After a few deceptive spring-like days March is blowing in with some impressive heavy snow and wind. Spring, we are ready for you. There are two full moons this month, the Worm and the Sap; one hopeful note, by the time of the Sap it will in fact be spring. The Sap also is a blue moon, second time this year after January. Could just see the Worm behind the incoming storm clouds last night: it will still be bright and pretty on the snow once those clouds disperse.

But where have the past few months flown chez les collines?? Well…holidays and post- saw us collapsing. Lots of eggnog. Some cocooning, some satisfying streaming by the fire (among others Big Little Lies, so, so good). Then back to work!!!

The saga of the Sevilles: this included weeks of delays followed by their delivery truck getting storrowed (no one hurt, including Sevilles) followed by a night of USDA impoundment…the beauties (and as Mike at Guido’s told me, never seen such pretty Sevilles) finally made it to the Berkshires, and our 2018 Scots Bitter is ready and dare we say better than ever.

We’ve been continuing to develop our Ginger Preserve, which is just about perfected and is a pot-licking keeper. A very limited edition Elderberry Jelly is up next. Promises to be tasty, but may not be revisited: I now have grasped that the Monty Python and the Holy Grail timeless insult “and your father smelt of elderberries” is not as meaninglessly absurd as is commonly believed…just another way working with so many fruit has expanded the subtleties of my knowledge base.

After giving up hope due to the lingering blight, we did procure some really beautiful quince from our friends at Fishkill Farms. The Quince Preserve is lovely and also limited.

The Berkshire Grown Winter Markets were in January and February, sorry already past…but we’ll continue to appear at other indoor markets and events: this weekend at Cold Spring Saturday for their market and Adams Newburgh Sunday for the food fair that culminates their garden show. Follow our social media for dates and updates. 

In other news, the wonderfully revived Copake General Store hosted us for a great tasting with local cheeses a few weeks ago, complete with wine pairing suggestions from our friends at Copake Wine Works. Our Lavender Jelly did triple duty, appearing in a glaze for Sam’s Valentine’s cookies and out-of-this-world cream puffs. 

So excited to be joining other fine local products on the shelves of White Hart Provisions in Salisbury, CT and at Ella’s Bellas in Beacon, NY. And to be sending our Strawberry Preserve with Lapsang Souchong to the women of The Wing Soho– including a special large format for Chef Dani Dillon at their new Dumbo location. Continuing the amazing women theme, we’re honored to have les collines featured with amazing female artisans Daughters Design House, Nell Goods, and Alexandra Stafford, in perfectly curated Upstate Crate Co. (also woman-owned!) gorgeous gift groupings.

We love hearing from our customers about how they use les collines: our most recent favorite is from Joyce in Brooklyn, a fan of the SLSP– that would be the Strawberry, yasss– from the beginning. She told us it is great on banana pancakes. We tried it for ourselves one chilly Sunday, and it sure is. Have also been eating a lot of the Scots Bitter, with peanut butter and sometimes banana, and Cabot White Oak Cheddar. The Scots and the Ginger are also both incredibly good on simple, classic, comforting buttered toast.

Hope you are staying warm and well this winter, wherever you are. Don’t forget your daily spoon (or two) of les collines to keep any chilly blues at bay, and before you know it March, and winter, will be trotting away like a lamb xo