Sharing Primitive Skills

We have a new member of Rising Roots Collective, our worker-run collective based at Oran Mor Community where I live. We are so happy to welcome Keven Statwick, a primitive skills artist and teacher!!

He has been involved with teaching and demonstrating primitive skills since 1998. He works with local organizations like the Boy Scouts and Oran Mor Community to share the wisdom and knowledge of primitive peoples so we can carry these valuable skills on with us. Among other things, Keven is skilled at making and using bows and arrows, primitive pottery, flint knapped arrow points, stone knives, leather tanning, drums, and he even welds beautiful metalworks!

Keven frequently joins us at Oran Mor Community to help with work projects and to share skills with us here. We plan to have a Pottery Making class this year and he would love to share knowledge on any of these skills. Please feel free to contact us if you have a particular interest in primitive skills so we can plan a class or workshop!

Contact us at 417-250-9252 or oranmor@speedymail.org

See Keven’s work on etsy here – risingrootscollectiv.etsy.com

And check it out in person at Farm Fork and Fiddle, a local co-op shop in Gainesville, MO. www.farmforkfiddle.com

 

Farm Fork and Fiddle July Newsletter

Farm, Fork & Fiddle Ozark County Homegrown Food Project Newsletter 7.16.16 This is our first newsletter, if you don’t wish to receive it in the future, just let me know and I’ll be sure your email address is removed from the list. No worries at all! farmforkfiddle.com http://tinyurl.com/FFFCalendar http://tinyurl.com/FFFdiscussion Subscribe, unsubscribe or send your questions, suggestions or comments to, Jewel at FFFNewsletter@outlook.com ~ Meeting & Event Dates ~ Café & Shop Hours Café is open for lunch Mon, Wed & Fri from 10:am to 2:00pm Shop is open during Cafe hours plus Wed & Fri 4:30 to 7:00pm FFF General Meeting July 21st at the Yellow house. Potluck at 5:00pm, meeting at 5:30 Everyone is welcome and encouraged to attend. Farm to Table Community Potluck Hosted by Amelia LaMair July 29th   5:00 to 8:00 pm at the Farm, Fork & Fiddle Bring a dish to share featuring something grown or raised in the Ozarks. Prettiest and ugliest vegetable competition- bring your entries and cast your vote. Musical entertainment by Buzzards Hollar, bring your instruments for jamming before or after Yard games for all ages Free event, donations welcome Shop will be open Ozark County Home Funeral Group Meets every other Wednesday or as listed Nest Meeting is July 20th Upstairs at the Farm, Fork & Fiddle Eat at the Café at 12:30 – Meeting at 1:00 ~ Special Notices ~ The Seed Swap has been put off until the fall because so much has been going on but I’ve been working on Garden Starter packs and lining up some speakers. ~ News ~ We have a new treasurer, Mindy Pippin. And a new Member Coordinator, Renee Schmucker. Thank you both so much!! We were without AC for quite some time but, thanks to Pearl and the Hammonds, we now have two window AC units and are cool and comfortable. Even without air we were open on a few days, thank you to everyone who worked in the heat and humidity!! ~ Monthly Specials ~ * ~ Currently at the Farm, Fork & Fiddle ~ Homegrown & Handcrafted in the Ozarks! Make your shopping list and stop by to fill your home with whole, fresh foods, natural herbal medicinals, one of a kind artwork and handcrafted goods! Baked goods, fresh produce, fresh eggs, nut butters, aprons, artwork tinctures, oils, salves, knitted goods, soaps, cards, artwork, jewelry and so much more. Produce List tomatoes, banana peppers, jalapenos, beets, onions, green beans, cucumbers, zucchini, potatoes, and more! ~ Meet A Member ~ For our first addition it’s Meet the Crew. These are just a fraction of the dedicated souls who work hard and long to keep the Farm, Fork & Fiddle going. Jessi Dreckman – President Dennise Lawson – Secretary Carole Long – Kitchen Coordinator & Board Member Amelia LaMair – Grant Writer & Board Member Pearl Schneider – Vice President, Board Member & Garden Committee Dez Fleck – Volunteer Coordinator