Tuesday, December 9, 2008

SUCCESSES, SOAP, SOURDOUGH AND SYVRETS

I opened up the first jar of pickled beets from September...man oh man, are they delicious!! So my very first attempt at the pickled beets was a huge success!! Yippee! I know, for the amount of beets a person eats, it's probably much easier to just buy a jar at the store...yeah, yeah I get it. But really, it's the fact that I can do it. Oh and note to self: wear rubber gloves next time during the beet skinning process. The stains on my hands were....ummm....worrisome for the general public. lol

We opened up a jar of strawberry jam - July 12/08 - batch #2 - again, it was a hit! Woohoo! 2 for 2! I'm on a roll....
AFTER 2 BREAKFASTS - GONE!


*******

Baby J has the most delicate skin and I have to be verrrry careful what products she can use on her skin and clothes. Specialized and super expensive products can still make her break out...it's really weird. So this week, I made my own batch of laundry soap to see if it would work. It works great! No break-outs, it's super cheap, and honestly it does a better job of cleaning our clothes.
You'll need 3 products:
1 cup of borax
1 cup of washing soda
1 cup of a laundry bar soap grated (I used my cheese grater - took 1 minute)

Just stir them together. Use 2 Tbsp per load.
Then I use plain vinegar in the rinse cycle. Voila!
3 PRODUCTS:


FINISHED PRODUCT:


Oh, and I know what you're thinking...that I'm just one step away from wearing ankle-length denim jumpers and Amish headgear. What next, cooking on a woodstove and chasing goats from my garden?! Hmmmmm...now that has possibilities!

************

I tried my hand at sourdough bread on the weekend....now I really wish I had taken pictures of that. Total failure! Something happened to the sourdough starter...not sure what happened...but something happened. A thick crust formed on the top and under the crust was a runny slime. I couldn't stop laughing. The only thing Big Daddy said was "I don't have to eat that, right?!" lol
**********

I read somewhere on a blog this week that this homesteader described herself as part Olivia Walton, part Ma Ingalls, with a good dose of Ma Kettle thrown in. I laughed until I peed. Because my own mother says that she can't believe how much of a hillbilly I am and my Granny Syvret will never be gone as long as I'm alive. Sure we share a name, both love a full pantry and have been known to throw a clean dish towel over a pan of brownies, but that's where the similarities end....I think.

5 comments:

PennyWolfe said...

The bread...hilarious!!

I'm with you on the back to basics stuff. It is pretty darn satisfying isn't it? Now we all know I would not survive in a little house on the prairie, but I'm all for creating goodness from the kitchen to share with family and friends. Oh...I'm so pulling for an east coast move so you can learn me somethings in the kitchen!

Denim jumper eh...Sounds comfy!

Unknown said...

great job.....I am soo jealous of you domesticated divas....

after all jumpersuits and buggies, will be in fashion before you know it.... :)

The Scavenger said...

Well, beats, jam, laundry soap and sourdough bread. If big daddy get's tired of all that, put on those overall's and Amish head gear and head south girl, all the way to Kentucky. LOL You sure have learned some very useful skills. I think it's so much fun to learn to do new things, makes me kinda proud of me self. hehe!!! BTW, have you ever noticed that the borax say's "20 Mule Team'?? Know what that means?? I'm told that you can put borax on the shoes of horses and mules and it keeps them from slipping on pavement or other flat hard surfaces. There's enough in that box to do a '20 Mule Team'. Just thought you may like to hear that story, not sure if any of it's true, but I like the sound of it. haha!!

TEAM HALL said...

Hey Chris! So far so good - Big Daddy's not tired of this ole gal yet! Phew!! lol
I love your mule story and I'm going to retell it at the next cocktail party...hahahaha, sometimes I kill myself! I'll probably just tell it to Big Daddy over a cold beer!


Hey Janice - Me thinks you're right. Can you imagine what the 401 will look like? hehe

Hey Penny - try the bread, oh not the sourdough one lol - you'd be great at it...nothing to it...I promise!

geminirn said...

That laundry detergent sounds interesting ...I think I will give it a try.