December on the Ridge

The first week of December tightens the world a little… pastures settle into straw and shadow, animals move with earned economy, and the kitchen shifts toward food that actually sustains rather than performs. Winter strips the farm to its frame and leaves the essentials exposed… frost, breath, woodsmoke, the quiet rhythm of work that never really stops. This is the season when meals deepen, gatherings simplify, and attention returns to what endures. If a Christmas ham belongs on your table, now is the moment… they won’t last long.