Whatever your thoughts, feelings, conspiracy theories are about it, a lot of us have experienced cold weather this winter. I live somewhere that does get somewhat cold, but not terribly so, all things considered. I have learned to use the cold and snow to my advantage and thought I’d share some ideas with you. Some things in this list will require hours of sustained temperatures colder than your average refrigerator or freezer, a shady spot with less direct sunlight, or ample amounts of snow. Use your best judgement.
- Deep clean your refrigerator and defrost your freezer. Grab your totes, bins, and coolers and put the contents of said refrigerator or freezer in them. Place the bins outside where they will be safe while you clean and defrost. Bonus if you have clean snow to pack around everything. Mother Nature keeps your food cold while you clean!
- Make ice! I will fill my ice cube trays with water and place them outside overnight to freeze. I cover them with some parchment paper and something to weight it down, like a towel. You can also freeze water into zip-top bags. Don’t fill the bags all the way up, so you can lay them flat. You can store way more in your freezer that way for later use. Yes, you can do the same thing in your freezer, but you can get twice as much done in the same amount of time. Those zip-top bags are great to pack in a cooler or for ice packs when you get injured.
- Cold Drinks. I keep drinks that are normally refrigerated out in my garage. They stay cold and don’t take up room in the refrigerator. You can also relegate a cooler to drink storage. I used to keep a cooler on the deck filled with drinks when I had the room. Note: these are drinks that are capable of surviving at room temperature. So bottled waters, sodas, the drinks you would buy warm and then bring home to refrigerate. I don’t recommend putting beer or drinks that would suffer in quality with fluctuating temperatures outside, unless you drink them rather quickly.
- Water your outdoor plants. Yes, the snow already does this. But, you can shovel up the snow from your driveway and sidewalk and put it back in your yard and garden beds. That way your plants and trees get the extra water that would otherwise just run into the storm drain. Bonus if you can store the snow melt to use to water in the spring! Most municipalities insist that the rainfall and snowfall belong to them, so do your research to see if collecting is feasible.
- Science! If you have kids, there are a myriad of learning opportunities with snow and cold temperatures. Just look online!
- Treats! Use the cold to your advantage and make popsicles, or ice cream, or snow cream! No, it’s not necessary, but it is way more fun! And yes, snow does have particulates from the air in it, so use your best judgement.
There are a million other ways to use the cold and snows of winter to your advantage. These are the ones I like to use. It’s important we live with and in the natural world, for our health, longevity, and sanity. Wintertime is darker and colder, so we need to find ways to embrace and enjoy it. If we can find ways that it benefits us, so much the better!