Homemade dish soap

This is dish soap.. not dishwasher soap
2 cups of Castille soap.
This is a pure soap. I couldnt find it local. Had to order it.
5 drops of pure lemon essense oil. Not scent. this is a very conscentrated oil
1/2 cup of water
1 tbls of fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup of vinegar.
Makes 3 cups of dish soap
You can make your own castille soap. Its basically a lye soap. But its a long drawn out process.

Home made shampoo and conditioner

This one i had to try.. it was just too good sounding to be true.. But it works great!!!

8 oz water in a bottle add 1 tbls of baking soda.
Pour over your damp hair and work it in for 5 minutes scratch your scalp well.
8 oz of cool water 1 tlbs of apple cider vinegar.
Pour over hair and rinse well.

I tried this and love it. My hair just smells clean. It doesnt have a scent at all. My hair is very soft and not oily or dry.

Homemade diswasher soap

This cleans better than cascade.
1 cup of borax
1 cup of washing soda
1/2 cup of citric acid. (cheaper online)
1/2 cup of course Kosher salt. Not table salt. it has to be Kosher salt
Mix all these together and keep in a plastic container. Use 1 tablespoon per load.
I put a mixture of 1/2 water and 1/2 vinegar in the rinse compartment.

I made this up and was using it. It works really well. Then i realized I wash my dishes off in hot soapy water before i put them in the dishwasher. So now I just put a 1 tsp of the mixture and its working great.

Home made Laundry detergent

Dont be fooled. This is some cleaning stuff!!! It will clean whites without the need for clorox. Its color safe. Ive not noticed any of my clothes fading.
Lets get started.
You will need:
3 gallon bucket
1 gallon bucket
Hand held grater or Food Processor
1 bar of Fels Naptha soap
1 cup of Washing Soda (Arm and hammer.. not baking soda)
1/2 cup of Borax.

All of these things can be found at Walmart. They dont do a great job of keeping them in stock. They are out of the soap, washing soda and borax pretty regularly. Brookshire Brothers has them however. They are all on the laundry soap aisle. Most of the time on the bottom shelf.

This is the soap. The finer you grate it, the easier it is to melt it into a liquid form. It really doesnt take that long. Ive used my food processor before.. it wont hurt it as its just soap and will wash very clean.
Your going to put this grated soap in 1 gallon of warm water. NOT HOT.. just luke warm. It will clump up on you if its hot. I let it set about 8 hours and just stir it every once in a while. It will be very very soapy.

1 cup of Arm and Hammer Washing Soda

This comes in a box but i keep it in a plastic container in the laundry room so it doesnt get cakey down here in all our humidity. Same thing with the Borax. I purchased all of these back in April. Ive made soap for my, my sister, my mom and my kids and still have plenty left. This is Arm and Hammer washing soda. Its very handy to have around the house.

Borax ( there are many brands) 1/2 cup

Put 2 gallons of cool water in your 3 gallon bucket. Make it cool water because the borax will heat up just a little when you add water to it. I guess you should use gloves.. but i havent so far. Pour your borax and washing soda in the water. NOT THE OTHER WAY AROUND. ALWAYS ADD DRY TO WATER... NOT WATER TO DRY.
Mix this until its combined.. it doesnt take long.
Add your melted soap to the bucket. Mix well. I use my hands.. it makes them very soft when I am done. Now.. youre going to let this sit at least 12 hours. Overnight is fine. When you come back it will be almost a solid form. Stir it very well again. Its got an odd texture. Then pour it in old laundry soap containers. Shake before you use it. If you want a scent now is when you add it. Use pure essential oils not scents. 5 to 6 drops per recipe. I like it because it doesnt have a scent. I use a laundry sheet in the dryer to add the scent.
It only takes 1/2 cup per load. Thats all!!!
If you prefer powder you can forgo all the water and just mix the dry ingredients then use 1 tbls per load. I just prefer a liquid.
The total of all the ingredients should run you around 8 dollars. Then all you have to buy is another bar of soap when you are running low.
It doesnt suds up, which makes it great for front loader machines. But it cleans!!

