Foods, milk, yougurts

breads

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Biodiesel.........gas free vehicle

A Radio

Knitting Baby mittens, hats, scarves

Solar Heating

Dumpster Diving (free Stuff)

 

Aleph Bet Gimmel Cookie Cutters Our Price: $6.99

How to Make

"She brought forth butter in a lordly dish" (Judges 5:25).

To make the Butter Churn:

Materials:

Small knife
coffee can, or any wide mouth container with a plastic snap-fast lid.
Tinkertoy® parts

1. Make the dasher by assembling 8 of the shortest (1 inch) Tinkertoy® dowels around a wheel, and use one long dowel for the handle.
2. Cut or punch a hole in the center of the plastic lid, large enough for the dowel handle to fit through easily. Assemble the butter churn by putting the dasher in the can with the handle sticking out.
   

Making Butter:

Ingredients:

whipping or heavy cream
salt
several friends to help take turns

1. Let the cream stand at room temperature for several hours, then pour into the churn, about half full.
2. Place the tightly on the churn and begin beating the dasher up and down at a steady rhythm. After about 20 - 30 minutes the butter should come as lumps that float on the top and stick to the dasher.
3. When no more curds seem to form, remove the lid and scoop out the butter curds. The butter will be soft and mushy. Put the curds in a bowl and rinse under cold running water to remove any milk.
4. Put the butter in the refrigerator to cool. After about an hour, the butter will be firm enough to mold. While you are doing this, taste the butter. It may seem sweet; just add a pinch of salt, blend and the taste will be more familiar.
5. The butter can now be shaped into balls, pats or what ever shape you desire. You can also use use cookie cutters or pack it into a plastic tub.

An alternative method to the butter churn, is to pour the cream in a glass jar and shake vigorously until the curds form. Then prepare as above.

Peanut butter is a fun and easy recipe to make!

Ingredients :

Roasted peanuts in shells

Corn or vegetable oil

Sugar

What you'll need:

Measuring cup

Food processor or grinder (for crunchy style peanut butter)

Food blender (for smooth style)

Tablespoon

Teaspoon

Jar

1. Crack open the shells and remove the peanuts. Measure out about one cup.
2. Remove the red skin from the peanuts.
3. If you want chunky peanut butter, put the peanuts in a food processor or grinder and run the chopped mixture through three or more times until the peanut butter is the consistency that you like. For creamy style peanut butter, chop up the peanuts in a blender.
4. Add about one to two tablespoons of cooking oil in small amounts and regrind or blend the mixture until the peanut butter is the familiar paste consistency.
5. Add sugar by the teaspoon until the taste is just right. Homemade peanut butter contains no preservatives or other additives.

Removing Baby Stains

• Formula on white clothes Pour lemon juice over the stain and let it soak in the sun. Launder as usual.
  

  	Figure B
  	Figure C
  	Figure D

• Formula on colored clothes Dip the stain in tepid or cool water, then sprinkle unseasoned meat tenderizer over the stain; the meat tenderizer digests the protein in the stain (figure B). Let it soak for about 30 minutes, then launder as usual.

• Apple juice on clothes Wet the stain, rub with a bar of wet laundry soap and work into the stain. Next sprinkle with borax and work into the stain. Launder as usual. Borax is an all natural laundry booster that also removes odor from clothes.

• Spit-up stains Dip stain in warm water and let it soak to help loosen the stain. Sprinkle salt on the stain while it is soaking. Pour detergent over the stain and work in with your thumbs (figure C). Let the material soak again, then launder as usual. The salt will help release the stain.

• Urine on diapers Flush the stain, from the back side of the diaper, with water, then soak in cold water with 2 tablespoons to 1/4 cup of white vinegar before laundering.

• Urine on baby mattress Moisten the area with a damp cloth, pour white vinegar on the stain and wipe off with another moist cloth. Apply more vinegar, if needed, for odor control. Stand the mattress on its side for fast drying (figure D). A fan can also be used to speed drying time.
  

Tip: Bathing a newborn every two to three days is plenty, but be sure to clean the face, neck creases and diaper area daily.

Herbal Insect Repellent
2 1/2 teaspoons total of any combination of the following essential oils: basil, cedarwood, citronella, juniper, lemon, myrrh, palmarosa, pine, rose geranium and/or rosemary (available at health food stores)

1 cup 190-proof grain alcohol (available in liquor stores)

Rose Geranium

Place ingredients in a jar with a tight-fitting lid and shake vigorously. Transfer to small bottles for storage. To use, rub a small amount on any exposed skin (test first to be sure your skin will not be adversely affected by the repellent) or dab it on clothing.

Experiment a little to find which essential oils work best with your body chemistry. If you're lucky, you also will like the way they smell; otherwise, add a few drops of peppermint oil to fine-tune the fragrance.

