On Fermentation and Failure Part Two

When I initially wrote this post a year ago, it felt like it would be ages before I got a chance to try my hand at fermented cucumbers again - especially since my failure affected me so heavily. But, as it always does, time flew by before I knew it.

I was more cautious this year, less ambitious. I took home half the amount of cucumbers from the farmers' market than I had taken home the previous year. I kept a close eye on my crock, tasting one from my batch daily. Ten days later, I decided that they were ready, transferred them into clean jars and moved them into the fridge to stop the fermentation process.

Altogether I ended up with eight jars of beautiful, cloudy, sour dills that reminded me of my grandmother's old-world recipe. The best part being that I just had to let nature work - no steamy vinegar kitchen, no hot water baths. 

The Bees have been talking a lot lately about the concept of "simple living" and came to the conclusion that our lives are anything but simple. We voluntarily make more work for ourselves because we believe in the importance of making things by hand. I could simply go to the grocery store and buy myself a jar of full-sour pickles. I may have been even more inclined after failing last year to give up completely. But it was important to me to support my local farmer, important to me to provide for myself and my husband over the winter months, and important to me to learn from my past mistakes. Having achieved all of that this year gives me more fulfillment than could ever be bought in a store, and that's exactly why we do what we do.

The Bees at Home: Projects in Progress II

We're into January now - one of the best times for crafting. There's snow on the ground (sometimes, at least!), and the air is cold, so sometimes it's nice to just stay in and make something. We thought we'd catch you up on on what's going on in some of our craft spaces...

First, Jen is making this amazing 'junk mail cross-stitch'. She brought it to knit night on Wednesday, and was explaining some of her reasoning behind this little project. One of the 'men of the beehive' is a mailman, and it's really personified the postal system for her. Thinking that the postal workers probably see a lot of 'no junk mail' posters', she wanted to add some personal time and energy to her sign. It also relates the very tactile quality of sending mail and that of cross-stitch. It's so great, Jen!

(The book she used for the alphabet patterns can be purchased here.)

As you might know, part of our identity in the Beehive is 'homesteading' - participating in a lifestyle of  sustainability and self-sufficiency. It's been amazing to see different members of our craft collective tackling these amazing and practical art forms of old, like canning, mending, natural dyeing, farming, and now weaving! Hollie is in the middle of a weaving class and has so far wrapped about 1700 metres of textile, prepped the loom, and should start weaving next week.

In other very exciting news, our very own Jenna Rose was a Featured Seller on Etsy last week! Jenna's handmade housewares and accessories are so beautiful, and regularly and proudly sported by members of the Beehive. Everything she makes is hand screen printed in house, and the illustrated designs are thoughtfully created by Jenna as well. I could go on and on, but the Etsy interview is a great read, so make sure you check it out here.

Lastly, you can always count on Kate to be working on at least one (but more likely three or four!) amazing project...this time it's paper piecing with hexagons. Basically, paper piecing is a hand-sewing technique that is used to improve accuracy when working with shapes that have difficult angles. You fold lightweight cotton around paper templates, and baste them in place. Once everything is whip-stitched together, you press the whole piece, remove the basting, pop out the paper pieces and voila! Super cute quilt top/pillowcase/placemat/table runner/whatever you want.

So, there are a few things that are going on in the background, here at the Beehive. We'd love to see what you're working on at home, or which projects you have on your radar. Just post your link in the comments. Happy crafting!

(You can see 'Projects in Progress I' here...)