January By The Signs

Taking Stock in New Year

Many old-timers in Appalachia, as well as in other rural places, planted by the signs (and some of us still do!). Planting by the signs is a way of using astrological knowledge to work with plants. It is a very old system, with roots in the ancient world. It was taken for granted by people around the world that the heavens existed to help guide humans; even in Christendom people believed that astrology was a divinely inspired way of knowing—just see Ecclesiastes 3: 1-8, a Biblical passage you’ll find on almost any almanac calendar.

Most people are familiar with the Old Farmer’s Almanac and other such publications—such books and calendars are square within the tradition of planting by the signs and typically give a day-by-day accounting of the position of planetary bodies to better help rural people with their gardens and farms.

This January has been one of quiet planning (also recovery from illness). With Mars and Mercury both in retrograde the first weeks of the year, I had not been feeling too eager to take action and have been spending my time taking stock. I’ve taken stock of the previous year and have been anticipating the calendar year ahead. My divorce became final right before the holidays and I finally felt ready for some therapy so I could talk about healthy ways to move forward so that I don’t get stuck in the same patterns.

I’ve also been taking stock—quite literally. This weekend I spent a lot of time making lotions with the remaining infused oils I had started in late summer and fall. I want to make sure I have enough supplies in my home apothecary to get my family through the season of sickness. Already we’ve gone through much of the elderberry syrup I processed in the fall. Also, we’ve have made a serious dent in the fire cider supply. I tinctured an enormous jar of heal-all and we still have plenty of that in addition to stinging nettle tincture and other herbs used for tea.

Also in my home apothecary are bottles from other herbalists. I tried several over the last year to see what might feel especially beneficial for me and mine, so that I can decide whether or not to make my own. One of my sons has sleep issues and responds well to the medicines in German chamomile, so I’ll be starting seeds soon in hopes of harvesting some flowers for a sleepy tea blend later in the year.

Another success we’ve had is with cleavers. I tried Appalachian Alchemy’s tincture and found it lovely for help with allergies and clearing out after colds. My partner especially benefitted from cleavers’ healing power. This shouldn’t be a surprise to me as cleavers grow abundantly in the yard—and I’m a big believer that plants often appear when we need them most. I’ll tincture some cleavers in the spring as well as use some fresh in green gumbo. So that’s on my list to forage in the spring.

Of course, like so many others, I have been excited to browse seed catalogs and dream of all the things I’m totally never going to get around to planting nor have any success with, following the signs or not. Tomatoes are possibly my favorite food but I’ve never had any luck turning seedlings into tomato plants. So I’m going to save my dollars for mature plants nurtured by someone else.

The signs will be good for planting the last week or so of the month. Now that those retrograde energies are starting to lift, I’m ready to get out the seed flats and other containers I’ve saved from the previous year to start seeds indoors. My partner has been helping me make or fortify soil in raised beds so that they’ll be ready for early spring veggies. I’ve also got some milk jug and other plastic containers for seeds that need a winter: the swamp mallow and some other native wildflower seeds I’ve collected need a period of cold stratification so that they will germinate properly. I love this part of the gardening, all the planning, and tucking those seeds into dirt with sprinkle of water, sunshine, and love.

Just as I’m getting ready for a new year of plant nurturing and learning, my heart and body are ready for a new year of nurturing and learning. The 17th through the 20th are good days for making big changes and I’m holding that in mind as I take stock. I’m ready to grow roots in new directions. These things aren’t unrelated from a plant-by-the-signs perspective. Planetary influence affects all living things. Just as the moon pulls the tide, the heavenly bodies exert influence on all living things—from my own self to the cheerful dandelion. But influence isn’t destiny. How we are influenced is an interplay among other environmental factors as well as where we are in our life course and other developmental trajectories. So, take it with a grain of salt.

All the stops and starts, all the delays of the previous year have reached maturity. We’ve pruned the deadwood. I’m leaning in to the slow-building momentum ready for new growth on my old vines.

As above, so below.

Also this weekend I finally decided how to use the big, juicy lemon from my little lemon tree. I wanted to make something with it and decided on a lemon-olive oil cake. I researched recipes online and came up with this (on the basis of what I had in my cupboard).

Recipe

Ingredients

1.5 Cups of Self-Rising Flour (I prefer Hudson Creme)

¾ Cup of Sugar

The zest and juice from one big, juicy lemon (~ 1 tbs zest & half cup of juice)

3 eggs

¾ Cup olive oil (or olive oil/butter combo- half each)

1 Cup of buttermilk (can sub whole milk or milk/plain yogurt combo)

A good pinch of salt

Instructions

1.     Preheat oven to 350

2.     Mix the sugar and lemon zest (smells so good!)

3.     Add the eggs and mix with whisk until fluffy

4.     Add salt

5.     Add olive oil and mix well

6.     Add buttermilk & lemon juice while continuing to mix

7.     Add flour, then pour into buttered baking dish (~9” deep pie dish or spring form pan)

8.     Bake at 350 for about 40 minutes. Top will be slightly browned & beginning to crack. Check by inserting knife or toothpick in the center of the cake; should come out clean.

9.     Most recipes say that you should dust with powdered sugar. I didn’t have any so I didn’t do that. But it sure does look pretty in the pictures. My kids said it needed to be served with whipped cream, and I agree that it would pair well.