Dinner for 8 to 12

I wanted to see if i could cook dinner for 8-12 from scratch in one day. Well.. here goes.
7:30 AM
Check on Sarah.. shes got a high fever and sore throat. So i walked down to the CP to get her some OJ, gave her a couple of Tylenol and propped her up on the sofa to watch the Parades.
8:00 AM
Cut pumpkin in half, put on half in the oven.. set timer for 1 hour.
Mix up cake mix... plain? nahhhhhhhhhh... I subbed OJ for part of the water and rum for the rest. Pour in a 9 inch spring form pan, sprinkle with nutmeg, put in the oven set timer for 40 minutes.
Check face book... LOL
Decided to remove legs and wings from the turkey and just cook the breast... yea.. good idea. Put stick of butter in a small pan add rosemary, basil and sage. Let it heat until the butter is just slightly golden. Sprinkle under side of bird breast with salt, pepper, onion powder and a little red pepper. Brush entire breast with butter mixture. Sit in fridge to get happy.
 Check on Sarah... good deal fever is down.
Mix up 2 cans of sweet potatoes( ok i cheated i didn't have fresh), 3 eggs, sugar, nutmeg, cinnamon, brown sugar and a touch of salt. Put in casserole dish. Sprinkled top with brown sugar crumble. Cover.
Woohooo Cake done. Smells wonderful and is on the cooling rack.
Pumpkin done... pulled the skin off and letting it cool a little. Oh how i love fresh pumpkin.
Woohoo.. doing good.. 10:30
Check facebook and update blogg...LOL
Make pie crust.. with more butter of course. Mash pumpkin and make pie filling. Awww i decorated the edges with pastry leaves.. cute cute. Pop in the oven.
Put turkey bird in the oven.. its 12:25. Put sweet potato in the oven. Mercy its smelling good in here now for sure.
Make rolls. Think i'll make those little croissant shaped rolls.
Ice cake with chocolate icing... make little design on the top with white chocolate.. Orange, chocolate and rum... does it get any better???
Take pie out the oven... oops.. couple of my leaves didnt float... no worries... LOL
Ok... 1:30 Rolls in the oven, Mark is gonna hurt himself. Veggies heating.
We are eating at 2

Orange rum cake with chocolate icing and white chocolate

Home made yeast rolls

Herb crusted turkey breast, baked sweet potatoes, corn, green beans and cranberry... i missed the gravy.. but its there... LOL

Corn bread dressing with lots of herbs.

Funny little pumpkin pie... my leaves fell in while baking.

I made it with brown sugar instead of white sugar so its dark.

Dinner with family while watching TV and relaxing... priceless.
I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving!!!

Just reflections this morning

The air is calm and cool. As I sit sipping my hot drink the sun is just starting to peek through the trees. The winds have changed. I know this because I can hear the traffic of the freeway that is north of me. Just sitting here pondering my little corner of this huge earth.

My yard has changed so much since we moved into this home. The back was grown over with waist deep weeds. There was a huge hole where a tree had been prior to hurricane Ike. There were no flowers or flower beds. Now as I stroll around this morning and look at the banana, cannas, hibiscus, rose of sharons, oleanders and crepe myrtles all getting ready to sleep for the winter, the ground all covered with a thick layer of mulch I reflect on how much calmness these plants have added to my life. My little greenhouse that is just exploding with life protected from the chilly air. My garden beds I have prepared for next spring.

A couple of days ago a woman came to me in my back yard while I was spreading manure, that in itself turned to be a funny reflection later, She complimented my yard and asked if I believed in God. I looked at her and replied you cant grow a seed to a tomato and not have a belief in God and creation. She said she disagreed with me that many people grow gardens and not know God. That's fine.. I told her. I don't need to be agreed with to have my own beliefs.
As i reflect on what she said it made me ponder a little. Horse poo or cow manure is heavy. Trust me.. its heavy...LOL. But added to the soil it breaks down and makes the soil lighter. We as Christians should not be so heavy that we cant lighten the world around us. And yes, Im speaking to myself more than anyone else. While smelly and nasty this composted stuff turns into a soil conditioner and it feeds the plants growing. Isn't that what we should be? We all are smelly and nasty sometimes aren't we? I know I am. But sooner or later we calm down into our beliefs in God and become useful and actually make the world around us a better place. I think I'm mostly broken down with just a few clumps of smelly and nasty left... but I'm working on them.

Creative noodles

As most of you know I try to make everything we eat. Since being diagnosed with the brain issue I am very careful about what I eat.. what it has in it. The things i cant spell or pronounce really do scare me. I dont use aluminum foil at all. All my pots are stainless steel. That being said, I have enjoyed finding out how good things taste when you make or grow them yourself.
Last month i got a dehydrator. Ive dehydrated tomatoes and ground them into a powder. Did the same with onions and garlic, I have dried bell peppers, corn, carrots and pumpkin.
Now... I took some of those things and made tonight's dinner.

Chicken soup with homemade tomato basil noodles.
1 chicken breast cut small pieces
2 tbls butter
2 quarts of water(1 cup of white wine)
1 onion diced
1 rib of celery course chopped
3 carrots sliced
1 garlic chopped fine
1 can of corn, no salt drained and rinsed
1 can of green beans, no salt drained and rinsed
Sea salt, black pepper, red pepper, dried oregano, sage, rosemary

Brown chicken in hot butter until golden brown and the bottom of the skillet is brown. Pour water in pot and break up all that yummy flavor on the bottom of the pan. Add wine. Add all the rest of the ingredients. Bring to a boil then turn down to a simmer for about an hour.