Jule Kruger – Vendor Coordinator Candace Butler – Vendor Coordinator Susie Fijinaga – Events Coordinator Crystal Marshall – Perishable Goods Coordinator Renee Schmucker – Member Coordinator Jewel Krasinski – Newsletter & Board Member ~ Product Highlight ~ Handmade Greeting Cards by Tracey Meal of Cardsavvy – Vendor #41 “My trade is Interior Design, I love working with color shape and texture in any medium. started making cards about 12 years ago, I have been scrapbooking since 1998 and it was kind of a natural progression into papercrafting. I use hand stamps, inks, different archival quality papers, digitally created and printed images and hand lettering occasionally, to create my cards. I cut each card by hand, I prefer not to buy pre-made blank cards.  I love the creative process and selecting the materials for each card is my favorite part of that process. I prefer to leave the inside of my cards blank so that people can write their own sentiments inside, thereby making them that much more special. Each design is unique and I try to not use the same design over again, once those papers are used up I do not buy them again. If you see a few cards that look alike they are limited editions and will not be created again. Sometimes I can get 5 or 6 cards out of a single sheet, and part of the creative process is determining if the paper is better suited for condolence, get well, birthday or all purpose use. I hope people enjoy receiving them as much as I enjoy creating them. Thanks! Tracy” ~ FFF Needs ~ Upstairs office … Small desk Desk chair Locking file cabinets or lockbox Shop is looking for the following… Local honey Baked goods Produce Any local homegrown or handmade goods If you’re interested in vending, contact one of our Vendor coordinators, Candace at 417-294-0755 or calinkenauger@yahoo.com or ochfpretailsales@gmail.com Jule at 417-679-0446 We’re always in need of volunteers! If you’re interested in volunteering, Please contact Dez, our Volunteer coordinator at 417-250-9252 or greenearthalive@gmail.com Areas needed – *Assistant Volunteer coordinator (to help Dez) * People willing and able to be trained on the register (may include a background check) *Marketing / Advertising – Getting the word out about when we are open and events that we have going on. This could be a group working together. Some places to advertise include facebook, website, blog, bulletin boards, newspaper, signs on the street, etc. Classes If you would like to teach a class or hold an event that coincides with our mission (wholesome local living), we would love to have you! Susie Fujinaga is our Events Coordinator and will be able to help you set it up. 417-989-1035  or susiefuji3@gmail.com ~ Recipe ~ Submit your from-scratch recipes, along with your name to FFFnewsletter@outlook.com I’ll include one recipe per issue  J In Season Fruit Crumble  – (by Julia Catfeather) You can use most any kind of fruit or berries or combinations. Apple Raisin in the fall, Mixed Berries in the summer etc.. As always, use what you have  🙂 Fruit 6 cups any fruit or berry or combination, fresh, thawed or rehydrated 1/2 cup honey 2 T brown sugar 3 T flour Topping 1/2 cup flour 1/2 cup oats 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 1/3 cup honey 1/2 cup softened butter Prepare fruit as needed (core, chop, thaw, rehydrate etc) then add to a large bowl. Drizzle the honey over the fruit and mix to coat. Add the brown sugar and then sift the flour in. Mix again but not overly to crush much fruit. Pour fruit mixture into a baking pan, dutch oven or deep dish pie pan. Glass, ceramic or pottery is best, especially for very acidic fruit. Topping Combine first 3 ingredients and mix well. Add softened butter and honey and mix well again.  