I have decided to start a Yahoo Group. I must admit that for someone who was always a self confessed 'techno-idiot', I have learned how to do everything from setting up my own website, running a blog, doing graphics in Photoshop and CorelDraw and I am now even trying my hand at creating Flash Animation graphics, so I figure why not set up a group - what could be easier - all this while nursing my daughter on my lap.
The group link is - http://groups.yahoo.com/group/naturesoap - here we can share information about soapnuts and environmentaly friendly cleaning. The earth depends on us to minimise our carbon footprint and treat her with respect. What easier way to do this, than to get rid of all those awful chemical cleaners in your home and replacing them with equally effective; or better natural ones. This group is based in South Africa, but we welcome members from all around the world, after all 'the more the merrier' :-)
Showing posts with label frugality. Show all posts
Showing posts with label frugality. Show all posts
Friday, 30 January 2009
Saturday, 24 January 2009
Yoghurt & Cheese making
In my recently revived mission to live frugally and minimise our consumption of preservatives and other chemicals, I have decided to start making youghurt - and hopefully cheese again.
Over the last two weeks I have made the most amazing youghurt, thanks to recipes posted by two fantastic homeschool moms on a homeschool group I belong to - http://groups.yahoo.com/group/EnvironmentalHomeschooling/. I have kept the recipe simple:
Over the last two weeks I have made the most amazing youghurt, thanks to recipes posted by two fantastic homeschool moms on a homeschool group I belong to - http://groups.yahoo.com/group/EnvironmentalHomeschooling/. I have kept the recipe simple:
- 2 Liters of full cream milk (any milk will do, though Woolies Organic / Ayershire milk make great youghurt - the Ayershire specially makes thick creamy youghurt.
- 1 cup plain youghurt (Use one without all the added muck, and keep a cup you made for future use)
Bring the milk to just below boiling point, being carefull not to actually boil it. About 85 deg Celsius if you have a thermometer. Keep it at this temperature for 10 minutes.
Let the milk cool to about 45 deg C, luke warm. Now you can add the cup of yoghurt, make sure to mix thoroughly.
Decant the yoghurt into pre-warmed thermos flasks and leave to stand for about 8 hours in a warm spot.
A few things to watch out for:
Don't boil the milk - otherwise you will end up making ricotta cheese the way I have a few times.
Don't add the yoghurt while the milk is too hot, or you end up with curdled cheesy bits in the yoghurt, still edible, but not really pleasant.
Don't warm the thermos up too much or the above will happen too.
And after all those don'ts - DO enjoy the yoghurt!!! My 2yo loves plain yoghurt (same child who loves veggies and salad - go figure). It is stunning with just a bit of honey added.
Later this week I will share my ricotta cheese recipe, which is based on a lovely recipe posted by Carle on her blog - http://ourholisticlife.blogspot.com/2008/02/ricotta-cheese.html , I tend to simplify even the simplest recipes - if I can shave 5 minutes of the time it takes to make something, I have 5 minutes more to play with the kids, or surf the net *giggle*
Thursday, 22 January 2009
Enviro-friendly cleaning
Over the years I have experimented with various green cleaning options and wanted to share some of what I have learned.
The criteria I try to stick to are that whatever cleaners I use are green, non-toxic, simple and cost effective. Green and non-toxic are non-negotiable in my book, I simply refuse to have cleaning products in my home that are going to have a negative impact on the environment or be toxic to my kids or pets - these two go hand in hand as I have yet to find a product that is safe for kids (really safe, not just pretend safe; which means no sodium laurel sulphate, and other unpronouncable chemicals) and truly green (again truly green, and not just green-washed). Biodegradability is particularly important since we have a septic tank / french drain system in our home and essentially everything that goes down the drain ends up in the soil.
