December is the right month to think about the garden as a whole — not the individual plant decisions, which are best made in the season, but the larger structural questions.

It requires saying no to things that are nice but not essential, and saying no early enough that it's a decision rather than a cancellation.

What we reach for in December, unconsciously, is green and living, because everything else has gone brown and dormant and the living green is the proof that something endures.

This version starts with a coconut cream and cashew base that produces a genuinely luxurious result, spiced with nutmeg that has been freshly grated.

The cardamom here is not a subtle presence — it is the point, warm and floral and slightly citrusy, the spice that makes this shortbread taste specifically like December.

What I'm advocating for is not laziness, which is the avoidance of things you actually want to do or need to do. Rest that is planned and protected and treated as the productive activity that it genuinely is.

This takes three minutes and has an outsized effect on how the morning feels — the room looks cared for, and there is a small satisfaction in having done the first thing of the day well.

The flowers that dry best: strawflowers, in every color, which hold their shape and color almost perfectly. Statice, in lavender and white, which adds a delicate filler element…

The core principle: count backwards from your last frost date. If you don't know your last frost date, look it up — it's the single most important piece of information a gardener can have.

The hot toddy is one of those drinks that has been overly rusticated when in fact it is one of the most warming drinks on a cold February night.

Olive oil cakes have the texture that butter cakes can only aspire to: dense without being heavy, moist without being wet, with a crumb that is simultaneously tender and substantial.

White beans and leeks are one of the great, underappreciated pairings in the kitchen. Leeks have a sweetness that onions don't — softer, more aristocratic, less aggressive.