Top fruit with spoonfuls. Bake at 350 F for around 40 minutes. Until topping is browned and fruit is bubbling. Allow to cool for 15 to 20 minutes before serving. ~ Meeting Minutes ~ May 26, 2016 Opening The regular meeting of the Ozark County Homegrown Food Project was called to order at 5:4 0PM on May 26th in Farm Fork and Fiddle by Amelia LaMair Approval of Minutes The minutes were approved after one change. Subsequently Pearl Schneider accepted the role of Vice President of the Board Financial report Finance report was given and accepted unanimously Open Issues Mindy Pippin has taken the Treasurer position. Dennise will remain as secretary. By Laws distributed. Another meeting is suggested to accept or make changes. But, the current By Laws were accepted at this time until a later meeting is scheduled in the Fall. New Business: Keep the upstairs closed if not in use. All agreed Coordinators job description discussed. The coordinators have been empowered to make decision on their own. If they have concerns or questions, it can be pushed upward to the Board for assistance. Jon Kruger has offered to mow the lawns Jeffrey Goss has offered to get soil for the garden boxes. Chrystal has offered to take the Produce Coordinator position. Vote of majority approved her position. The produce coordinator has the right to remove plants, vegetable of less quality. Event coordinator has the right to approve all events. Events should support the mission. If the coordinator has questions/concerns it can be pushed upward to the Board. Discussion was tabled on renting out the facility to others Reminder to log volunteer hours. During the Workshop it was discussed that communication continues to be a problem. Please work on approaching this in a positive way. Ways to communicate include using Face Book discussion, check bulletin board, read and use email. Dez has offered to call and email persons if they want to be more involved. Bullet points of issues can be posted on Bulleting Board. Jessi has difficulty keeping up with pushing out all the info. Dez will help by sending out info once a month as well. Carole suggested that coordinators should send to email for each area once a week. Jon recommended a monthly coordinator report. Jeffrey recommended a comment box. Close Memorial Day. Please don’t park in handicapped parking area Candace will make signs Also do not park in front of the building if you are volunteering for the day. Farmer’s Market is scheduled for June 4. Credit Card Machine. Wireless now. Discussion took place on internet and phone services. Land line for machine rather than wireless. Bundled services discussion took place as well. Trash service: Discussion took place on different costs and benefits of trash services. Tables until can talk to Dennise Air Conditioner is not working. Rachel Klessig has offered to work on getting someone to fix it. Received donation of $1000 from St. Louis Realities. Living the Dream Properties. Dez will ask Tracie Meal to send Thank you. It was agreed upon to make a $50 donation to the Historium for use of the building for our workshop Donna Yeggy quilt raffle details discussed. Miriam will be in charge of the raffle. Will have the raffle closer to Hootin and Hollerin. Kitchen: policy for scheduling is needed. Clipboard is kept in the kitchen. Cooks need to stay in contact. Local foods: We are doing well with using local foods. Need to publicize it more. Weekly list to cooks of what we have. Garden: Jeffrey will get a pick up load from MLH soon. $40 Trellises: T posts need to be pulled. Raise the trellises. Will send message out when we can have a garden workday. Composter: Miriam and Phil have a composter. Vendors; Rearranging items and food in the retail room. Membership: Monthly deals? Events and workshops: Jewel is working on a seed swap. Eric and Carlos are interested in giving music lessons. Wait until after baseall season. Candace is interested in teaching rock painting. Set up a meeting about the house contract. Contract ends June 30. June 9th was the day set for the meeting. Membership: Lottie wants to exchange items and labor for membership. Jule will call her. T shirts: Order forms should be returned with the payment by June 15th in sealed envelope. Jessie will bring catalogue Agenda for Next Meeting Agenda will be distributed at the next meeting Adjournment The next general meeting will be at 5:30 on June 16, 2016, in Farm Fork and Fiddle. Minutes submitted by: Dennise Lawson Secretary

