We Like Making Our Own Stuff

There are three shelves in my kitchen overflowing with cookbooks. Many of these cookbooks are what I call "old church cookbooks." They are generally found at garage sales and thrift stores, and most of them that I find are from the 1950s-1960s (though I have many from as early as the 1920s, and plenty from the 70s and 80s).    These cookbooks are real gems, and whenever I see one, I make sure to snatch it up.  Religion has nothing to do with it, so it doesn't matter your faith or lack of; these cookbooks made by the church's "Recipe Committees" are full of vintage wonderfulness.  They are a real snapshot of American housewives in the mid-century 1900s.  Often times, the previous owner of the cookbook has made notes in it, or has saved other recipes clipped from magazines and newspapers and tucked them inside (as seen in the black cookbook above).  There are always a few surprises to be found.

This post is written especially for my homesteader friends--maybe you are raising pigs, or going in on a pig with someone--make sure you get that lard, and render it!  Not only is it great for cooking, but it also makes a nice bar of soap. Properly rendered lard should be white and fairly odorless.

A quick and easy way to freshen your home is to deodorize and then vacuum your carpets.  There are many types of commercial carpet powders available for this purpose, by why spend the money when you can easily make your own for pennies? Carpet Powder Ingredients: 1 cup baking soda 1 cup borax 5-10 drops of a deodorizing essential oil (such as lavender or tea tree)      or 1 tablespoon powdered, dry herb (cinnamon and rosemary work well) 1.  Whisk baking soda and borax together to combine. 2.  Add essential oil or powdered herb.  Mix well. 3.  Pour mixture into a shaker (an old Parmesan cheese or spice container works well). 4.  Sprinkle the mixture over carpets and allow to sit for 20 minutes, keeping children and pets off carpet.   5.  Vacuum carpet thoroughly.

Yes, yes, I know.  It's about time I got around to posting my recipe for homemade powdered laundry detergent.  Thank you to those of you who have been patiently waiting, despite the fact that you requested the recipe weeks ago. I haven't been lounging around eating bonbons, I promise.  Things have just been a bit hectic; on top of all the food preservation that goes on this time of year, we've also recently experienced a loss in the family (my husband's sweet grandma). And, as I think I may have mentioned in a previous post, my hubby and I are currently expecting--twins!  I haven't felt this pregnant since...well, I can't honestly remember ever feeling so pregnant!  So, anyway, I don't quite move around as fast as I used to, but I am steadily getting some posts put together, and hopefully getting to some recipes that readers want. With that all explained, I will move onto today's post:  Homemade Powdered Laundry Detergent. I have made both ...

Looking for a homemade version of Ajax or Comet (minus the harsh bleach)?  This morning my son and I whipped up a container of our own version of powdered cleanser in about 15 minutes. Homemade Powdered Cleanser Ingredients: 1/2 cup salt 1/2 cup borax 1/2 cup washing soda 1/2 cup baking soda (set aside 1 tablespoon if you will be adding essential oils) 5-10 drops essential oil of your choice (optional) Combine salt, borax, washing soda, and baking soda in a container with at least a 2 cup capacity.  If you will be adding an essential oil, grind the reserved 1 tablespoon baking soda with 5-10 drops essential oil in a mortar and pestle, and then add to the rest of the mixture.  Shake well to combine. To use:  Dampen surface you wish to clean.  Sprinkle cleanser over surface; allow to sit for a couple minutes if desired.  Scrub cleanser into surface with a sponge until clean.  Rinse cleanser off with water. This cleaner sho...

