Behind the Curtain

Make Your Place

I have a house guest coming over tomorrow, which means I'm in mad clean mode. A few years ago I switched from using typical cleaning agents to "green" cleaning products. I wasn't really satisfied with the results, so I started looking about for a solution. I found the book Make Your Place, which has recipes for house cleaners. (There are also recipes for bath products, home remedies, and much more. This book has been quite indispensable to me over the years.)

She has a recipe for an all purpose cleaning spray for just pennies that is also natural. The main powerhouse in her recipe is distilled white vinegar, but she has a few additions to give it a little more omph with some nice smells. Unfortunately, I am allergic to liquid castile soap, which is a main part of her mix, so I have altered her recipe for my own use. Here is my version:

Homemade All-Purpose Cleaner
Fill a spray bottle halfway with white vinegar

Add the following:
1/4 teaspoon lavender oil
1/4 teaspoon tea tree oil
1 teaspoon Bon Ami or Barkeepers Friend*

Fill the rest of the bottle with hot water. Spray away all your dirt and grime.

*DO NOT use Comet in this mix. Comet and white vinegar do not mix well at all.

Cleaning Silver with Baking Soda

Most people go all out for Spring cleaning, but my big cleaning craze is during fall. Before we are all shuttered up in the home, and stuck there for the next 6 months, I want to make sure everything I will be stuck with is clean and organized.

By this time, the silver items I've found in garage sales or been handed down, are looking pretty tarnished. My grandmother swears by some silver cleaning cream, but that stuff smells pretty noxious. It makes me wonder if it is safe to use on stuff you eat with. So, I looked for another way to clean my silver. I saw several people talk about boiling silver with a piece of aluminum foil and some baking soda (Apartment Therapy's directions here),but I had very little luck with that. (Has anyone done this technique successfully?) What has worked really well for me is mixing-up a baking soda paste and polishing my silverware with that. Here is the recipe and directions:

The ratio is 1.5 part baking soda to 1 part water, or whatever combo gives you a nice paste. Since I was doing a small batch, I just mixed...
1.5 tablespoons baking soda
1 tablespoon water
But, if you are cleaning larger items, you can do 1.5 cups soda to 1 cup water.

Dab a bit of paste onto a soft cloth and use the cloth to rub in the paste. You may need to rinse and reapply the paste to get your desired shininess. When as clean as you want it to be, rinse and use a dry soft cloth to polish the silver. For really stubborn tarnish, you can sprinkle baking soda directly onto a damp cloth and rub it on the silverware until tarnish is gone. Rinse and dry well.

For my next round of cleaning, I hope to make a batch of spoon oil and whip my wood kitchen utensils into shape. More info on that when I finally find time to make it!

Storing Veggies

Fall brings oh so many root and storage vegetables, which made me wonder what was the best way to store these goodies during the winter. My friend got me the Veggie Keep Sack, which I love so far, but there are plenty of other storage solutions. One idea that I really love is braiding garlic and hanging it by your oven. This way you can just cut the garlic off the braid as you need. Here is a video on how to cure and braid garlic from Cultivating Life and a tutorial on how to braid onions from Homesteading Neophyte.

Here are some other storage solutions suggested by Apartment Therapy's The Kitchn:
Store Garlic in a bamboo steamer
Layered pallet style storage from Garden Trading and Gardener's Supply Company
There is also a compact version in metal mesh from Elfa
Double Tier Produce Basket from Fresh Finds or similar vintage one on Etsy

How do you store your root veggies?

Getting Ready for Winter

In the post about my first sweater, I mentioned that I have been doing other things besides knitting in preparation for winter. These other actions are entirely centered around food. Donovan & I have been Farmer's Market buddies all summer and have been surprised at not only how much better the food we get tastes, but as how it is less expensive than buying the organic equivalent at the grocery store. I have taken this trip one step further to buy a whole bunch of what is in season at the time, while it is yummy and inexpensive, and then going home to freeze it. I use some of my haul to make a fresh item, like pie or a nice fruit salad, but the rest of it gets prepared and put in the freezer.

Donovan & I both lucked out when buying bulk for preserving reasons; we were able to get 15 lbs of blueberries for $18 and 12 lbs of tomatoes for $10! You can have the same luck too, just ask when you go to the market! Most of the farmers at the markets have bulk purchase discounts, and if you are going to use the goods for canning, ask for "seconds." Seconds are veggies and fruits that are just as yummy as the ones they display, they just aren't so pretty, so they sell them at a discount.

So far I have frozen sliced apples and blueberries, which I hope will bring a bit of summer into our dull Chicago winters. If you want to freeze in season goodies for later use, make sure to do a search on the best way to prepare them. Some produce requires you blanche (quick boil and then plunge into ice water) before freezing. To avoid that huge lump of frozen something or other, I found that freezing the items in a single layer on a baking sheet first and then placing them in a plastic bag, alleviates this predicament.

