Microseason: Prunella Bloom

WINTER

WINTER SOLSTICE

PRUNELLA BLOOM

21 - 25 December

Of the citruses of Japan, I suspect yuzu comes to mind for most. Depending on the region or varietal, the shape, size, density, flavor, and volume varies. And the timing in which they ripen runs the spectrum too.

While much of the world may smell of cinnamon and chocolate this time of year, in Japan it’s the season of yuzu. The Winter Solstice is the shortest day of the year, and as such it marks the end, leading way to a new beginning.

The table is filled with foods that end in the last letter of the alphabet to celebrate the occasion, including kabocha, udon, ginko nuts, lotus root, carrots, kumquats, and kanten seaweed.

And in the evening, we bathe amongst floating whole yuzu. It’s fragrant notes shoeing away bad air that has developed over the year.

Prunella are celebrated for much the same reason. During the darkest microseason of the year, when fauna hibernate, and most other flora wilt and go back to the earth, prunella flowers instead. Just another sign that we are truly at the grace of cyclicality. When there is shadow, there is also always light. When there is death, there is also always birth.

Photo credit: Momoko Nakamura