OUR NEW WEBSITE!!!!

Well, as some of you already know we have moved to our NEW WEBSITE! We have this new article about making soaps and lots and lots of others posted there on the new site already:)

Here is the URL to this article: http://www.homefarmideas.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=49:cold-process-soap&catid=56:soap-making&Itemid=306

Be sure to register for a free account over on HomeFarmIdeas.com to access all areas of our new site.

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Homemade Pickles

So you planted 2,4,8 rows of cucumbers and now the pantry is overflowing. Everyone you know has them so you can't give them away. Chickens are full besides they like the cabbage better. It's time for pickles. I love a basic recipe, then I play with it to make it what I like, so play with this. I don't know why you can't use this for canning just make sure your jars are packed full. HAVE FUN...
Pickles can be made with any vinegar and any spices. You can ether can them or make them for dinner tonight. You can add a pepper or pickle peppers themselves. It is all your choice but here is a basic recipe for you to follow. You can exchange any ingredients, I'm not a dill fan so I omitted it. You can use pickling spice instead. Your cucumber does not have to be lemons it can be any cucumber.


 

Sprouting - A Beginners Observations

One of our fans wrote a great little blog for all of us to read:) Thanks Sara!!

A couple weeks ago I was yearning for the healthy taste of something nutritious and homegrown. As a person who lives in a cold northern climate, it was still snowing daily at my new home. With minimal indoor growing options, I decided to give something new a try. These funny looking squiggly things called sprouts. I am new to the homesteader lifestyle, and was excited about learning something new.

A quick search on Amazon.com produced many options for sprouts and sprouting accessories. With limited experience with sprouts, I chose a nice sweet and mellow flavored alfalfa sprout from the Sprout House. Having a limited budget, I went with the basic set up and made my own sprouting kit instead of buying one. There are many fine setups out there, but I chose to make my own. 

Dehydrating Spinach

Jennifer is posting lots of great and helpful blogs for us! Thanks:)

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Dehydrating Spinach!

Ok, so I got bitten by the DIY bug again! This is getting to be quite the problem, LoL!

This coming season I plan to grow a lot of spinach in my backyard, mostly because I cannot seem to find any organic spinach in our local commissary and our local organic market is not as stocked as I would like it to be. Thing is, in my region you can only plant spinach outdoors during certain months, how will I store my harvest? *cue the light bulb* I could try dehydrating it! I was very proud of my idea since that method would allow me to use even more of it for everyday cooking!

Dehydrating Eggs

If you ever wanted to know how to keep those extra eggs your chickens give you this is the blog for you! Thanks again Jennifer:)

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Adventures with my dehydrator!

Recently my husband’s job (military) moved us to a VERY coastal area. The house we are renting now is fully run by electricity, no gas lines! While that sounds awesome to some, I can see a major flaw in this design…if we lose our electricity we lose the ability to cook and store our foods properly. Worse yet, the east coast gets hit by major storms and hurricanes so we’ve gotten serious about putting together an emergency kit...

POWDERED laundry detergent

Thanks Jennifer for another great blog for all our members!!

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After the “Making Laundry Detergent” blog was posted, a couple of the readers inquired if there was a powdered version. I am happy to share that recipe with you all now.


Homemade POWDERED laundry detergent

You will need

• 1 bar soap - grated (any soap will do but try basic ones like ivory or felsnaptha...if you prefer you can also use a castille soap).
• 1/2 cup borax (can be found in laundry aisle of most grocery stores).
• 1 cup Arm & Hammer Super Washing Agent (make sure it says "washing agent" as the regular baking soda will NOT work), can also be found in laundry aisle.
• A storage container.

Making Laundry Detergent

This one was made by a mix of members and smoothed out by Jennifer V.!! Thanks:)

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Trying to find a wallet-friendly laundry detergent? Perhaps you or a family member has sensitive skin and you are looking for a perfume-free alternative, OR maybe you’re like me and you are on a DIY binge.


Consider this:

Organic Garlic Powder

Another great post by our member Jennifer V.!! If you guys would like to have your ideas posted on our blog please email me your blogs HERE.

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How to make your own garlic powder

My husband bought me a dehydrator for my birthday (back in Oct) and it is exactly what I wanted! Some girls want diamonds, some want pearls, some want coach purses…but not this gal! I really, REALLY wanted a dehydrator!
As I opened up to box my mind started racing, what on earth would be my first project? I wanted to use my new toy right away! Cue the light bulb above my head…I could dehydrate garlic! Why garlic? Well it was a combination of things really, first of all I was upset with McCormick for having funded the fight against California’s Prop 37, I was also looking for more zing in my spice flavors and well, I had also been on a huge DIY binge (actually I still am). Why NOT make my own garlic powder? (It also helped that I just happened to have some garlic on hand…hehe)

First I peeled my garlic!

DIY Wool Dryer Balls

This blog is from one of our very own members! Come over and meet Jennifer V. and other great members on facebook:)

Jennifer writes:
"  Last week I read an article that highlighted a study done on dryer emissions.  The study conducted tested air from dryer vents used to dry clothes that had been washed with brand name laundry detergent, rinsed with brand name softener and dried using brand name dryer sheets.  The air collected was tested and found to contain many toxic chemicals, two of which were carcinogenic: Acetaldehyde (which when studied was found to be damaging to DNA and caused nasal tumors in rats and laryngeal tumors in hamsters) and Benzene (which according to www.cancer.org, has been linked to acute lymphocytic leukemia in children and to chronic lymphocytic leukemia in adults).