Cob Oven Workshop at OM

Spring is here again!! Flowers blooming in the fields, cherries growing plump on the trees, strawberries ripening, bees buzzing, greens growing everywhere… and we have been busy busy planning, growing, and BUILDING! Our most recent build is our beautiful, brand new, earthen cob oven.  Lots of local folks came out to help us with the project, friends from East Wind Community, folks from the Ava Growers Market, and some good friends from down the road. Most of the materials were sourced from the land we call home. We dug the clay from a hole next to the Outdoor Kitchen, shoveled creek sand into buckets and hauled it up here, and the platform the cob oven sits upon is built from beautiful large rocks from the creek bed. We used firebrick that we salvaged from here and there, tiles for a lovely countertop also laying around on the property… this land is just full to the brim with useful supplies!

The structure on the left was built over the Winter and finished this Spring using roundwood Cedar timbers from our beautiful forest. It is primarily timber framed and we attached it to the timber frame building on the right side which was built several years ago by a former Communard. That beautiful structure on the left side there surrounded by river rocks is our cob oven platform. There are pallets on top of old metal barrels that act as the real structure, all sourced from our scrap piles, and the rocks serve as beauty and form. We filled the pallets with a simple clay and sand cob mixture to insulate the cob oven.

Cob oven form.

Making the sand igloo.

Finished touches on the sand igloo.

Carlos digging sand.

Igloo wrapped in newspaper..

Cob stompin family!

We began the build by first setting up fire bricks where we wanted the cob oven. Then we made a form by putting some salvaged cinder block and a bucket full of bricks to take up space within our sand form. The sand form was made from sifted creek sand and water, basically like building a sand castle, but a sand igloo! This is just to make the shape of the cob oven. You build the middle to be the size that you want the interior of the oven. When the oven is dry, we will dig out the sand castle and remove the blocks and bucket. Once the form was complete, we covered it in wet phone book paper. This is to insure that the sand igloo doesn’t mix with the cob and making it easier to dig out.Without this you could easily dig out extra or have sand falling onto your first pizzas.

Starting our first layer of cob.

More cob stomping fun!

Pat and Joy and me cobbing it up.

More cob cob cob!

Almost complete…

Cob cob COB!!! The mixture we ended up using was one bucket of clay to two buckets of sand, give or take some handfuls. With every batch we mixed, we did a drop test to check the consistency. After stomping and mixing the clay and sand and water thoroughly, we took a handful of it and kneaded it about 50 times, then dropped it from chest height onto the tarp we mixed it on. If it crumbles and breaks apart, there is too much sand. We always veered on the side of too much sand and gradually added more clay until we could drop it without crumbling. Too much clay in the mixture will cause more cracking as the oven dries. The ration of sand to clay in cob will vary a lot from place to place depending on the amount of silt and soil in your clay.

First layer of cob is complete, about 4 inches thick… now for the second layer!!

Fire to celebrate cob and Beltane!

Our second layer of cob.

Craig and Richard digging and sifting.

Carlos, Delta, and I playing with mud..

The second layer is complete!

After a firey Beltane and cob celebration, we went to bed, woke up the next day, and went wild with more mud for layer two of the oven! We didn’t get as many photos of the beginning stages of this layer but it went on the same way, from the bottom up. This layer is made from the same clay and sand mixture with added straw this time for extra insulative properties. This layer was intended to be about 3 inches thick but is between and 4 and  6 inches in many places. We decided when the oven is dry we are going to chisel out the door a bit and make it wider so we can fit up to 14 inch pizzas in there!  During this awesome workshop, we splurged on loads of yummy pizzas from our small cob oven that we completed a couple years ago. Wish I would have snapped some shots of our scrumptious yummies! I promise they were beautiful. So now we are letting the cob oven dry out for a while. We may add some sculpting to the oven to make her super awesome and one of a kind and we will add a plaster and mosaic once she’s dry.

This is our mini cob oven, built long before the Outdoor Kitchen extension. We still use it once a week for pizza nights!

Hope you found this inspirational and educational! Let me know if you have any questions and get out there to play in the mud…

Spring on the Farm at Oran Mor

Good morning! We just finished up all the morning chores… chickens, ducks, and geese are out. Guinea keets have been tended, fed their organic starter grains and probiotic supplements. They are so cute, those little tiny baby guineas. The guinea eggs we are incubating have been turned and my favorite chore – the goats have been milked! Pearl is making breakfast of fresh turnips and eggs for community breakfast and I thought it would be nice to share some photos of the garden.

