From Veggie Scraps to Bountifulness Happy Valentine's Day

 As winter stretches on it is the perfect time to work on your soup making skills. Nothing is as comforting as a warm bowl of soup during the colder days of winter. When perfecting your soup recipe the key of every good soup is a good base. Just like when you are trying to keep warm during the winter you need to make sure you layer your clothing making sure to include a good base layer, in order to stay warm and cozy. 

While I am making my family dinners I try to use a lot of vegetables, focusing mostly on winter veggies which means a lot of root vegetables. Personally I adore being able to eat with the seasonality of life, and during winter it means more savory flavors. Eating with the season gives me joy, hope and wonder allowing me to fully appreciate each season and giving me something to look forward to in each season. As I am chopping up my veggies, I save the scraps in bags that I can put into the freezer. 

Later when I am making a soup I take those scraps boil them into a rich, savory broth and then use that broth to make a flavorful, sumptuous soup. 

That is the beauty of home cooking and being sustainable you can take scraps and create bounty in life. If you are feeling extra homesteaderish I would recommend planning and buying seeds to plant to create your own perfected veggie broth for the spring, summer and fall. 

Sending you lots of love and cheer and happiness. 

Happy Happy Valentine's Day!!! XOXXOXO

Recommendations of scraps to use for veggie broth

Onions

Carrots Dragon Carrot Nature and Nurture Seed

Garlic Music Aria Meadowlark Hearth Seed

Mushroom stems The Mushroom Conservatory 

Herb stems Basil Driftless Seeds

Celery Stems  Ventura Celery Meadowlark Hearth

Celeraic ends  Monarch Celeraic Meadowlark Hearth

Veggies To Avoid 

Broccoli 

Cabbage

Potatoes 

As these veggies can make the broth taste bitter. 

Bone broth on a Cold Winter Day

The winter days have been cold and comforting. It is as if winter is wrapping us all in a snowy cocoon. When there is snow on the ground and the temperatures are cold it is my favorite time of the season, as it reminds me of winter walks, snowshoeing, skiing and just looking outside the window brings me joy and happiness everything looks like a winter paradise. 

Bone broth is an amazing way to bring in warmth, comfort and joy into your home. My favorite activity during winter is going on a hunt for the best bones that farmers in Ohio can offer. We are so blessed as a region to have so many farmers to choose from, and there are many types of animals that you can choose. 

Chicken bones are delicate and small and can create a flavorful quick broth in 20 minutes or less. Pork bones creates a savory, fatty broth that takes 30 minutes up to an hour to simmer to for the fullest flavor. Beef bones take the longest, I would recommend that you simmer for 2 hours or more to get the full effect. While you are simmering your bone broth there will be frothy white bubbles that will come up make sure to skim to create a robust clear broth. 

Bone broth adds a lot of health benefits and comfort during the winter season, especially during cold and flu season. I have a video session on Mother Earth News site for you to learn more about all the ways you can create your own flavorful bone broth.

Video

Mother Earth News

Bone Broth – Videos – Mother Earth ...

Video

Mother Earth News

Bone Broth – Videos – Mother Earth ...

Video

Mother Earth News

Bone Broth – Videos – Mother Earth ...

XOXO 

Frolicking Americana

Fibershed Cleveland

Fibers intertwine and connect us all to the earth, our community and ourselves. When you wear natural fibers for are honoring traditions of blending, weaving, knitting fibers together to create lasting beauty. 

One of my personal goals of 2026 is to exclusively wear natural fabrics, I find them to be more breathable, comfortable and long lasting which enables me to be fashionable and save money over time. 2026 is all about luxury that is comfortable that allows you joy and to conserve resources by having fewer high quality items instead of paying a lot for a bunch of fast fashion. 

Having renewable fashion is very on trend for 2026. Akron company Tansy Recycling  is one of my favorite shops to find unique pieces of upscaled clothing and cute recycled buttons that add pizazz to any outfit. Their mission is to tackle plastic waste in Summit County by recycling plastics that are otherwise not handled locally.  

The Cleveland Fibershed is another regional organization that is focused on supporting fiber artists and fiber farmers. On Saturday January 24th, they will have their 3rd annual Rust Belt Fibershed Symposium which will be a day filled with creativity, inspiration and a community with place based textiles. Its the perfect place to network, learn and have some winter fun! Starting at 8am until 4pm there will be speakers, snacks, a fashion show, demos, a clothing swap, and a seed swap! It will be a a day filled with wonderful, learning and exploration into the fiber world. Winter is a beautiful time of calm, serenity, and peace and a great time to explore new hobbies, the fiber arts are a great way to carve out time for yourself and to center yourself in a world of caring, love and exploration. 

XOXO

Frolicking Americana. 

Overwintering Poppies

 Winter has arrived in Ohio, and I am so stoked for the winter wonderland. The cooler, crisp, calming temperatures, the peacefulness of seeing everything covered with snow. Winter is the perfect time for reflection, comfort, and warmth personally I always have tons of revelations in the winter time and the season gives me all the time to plan and strategize for the spring garden. 

Poppies are such fun, festive, and colorful flowers to grow, and the best part is that they are perennials. Recently on I had the treat to have the owner of Cicada Seeds located in Canada. Her seed company focuses exclusively on perennial seeds, which are fruits, flowers, herbs, and vegetables that come back year after year. Our conversation was upbeat, fun and informative I learned a lot about ways that I can include perennials into my own growing space. 

Poppies are flowers that return yearly and are so fun to plant. They need cold stratification in order to be productive, which means they need a cold treatment during the planting. So they are the perfect flower to try out in winter and to practice your cold stratification ideas. My plan is to plant directly into the soil, during this cold snap that is covering the Midwest. 

Poppies have so many types of colors, and sizes so you can craft your own poppy wonderland. My favorites are Pink and Purple Double Poppy, Hungarian  Blue Heirloom Poppy,  and Charolttesville Poppy each flower has its own distinct color and patterns. That is the reason I love planting poppies because you can create your own floral vision. 

Enjoy the winter season,

XOXO 

Frolicking Americana

Driftless Seed Supply

Pink and Purple Double Poppy

Sale price

Charlottesville Old Organic Poppy Seeds