Abundant Gifts from the Earth

Summer

It is that time again, when our house becomes overrun with gifts from nature and loving generous families that surround us.

Yesterday, we spent a few hours at a local family farm plot gathering beans, petting ponies, feeding weeds to goats, and picking blueberries.

In the midst of picking the blueberries, you know how that goes right, one in your mouth, one for the bucket, one in your mouth one in the bucket; it struck me this is how we are meant to live out in the sunshine with family gathering food to be set aside for later.

Petting the ponies on the way to the field.

Taking a moment to share a weed with an attentive goat as we gather beans.

Working our way down the row, picking and making fun of one another, investigating interesting bugs and bleating at the goats.

Eating as we are harvesting, tasting the goodness that has been provided even as we labor.

What a great day! Can't wait until each and everyday can hold that kind of right peacefulness, even if it can't be everyday. Can't wait til it outweighs most others!

Honeybee Hive Inspection May 8 2010

This past Saturday we recorded part of our hive inspection.

Lots of yummy honey, good pollen stores, we even got a new bee emerging from her cell :)

But we also saw some strange things we are having problems positively identifying.

Check out our video, you'll need to turn your volume up to hear the sound.

Lack of Dishwasher Detergent Spurs Experimentation

So yesterday we ran out of dish detergent. Actually truth be told we ran out before we went on vacation over a week ago, but it didn't really matter until yesterday.

DH has forever been supportive of all homemade cleaning products EXCEPT dish detergent. I believe he had horrible nightmares of soap suds filling our entire kitchen :).

I had long given up on even thinking about making it at home, when all of a sudden what should I hear cross his lips? "Why don't you just make some?" - Huh? Wha? Who are you and what have you done with my husband?

But with my new found freedom I beelined it to the handy dandy internet to see what I could find.

The most helpful recipe I found here http://www.debtfreeadventure.com/2009/07/simple-effective-jabs-homemade-dishwasher-detergent-rinse-agent/.

Fortunately, earlier in the year I started making our laundry detergent using the recipe from this site http://www.thefamilyhomestead.com/laundrysoap.htm (though I use Ivory soap instead of Fels Naptha) so I already had Borax and Washing Powders but I didn't have any citric acid or kosher salt. So I trotted off to the kitchen to see what I could substitute.

Here's the recipe I ended up with:

1/2 cup Borax

1/2 cup Washing Powders

1/4 cup Cream of Tartar

1/4 cup Lemon Juice

Combine and store- use 1 Tablespoon per load

For the rinse aid I combined vinegar and lemon juice at a 1:1 ratio.

We've run 2 successful loads so far and look forward to many more!