Did you know that many commercial furniture polishes contain ingredients that are known neurotoxins?  Common products, such as Pledge, contain ingredients that can cause depression, damage to the central nervous system, and memory loss. Do away with that junk, and make your own lemony furniture polish at home.  Not only is it a healthier alternative, but it is very inexpensive and easy to do.  In the past, I used a recipe containing oil and lemon juice .  This recipe is good, but I found one that I like even better!  It smells so nice, and it has a secret ingredient in it:  alcohol.  The idea with the alcohol is that it will evaporate, pulling up some of the oil with it, which will in turn leave less of a residue on your furniture.  ...That's my theory anyway. You will need to infuse some oil with lemon peels before you mix this up.  This is quite simple to do, so have no fear! Lemon Infused Oil Ingredients: 1 1/4 cups o...

Making your own fabric softener is both easy and inexpensive.  It can be as simple as buying a jug of vinegar, or a little more complex if you'd like to have added scent.  Vinegar does a great job not only softening your clothing, but also in brightening colors and removing odors.  Following are a few easy recipes to get you started. Fabric Softener #1 - Plain Ingredients: White Vinegar Place 1/2 cup of white vinegar in your fabric softener dispenser per load of wash.  (Pretty darn simple!) Fabric Softener #2 - Scented Ingredients: 1 gallon jug of white vinegar A big handful of your favorite herb (such as lavender, chopped orange peels,  or peppermint) 20 drops of a matching essential oil (optional) You will need to remove some of the vinegar from the jug in order to infuse the herbs in it.  Just pour a cup or so into a jar or bottle.  You can save it to pour back into the jug of vinegar once it is infused, or use it f...

Infusing dried herbs and spices in oil is a great way to preserve their therapeutic and aromatic properties.  Infused oils can be used in the kitchen and will add extra flavor to your recipe.  They can also be used for medicinal purposes, for beauty, and even to clean. Before you begin making an oil infusion, you will need to decide which herbs or spices you would like to use.  Following is a list of various herbs and spices that I have infused in the past, along with a short description of what I use them for: Calendula (aka Pot Marigold) ( Calendula officinalis ):   The dried flower of this plant makes a skin-soothing infused oil that can be used for dry skin, bug bites, rashes, and a myriad of other skin irritations.  In a past blog, I describe the procedure for making a skin soothing salve out of Calendula flowers. Catnip ( Nepeta Cataria ):   Catnip infused oil can be rubbed onto the skin for a mosquito repellent.  But beware if you...

To avoid clogging and bad odors, sink and tub drains should be periodically cleaned. A once a month cleaning with a non-toxic, homemade cleaner prevents needing a stronger, usually sodium hydroxide (lye) based, cleaner to remove clogs.  Sodium hydroxide is extremely caustic, and will damage the lungs if inhaled, burn skin and eyes, and can be fatal if swallowed.  In addition, the heat generated by using sodium hydroxide can soften PVC pipes, and damage old, corroded pipes.  It also changes the pH of water and can cause fish kills. A much nicer alternative to this harsh chemical is the simple combination of baking soda and vinegar, followed with boiling water.  When baking soda and vinegar are combined, they foam and expand, cleaning the sides of your pipes and dissolving fatty acids.  The boiling water then washes it all away.  This method is a great way to use up the box of baking soda in your frig that is not longer doing a good job of d...

It's a dirty job, but somebody's got to do it. The toilet isn't going to clean itself (especially when you've got sons).  Cleaning the toilet is a weekend chore at our house, and up until recently, we have been using commercial toilet cleaner.  But most commerical toilet cleaners contain some pretty harsh ingredients, such as sodium hypochlorite (bleach) and hydrochloric acid; and some contain ingredients that you'd have to be a chemist to understand, like 3-(3-Hydroxypropoxy)Propan-1-ol.  Don't ask me what that is, I have no idea. Once our store-bought toilet cleaner ran out, I decided I would craft my own toilet bowl cleaner, using safe ingredients that I can understand.  I saved and cleaned out the container from the store-bought cleaner to put my homemade stuff in, but I'm sure that any type of squeeze bottle would work alright for this. Homemade Toilet Bowl Cleaner Ingredients: 1 2/3 Cups baking soda 1/2 Cup liquid soap 1/2 Cup water...