Before we moved I had all sorts of different cleaners for different applications and it seemed to work, but our new housekeeper just got confused with the array of vinegar, bicarbonate of soda, spray bottles etc so I decided to simplify things. AND since I haven't earned a proper income since moving house in September last year, cost effectiveness has become more and more important. I have basically narrowed it down to soapnuts, Triple-orange (for occasional greasy, tough cleaning), vinegar and bicarb.
Soapnuts - I use these for 99% of my laundry, including cloth nappies. Occasionally do a load with Triple-Orange (when there are stubborn / greasy stains). I also use these for household cleaning (see recipe below) and in the dishwasher - which hubby kindly bought me for christmas - a couple of soapnuts in the cultery basket and everything comes out spotless. Having done quite a lot of research into dishwashers before deciding I actually wanted one, I discovered that they not only clean better than hand washing, but use less water and energy too. My biggest concern was the lack of green dishwasher cleaners in SA, until I read about using soapnuts.
Vinegar - for windows, mirrors etc (dilute 1/2 cup in a bucket of water) and in the all purpose cleaner (see below). Can be used as rinse-aid in the dishwasher, but I find that I don't really need it when using soapnuts.
Bicarbonate of soda - I use this instead of scourers like Vim; works just as well and isn't toxic. Great for cleaning the oven and burned on pots; a regular occurence in my house. Just sprinkle some in the oven or burned on pot, spray soapnut soap on and let it stand for 20 minutes before cleaning.
It is also a great odour absorber, I keep some in a bowl in the fridge, chuck a spoonful in the bottom of the nappy bucket and sprinkle onto cats littler box.
I even wash my hair with it on days when my hair is extra dirty; other days I use the soapnut liquid and always rinse with a rosemary infusion.
RECIPES
Soapnut all-purpose cleaner recipe ~ I use this to clean my whole house.
Add about 30g (about 1/2 handful) of Soap Nut Shells and the peel of one orange to approximately 1.5 Liter of water. Bring to boil, and simmer for approximately 30 minutes. Be carefull, this boils over easily if not watched, but it does superclean your stove-top in the process. The boiling process extracts the saponin from the nut shells and the essential oil from the orange peel. Lemon peel should work just as well, though I haven't tried it yet since I had oranges left over from last season; which while no good for eating were great for this.
Add a table-spoon of salt (disinfectant & preservative) while the liquid is still hot. Let it steep overnight. Strain and compost the remaining shells. Add a cupfull of vinegar. I sometimes add a few drops of essential oils when I don't have oranges. You can also save up soapnuts used in your washing machine and use them to make the liquid – there is still a lot of saponin to be extracted by boiling after they are no longer useful for laundry.
I put this in a spray bottle and use it for everything from washing bathrooms, kitchen counters...everything else around the house, including dirty little hands.
This is a concentrated, chemical free detergent that can then be used as a laundry detergent, shampoo, all purpose cleaner, car wash, liquid soap, pet shampoo, washing up liquid or any other things you would normally clean with a liquid.
Rosemary infusion for hair
2 sprigs fresh rosemary (about 10cm long), alternatively a tablespoon of dried can be used
2 cups water
Bring water and rosemary to the boil, let it simmer slowly for about 10 minutes, remove from heat and allow to cool.
Strain and pour onto hair as a rinse after washing, do not rinse out.
This infusion is great as it makes hair soft and manageable. Your hair smells great too.
My sister told me about the benefits of using rosemary many, many years ago and I have used it instead of conditioner since.
A sprig of lavender can also be added to give that lovely lavender scent.
Coming soon, some personal care recipes...
The criteria I try to stick to are that whatever cleaners I use are green, non-toxic, simple and cost effective. Green and non-toxic are non-negotiable in my book, I simply refuse to have cleaning products in my home that are going to have a negative impact on the environment or be toxic to my kids or pets - these two go hand in hand as I have yet to find a product that is safe for kids (really safe, not just pretend safe; which means no sodium laurel sulphate, and other unpronouncable chemicals) and truly green (again truly green, and not just green-washed). Biodegradability is particularly important since we have a septic tank / french drain system in our home and essentially everything that goes down the drain ends up in the soil.