Motherwort in bloom, will soon be harvested for tincture.

Squash, Tomatoes, Peppers, Okra, Sweet Potatoes, & Cukes ready for the ground.

The rock bench below our Bradford Terrace gardens where we are growing greens, potatoes, bergamot, and elderberries.

Dale Gardens – growing tomatoes, basil, onions, kale, cilantro, and other greens.

Arugula flowers in another green bed.

A greens bed growing lettuces, mustard, and arugula.

Our many, many elderberry bushes are blooming!

We have been using our cob oven a lot this Spring, delicious pizzas!

There you have it.. hope you enjoyed a small taste of what’s going on here at the farm. I will update soon with some photos of our animals and more of the gardens once things get a little bigger. We have lots of corn, squash, and cukes in the ground and so much more to be done! Fun on the farm never ends.

What are you growing this year?

Cleaning Up the Safe and Natural Way

By Leslie Vandever

There’s an old saying: “there are only two things you can count on in this life: death and taxes.” I’d like to add one more: housework. No matter who you are, what you do, or where you live, one of the things that heads the domestic to-do list is housework. Sure, there are people out there who never clean up their living spaces. My opinion? Eww. Just, eww.

So, I presume you’re reading this because you realize that like it or not, you have to clean the house now and then because of, well, sanitation. It’s a big, beautiful old world we live in, but it’s dirty. And germy. Maybe you’re worried about the chemical household cleaners available at your local store and possible allergic reactions. What are they doing to you and your family? And the environment? Finally, you’d just like to save a little money. Who wouldn’t? It turns out that you can make your own household cleaners out of just a few, mostly inexpensive, natural substances—and it’s so easy it’s almost embarrassing.

The Basics for a Clean, Green House

For a household environment that’s not only green, but clean, get these ecologically-friendly substances at your local grocery or hardware store:

• baking soda (bicarbonate of soda): mild abrasive, natural deodorizer
• sodium borate (borax): a non-toxic mineral, boosts detergents and household cleaners, disinfects surfaces and removes stains in clothing
• isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol: disinfects, cleans, evaporates quickly
• white vinegar: mildly acidic, dissolves dirt, soap scum and hard water deposits from smooth surfaces, natural deodorizer (vinegar smell vanishes when dry)
• lemon juice: mildly acidic, it cuts grease, kills mold and mildew, deodorizes and smells wonderful
• ammonia: general-purpose cleaner for glass, porcelain, stainless steel and other surfaces. Great for glass; it dries streak-free. (Never mix ammonia with bleach (or vinegar); the combination produces a toxic, deadly vapor).
• hydrogen peroxide: bubbling action cleans surfaces and lifts stains
• castile soap: pure, mild, natural soap
• washing soda: (carbonate of soda): softens laundry water

Homemade Household Cleaner Recipes

With the above ingredients, you can whisk together several cleaning mixtures that work just as well as the far more expensive, far less green cleaning products found at the grocery store.

For scrubbing hard surfaces: ¾ cup baking soda, ¼ cup borax, a little castile soap. Combine the first two ingredients, then add the liquid soap to make a fine paste. Add a few drops of lemon juice for the scent, if you like.

Toilet cleaner: 1 cup of borax, ¼ cup vinegar or lemon juice. Combine to make a paste, then apply to the inside of the toilet bowl. Scrub and leave for a couple of hours, then flush away.

All-purpose sanitizer: 2 teaspoons borax, 4 tablespoons vinegar, 3 to 4 cups hot water. Place ingredients in a spray bottle and shake to mix. For extra power, add ¼ teaspoon of liquid castile soap.

Glass and windows: 3 tablespoons of vinegar in 1 quart of water in a spray bottle. Windows are really dirty? Try ½ teaspoon of liquid castile soap, 3 tablespoons of vinegar, and 2 cups of water. For streak-free windows every time, use sheets of newspaper instead of paper towels.

