The Beverage of Choice

Let me put down my mug of hot cocoa to better have a chat with you.

Want some? Sure! I’ve got plenty. I just stocked up before you arrived, it’s a lovely trip into the country. Well, yes, I do live in the country, but there’s “country,” and there’s Country. I live in a dinky town surrounded by farms. It’s very different to live on one of the farms, with only other farms a good long walk away, as your neighbors.

So the fact that I drive a good half-hour to a particular farmer’s roadside stand to get this particular chocolate milk to make hot chocolate with, well, it’s the best around.

Thick, rich, decadent. Remember Trickling Springs, the dairy that was a front for a Ponzi scheme? Bad people, awesome chocolate milk. This stuff is better.

And yes, I’ll say it – better than Pennsic’s chocolate milk! Yeah, I’m still in the SCA (Society for Creative Anachronism, the Middle Ages re-enactment group, we re-creste the arts and sciences of the time period), and our largest event still happens under the hot July-August sun. They had to change the formula, of course, and even though another dairy is trying to fill the void, the void has rather refused to be filled.

Here. Try some, before I heat it up.

Amazing, isn’t it? If that doesn’t put some starch in your knickers, then, well, you’ll have un-starched knickers. Probably more comfortable that way, really, but starched knickers don’t get in a twist.

But I digress.

Now, let me heat some up. I don’t do the little marshmallows, anymore, but I can get them in bulk from a local Mennonite mercantile if you need them. Here’s a pack of fresh, soft, fluffy shmallows, and a clean kitchen scissors to chop them up…

There! What do you think?

Hey, save some for later!

Yeah, good, isn’t it?

I swear, the rhythm of my seasons revolves around food. And drink. Even as a kid, on the farm, that’s what we did – chow chow in late summer, apple cider in the fall, sour cherry pies in late spring, walnuts in late fall, meadow tea at the height of the hot summer.

But for us, the beverage that begins the winter season is hot chocolate.

Poor farm stock, you recall. My grandparents didn’t indulge in many luxuries, unless their kids treated them. My mom was as prone to spoil them as the other siblings, and back then, the best hot chocolate was Swiss Miss. Nothing like that flavor, in water or milk, and the little marshmallows!

But now, this is the stuff. I got my son-in-law addicted, and my granddaughter. Perfect for winter.

I know, the solstice hasn’t happened yet. Everyone’s been saying winter’s here, but until that sun of ours gets sticky, it’s not winter.

Until I crave the hot chocolate.

Then technicalities go flying out the window, and I’m leaping for the good stuff.

Well, farming stock goes for the cross-quarter seasons, right? Honestly, I’ve always thought the Celts were on to something, noticing the quarter-days instead of the equinoxes and solstices: Imbolc, Beltaine, Lughnasadh, and Samhain, on the first of February, May, August, and November, respectively. It’s much closer to the seasonal shifts; ask any farmer. We’re into that earthy (cough cough) stuff. Though it would likely be Fasnacht Day, Sour Cherry Pie Day, Chow Chow Day, and Butchering Day, if we Penna Dutch had gotten our mitts on naming rights.

Who, us, obsessed with food?

And drink. Maybe the seasons should be named after drinks instead? Winter becomes Hot Cocoa Season, followed by Spicebush Tea Season, then Meadow Tea Season, then Apple Cider Season. Cozy. Grounded. Drinks that make you pause to make them, to reflect, to realize what’s really important, and what’s just extras piled on by the outside world.

Did you know, England and Wales have something similar? Lady Day on March 25, Midsummer on June 24, Michaelmas on September 29, and of course Christmas. Or the Scottish tradition, Candlemas, Whitsunday, Lammas, and Martinmas, the Christian holy days. Personally, I prefer Martinmas, November 11, the day you’re supposed to traditionally finish your unfinished projects. As you can see, I have a lot of catching up to do.

Projects aside, I like to take a moment when the craving hits. Me, my hot cocoa, with a good thick layer of whipped cream or shmallows, and take a break. Watch the birds, relax, do some sipping, and some reflecting. It’s snowing again, and yes you can stay over, I would rather have you safe here in my guest room than trying to get home through that mess. So take your time, and I’ve got stuff for dinner, I think a good hearty soup will go well with our beverage of choice.

Want some more?

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If you’re in the area, check out B.A.D. Farm’s chocolate milk at Emmaus Farmer’s Market, https://emmausmarket.com/ Fair warning, you will get addicted, so don’t look at their yogurt smoothies. Or their yogurt. Or their soups...