The scent of the pre-Christmas season

During the Christmas season, everyone is talking about incense burning. There are now even a great many incense-burning workshops being offered, and for some, this has become an interesting and profitable line of business….

We also smoke foods here on the farm—not just during the Rauhnächte in the Christmas season. So it’s not uncommon for a small wisp of smoke and special aromas to waft through the Zittrauerhof when the mailman Markus stops by or guests arrive, bringing a smile to everyone’s face. Katharina, the herb witch, is at work…. Guests usually find it very pleasant and enjoy these special scents.

Throughout the year, I love the scent of rose incense or blends made from local forest woods—fir, juniper, mountain pine, or other woods. Or, during Advent, I even use peppercorns, vanilla beans, or dried orange peels to add a special fragrance. If someone is sick, or guests arrive already sick, or a flu outbreak is on the way, I perform a weekly cleansing smudging ritual with juniper and sage, I also burn incense in the corners of the room, let the scent “settle” for a while with the windows closed, and then open the windows and doors completely so the “bad energy” (hopefully) flows out.

At a smoking workshop hosted by Naturgeladen in Bad Hofgastein, you can purchase excellent, high-quality herbal blends that you might not have on hand yourself.
The Christmas season also calls for baking cookies—one of my favorite recipes here in my Farm Stories—for those who are still in the mood for a new kind of cookie.
The Nutella cookies—I hope they turn out great, and have a lovely 3rd Sunday of Advent evening.

Katharina Schwaiger from Zittrauerhof