If you are bitten, follow this advice from James Duke, Ph.D., author of "The Green Pharmacy." Plantain (Plantago, various species) is one of the best herbs to treat bug bites.     Plantain

   Herbal First Aid
by Michael Castleman   

MATTHEW T. STALLBAUMER

It’s always a good idea to keep a first aid kit around for minor emergencies, and when you’re stocking the kit, don’t overlook natural products that can speed healing and reduce the risk of infection. Soothe minor cuts and scrapes — safely and naturally — with these common natural medicines.

• The oils in chamomile promote skin regeneration. Make a strong tea using 1 heaping teaspoon of flowers per cup of boiling water. Steep until cool. Apply to damaged skin using a compress.
• Comfrey contains allantoin, a compound that helps heal wounds. Apply fresh, washed and bruised leaves directly to wounds as a poultice, or apply a paste of powdered leaves.
• Calendula also helps heal wounds. Brew a tea using 1 to 2 teaspoons of dried flowers per cup of boiling water. Steep until cool. Apply using a compress, or mix 1 to 2 teaspoons of tincture in a cup of water and apply.
• Apply honey to a wound to prevent infection and speed healing.

Infant/Children Oral Hydration Solution

Home made ORS recipe

Preparing a 1 (one) litre oral rehydration solution [ORS] using Salt, Sugar and Water at Home

Mix an oral rehydration solution using  one of the following recipes; depending on ingredients and container availability:

Ingredients:

• one level teaspoon of salt
• eight level teaspoons of sugar
• one litre of clean drinking or boiled water and then cooled
  5 cupfuls (each cup about 200 ml.)

Preparation Method:

• Stir the mixture till the salt and sugar dissolve.

Sometimes called "stress busters", these nifty little pads can be tossed in the microwave and used as heating pads for sore, aching or tense muscles, or tossed in the freezer and used as cooling pads!

*  The Insides. You can fill the pad with dry rice, corn, bird seed, or a combination of all of these.

Add spices, herbs and/or essential oils - when heated the pad will smell wonderful. A combination of allspice, ground cloves, ginger and nutmeg makes a nice fall/winter  smell. The combination of herbs below are purported to soothe a headache:

Dried lavender
Marjoram 
Rose petals
Cloves
Rosemary

Mix all the ingredients together in a large bowl. Add a few drops of essential oil if desired. Cover and leave for a day or two, stirring occasionally to distribute the herbs.

* The Outside. Pads can quickly be made by using an old tube sock and sewing up the ends.

Other materials:

An old towel or washcloth
Flannel (cut up an old flannel shirt or nightgown if you have one)
Muslin

Simply cut the material into rectangle pieces, 2-3 times longer than the width. Fold lengthwise and sew up the sides. Spoon in the mixture and sew the top end closed.

If you'll be giving these as gifts, you might want to go one extra step and make an outer pouch that's pretty, and washable. An outer pouch also helps protect the skin from excess heat or cold. Follow the same basic instructions as above, but make the outer pouch just a little larger than the inner. On one end you might want to include a strip of Velcro to close the pouch and hold the inner pad in place.

Added embellishments might include a loop of material or ribbon on both ends to use as a handle, a strip of satin ribbon folded over the edges for trim, or a embroidered design. Just remember, whatever decoration you use should be soft, not scratchy or hard.

TO USE.  Simply pop the pad in the microwave and nuke for 2-3 minutes (time will vary depending on the size of your pad). To use as a cooling pad, place in the refrigerator or freezer.

A cautionary note about heating pads catching fire from smoldering on the inside.

LAUNDRY DETERGENT

I have multiple laundry detergent recipes, and this is the one I like best. It's a powder, and I keep it in a 5-quart ice cream bucket. (The recipe makes more than will fit, so the extra goes in a gallon freezer ziploc.) An old Oxi-Clean scoop is just the right size to scoop enough for one load of laundry. This uses castile soap because it dissolves better in various hardnesses and temperatures of water and it's easier on your skin than most soaps. You can use regular bar soap (like Ivory), but it won't dissolve as easily and, in my experience, the castile soap is MUCH nicer to grate. For me, though, it isn't especially cheap when using castile soap (which is $3/bar at my local health food store). If you have a cheaper source or make your own soap, it will be more cost effective. I also chose to leave the essential oil out. (I used Dr. Bronner's aloe vera baby soap.)

16 c. baking soda
12 c. borax (more than 1, but less than 2, boxes)
8 c. grated castile soap (approx. 4 bars; I just used 4 bars & didn't measure)
3 Tbsp. essential oil

Mix. Use 2 Tbsp. per load. For an extra-large or extra-dirty load, use 4 Tbsp. This will do 288 "regular" loads, 144 "large or extra-dirty" loads, or something in between. I use 4 Tbsp. in diapers and 2 Tbsp. in nearly everything else.