You will have to cut and perhaps peel most produce too, but it is definitely worth it. I've been peeling and coring all of my apples by hand for both making applesauce and for freezing, but my friends recently bought me an apple peeler, which cuts this processing time significantly. If you are big on making applesauce and pies, I definitely recommend investing in a crank-style apple peeler.

I've also been gathering fruit at the markets to make jam. I was lucky that I did not miss apricot season with my traveling and made a nice batch of jam from that. I also experimented with blueberry jam from that huge box of berries I got. The color of those berries are intense and after all was said and done, my kitchen looked like I just murdered a muppet! As for the tomatoes, Donovan & I got together to can them in crushed form. This process was much easier than we expected; we wrote about it on the Grandma Club blog.

If you are not ready to can but want to save a bit of summer for the upcoming winter, I suggest to freeze some produce. You don't need that much space in your freezer at all. After they are frozen on the baking sheet and placed in bags, you can arrange the bags like little books on a shelf in your freezer. I have quite a small freezer, but have just stacked up to make space for these treats that will get my house smelling like summer when snow is covering the ground. Happy preserving!

My Friends are Awesome

Grandma Club got together two weekends ago and we made cheese. It was loads of fun and way easier than we thought it would be. Noel hosted this meeting and while waiting for the cheese to set she gave us stuff that she has made (or her friends have made) since the last time we saw her. This left me coming home with bags full of not only freshly made cheese, but also homemade Kahlua, home-distilled whiskey, and homemade sweet pickles. I packed away all my goods with the excitement of knowing I will partake in little bits of these items throughout the weeks to come.

Smiling to myself the next morning, I prepared my breakfast and looked down at the table to find...

Fresh squeezed OJ
Homemade applesauce
Homemade mozzarella (w/salt+pepper)
Homemade rolled oat muffins
Homemade jam
Espresso

Taking it all in, I realized just how wonderful this spread was. Everything in front of me, except the coffee, was made by my hands. My pantry...full of stuff made by either myself or my friends. If you would of asked me 5 years ago, hell - 2 years ago, if I would have had such a pantry at my disposal, I would of laughed in your face. I can't believe that I have learned these skills and enjoy making my own food for the household. I am very lucky to have friends to have these culinary experiments with and family that support me in all my weird little projects. And beyond that, the awesome network of people writing blogs that are doing the same thing. Thank you, all of you.

So this is my little note to all of you - if you have any interest in making your own food but are scared, just take a leap and do it, one project at a time. Scared of baking with yeast? Hell yeah, so was I! But I worked on it, learned from my failures and am now a little bread making machine. (And don't use not having a bread machine as an excuse, because I don't have one.) If you want to make jam, or make your own cookies instead of buying them, or freeze fruit you just picked to make something later...stop worrying about the what ifs and just experiment. There is so much information at our fingertips that makes it easy for us to try these recipes and culinary adventures.

In experimenting in the kitchen, remember two things: persistence & patience. My first loaf of bread was by no means amazing, but I stuck at it, and now I'm pretty good at it. (If I do say so myself!) So, what are you all waiting for? Dust off those mixers, buy canning supplies, invite some friends over and have at it!

Growing Your Own

This year I am taking my container garden a little more seriously. This time I want results, and in order to get them, I have to do research. Luckily, two informative books fell into my hands, Fresh Foods from Small Places and The Urban Homestead. The first one, Fresh Foods, is not the end all be all small garden book, but is a great start and has truckloads of resources. Thanks to this book I got my little garden pests under control, organically, and have begun properly fertilizing my plants. I'm currently using Fox Farms Big Bloom liquid fertilizer and will hopefully be working incorporating some seaweed into my top fertilizer. My next step in proper veggie gardening is to get or build one of these self watering containers that allow for soil ventilation and bottom root watering. (The Fresh Foods from Small Places book has a really good section on building your own. The instructions in the book are better than anything I've found online.)

The other book, The Urban Homestead, is an excellent book that expands upon a lot of the subjects touched upon in Fresh Foods. For example, they have a whole section on fowl and give information about not only raising hens, but also ducks and quail. I didn't know raising ducks was an option, but whenever I get a yard, I'm going to get some ducks out there. Urban Homestead also has a larger section on food recipes that Fresh Foods, with guides on making cheese, jam, soup stock and even moonshine. The end of the book dedicates itself to being fully self-sufficient with info on energy, sewage and transportation. Some of the info leans toward national emergency situations, which doesn't bother me, but it might bother others. The only thing that I dislike about this book is that a lot of the awesome ideas/instruction are for people with a yard. Fresh Foods was equal, if not more leaning toward, people who live in apartments with no space or ground for themselves. So, it seems that for this particular time in my life, Fresh Foods from Small Spaces is for the now and The Urban Homestead is for future planning.