Deodorize the garbage disposer: drop a slice of lemon, with the rind, into the disposer and grind it up.

See how easy those are to make? A quick Internet search is all you need to find many, many more. Just search for “homemade household cleaners.” To learn more about a variety of health topics for you and your family click here.

Leslie Vandever is a professional journalist and freelance writer with more than 25 years of experience. Although her half-Finnish, ultra-neat-nik mother strove to teach her proper housekeeping skills as she grew up, they didn’t take until Leslie’s own daughter was born. That was when she developed the “‘eeew test:'” if it’s dirty enough to make you go “eeew” involuntarily, it absolutely must be cleaned. Perhaps sterilized. Leslie lives in the foothills of Northern California.

Check out more great health related articles at Healthline.com

References:

Non-toxic Home Cleaning. (n.d.) Eartheasy. Solutions for Sustainable Living. Retrieved on April

14, 2014 from http://eartheasy.com/live_nontoxic_solutions.htm

Make Your Own Cleaners. (n.d.) Old Farmer’s Almanac. Retrieved on April 14, 2014 from

http://www.almanac.com/content/make-your-own-cleaners

Cost of Eating Local, Organic Food

My husband and I eat mostly local and / or organic food and I constantly get told by people that it’s too expensive for them and there’s no way they could afford to feed their family. So I decided to keep track of all of our food expenses for August and share here so you can get a realistic idea of how much it costs. Keep in mind, proper nutrition that energizes the body and provides abundant nourishment is an investment in the future of your health as well as the present. The two of us don’t pay for health insurance because we have no need for it, we take no medications, and we don’t have any other health bills. We are two incredibly healthy people because we eat very healthy food and we lead healthy lifestyles. When we do feel sick, we have homemade remedies that we use which are very inexpensive. It pays to know some basic things about herbs and other remedies, saves a lot of money not having to see doctors. Also, keep in mind that I am pregnant so I’m eating A LOT!

Our August Food Bill

Meat – $131.14

Most of this food was purchased from a local farmers market. I make an effort to eat only local, grass fed, free range, organic meat. Meat is very dense so it can harbor a lot of toxins from the environment it is raised in and the food the animal eats. I believe that eating healthy, happy animals is a wonderful part of a well-balanced diet. For those of you who are vegan or vegetarian, this money could go towards other proteins like beans and raw nuts.

Produce – $86.29

A lot of our produce came from the Farmers Market and our local produce stand (The Tomato House). We also harvested many cucumbers, a few tomatoes, and some peppers from our apartment garden. We were also gifted some produce from gardening friends. For those of you with a house or land, I highly encourage starting at least a small garden. Growing your own food can save you a lot of money on your monthly produce bill. You can honestly grow ALL of your produce AND raise your own meat on your property if you have the time, and that could make your food bill next to nothing.

Grains, Breads, Etc. – $25.04

We have invested in buying bulk grains like quinoa, buckwheat, and oats in the past so we didn’t have to buy much of it this month. It is definitely worth it to buy certain things in bulk! There is a great bulk food buying co-op that delivers nationwide called Azure Standard. http://www.azurestandard.com

Dairy – $81.18

Most of our dairy expense went towards local, raw goat’s milk ($64). We go through 2 gallons every week since we make yogurt,, kefir, and drink a lot of wonderful raw milk. This also covers our cheese and organic butter expenses.

Bulk Food Order – $40

This month we bought 1 pound of sea salt, 2.5 pounds of raw cashews, and 5 pounds of organic quinoa pasta.

Eating Out – $30

Cooking 95% of our meals at home saves A LOT of money on food costs. We don’t do it to save money though. We cook at home so that we can have a deep understanding of the ingredients going into our food.

Snacks – $43.19

These are all those times I was out and didn’t bring enough food with me so I stopped and got a raw food bar, smoothie, or coconut water. Pregnant mama has got to eat!

