Winter is near. I googled the word “Winter” and learned that it is an Old English word that means “wet and water.”

I must say, I was a bit disappointed with its lackluster meaning; it seemed so basic. Winter is, indeed, wet; it rains and snows in our hemisphere, but it does much more. Old Man Winter steals the sunlight and robs the earth of its greenness and fertility. Overnight he can turn our spaces into barrenness. Winter can be hard, but winter can also be beautiful.

In South Louisiana, we look forward to those mighty winter fronts that occasionally make it past Interstate 10. We make gumbo and light our fireplaces; we wear our winter gloves and scarves and boots.

Perhaps we stay inside and “catch up” with inside chores and projects as we watch the cold winds and misty rain from our windows; it is wonderful…for a while. Somewhere around day three of our “winter”, however, I think most will agree, it is time for the sun, it is time to unbundle a bit and get out of the house into the sun.

I seem to have a love hate relationship with winter. I sometimes feel gloomy when it is gloomy, but I welcome the coziness this season gives, the time indoors to start seeds, clean closets, write, paint, and just catch up on domestic chores, for when the sun is out and the weather is mild, I can be no other place than outdoors.

This winter I have a specific plan I would like to share with you, I have a plan to spend time making stocks and soil. I purchase several boxes of organic chicken, beef, and vegetable stock, throughout the year. I use them, as you do, for soups and stews in place of water.

They are relatively inexpensive, although they have had a somewhat dramatic price increase, as many other things have. I cleaned out my refrigerator just the other day and found two withered stalks of celery, a small portion of diced bell pepper and onion mix, pieces of what remained of a baked chicken, and three or four carrots in the vegetable bin that, like the celery, had gone limp.

I have twelve chickens and I compost, so, that is what I normally do with leftovers that have been forgotten in the refrigerator. But, on that day, I decided to do something different; I would make a stock. I suppose the idea became so appealing because winter is coming and the thought of a homemade stock simmering in my kitchen was pleasing, not to mention, delicious and resourceful.

Along with that idea, I decided to make a batch of soil for my spring and summer garden. I picked a spot in the fenced in part of my garden and began. I have plenty of the brown elements needed because I am a “leave the leaves” gardener and there is an abundance of brown cypress leaves, pine needles, maple, and sycamore leaves in my yard. I also have plenty of the green elements from the kitchen scrapes and yard clippings.

The third component is water, and I am certain, there will be enough of that this winter. I am missing a pitchfork, however. I am in search of a small one to turn the pile throughout the winter.

Hopefully, when the first signs of spring are here, I have seeds that I have sprouted indoors and a bit of soil to plant each little sapling. I also hope to have a nice supply of stock in my freezer to enhance my soups and stews.

I would like to add to this “productive” little piece that forcing Paper White Narcissi Bulbs and making Marmalade with our abundant satsuma crops are also two fun and creative “projects” for the colder days ahead.

Bundle up and find the gifts of winter.

(You can follow Pam’s blog, “A View From My Garden” www.pamshenskyart.com)