This year's goals 2016

1. Recycling.

I made my on vegtable bags to us in the stores to eliminate the flimsy bags that are really no good use that I found as of yet.

2. Composting 

Throwing a lot of peelings I don't use for other things like potatoes and onions carrots and such for composting as well as the plants that have ran their use in the season like tomatoes peppers and peas. 

3. Making my own socks and sweaters as I found what fits me better. 

4. I enjoy making my laundry soap, shampoos, Herb rinses as well as pain relievers and other things.

When I go shopping I find myself walking down the ailses saying "I make that". And leave the store with more whole foods. I shop McKay's in Gold Beach on Thursdays for meat I've used during the week and add one more item for stocking.

This has been the first time in a long time that I haven't had to be creative with rice and bean dishes!

I am really liking and enjoying my life!

Fall/winter canning season 2015/16

Since I started doing random canning it's not unusual for my hubby to see the canner on the stove at any time day or night. Got the time down to if making chicken broth its 40 min for pints if chicken is added its 70.

Doing a lot of soups now

Canned Split pea and ham 4 pints on Saturday night.

Made a chicken noodle soup that I am going to freeze in smaller containers.
I used  4 pints of broth one that I made from the broth when I did a chicken Adobe (yum!) and also one where I made a raspberry vinaigrette. Soup was very flavorful and added dried celery leaves from my celery plants that I restart.

Really enjoying this journey of making my own recipes on a budget.

Starting Paleo cooking

I think this fits best for any of my blogs in that I'm back to eating healthy and making my own recipes  Paleo/frugal style.

And yes it becomes a bigger mess.

Tonight I decided to do Paleo tortillas.

I made the first try with coconut Flour. Not a good idea.

I did go against Paleo Mom's suggestion and used tapioca flour. This time they did make nice dough balls to roll out, rolled out nicely and even came off the top layer of wax paper smoothly. Getting it to the pan proved to be more difficult as they fell apart.


Will try again. I did use PaleoMom's recipe with the exception of the flour she used for both tries. The tapioca was texture was good but felt starchy. Will try a combo of a little coconut flour next time.

The coconut flour smell I didn't like so it won't make a good main flour for this project.

There was another coconut flour tortilla but it was a batter and to me that didn't seem quite right.

 Shampoo recipe from Natural Beauty and Bath book.

 Egg shampoo

1 egg lightly beaten

1/2 tsp olive oil

1/2 tsp lemon juice

1 cup Castile soap or glycerine shampoo

Using a whisk mix all ingredients together for one minute apply and massage gently into hair rinse thoroughly.  

This recipe can be kept in the refrigerator for about  1 to two weeks just to make sure to whisk the ingredients for about one minute prior to use.

Dish Soap Recipe

I don't know if I tried this one or not. Hubby wasn't fond of the last one as it seemed to leave our dishes greasy and there were no bubbles.

http://frugallysustainable.com/2011/09/homemade-liquid-dish-soap-that-really/

Cheryl's version of the coconut milk soap

I grated a bar of Kirk's Castile Soap

 put it in the top of my double boiler and added 2 cups of water t

o melt.

I added a few pellets of bees wax also.

When melted I poured 1 cup of the soap in a mixing bowl 

and added some left over hair conditioner and coconut oil and some lavender essential oil.

Pour in a bottle and you are done!  Save the rest of the soap in a jar for later use for other projects.  

Canned yesterday

I found some great produce at a great price to start canning my corn and green beans.   I did them up yesterday and since I'm turning into a Waste no more type person (that is a slow work in progress!), I am using the corn cobs today to make jelly.

Here's the website if you want to make it yourself.

http://chickensintheroad.com/cooking/how-to-make-corn-cob-jelly/

Already before its made I've given two half pints away!  But I'll be making more in the next few weeks.

I've got another crop of peas coming up for the fall, and I planted White and Red Chard last weekend for a couple of clients that love the stuff.  I also replanted a couple of herbs that I'll keep indoors during the winter and also sprouting my basil for a winter crop too.

Today my pastor talked about gardens and having to till the soil and work it and tend it and water it. I've done all that and its the bugs this year that got my beans and my squash.  I'm not giving up on this.  I will concur my garden woes,

Here's a thought and somewhere in the Scriptures it talks about how in addictions and such that if by the third generation it has not been practiced that the addiction is out of the family scenario.  I believe that our God does the same with the ground we sow our seeds.  That which we plant that is chemically protected, and then take the seed from the plant, resow it and do it a third time by the third time it will be rid of the chemical as long as the soil was prepared with natural resources.

This year, I've been saving seeds from a few things I've grown mainly the snap peas, and also done it with the potatoes, and a couple of onions and celery.  Its amazing to see what comes about.

I should add that this morning as I was eating my grapefruit that I had a peel to use for my spice scented cleaner I use.  I really like this stuff!  If you haven't used it yet, try it.  In a jar you place your peels, a couple of cinnamon sticks and cloves and pour vinegar in it to fill the jar.  Let it set for about ten days.  I've reused this a couple of times as the vinegar is a preservative and the peels do not rot.  I have sprayer that had like the original spray cleaner in it, rinsed it out and poured that in it.  The vinegar smell is what you smell first but after a few minutes you smell the citrus smell from the peelings.    Let me know what you think!