During this holiday season, this time of overconsumption and over gifting, we want to highlight a couple women who inspire us in different ways but especially in the way they choose to live and consume consciously.
Our first story is about Liz Moran from Darthia Farm in Maine, a family run organic farm. Liz grows vegetables and flowers, raises animals, spins wool from their sheep and dyes the wool with their dye plants with help from her 2 little ones. They mostly live off the land so she doesn't consume outside of what she can grow or make with her own hands without thought and consideration.
Our first story is about Liz Moran from Darthia Farm in Maine, a family run organic farm. Liz grows vegetables and flowers, raises animals, spins wool from their sheep and dyes the wool with their dye plants with help from her 2 little ones. They mostly live off the land so she doesn't consume outside of what she can grow or make with her own hands without thought and consideration.
What do you do to unwind and decompress?
I try to start my day with tuning in, which usually looks like yoga and meditation, sweeping and situating / tidying the home space for the day.
During the off season, January and February, unwinding might look like some sort of fiber work and always a cup of tea.
Unwinding at the end of the day doesn’t really happen. We just pass out after bath and stories with our children. Since we are early risers and the children sleep later than us, it’s really important to start our day, typically before or with sun rise, with a meaningful practice.
Do you have any cold weather self care tips?
Most of our winter is spent outside tipping and logging or inside working with fiber and planning for the season. Outside it’s usually windy and bitterly cold. Inside we heat with wood so it’s pretty dry. For my skin, hair and general body constitution it’s all about hydration.
I’ve been using Poppy and Someday Sea and Sun Shield as my everyday face oil. It was just introduced and gifted to me by a friend and it defiantly aligns with what my skin needs. Very excited to try other products of theirs. Dr. Hauschka eye balm. Weleda skin food for my hands. Our own yogurt and honey mask for hair. For serious cracks or sore spots we use our own Schoodic salve.
We drink lots of chaga / nettle tea and soups during the winter months.
We also use organic / therapeutic grade essential oils diffused in the air or on the bottom of our feet with wool socks to prevent or help with any winter illnesses. Avena Botanicals and Herbal Revolution tinctures for when we really feeling down and out.
Is there a recent purchase your excited about, outside of clothing?
We just traded half a cow for a new engine in our family car. Pretty excited about that.
Do you have a go to winter comfort food?
Chicken soup. The broth usually has mushrooms, seaweed, bay leaves, veggie scraps, chicken feet and bones.
We also make homemade sourdough pasta, which is always comforting in winter with a basil pesto we put up during at the end of summer.
Once in a blue moon we will eat out at a Sri Lankan restaurant that we sell vegetables to and the food is spiced perfectly for winter - warming, grounding and so delicious.
What are you looking forward to most about the holiday season?
Visiting family.
I try to start my day with tuning in, which usually looks like yoga and meditation, sweeping and situating / tidying the home space for the day.
During the off season, January and February, unwinding might look like some sort of fiber work and always a cup of tea.
Unwinding at the end of the day doesn’t really happen. We just pass out after bath and stories with our children. Since we are early risers and the children sleep later than us, it’s really important to start our day, typically before or with sun rise, with a meaningful practice.
Do you have any cold weather self care tips?
Most of our winter is spent outside tipping and logging or inside working with fiber and planning for the season. Outside it’s usually windy and bitterly cold. Inside we heat with wood so it’s pretty dry. For my skin, hair and general body constitution it’s all about hydration.
I’ve been using Poppy and Someday Sea and Sun Shield as my everyday face oil. It was just introduced and gifted to me by a friend and it defiantly aligns with what my skin needs. Very excited to try other products of theirs. Dr. Hauschka eye balm. Weleda skin food for my hands. Our own yogurt and honey mask for hair. For serious cracks or sore spots we use our own Schoodic salve.
We drink lots of chaga / nettle tea and soups during the winter months.
We also use organic / therapeutic grade essential oils diffused in the air or on the bottom of our feet with wool socks to prevent or help with any winter illnesses. Avena Botanicals and Herbal Revolution tinctures for when we really feeling down and out.
Is there a recent purchase your excited about, outside of clothing?
We just traded half a cow for a new engine in our family car. Pretty excited about that.
Do you have a go to winter comfort food?
Chicken soup. The broth usually has mushrooms, seaweed, bay leaves, veggie scraps, chicken feet and bones.
We also make homemade sourdough pasta, which is always comforting in winter with a basil pesto we put up during at the end of summer.
Once in a blue moon we will eat out at a Sri Lankan restaurant that we sell vegetables to and the food is spiced perfectly for winter - warming, grounding and so delicious.
What are you looking forward to most about the holiday season?
Visiting family.
