California Winter

A few bright red leaves still cling to the sweetgum tree by my front door. Fallen leaves still line the gutters and my morning walk has a whisper of chill. My breath comes out as silvery puffs on our Saturday morning hike. In winter the shadows are longer, but by mid-day the sunshine chases away the morning cold and invites me to lift my face. It's like a warm hug from a friend I haven't seen in months.

But my favorite thing about winter in California is the rain.

After six or seven months without precipitation, I fling my arms wide to welcome a rainy winter. Rain in Southern California is quite the opposite of the warm, earthy-scented showers I knew in the Midwest. Here the storms typically bring the remnants of Candian winter storms down the Pacific coast. The rainwater is cold and the air feels clammy as fog often rolls in. Then there are the glimpses of snow-capped mountains on distant, purple mountain ranges as winter clouds congregate as wispy tendrils in the foothills, creating a depth of field that gives new dimension to the valleys below.

Thunderstorms are rare, but rainbows are frequent. Dry air from the desert rushes up and over the coastal range to collide with the moist, Pacific air, pushing the rain away to allow the sunshine to peek through. For just a few moments a dazzling rainbow stands in sudden contrast to the dark gray clouds still heavy with rain. It’s a beautiful gift that never seems to last long enough before the rain clouds crowd it out, reclaiming their territory.

A year’s worth of accumulated dirt on every shrub, plant, and tree wash away to reveal verdant greenery. And fragrance. The aromatic smell of sage envelops me, hovering in the air. Rosemary exudes a soft scent as I brush against their tiny, star-shaped, periwinkle blooms. After a solid soak, the coast live oaks seem to burst with green overnight. Hints of tiny buds appear. Even the evergreen shrubs have new emerald growth layered on top of last year's green backdrop. The desolate, desert brown hills of October appear different; muted as the chaparral softens with new growth..

Summer sunshine may be the stuff of songs about Southern California—warm sunsets at the beach and driving with the top down, but I think the true gift is the season that accentuates the sunshine: the rainy winter.

Bone Broth

There is nothing quite like having a steaming bowl of bone broth on a chilly winter day. The heat of it seems to warm you right to your toes. The rich flavor is so decadent it almost feels like a treat to eat.

Bone broth is a budget friendly, nourishing broth full of key amino acids, collagen, and gelatin, all of which are essential nutrients for healthy digestion. Seventy percent of our immune system cells live in our digestive tract. This is why many believe that a healthy digestive system is the best way to a strong immune system.

That’s where bone broth comes in. Not only is it nourishing during winter months, but it can boost your dopamine levels, too. Just like a piece of chocolate or a cup of coffee makes me happy, bone broth provides that same warm, fuzzy feeling. This is the kind of soup that your grandma was talking about when she mentioned chicken soup being good for the soul.

Homemade bone broth is great for all the recipes that call for it, like soups and stews. Or when someone in your house is under the weather. I always have some in the freezer ”for just in case.”

Our Recipe

Ingredients
4 quarts of filtered water 2 lbs of chicken bones (beef knuckle bones or marrow bones also work) Cloves from 1 whole head of fresh garlic peeled & smashed 1/4 c apple cider vinegar, unfiltered (I like Bragg's brand) 1 bay leaf 1 teaspoon unrefined sea salt – or more/less to taste 2 stalks of roughly chopped celery (including leaves) 1 roughly chopped onion 3 roughly chopped carrots 1 bunch of fresh parsley

Instructions
Place chicken bones in a 6 quart crock pot and add apple cider vinegar. Add the filtered water and let sit for 30 minutes. Set the heat to high and bring the stock to a gentle simmer. Add the remaining ingredients (except for parsley) and return to a simmer. Once simmering, reduce the heat to low. As foam appears on the surface, skim it off and discard (these are impurities coming to the surface). Allow the stock to cook for 24-48 hours. The longer it cooks, the better. Ten minutes before you turn off the crock pot, add a bunch of fresh parsley for added minerals. Turn off the crockpot and allow the stock to cool. If fat appears on the surface, skim off, reserve in a glass jar and refrigerate. You can use this for sautéing vegetables later. Remove the bones and the vegetables and discard. Strain the stock through a fine mesh metal strainer and throw away what you skim off. Place the cooled stock in glass jars for storage in the fridge (up to five days) or pour into freezer-safe containers for later use.

A crock pot makes this recipe super-simple, but you can also use a large dutch oven or stock pot on the stove.

This video is excellent if you want to learn more about why bone broth is so healthy for you.

Snippets of My Week

Making boxes for valentines.

Rainbow from our front yard.

Rainy day walk through the nature preserve.

Fun at the Valentines Day party.

I liked this book about C.S. Lewis' wife. Recommended.

Thanks for being here! I'd love to hear what you love about winter. I read all your messages and will respond, but not always in a timely manner. Sorry! And if you enjoyed this email, you’d be doing me a favor by forwarding it to someone else who might like it.

From: Audra