Cleaning Naturally February 12, 2013

A few tips on how clean your home more naturally and keep chemical cleaners out of the house.

Windows: Use a mix of 1/4 cup rubbing alcohol, 1/2 cup white vinegar, 1 1/4 cup water, mix in a spray bottle, spray mirrors/windows and wipe away with newspapers.

Create your own all purpose cleaner by using the aforementioned 1 part vinegar, 1 part water and put into a spray bottle.

Tub & shower cleaner: create a paste with 1 cup white vinegar (hot) and 1 cup Dawn blue dish washing detergent. Put into a spray bottle and shake to create your gel, spray and clean as usual.

Floors: add a splash of white vinegar to your warm water in your mop bucket.

Difficult dishes: use coffee grounds as a scouring scrub.

Laundry: I prefer powder so that’s the one that I’m sharing here, but if you prefer liquid a quick online search will yield a recipe for you to use.You will need: 4 cups baking soda, 3 cups washing soda, 2 cups castile soap flakes, and 3-4 drops of your favorite essential oil
To make: Take your castile soap and grate it into a container large enough to mix all your ingredients. Add the rest of the ingredients and stir together. Place into an air tight container. I like to use canning jars. To use, scoop about 2 tablespoons of your laundry powder per laundry load.

Kitchen Items for Food Prep & Storage February 8, 2013

Food storage seems to be a hot topic lately. Many people are worried about food prices rising, especially with the way the economy has been. You can store extra food whether you’ve grown it yourself or just found a great deal at the super market.

Things you need in your kitchen to help you store food.

Food Dehydrator: Great for storing extra fruits and vegetables. I love making veggie chips using the dehydrator and a bit of seasoning. And dried fruit makes great snacks.

Pressure Canner: Pressure canners are great for canning food. And most can also double as water bath canners, just don’t seal the lid.

Canning Supplies: You’ll need jars, lids, rings, jar lifter, fruit pectin, etc. Although what you need for canning may be different from what I need, it just depends on how much you can and what types of food.

Vacuum Sealer: I love using these to keep foods in the freezer from getting freezer burn. Also helps to keep dry goods from gathering moisture.

I love using canning jars for more than just storing canned foods, I also use them store dried beans, nuts, dried fruits & veggies, and much more. So definitely stock up on those.

Storing Dried Beans and Grains February 7, 2013

As with anything purchasing foods in bulk is a cheaper way to spend your grocery money. It may seem like a lot of money to invest at first, but sometimes the savings is mind blowing when  you look at cost per pound or ounce. But how do you store the extra food that you have left from buying in bulk? Let’s start with the easier bulk foods first, dried beans and grains.

One way I like to store my beans is by dividing them up by how much my favorite recipes call for and adding them all to a mason jar so that when I want to make, let’s say, 13 bean soup, I just grab my mason jar with those beans already mixed up in it and gather my other ingredients and get cooking. Saves a lot of time when I’m not measuring out 13 different beans every time I make this soup.

My sister-in-law stores large quantities than I do though. She has a restaurant in town that saves their large food grade buckets and containers for her to use. She washes the containers out and lets them dry REALLY well before putting her rice and other grains into them. By doing this she is getting free storage (awesome bonus!) while helping keep plastic out of the dump.

I know some people who store their beans in burlap sacks, but I worry about moisture and bugs with that route.

Cleaning Cast Iron Cookware February 6, 2013

Cast iron cookware has been around for a long time. It came in handy on the original homesteads that America saw. Cast iron cookware is highly durable. I have a few pieces that I inherited from my grandmother that still work like new.

Taking care of your cast iron will help to extend its life for the long term. Part of caring for it is cleaning it. I’ve always been told to never wash my cast iron in soapy water as this strips off the seasoning. The way my grandmother taught me to clean cast iron is to scrub it with a coarse salt and use a soft sponge to rub the salt around the pan or pot. The salt helps to absorb the oil in the pan and lift away any food particles.

If you’ve never owned cast iron cookware then you may wonder why the seasoning of the pan is so important. Cast iron is bad to rust, if you keep your pans seasoned this helps to keep the rust to a minimum (also storing in a dry area helps!). Also the seasoning helps to keep your food from sticking to the metal. Plus, well in my opinion, the seasoning of the pan makes the food taste better. Especially corn breads.

How do you clean  your cast iron?

Getting Started with Homesteading February 1, 2013

Are you one of the people out there who are tired of relying on the food industry giants and want to be able to be more self sufficient? If so then homesteading may be the path you should take. Following are a few pointers on how to get started with homesteading.

Don’t Bite off More than you can Chew: What I’m trying to say is start small. If you try to take on everything at once you are likely to get overwhelmed. Homesteading is a learning process, and just like the first steps that a baby takes, it is one step at a time. A small raised bed garden with easy to grow plants and a small compost pile is a great place to start. While you are working on the small baby steps, research into homesteading can help prepare you for the next steps you desire to take on.

Make Homesteading Friends: People who are already doing what you want to do are a great resource of information. Plus it is a bonus if you have excess of one crop and want to trade with someone for a different crop, a preserved crop, or fresh eggs (those are the best!)

Be a Chicken! Wait, I mean, have some chickens. Having a small flock of chickens (once you are ready for that undertaking) is a great way to supplement your homestead. Fresh eggs are great for eating or trading with other homestead friends. Plus chicken manure can help fertilize your garden plot.

Always keep in mind that if you are tired of a situation, whether it is relying on the food giants or any other aspect of your life, take steps towards making it better and you can change your life. It is just baby steps at first which seem like minor changes that won’t go anywhere, but remember baby steps lead to walking which leads to jogging, and soon you’ll be sprinting along wondering what all the fuss was about in the first place.