RawFoodBlog

When to Harvest?

http://www.almanac.com/content/ripeness-guide?utm_source=Almanac+Companion&utm_campaign=77bfa56836-Companion_July_5_2011&utm_medium=email&mc_cid=77bfa56836&mc_eid=8e5e548bbc

It’s easy to tell if certain fruit, vegetables, and herbs are ready for harvest; others require a little more investigation. Check our Ripeness Guide for tips on how to tell when it’s time!

Broccoli
Harvest when the buds (treetops) are dark blue-green and tightly closed. If the underside of the top turns yellow, you’ve waited too long. See our broccoli page = http://www.almanac.com/plant/broccoli?utm_source=Almanac+Companion&utm_campaign=77bfa56836-Companion_July_5_2011&utm_medium=email&mc_cid=77bfa56836&mc_eid=8e5e548bbc

Potatoes
Harvest the first delectable little potatoes when plants have just bloomed. For more-mature potatoes, which will be the best keepers, wait until the foliage has died down. See our potato page -http://www.almanac.com/plant/potatoes?utm_source=Almanac+Companion&utm_campaign=77bfa56836-Companion_July_5_2011&utm_medium=email&mc_cid=77bfa56836&mc_eid=8e5e548bbc

Summer Squashes
Yellow squashes and zucchini are at their best when they’re 4 inches long. Pick them young. Plenty more will follow. See our squash and zucchini page – http://www.almanac.com/plant/squash-zucchini?utm_source=Almanac+Companion&utm_campaign=77bfa56836-Companion_July_5_2011&utm_medium=email&mc_cid=77bfa56836&mc_eid=8e5e548bbc

Browse our Plant Guide for more harvesting tips—and recipes, too! -
Quick Clicks

• Make your harvest last! See storage tips.
• See how to build a root cellar.
• Enjoy 40 harvest-fresh recipes!
Expert Advice

Turn your leftover soap slivers into oatmeal soap! Gather ingredients: 1/2 cup regular oatmeal, 1/2 cup small soap pieces, 1-1/2 tablespoons cooking oil, and 1 tablespoon water. Put the soap slivers into a plastic bag and pound them into small chunks. Put the chunks into a blender, add the oatmeal, and pulse until grainy. Pour into a bowl and add the oil and water. Mix with your hands, removing any remaining bigger chunks of soap. Shape the mixture into a ball and let sit until hard, about 2 hours. Be sure to wash the blender thoroughly to remove the soap residue. See more recipes for homemade toiletries -http://www.almanac.com/content/recipes-homemade-toiletries-soaps-shampoos-and-more?utm_source=Almanac+Companion&utm_campaign=77bfa56836-Companion_July_5_2011&utm_medium=email&mc_cid=77bfa56836&mc_eid=8e5e548bbc

Also, check out this organic, all-natural soap that we think is really neat. It’s pedal-powered (mixed with a bicycle)! Read about “Just Soap.” -http://www.almanac.com/content/recipes-homemade-toiletries-soaps-shampoos-and-more?utm_source=Almanac+Companion&utm_campaign=77bfa56836-Companion_July_5_2011&utm_medium=email&mc_cid=77bfa56836&mc_eid=8e5e548bbc

1 1/2 c. purified water
2 ou. rubbing alcohol
15 drops lemongrass essential oil
20 drops cardamon essential oil
Pour into a 16 oz. spray bottle and shake well. You may want to double the recipe for bigger bottles.
Use it in your iron, before ironing! Spray it on your clothes when putting them into the drier.
Spray it on your bed, your linens, your rugs!

18 months without soap or shampoo: success!

http://www.boingboing.net/2011/01/05/18-months-without-so.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+boingboing%2FiBag+%28Boing+Boing%29

via Boing Boing

by Mark Frauenfelder on 1/5/11

This week Sean Bonner reported on his success in staying clean and odorless by showering with water and not using soap or shampoo. Sean was inspired by a blog post I linked to on a site called freetheanimal.com. It’s run by a fellow named Richard Nikoley, who self-experiments with various types of diet, nutrition, exercise, fitness, and health regimens, based on his research in evolutionary biology.

Here’s a little of what Richard has to say about his soap and shampoo free experiment 18 months after starting it:

120940358_4d0204e1c5_o.jpgWhat I’ve found over these 18 months is that I never even thought of the money I was saving. Hell, a decent sized bottle of shampoo and body wash would last me months anyway. Oh, and then there’s the travel size versions. No, what has made this experience oh so satisfying is that I don’t have to worry about any of that anymore — ever. Don’t have to buy it. Don’t have to carry it. Don’t ever run out of it. Don’t have to get it tossed in the dumpster by TSA goons.

So what it boils down to is that this has been such a tremendous experience on the pure grounds of liberation. Now, I can wash up anywhere, anytime there’s a shower, lake, river or stream at hand and feel completely normal about it, not as though it’s the best I can do because I don’t have a big bag of “personal hygiene” products immediately at hand.

