Gardening, Artistry and a Beer-Infused Honey Mustard Recipe

Reader Contribution by Blythe Pelham
Published on December 1, 2015
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As an avid home gardener, I love to nurture my crops from seed to harvest, then process the harvested treasures into preserves and sustenance for friends and relatives. In my blogging with MOTHER EARTH NEWS, I look forward to sharing tales of success (and, occasionally, woes) from my personal trenches for gardening, cooking and crafting.

When my husband, children, and I first moved to Ohio, I remember clearly loathing the dead-looking fields during winter. All these years later, I find that not only have I adjusted to enjoying the seasons in all their splendor, but I also look forward to each one with vigorous anticipation. I love seeing the signs as each one arrives: This week brought the saffron crocus up in my bulb bed as the shrubs and trees radiantly wave adieu in all their splendor and retreat into their varying states of slumber.

For me, winter also signals a retreating indoors for a slower speed in lifing — one filled with thoughtful reflection, the finishing up in processing of the foods my garden has gifted me, and returning to my arting. This seems like the perfect time to start sharing ideas and experiences from those busier times of year with like-minded folks in the MOTHER EARTH NEWS audience.

Already in the works are blog posts about some of the treasures I have in my garden (like my ‘Kieffer’ pear tree), exciting harvests from this year (wait until you see my gourds), the winding down of gardening in Ohio, and the revving up of excitement that accompanies spring!

My sister, Shawn, has shared her experiences and views on MOTHER EARTH NEWS for more than a year and insists that it’s my turn. (Between you and me, I think she just wants me to have somewhere else to share the photos of my garden so I send fewer in her direction.) As a preview to my forthcoming cookbook, I have included my favorite beer-infused mustard recipe below.

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