Grand Total – $475.54

So there you have it. That comes out to about $238 per person. I also feel it necessary to mention that there were multiple occasions that we were also feeding my parents and we went to three potlucks this month so we made large meals to share. Had we only been feeding ourselves, and if I wasn’t pregnant, our bill would definitely be a lot less. For those of you who think this is just way out of their budget and totally obscene, I urge you to keep track of your monthly expenses on food and get back to me. Do you eat out at restaurants? Do you pay money for medications, doctors, or hospital bills? Don’t forget to include those expenses. Nutrition and health go hand in hand.

This idea of lack and “not being able to afford it” will only keep you stuck in that hole. Instead of thinking of how to get something, just set your mind on what you want and make it happen. You can have anything that you set your mind to! Eating local, organic food is extremely important to me and my husband so we make it a priority in our life. In the past we have traded work with local farmers in exchange for meat, produce, and dairy. I have also gone to farmers markets near closing time and asked for discounted prices on leftover produce. There are so many ways to save money on good healthy food.. but I think I’ll leave that for another post.

I hope this inspires and motivates you to start eating more locally and organically! It’s not that expensive and it’s totally worth every penny!

Linked up at : Small Footprint Friday

Gardens Growing Everywhere!

It’s officially summertime and there are gardens growing everywhere! It’s beautiful to see them popping up at motels, churches, apartment complexes, rec centers, schools, front yards, backyards, all over town… The reasons to garden far outnumber the reasons NOT to, and I’m here to tell you that ANYONE can do it!

I live in an apartment complex with my parents and my husband in Branson, Missouri currently. It’s a little tourist town, famous for it’s country music shows. We started growing here about 3 years ago in just one little patch in the landscaping. All we did was ask the management if we could grow a few things because I love to garden and beautify the landscape. They said as long as we maintain it and keep it clean, they would love it! Never be afraid to ask…

Three years later we now have one large bed and 3 small ones, our patio is covered in 5 gallons buckets with plants, and we have planted flowers all around the building.

It’s incredible how much we can grow in our small space! We have squash, a melon, tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, carrots, lettuce, radishes, herbs, flowers, cauliflower, broccoli… the list goes on. If you have never gardened before, start small and grow with it. Don’t be scared to get some dirt under your nails!

My friend Christie, a local radio show host at www.souljourneysradio.com, came over and made a video of our apartment garden. Hopefully it will inspire you.

This article was originally posted on ecoetsy.com

DIY Natural Cleaner Recipes

After cleaning my home for the past 5 years or more with only natural cleaners that I make in my kitchen, I have compiled a long list of wonderful cleaning supplies. Today I’m going to share the simple recipes that I use in my own home so you can make them too! They are completely natural and non-toxic, safe for your family!

Soap Scum Remover / Soft Scrub

Supplies :

• baking soda
• liquid castile soap – I use Dr. Bronners and I LOVE the lavender scent, but any castile soap will work.
• bowl & sponge

Directions :

Simply mix the baking soad and liquid castile soap in a missing bowl to form a nice paste. Take your sponge and watch the magic happen as you scrub away the soap scum, mildew, grime, and limescale.

All – Purpose Cleaner

Supplies :

• plastic spray bottle
• vinegar
• water
• essential oil

Directions :

Pour 1 cup of vinegar into your spray bottle and fill with water. Add as much essential oil as you prefer in a scent that you enjoy. I like to use a anti-microbial, anti-bacterial essential oil like lemon or peppermint.

Oven Cleaner

Supplies :

• baking soda
• water
• spray bottle

Directions :

Fill the spray bottle with just water. Spray down your entire oven so that it’s moist. Get the walls, racks, and bottom to cover all the stuck on grime. Once it’s sufficiently moist, lather the baking soda onto all dirty, wet surfaces to about ¼” thickness. Make sure it’s wet and pasty. Then you let it sit with the oven off for a few hours. Come back and simply wipe it off. All the grime should come right off.