Tomato basil noodles.

1 cup of flour
2 eggs
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbls of fresh basil chopped fine
1 tbls of dehydrated tomato powder
2 tbls of chicken soup broth from above.
Mix together.. It makes a stiff dough. Depending on the humidity you may not need the extra broth.
Now.. rolling. Roll into a 10 x10 square, fold in half, re roll into a 10x10 fold in half. Do this 5 times. This makes your noodles smooth. Divide dough in half. Roll one half very very thin. Cut with a pizza cutter in long 1/2" strips.. kinda like wide egg noodles. Allow to dry hanging over a wooden spoon for about 15 minutes.
Drop into to boiling soup mixture and cook for about 8 - 10 minutes on a simmer.

As if it didn't need anymore calories... Mark covers his bowl with cheese.

Its just a beautiful day outside today!

Its just a beautiful day today! Its cool but not cold. The sky is blue. Just a small breeze blowing. Wonderful day to work in the yard.
I couldn't believe by 8am this morning after a night of cold (38degree) weather that I had to not only open the door to my green house but open one of the sides as well. When the sun wakes up and hits it.. it really heats up fast.

I was going to mow the front yard today. Then I noticed it had a few leaves on it. I don't have many trees in my yard so leaves are far and few between. The ones I do get are blown in from a neighbors tree. So.. being the short attention spanned person I am... decided to rake those up before mowing as the mower chomps them up into mulch.

Raking leaved made me think of making some compost tea.. shoot.. no poop. Gotta have some kind of animal poo to make compost tea. Just about that time the new neighbor in the back passed. So with bucket in hand away I went..... sorry leaves.

Very nice man. His kids are going to move into the property when he gets all the burned mobile home removed. I asked if I could have a little horse poo. He laughed and said... "follow me". So I followed him to the backside of the property where he showed me a beautiful pile of aged horse poo. "Take all you want" he said. Woohoo!!. He then mentioned the kids have horses and will move them into the fenced areas of the property. I told him I would love to have that pile of poo at my house. He looks at me funny and said."and just what would you do with it?". Make garden beds!! of course. To my delight he informed me that next time he had his tractor down here he would move that beautiful pile to my back yard... woooooooooohoooooo... I'm gonna have beautiful tomatoes next year!!!

Back to the leaves.. LOL

I finished raking and putting my few leaves in the plastic bin.. watering them down good and putting a lid on them. Reminding myself i need to buy worms next time I am at Mikes Hardware. I threw in the green bean vines that didn't make it through the cold night, a few egg shells and a 3# coffee container of used coffee grounds, gave it a good stir and put the lid on. Now... stir that everyday for a month or so and I'll have beautiful compost here in a couple of month. Ok.. got that chore done.

OOOOOOOOh.. I was making compost tea wasn't i? LOL. bucket... I need a bucket. So searching the 1/2 acre hill I reside on I found a 5 gallon bucket... not a lot of tea.. but it could work. Oh shoot... I threw all my kitchen scraps in the compost. Oh well.. let me go see what I can find. I decided that the old cucumber vines and a few chomped up banana leaves could replace the kitchen scraps for the "green manure" part of my tea.

Now... leaves, horse poo, green bean vines and  banana leaves...ooooooooooooooooooooooooh.. that leads me to the stinky stuff. NASTY!!!!

Fill the bucket with water and give it a good stir... "brb I told the bucket". On the side of the house is another bucket that no one but me will attempt to open. So I carried it carefully back to the compost area... take a deep breath.. cuz Lord knows i ain't breathing until the lid is back on.... pour a few cups of the liquid in the compost tea... put the lid back on... BREATHE.. sigh.. LOL. What is in this bucket you might ask? Its fish. Fish heads and skeletons of fish mixed with water. The plants love it.. but OOOOOOOOOEMMMM GEEE does it stink.

OK... Time to go fix myself a glass of iced tea and sit in the sun for a few minutes before I find something else to get into.

Talk to you soon.....

Deb

Garden 11-2011 and a funny story

It all started here on Sept 19, 2011

The plants are about 3 weeks old.

Then we ate turnip green salads, turnip greens with cornbread or

 just nibbled on the young plants. I did get a few turnips.

8 weeks later. I have over 50 tomatoes

(not counting the green ones we have fried)

More turnips, spinach and collards coming up

along the border of the gardenette.

Green house beginning

I had visions of green plants all neat and orderly.

T

Today

      

Little spinach babies 10-29

Little lettuce babies 10-29

Little mustard babies 10-29

Sweet peas are learning to climb their trellis.

Today 11-16-2011

Romaine and Buttercrunch Lettuce.

