the craft and skills that went into making the tools that I’m using.

3. Share a meal
   I am a strong believer in the power of food to bring people together. For us, it always comes back to food. Make time to share a meal with someone - be it your roommate, your partner, your family, a neighbor or a group of friends - when you create space for gathering, the rewards will be great.

4. Make the table!

   In this modern world, we often don’t take the time to make a table setting. Case in point: fast food, where our car is the table…. Taking a few extra minutes to set the table, slow down, gather flowers or light a candle will help to center the moment and the meal. Whether it’s a simple supper enjoyed alone or a gathering with others, setting the table makes the meal intentional!

Here’s the truth. Not everything we eat in our home was sourced locally and not all of our things are made in small batches by artisans. But the food that is and the things that are feel so rich and valuable and make our experiences glow with warmth when we use them. So, when we can, we seek them out - locally sourced goods and ingredients. And we share them here with you!

What does it take to fill your home with abundance? It would take a million pages to write this answer, and it will be different for everyone. But for me, it’s something like this: surround yourself with people, things, materials, ingredients that you LOVE. When you do, I think you’ll find yourself feeling full and connected and whole.