You know we’re getting closer to Spring in Ohio when it’s 45 degrees outside and I’m pulling out the lawn chair to soak up the sun.

Yes, there may still be snow on the ground, but these spring rays are just begging for someone to soak them up.  I will.

In the past week, the bird song has increased steadily each morning.  In addition to the usual chorus of black capped chickadees and cardinals, I’ve even begun hearing the red-winged blackbirds outside.  This is surely a sign that Winter’s fingers are unfurling their grasp around Northeast Ohio.

With the warming days we’ve been out playing in the yard, and joyfully been exploring the process of tapping our maple trees.  We do, after all, live in the heart of Ohio’s maple syrup kingdom.

Tapping the trees has been surprisingly simple, but does require some effort over the long run.  The ratio of sap to syrup is 40:1.  So, for every 40 quarts of sap we collect, that will boil down to 1 quart of syrup.  That’s a lot of buckets to collect.

That’s ok, I love seeing the sweet sap seeping out into our buckets and the daily trudge over to our trees with baby LF on my back.  She is more excited about the birds calling than anyone and squeals with delight when she hears them.  This is promptly followed by her favorite never-ending question, “What’s that? What’s that? What’s that?”

We’ve been taking some videos of the process and hopefully we can edit that into something useful for next year’s tapping season!

The other sign of seasonal change is that I’m busy working on my next Herbal Wellness Box.

I’m really excited to share the Spring edition.  It’s going to be full of uplifting, cleansing, and renewing goodies that are sure to help with the transition between seasons.

The switch from winter to spring can be a mixed experience.  It feels so lovely to feel fresher air, know that the leaves will be returning, and that we can open all the windows again.  On the other hand, it can lead to increased allergies, feelings of fatigue and sluggishness, and a sense of unrest.

That’s where my herbal wellness box comes in.  It’s full of safe, nutritive herbal remedies such as a dandelion detox tea to help clear away all the sluggishness and toxins that have accumulated over the winter by supporting the health of your liver.  As for those pesky allergies, I’m carefully crafting an herb-infused honey to support your body’s natural response.  In general, honey (especially locally produced honey) can help to alleviate allergies, and along with pollen and orange peel, it will be infused with the goodness of nettles which have natural hypo-allergenic properties.  Take some by the teaspoonful each day or incorporate it into your tea or onto your toast.

There will also be a preservative-free, totally natural and luscious hand and body cream to keep your skin smooth and supple during a time that can be a little rough on the epidermis. Roses and dandelions will be infused into oil to treat your skin to their healing properties while shea butter will dance with uplifting essential oils to provide you with some honestly good-for-you natural body care. Add to this an uplifting, get-outside-and-play botanical perfume, and maple-inspired lip balm and you have the perfect way to treat yourself (and your family) to nature’s goodness this spring.

If you’re new to natural products, this is an excellent introduction to learning about plant-based remedies, body care, and connecting with nature.  Or if you’ve been into this way of living for some time, this is a great way to enhance and continue learning about ways that plants can support, sustain, and transform us.

Please consider learning more about our spring basket and pre-ordering yours today so that I can gather the appropriate supplies to ship these out soon after the Spring Equinox (March 20!!).  There will be a limited number of boxes made so please claim one while they are available!

 

Green spring wishes from my family to yours! xoxo

Christine