A Most Successful Self-Experiment: Over 18 Months Soap and Shampoo Free

Photo

by Madaise. Cr

stinky clothes

http://lifestyle.iloveindia.com/lounge/how-to-get-perspiration-smell-out-of-2204.html

* One of the easy and effective ways to get the perspiration smell out of clothes is to hang them out in the sun. Exposure to sunlight is the best way to get rid of any foul smell. In case of delicate clothes, you can hang them inside out in a place that receives indirect sunlight. The clothes would not only be crisp, but also smell good.
* Before laundering the clothes, you must pre-treat them with an enzyme. Soak them in the enzyme for some time, but make sure that the clothes are not linen, silk or wool.
* You can also add 1 tablespoon of ammonia to half a cup of water and pour it over the stained area of the garment. Leave it for an hour and then wash the garment as usual. Allow the garment to dry in the air.
* Lingerie perspiration odor can be treated by soaking the entire garment in about a gallon of warm salt water and leaving it overnight.
* Another way of getting the perspiration smell out of clothes is to add about two cups of baking soda to the detergent that you are using. This works on almost all odors, on any type of garment.
* Borax powder can also be used, along with hot water and good quality detergent, to get the perspiration odor out of clothes.
* You can also soak the garments in a bucket of water, to which 1-cup vinegar has been added, and leave it overnight. In most of the cases, this works in taking the foul smell off the clothes.
* Another method to get perspiration smell out of clothes is to soak the underarms of garment in undiluted rubbing alcohol for several hours. Thereafter, wash it out, using warm water.
* Though it sounds strange, a combination of cream of tartar and aspirin works well for removing the foul smell from clothes. For this, mix a tbsp of cream of tartar with three crushed full-strength aspirins, in a cup of warm water. Using a toothbrush, scrub the stained area with the same and leave it for 20 minutes. Rinse the cloth with warm water, until the paste is absolutely removed.
* In case you want to get rid of perspiration stain and smell from your white shirts, hydrogen peroxide will be of help. Mix equal parts of hydrogen peroxide and water and pour this liquid onto the stain, allowing it to soak for at least 30 minutes.Rinse off the shirts and let them air d

small measures with ashley: diy cleaning products

http://www.designspongeonline.com/2010/09/small-measures-with-ashley-diy-cleaning-products.html

Image above from Natural Home

In my mind, the stretch of days from the Autumn Equinox to New Year’s Day is officially known as “Party Time.” With harvest festivals ushering in the celebrations and then continuing on through Halloween, Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Christmas, Winter Solstice and New Year’s Eve, September through January present numerous opportunities for hosting bashes and attending soirees.

Bearing this in mind, I thought I’d make today’s “Small Measures” about some affordable, easy and planet-friendly cleaning products you can make in minutes to keep your place looking (and smelling!) its absolute best. I’m personally in party-planning overdrive, so it’s taking up a good deal of my thinking. Our “Nugget Warming” takes place this Saturday evening at our place and I’ve got somewhere around 60 adults and 15 kids coming, along with a gaggle of dogs. Hubs and I, along with the indispensable help of my sister, Devan (who flies into town from Florida tomorrow), will be cooking up a feast of local and seasonal foods. There will be a bonfire with DIY s’mores (I’ve ordered both the “Maple” and “Cardamom” flavors from Whimsy & Spice Confectioners), hard cider and pumpkins and gourds galore. Guests will take home homemade jars of my Cardamom Apple Butter, along with paper bags of homemade Pumpkin Brittle. The whole shebang is being photographed for a book I’m being profiled in, compounding my typical tendency to make my place sparkle. You can see why I’m a bit preoccupied with making things shine like the top of the Chrysler Building)!

To take our place to the next level, I’ll be using my arsenal of ready-in-a-flash cleaning supplies. Many of the ingredients necessary to whip these up are most likely already hanging out in your pantry. It’s amazing what can be achieved with a bit of baking soda, vinegar, olive oil, and some essential oils. So, whether you’re planning an event of your own or simply want to spruce up your digs before the windows come down and Old Man Winter officially moves in, give my homemade cleaning supplies a go (and while you’re at it, you can find the recipe for my all-purpose “So Fresh & So Clean” spray here).

CLICK HERE for great DIY cleaning product recipes after the jump!

Spic & Span Floor Cleaner

The Goods

* 1 c. white vinegar
* 1/4 c. baking soda
* 6–7 drops essential oil of choice (I like to customize my floor cleaner scents to compliment the seasons, using lavender in spring, something citrusy in summer, cinnamon in autumn and pine scents in winter).

The Deal

1. Fill a bucket or your kitchen sink with hot water.

2. Add vinegar, baking soda and essential oils while filling.

3. Stir with a mop to disperse the baking soda in the water fully.

4. Mop floors per usual.

Make It Shine Furniture Polish

The Goods

* 1/2 c. olive oil
* 10 drops lemon essential oil

The Deal

1. Combine olive oil and essential oil in a dark glass bottle.

2. Dab a cloth with the mixture and polish wood furniture per usual.

3. Use within one month, making more as needed.

Odor Out Fabric Freshener

The Goods

* Baking soda

The Deal

1. Simply sprinkle liberally all over area rugs or carpets and onto upholstered furniture.

2. Leave to sit for at least one hour and then vacuum away.

Green Room Mist

The Goods

* 1/4 c. water
* 1/4 c. vodka
* 20 drops essential oil of choice (may be a single oil or a combination of several; for autumn celebrations, I like a blend of cinnamon, clove, ginger and orange, while a blend of balsam pine, juniper and rosemary go well with winter festivities)

The Deal

1. Combine all ingredients together in a refillable spray bottle.

2. Shake for each use and spray as needed.

What about you? Got a low-fi, on-the-cheap cleaning product you’d be lost without? I’d love to hear about it. Otherwise, let the wild rumpus begin! — Ashley

Read more at Design*Sponge http://www.designspongeonline.com/2010/09/small-measures-with-ashley-diy-cleaning-products.html#ixzz10ljl6bWt