Toilet Bowl Cleaner

Supplies :

• baking soda
• liquid castile soap
• toilet brush

Directions :

Drain the water out of the toilet bowl so you can clean the bowl easily. Make a paste with the baking soda and castile soap. With a toilet brush, lather and scrub your toilet bowl with the paste.

Laundry / Dishwashing Detergent

Supplies :

• 4 cups borax
• 4 cups washing soda
• Essential oil
• Vinegar

Directions :

Mix together the borax and washing soda in a container and label it. For each load of laundry, I use about ¼ cup of this mixture and add 2-3 tablespoons of vinegar and about 5 drops of essential oil. I like to use lavender or sandalwood for a calming effect.

Bleach Alternative / Stain Remover

Before washing, apply hydrogen peroxide directly to any large stains. I have use this on colors too and it has not actually bleached them white, but it does remove blood, wine, and every stain I have tried to remove.

This was originally posted on Eco Etsy. Also linked up at Party Wave Wednesday

DIY Crochet Cotton Scrubbie Sponges

Crochet cotton scrubbie sponges are a natural alternative to traditional plastic sponges. The process of making them is easy and so much fun! It gives the creator a deeper understanding and excitement in their cleaning routine, because it’s handmade!

These sponges are very versatile and serve many purposes all over your home! Use them to scrub your dishes, rinse the sponge ,  and then wipe down your kitchen counters and stove top. You can clean the bathroom with them or use them to get ride of scuffs on your walls. They also work great in the shower or bath to scrub your body and I especially love to use them to wash my face. I keep one in the kitchen for cleaning and two in the bathroom.

This tutorial will teach you to make double thick scrubbies with two strands of yarn so they will last a very long time and make it through really tough jobs! I recently lost my kitchen scrubbie that I always use to hand wash the dishes. For two days I couldn’t find it. During those two days I did a few sinks full of dishes with another sponge. I put a few lemon peels down the disposal to cleanse the odor… So two days later my dad found the sponge in our disposal and although it had been used to chop lemon peels, our scrubbie sponge was only slightly frayed, and still one piece!

Without further ado… let’s get on with this super simple DIY!

HOW TO CROCHET COTTON SCRUBBIE SPONGES

You will need…

2 rolls of cotton yarn (I use Lily Sugar n’ Cream)

Crochet hook – H8 / 5.0mm (5.5mm or 6.0mm would be fine)

Scissors

Tapestry needle to weave in the ends

Step 1

Grab the end of both of your strands and loop them together.

Step 2

Chain 4.

Step 3

Slip stitch into the first stitch of your chain to form a little circle.

Step 4

Chain 2. This will be used as your first stitch.

Step 5

Then half double crochet (HDC) into the center hole of the circle you made. HDC a total of 9 times into the same center hole.

Step 6

Slip stitch into the chain you made (the first “stitch”)

Step 7

Chain 2. Do two HDC into each stitch of the previous round. Slip stitch into the chain you made.

Step 8

Chain 2. **One HDC into first stitch. Two HDC into next stitch.** Repeat this until you get to the last stitch. Slip stitch into your chain 2.

Step 9

Cut the strings, tie a knot, and weave in the ends with your tapestry needle.

That’s it! This is my first time writing up a pattern so please let me know if you have any questions!

For those of you who love these but aren’t ready to make them yourself, I offer scrubbies in my etsy shop here.

This post was originally published at ecoetsy, a wonderful community of eco-minded artists who contribute to our eco-friendly blog.

Linked up at: Thank Goodness it’s Monday, Inspire Me Monday, Party Wave Wednesday, Tasty Traditions, Small Footprint Fridays, Fight Back Friday,

Even a stone, and more easily a flower or a bird, could show you the way back to God, to the Source, to yourself. When you look at it or hold it & let it be without imposing a word of mental label on it, a sense of awe, of wonder, arises within you. Its essence silently communicates itself to you and reflects your own essence back to you.

A quote by Eckhart Tolle, borrowed from his book “A New Earth”