The little concrete cylinders keep the ground warm at night.

Funny story about those I'll blog later 

Green beans and Carrots

Cucumbers by the milk jug getting ready to trellis

And a mighty mustard patch...LOL

Sweet peas on their trellis loaded with sweet smelling blooms

I made "pots" of newspaper for tomato seedlings.

They are in a recycled Jasons Deli container green house.

I have more spinach, lettuce and beets planted in the pots.

The two tomato "suckers" are growing beautifully

Ok... you may have noticed the milk jugs in the beds. They have tiny holes in the bottom and with the lid on they will release water into the ground slowly. If its really dry i can loosen the lid and it releases the water more quickly. This way the plants get a slow stead source of water.

LOL the concrete cylinders....

My brother n law (Lori's hubby) brought me a load of 2 inch x 7 inch solid concrete cylinders. They had to drill through the walls at a prison to put new plumbing. So he asked me if I would like them for any reason... YES.. i would love them.

The purpose...

During the winter or in our case cold snaps, they absorb heat during the day and then release it slowly at night when its cool. It keeps the ground warm so the plants don't know its winter in their little warm green house.

Now for the funny. 

I have a YouTube site where fellow gardeners and myself can share secrets and seeds. So I posted how well my "concrete cylinder heaters" were working. I received a reply. Now don't get me wrong.. I'm not here to belittle anyone for their beliefs... whatever floats your boat. Just don't be offended if i happen to chuckle at them if they are in left field. Left field serves a purpose.. its a balance.. but Lord can they make  me laugh sometimes. She believe everything carries a spirit or energy.

This was her reply:

"Great looking hoop house!! I'm glad to see you are recycling so many things. I know you probably have already done so, but make sure you say a prayer over the concrete to remove all of the negative spirits and energies from them. It will affect how your plants grow. Coming from a prison they will be full of negative energies."

This was my reply:

Thank you for the compliment. Recycling for me is about taking what I have now and making it work. ummm.. about the energies. Ive thought about it. The cylinders have been near the plants for about a week now. Ive noticed the plants closet to them seem to be thriving the best. Which leads me to the following belief. Seeing how I have had some experience with prison dwellers Ive come to the conclusion that 90% of what they say is total bullsh... umm excrement. And plants LOVE blulsh... umm excrement. So if the "excrement" spirits dwell in these cylinders... I think I'm gonna have him bring me a few more because they seem to love the energy coming from them.

I think i missed the point... LOL

Anywho.... I'm loving the plants. And i don't see any life coming from bad energy or negative thoughts. When I'm around my plants or in the hoop house i do converse with the dear Lord.... I feel the most alive alone with my plants.

Homemade peanut butter

Not sure if its the fear of all those words in peanut butter that I cannot pronounce or the fact I can make it so much cheaper but either way... here goes my first stab at peanut butter.

2 cups of dry roasted peanuts.

The roasting smells sooooooooooo good. Just spread 2 cups of organic peanuts.. not that GMO stuff... that stuff scares me, on a baking sheet and roast in the oven at 350. Shake every once in a bit to move them around. I pulled the skins off too.

This is about 2 minutes of processing, but it will ball up if you let it run. Now.. i put 1 tbsp of peanut oil in at this point. It was just a tad too much oil. Gonna try 1 tsp at a time next time. I didn't add sugar at all. And after tasting it.. it really didn't need sugar or corn syrup

From 2 cups of peanuts yielded just over 2 cups of peanut butter. Fresh peanut butter with no hydrogenated stuff or high fructose corn syrup.

This is what I did with some of the Peanut butter

I added a stick of butter to 1/2 cup of PB, a little vanilla, flour, and egg and 1 cup of sugar

POOF... yummy cookies for the Veterans Day thing tomorrow night



Two new tomato vines in 7 days

Today I'm giving my little baby tomato rootings a taste of real soil. November the 23rd I took a couple of cuttings from my tomato bushes and put them in water to root.. no rooting hormone.. just filtered water. I learned something. Roots do not like light. They root so much faster in a dark container instead of a clear container.

This was two days later. You can see little roots shooting out.

This is today. 7 days later and it has roots almost 6 inches long. I did change the water a couple of times.

You can see on the right the cup I rooted them in. Next time... dark cup.

This is their new home in the green house for about 2 weeks. Then i will transplant them into their permanent pot and tie em up ready for the winter in the hot house.

I was really amazed how quickly they would take root and grow. Normally to get a plant to this stage from seed it takes about 6-8 weeks. In one week these two have gone from just a cutting off of the parent plant to fully growing tomato plants.

Update on my carrots while blogging. This is the way to grow carrots... safe from the bunnies.

You can see the last few beans on my vines. They aren't liking the cool weather.

 I don't think I'll get many more off these vines. The lizards love these vines. They hide all in them.