finding the thread

The longer you live in a tiny dot of a place, away from the glitter and fizz of the city, the more you notice the simple things. You become quite attuned to how the year unfolds in small ways: the first bulbs that force their way through the earth to emerge in the depths of winter, the abundant spring blossom that colours the landscape and the cycle of seasonal produce that weighs down the kitchen table. As I’ve spent the last little while pondering the what and how of Apples & Elderflower, it’s become more obvious that this seasonality is the thread that runs through what I write and share here.

Over the past week, I’ve not only given Apples & Elderflower a fresh look but also reimagined the heart of this newsletter. It hasn’t been a case of throwing everything out and starting again, but rather rethinking and repackaging what I already do. It’s about more than recipes or preserving, but about paying attention to the seasons through food, the garden and everyday life.

Apples & Elderflower is a seasonal journal. You’ll still find recipes, garden notes and stories from our corner of Tasmania, but they’re now intentionally woven around what has always been there, the changing year. If you are a free subscriber, you will receive two essays each month exploring the kitchen, the garden and the joy of seasonal living, with the occasional recipe.

Paid subscribers will also receive The Monthly Almanac—the premium monthly edition of Apples & Elderflower. Each monthly edition is a curated collection of recipes, preserving projects, garden notes, reflections and stories inspired by the time of year, and written to be savoured slowly, like a favourite magazine.

Throughout the month, I’ll also share occasional vignettes: small moments and photographs from the garden, kitchen and daily life that don’t always make it into my other articles.

Thank you for joining me on this ramble through the seasons. Apples & Elderflower is starting to feel more like itself. I look forward to sharing the year ahead with you.

Julia x

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