WONDER SPRAY

This is an all-purpose cleaner. It originated somewhere on the web, but I'm not sure where. It works really well, but I have trouble with it clogging my spray bottle sometimes. I don't use the essential oil, largely because I never HAD any when I was mixing it up.

Using a 16-ounce trigger spray bottle, mix 2 Tbsp. white vinegar with 1 Tbsp. borax. Fill most of the rest of the spray bottle with very hot tap water. Shake until borax is dissolved. Add 1/4 c. liquid soap or detergent LAST. If you want to, you can add 10-15 drops of essential oil to scent it.

MISCELLANEOUS TIPS

A friend from an online bulletin board told me the other day that shampoo can be used to clean bathtubs. That made sense to me, so I tried it and it worked GREAT. Smear the shampoo across the bottom of the bathtub and let it sit for a while. (Make sure no one gets IN the bathtub in the meantime, or it could be dangerous!) This will require far less scrubbing than bathroom cleaner because the shampoo is designed to break down body oils, which is what that scum in the bottom of the bathtub mainly is.

I put baking soda, borax, etc. in old parmesan cheese containers. They make great dispensers for abrasives, as the lids have a "pouring" side and a "sprinkling" side. (I use the Wal-Mart brand of grated parmesan. The tops screw on and off for filling/refilling.)

Recipes

The Enterprising Kitchen is a non-profit organization on the north side of Chicago which aims to find meaningful work for homeless women or those struggling with substance abuse. Based on the model established by the Women's Bean Project in Denver, the workers are paid minimum wage to work part-time assembling and packaging soaps which use no animal by-products. They receive on-the-job training, computer training, and help with setting goals.

Pampering

Troubled Skin Bath
Summer can cause a variety of irritations to your skin. Try soaking in the
troubled Skin Bath as an aid in relieving some of them.
1/4 cup fresh or 2 tablespoons dried thyme
1/4 cup fresh or 2 tablespoons dried calendula blossoms
1 quart boiling water
Add the herbs to the boiling water and simmer, covered, for 10 minutes.
Remove the infusion from the heat and let it cook to lukewarm. Strain the
infusion and add to your bathwater.

Deodorizing Bath
All of the herbs in this recipe contain ingredients that will deodorize
your body. It is a wonderful herbal mixture to enjoy after a hot day of
working in the garden.
1/4 cup fresh or 2 tablespoons dried thyme
1/4 cup fresh or 2 tablespoons dried lavender buds
1/4 cup fresh or 2 tablespoons dried rosemary
1 muslin bath bag
1 quart boiling water
Add the fresh or dried herbs to the bag and close snugly. Add the bag to the
water and simmer, covered, for 15 minutes. Remove the infusion from the heat
and cool to lukewarm. Add the infusion and bag to your bathwater, using the
bag of herbs as a washcloth.

Fragrant Bath
The herbs in this recipe will give you a fresh, pleasantly scented bath.

1/4 cup fresh or 2 tablespoons dried sweet marjoram
2 tablespoons fresh or 1 tablespoons dried lavender buds
2 tablespoons fresh or 1 tablespoons dried peppermint
1 muslin bath bag
1 quart boiling water
Add the fresh or dried herbs to the muslin bag and close snugly. Infuse the
bath bag or herbs in the boiling water and simmer, covered, for 15 to 20
minutes. Let the infusion cool to lukewarm, then add it and the bath bag to
your bathwater.

Relaxation Bath
1/2 cup fresh or 1/4 cup dried lemon balm
1/2 cup fresh or 1/4 cup dried German chamomile blossoms
2 cups boiling water
Add the herbs to the boiling water. Cover and infuse for 20 minutes. Strain
and add to your bath water.

WINTER STORM KIT

* Prepare a winter storm kit. Include first aid supplies, battery-powered radio, flashlight, extra batteries, blankets, canned food and opener, bottled water, warm clothing.

* Take your car in for an oil change and have the tires checked. Place a blanket and bottled water in the car for emergencies.

Homemade Solar Heater

Build a Simple Solar Heater

How to make Ginger Ale

How to make Chai Tea

Grow Herbs Organically

Grow herbal garden indoors

Grow Ginger

Make herbal tincture (use fresh herbs only)

Treat a headache naturally

How to make a Throw Pillow

make a Bean Bag

Baby T-Shirt

 

 

Family Tree - Craft   

Aleph Bet Plastic Coloring Mat   Aleph Bet Stickers - Fun on a Roll 

  Candle Box Holder- Wood Craft Create an Underwater World

 Etrog Spice Holder- Wood Craft