Before we moved I had all sorts of different cleaners for different applications and it seemed to work, but our new housekeeper just got confused with the array of vinegar, bicarbonate of soda, spray bottles etc so I decided to simplify things. AND since I haven't earned a proper income since moving house in September last year, cost effectiveness has become more and more important. I have basically narrowed it down to soapnuts, Triple-orange (for occasional greasy, tough cleaning), vinegar and bicarb.
Soapnuts - I use these for 99% of my laundry, including cloth nappies. Occasionally do a load with Triple-Orange (when there are stubborn / greasy stains). I also use these for household cleaning (see recipe below) and in the dishwasher - which hubby kindly bought me for christmas - a couple of soapnuts in the cultery basket and everything comes out spotless. Having done quite a lot of research into dishwashers before deciding I actually wanted one, I discovered that they not only clean better than hand washing, but use less water and energy too. My biggest concern was the lack of green dishwasher cleaners in SA, until I read about using soapnuts.
Vinegar - for windows, mirrors etc (dilute 1/2 cup in a bucket of water) and in the all purpose cleaner (see below). Can be used as rinse-aid in the dishwasher, but I find that I don't really need it when using soapnuts.
Bicarbonate of soda - I use this instead of scourers like Vim; works just as well and isn't toxic. Great for cleaning the oven and burned on pots; a regular occurence in my house. Just sprinkle some in the oven or burned on pot, spray soapnut soap on and let it stand for 20 minutes before cleaning.
It is also a great odour absorber, I keep some in a bowl in the fridge, chuck a spoonful in the bottom of the nappy bucket and sprinkle onto cats littler box.
I even wash my hair with it on days when my hair is extra dirty; other days I use the soapnut liquid and always rinse with a rosemary infusion.
RECIPES
Soapnut all-purpose cleaner recipe ~ I use this to clean my whole house.
Add about 30g (about 1/2 handful) of Soap Nut Shells and the peel of one orange to approximately 1.5 Liter of water. Bring to boil, and simmer for approximately 30 minutes. Be carefull, this boils over easily if not watched, but it does superclean your stove-top in the process. The boiling process extracts the saponin from the nut shells and the essential oil from the orange peel. Lemon peel should work just as well, though I haven't tried it yet since I had oranges left over from last season; which while no good for eating were great for this.
Add a table-spoon of salt (disinfectant & preservative) while the liquid is still hot. Let it steep overnight. Strain and compost the remaining shells. Add a cupfull of vinegar. I sometimes add a few drops of essential oils when I don't have oranges. You can also save up soapnuts used in your washing machine and use them to make the liquid – there is still a lot of saponin to be extracted by boiling after they are no longer useful for laundry.
I put this in a spray bottle and use it for everything from washing bathrooms, kitchen counters...everything else around the house, including dirty little hands.
This is a concentrated, chemical free detergent that can then be used as a laundry detergent, shampoo, all purpose cleaner, car wash, liquid soap, pet shampoo, washing up liquid or any other things you would normally clean with a liquid.
Rosemary infusion for hair
2 sprigs fresh rosemary (about 10cm long), alternatively a tablespoon of dried can be used
2 cups water
Bring water and rosemary to the boil, let it simmer slowly for about 10 minutes, remove from heat and allow to cool.
Strain and pour onto hair as a rinse after washing, do not rinse out.
This infusion is great as it makes hair soft and manageable. Your hair smells great too.
My sister told me about the benefits of using rosemary many, many years ago and I have used it instead of conditioner since.
A sprig of lavender can also be added to give that lovely lavender scent.
Coming soon, some personal care recipes...
