Wassail away in Week 8 of "15 Weeks of Friluftsliv"
Channel ancient traditions to honor and emulate the gifts of trees in winter
Shout it from the tree tops
Wassail! This is the moment in winter to look around at all the trees…really look and pause to observe. Is it a landscape of barren, lifeless, branches, or is there something stirring, patiently waiting, persevering? The ancient traditions of wassailing trees embraced this time in winter. People gathered to feed the trees, feed themselves, and bring warmth to the long season. In Week 8 of “15 Weeks of Friluftsliv,” we’re celebrating trees and learning lessons from them for how to navigate the coldest of seasons.
“To see a tree in Winter is to see it for what it really is. A Winter tree is an object so intricate and so perplexing that if it hadn't already; been decided that Winter trees were plain and boring, we would be spending hours pondering them, staring at them in astonishment.” ―Vivian Swift
Head outside this week to both ponder and celebrate trees. Take their lessons to heart of letting things go, drawing strength from roots, and standing tall with marks of age, wounds, and pivots to keep growing.
1. To good health (“wassail!”) - Week 8 Activity Guide
This has been one of our most popular activities each winter, so we’re bringing it back and hope you’ll share stories and photos from your wassailing gatherings! This week’s activity is a beautifully simple way you can gather around a tree near you and take a moment to celebrate the many gifts of trees.
There are many wonderful pieces online about wassailing, so do a search to get further inspired. Make your wassailing outing as simple or elaborate as time, interest, and weather allow. This moment in winter is the time to do it!
Download this week’s activity guide and follow us on Friluftsliving Family Instagram to wassail together in spirit (tag #15weeksoffriluftsliv)! To good health!
2. A toast to preserving comforting flavors - Apple shrub recipe
The traditional apple tree wassailing beverage is a cider. If you’d like to try a twist on tradition, with a nod to preservation techniques, here’s an apple shrub recipe that will keep for one year. Shrubs are a wonderful ingredient to mocktails and cocktails and we highly recommend the book Shrubs: An Old Fashioned Drink for Modern Times by Michael Dietsch. This recipe is inspired by his book but incorporates more cardamom (one of our favorite Scandinavian warming spices)!
Ingredients:
3 apples, quartered
1 c apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup turbinado sugar
2T cardamom seeds, crushed
Instructions:
Shred apples using box grater or food processor
Add shredded apples, cider vinegar, sugar, and cardamom to a nonreactive container.
Cover and leave in cool place on the countertop for up to 2 days.
After 2 days, place a fine-mesh sieve over a bowl. Strain apple mixture. Squeeze or press to remove any remaining liquid
Pour liquid into a clean mason jor or glass bottle. Add lid or cap and then shake well to combine. Place in refrigerator
Discard solids.
To serve, poor 1-2 ounces of finished shrub into a glass and add sparkling water or ginger ale. Make it a cocktail by adding a touch of bourbon.
4. Ways to gather
Take a winter tree walk: Head to a local nature preserve or park and study the trees as you stroll. Take photos or draw in a journal to capture the intricate branch formations on display.
Find a local wassailing event: Do an online search to find a nearby wassailing event. It may surprise you how many local orchards offer these! If you can’t find one, create your own with this week’s activity guide and invite neighbors to celebrate the outdoors with you. Serve this week’s recipe or look back to Week 1’s newsletter and Recipe of the Week, Apple Glogg, for a hot beverage idea.
Mark your calendar:
Winter Tree ID event on 1/26 at Raritan Headwaters Association.
Wassailing the apple trees on 1/26 at Terhune Orchards.
Yoga + Hike at Fairview Farm on 2/15 with Gnome Matter the Weather’s Lauren Theis
Not local to NJ? Everything we host and share is something you can modify to do wherever you live.
We can’t wait to hear how you welcome winter and celebrate trees in Week 8 of “15 Weeks of Friluftsliv.” Let us know in the comments!
Here’s to sharing ideas and getting outside with a “free-air-life” ethos, gnome matter the weather.