The darkest and coldest new moon of them all.
The darkest and coldest new moon of them all, the New cold moon. I am always reminded how deep I can go in life by following the rhythms of the environment around me. Nature remembers what we humans may have forgotten: every cycle must turn to stillness, silence, the dark; Every out breath requires an in breath; every outer endeavor turns back inward to its origins, its center, and begins again; from death comes new life, and from the darkest night, the new dawn is born. Winter is my reminder of the beautiful rich season where growth is happening, even if it’s not seen but slowly experienced in nuances. Winter is the peaking point of the seasons that feels deepest and most necessary.
I personally love this time of year, I relish in the slow, cooler, darker days and use it as a time to work on things I haven’t given myself time or energy for. We do a lot of crafting and baking by candlelight and fire, we enjoy the company of friends to warm our home, and we put energy into projects that will help us achieve our goals when the warmer days come. I move inward in a sense that I focus on my family, my home, and intentions for growth.
One of my favorite things to do with my kids during winter is nature activities. This gets us outside, no matter the weather, and brings us back inside with something fun to craft. We enjoy collecting fallen pine cones, placing them on twine, and covering them with nut butters and seeds. We bring them back outside to hang on the trees for winter treats for the birds on our land. We slowly walk the land observing and talking about our scenery, all that we’ve seen changed, what it may look like in a few months, and what we love about it now. We collect the fallen pine cones and make our way back inside for our cozy craft and a warm snack.
We are big hot cacao fans and winter is THE season for it. Not only to bring a sweet treat into our chilly days but also to nourish our bodies with necessary nutrients to keep stress low and our bodies warm throughout the season. We make a yolky hot cacao with honey vanilla marshmallows and sip them while we get to our crafts.
This is such a lovely routine for my kids and for me as a stay at home mama. We have a homestead and there’s always lots to do but not everything is as fun for the kids as it is for us. So carving out specific times during the day to practice some slow paced and intentional activities, that also bring us back to nature as well as nourish our bodies, is super important.
One of the main reasons we consume a yolky hot cacao and marshmallow is for the egg yolks and gelatin used to make them. Egg yolks are a powerhouse of nutrients and I whip them with sugar and use this custard as a base for so many of our daily tonics. Egg yolks are an essential source of choline. Not only does choline help in reducing chronic inflammation and levels of homocysteine in the blood, but it is also one of the highest regulators of nervous tissue in your body. Choline is an essential component of acetylcholine, one of the most important neurotransmitters in the nervous system.
Making marshmallows at home couldn’t be easier, all you need is gelatin and a sweetener of choice. Gelatin is a staple in our home because it’s versatile and incredibly beneficial for overall health. It’s incredibly rich in glycine which is a GABA agonist. GABA is a natural antagonist to cortisol. In other words taking, glycine can increase GABA and reduce cortisol (meaning it lowers stress, which is much higher in the colder darker months).
Yolky hot cacao (2 servings)
2 egg yolks
2 tbsp organic raw cane sugar
3 cups raw milk
2 tbsp raw cacao powder
1/2 tsp salt
Pinch of nutmeg
Whisk your egg yolk and sugar together until it forms a thick custard. Warm your milk and whisk in cacao powder, salt, and nutmeg. Once combined, pour your warm chocolate milk over your sugar and egg custard. Stir well and top with a marshmallow!
Honey vanilla marshmallows
1 cup clean water
4 scoops grassfed gelatin
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/3-1/2 cup raw honey
Bloom your gelatin in cold water. Once it’s bloomed add it to a saucepan and turn your heat up to medium. Dissolve the gelatin and add vanilla. Remove the mixture from the heat and transfer to a bowl. Add the raw honey and whip it with an electric mixer or a standing mixer. This may take a few minutes. You’ll know it’s ready when it’s whipped, thick, and fluffy. Quickly pour your fluff into a buttered glass baking dish. Pop them in the fridge for at least 4 hours or overnight. Cut them into cubes and enjoy on top of warm drinks.
Nature is where we’ll find nurture. The winter season calls us to hunker down and become self sufficient. Hand make, bake, forage, and build, for the joy of life is ripe and fresh for those that see past the cold dark days. Slowing down is necessary in winter, it’s almost forced upon us. Instead of fighting it, how about join it and see how nature can work with you to bring more warmth and light into your winter days.
Noelle Kovary is an FNTP, Ayurvedic practitioner, herbalist, and bio-energetic nutrition coach turned full time mama and homesteader. She shares her love for motherhood, nourishment, and homemaking on her social media account. She owns a beauty care company, Forever Healthy LLC, with her husband Nick and together, they share content, products, and courses about nutrition, pro-metabolic health, fertility, and hormone health on their blog and her Instagram (with hopes to one day turn their family homestead into a full time farm). Noelle promotes a slow living and close to nature lifestyle and helps women bust their fears around food to ditch diet culture and fully nourish their bodies and families.