Wednesday, 13 June 2007
Voluntary Frugality – Green Cleaning
by Annie Austin
Recently I was asked what we do to save money. In this day and age where it is pretty much expected that both parents go out and work, it is really difficult to make ends meet when one parents wants to be at home with the kids.
I have put together a few tips of what we have done to help make ends meet. I do still work from home, but it is difficult to earn anywhere near as much as I would if I was ‘out there’, but watching my kids grow and being there for them makes any sacrifices well worth it.
We grow our own veggies - a must here where we live since there is very little available. It does save quite a bit of money. I freeze a lot of the excess and have on occasion sold some. If you are doing this organically you need very little apart from some good compost. If you have the space you can make your own by recycling household waste – watch out for future article on compost making.
I have a menu I put together for the month, this way everyone knows what to expect and there is less waste from stuff going off in the fridge. I try to minimise the shopping trips and when we do go only buy what is on the list, makes a big difference to the monthly budget. We stick to budget foods during the week and have a treat on Sundays. Meat is something we have cut back on drastically, not only is it full of chemicals and I feel just awful for the way the animals are treated, but with the cost nowdays it is beyond most peoples means. We eat a lot of lentils, rice, beans and potatoes. Eggs are a staple, we did have our own chickens and had more than enough eggs. We only have a few chickens now and I want to build this up again. Chickens can eat a lot of kitchen scraps and weeds so are not too expensive to maintain if you have the space. The kids just love feeding the chickens and geese.
Cleaning
- I try to keep this as non toxic as possible and have managed to save a lot of money by simply not using all those commercial cleaning products.
- I use vinegar for most things from cleaning floors to bathrooms to kitchen counters and windows. Dilute one tablespoon of vinegar and one teaspoon salt to about 4L hot water, this is great for cleaning most things. I buy a 5L container of vinegar, it is cheap and best of all non toxic.
- For windows put some undiluted vinegar in a spray blottle instead on ‘windowlene’.
- If you need a scourer use bicarbonate of soda.
- Vinegar and borax make a great mildew remover – but be careful borax is poisonous if ingested, keep away from little ones and pets.
Dishes - I use really hot water for most and only use dish liquid for the really greasy stuff.
- Lemon and bicarbonate of soda work pretty well too as a grease cutter and are brilliant for burnt on pots (something I have often) just sprinkle some bicarbonate add a teaspoon of lemon and cover with 5mm water. Soak over night.
- Salt is anti bacterial as is tea tree oil, either added to hot water will kill any bacteria – specially useful if you have been preparing meat.
Oven - Bicarbonate of soda sprinkled on and sprayed with vinegar, leave for 20 minutes and wipe off. Any stubborn patches can be scrubbed with extra bicarbonate.
Laundry - Use half a cup of vinegar instead of fabric softener.
- I find that the Enchantrix http://www.enchantrix.co.za/ laundry gel when bought in 5L containers actually works out cheaper than the commercial stuff.
Air Freshners - Spin-Fresh Bathroom Deodorizer - Add a couple of drops of your favorite essential oil to the inside of the cardboard toilet tissue roll. With each turn, fragrance is released into the room.
- Make a Lemon and baking soda spray - Dissolve baking soda in 2 cups hot water, add lemon juice, pour into spray bottle, spray into air as air freshener.
- Bicarbonate of soda placed into an open container will freshen any area, works great in the fridge.
- If you carpets are smelly, bicarbonate sprinkled over and left for 20 minutes before vacuuming is fantastic.
Drain Cleaner ~ For slow drains, use this drain cleaner once a week to keep drains fresh and clog-free.
1/2 to 1 cup baking soda
1 cup white vinegar
3 liters boiling water
Pour baking soda down drain, followed by vinegar. Allow the mixture to foam for several minutes before flushing the drain with boiling water.
Most of these are fairly simple tips that can make some difference to the montly budget, but also a huge difference to the environment. We have also started putting together a monthly budget and deciding before hand how much we can afford to spend on various things so that we know where we stand at any given point.
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