The video at the top of this post is about how the queen has allowed the palace's garden space to be used in growing a victory garden, something that hasn't been done since the war. The video makes mention of the Heritage Seed Library, where you can buy organic seeds and become a "seed gaurdian", helping to cultivate varieties that are near extinction. Unfortunately it is for UK residents only, but those outside of the UK can partake in their organic gardening information.

Hope you find this information helpful and that you find ways of growing your own food in spaces big or small.

The Simplification of Life

Image from The Library of Congress' 1930s-40s in Color set

"Of course, the current mode of life is so greatly wasteful, and we have come to consider so many things as necessaries – whether in food, furniture, clothing or what not – which really bring us back next to no profit or pleasure compared with the labor spent upon them, that it is really difficult to know where the balance of true economy would stand if, so to speak, left to itself. All we can do is to take the existing mode of life in its simpler form...and work from that as a basis."

Excerpt from Edward Carpenter's "The Simplification of Life," from England's Ideal, 1887.
Read the entire essay at the Digital Library for the Decorative Arts and Material Culture or on Google books.

Smencils, Skittles & Etsy Goods

When I was a kid, one of my favorite markers were the ones that smelled like fruits (ooh, and scratch-n-sniff stickers). A little while ago SouleMama posted about Stubby Pencil Studio, who make eco-friendly art supplies for kids, and scented pencils! They have graphite pencils and colored pencils infused with tropical and fruity scents. They even have holiday scented graphite pencils for the holiday season that are scented with Cinnamon, Sugar Plum, Candy Cane, Gingerbread and Sugar Cookie. Perfect for the little ones on your shopping list this holiday season. (I ended up getting one for myself too.)

While on the topic of keen kids stuff, I love this wooden Skittles set from Nova natural Toys & Crafts. Forget putting it on the shopping list for others, I want this for myself!

On Wednesday I am going to post a little list of lovely gifts and on Friday I'm going to counter the spending list with a post full of freebies, tutorials and some recipes. In the meantime, here are some Etsy lovelies:

Hoffman Spats (awesome!)
The Journey Journal (features a map with numerous punched holes so you can track your travels!)
Parlor Games Necklace (really pretty)
Sleep Mask (ala Holly Golightly)
Sterling Silver Banner Brooch with Text (custom text, comes as necklaces and bracelets too)
Rosette Fascinator Headband (plenty of color combos to choose from)
Custom Vinyl Record Silhouette (a nice twist on paper silhouettes)
Black Cicada Ring (very unique)
Awesome Kitty Beds, modern designs

Food Irradiation & Dr. Bronner

A heads-up to you all that the FDA has approved the irradiation of lettuce and spinach. There are arguments on whether this is safe or messes with the produce, with the main argument being it depletes the vitamins and enzymes of the plant. I prefer organic produce that is not messed with, but you can decide for yourself where you stand. To get both sides of the argument, here is the FDA page on food irradiation and the Organic Consumers Association's website. Either way, I just wanted to let people know this is out there now and show you what the irradiation symbol looks like (image to the left), as it quite innocuous. Keep in mind that if you buy processed items, liek pre-made coleslaw, the manufacturer does not have to divulge whether they used irradiated produce to make their product.

In a similar, yet completely different track...A few months ago I switched over to Dr. Bronner's Magic All-In One Liquid soap. For a couple years now I have been switching from soap to soap, never really happy with what I was getting and after hearing so many people talk about Dr. Bronner, I decided to pick-up a bottle. Worst case senerio, I thought, I could use it to mop the floors (as it sold itself for multi-purpose use). I am so glad I took the leap of faith because the soap is lovely! I got the peppermint one, which leaves a great smell, and am using it with some scrubby gloves. I have yet to test it in house cleaning situations (I normally use distilled vinegar for such things), but I have heard it does a great job for the home and even as a shampoo. Anyone else a Dr. Bronner fan?

Flatware Roll-up

I've been wanting to make this silverware roll for a while now (two years!) and finally found the time to pull out the sewing machine and whip it up. It only took me about two hours with the stash finding, ironing and sewing. The main reason I made it is to transport my silverware for lunch at my internship, but I wanted to make it versatile. I added the extra "pockets" to accommodate the silverware needed for a picnic for two (with a serving spoon), but can just load it up halfway for everyday lunches. Picture of it fully open & rolled-up here.

Speaking of lunch at work, I've been finding my bento boxes too small to fit a substantial meal and decided to purchase the laptop lunchbox to see how that will work for me. I haven't received it yet, but when I give it a few test drives, I'll let you know what I think.

Check out these lovely flickr groups for lunchtime inspiration:
Brought My Lunch
Laptop Lunches
Bento Boxes