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Category Archives: Homesteading

Green Tea Blender Soap

20 May

Green Tea Blender Soap from Rural Spin

This blender soap is wonderful for the home soap maker who wants to make soap for home use and to share with family and friends. This recipe makes almost half a pound of soap, or about 8 bars. It is a mild soap that has skin conditioning qualities and a nice bubbly lather that feels pleasant against the skin. This soap can be used in the shower and at the sink–it is mild enough for daily use. And, because you’re making it yourself, you can make it smell like whatever you wish!

Note: If you like the idea of green tea soap but don’t want to make it yourself, I sell this bar (with enhanced skin-conditioning ingredients like shea butter) at my Etsy shop with free shipping. You can find the green tea soap for sale here.

SOAP MAKING PRIMER

Just to get this out of the way, there is no way you can make soap without lye. Soap is basically defined as the chemical reaction between lye (a base) and fats (an acid) called saponification. This chemical reaction can’t take place without lye, which means no soap.

There is no way you can make soap without lye, shown here along with tea made from distilled water.

There is no way you can make soap without lye, shown here along with tea made from distilled water.

That said, after this chemical reaction is complete, there is no longer any lye left in the soap–it has all been made into soap along with your fats! This soap recipe is mild on the skin, and when properly aged for six weeks before use, no lye remains.

SAFETY

Lye is a caustic base, which means it will burn you if you get it on your skin. Safety glasses should be worn; a pair of safety gloves and a long-sleeved shirt wouldn’t hurt, either. As another safety precaution, an open bottle of vinegar should always be at your side when making soap. Vinegar is a mild acid, and it will neutralize the lye if you get some on you. If you do, just pour the vinegar straight onto your skin.

Using a blender for soap making is very fast and easy, but extra caution should be practiced when doing so. As you may have experienced, sometimes blenders can “burp” after mixing liquid ingredients, releasing trapped air bubbles that exist in the mix. You must be very cautious of this, and make sure you do not allow any splashing or “burpage” to be released into your face! Always shake or tap the blender to release these potential large air bubbles before removing the lid from blended soap.

Your ingredients include olive and coconut oils, lye, salt, sugar, distilled water, and a tea bag.

Your ingredients include olive and coconut oils, lye, salt, sugar, distilled water, and a tea bag.

Here are safety precautions to follow:

  • ALWAYS pour your lye into the water and NEVER pour water into lye. Doing so will cause an explosion that will definitely ruin your day, and potentially send you to the hospital
  • Wear eye protection
  • Protect your skin from splatter and splashing
  • Keep pets and children away from your lye at all times
  • Always keep the lid on the blender when it is in motion
  • After your soap has traced, tap the blender (still with the lid on) on your kitchen counter to release any air bubbles before removing the lid.

INGREDIENTS

When you pour your tea/lye solution in with your oil, you will see it settle. After blending for about 15 to 30 seconds, it will trace.

When you pour your tea/lye solution in with your oil, you will see it settle. After blending for about 15 to 30 seconds, it will trace.

Note: All ingredients for soap making are measured by weight, not volume. Since you are working with a chemical reaction, weights provide a more accurate measure than volume. If you plan on making small batch soaps at home often, invest in a digital postal scale, which is available from any office supply store. They vary widely in price, so just get the cheapest one available; it will be accurate enough for your soap making.

  • Green Tea: Studies have documented the anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory benefits of green tea when applied topically . Green tea applied to the skin can can reduce sun damage and help skin problems like papulopustular rosacea. However, in this recipe the benefits will be limited as exposure to air decreases the effectiveness of green tea for these purposes. For this reason, consider the green tea in this recipe to be more for color, and is an optional ingredient. You can also substitute black tea if you’d like.
  • Distilled Water: Using distilled water is not mandatory, but undistilled water will incorporate the minerals and chemicals in the water to your soap, which can cause discoloration and other issues. You can buy gallons of distilled water at any grocery store.
  • Olive oil: Olive oil is a wonderful moisturizer for the skin because it attracts external moisture to the skin and holds it there, while at the same time providing a barrier against your internal moisture from escaping. And it does not block natural skin functions. When it comes to soap making, the cheaper the olive oil, the better. Olive pomace oil (very low grade) is wonderful if you can find it. Otherwise, just purchase a cheap brand of olive oil. But beware! Many manufacturers are diluting their olive oils with other oils to decrease costs. Make sure the oil you are buying is 100% pure olive oil. 

    Empty drink containers make excellent molds for soap making. One container will hold one batch of blender soap.

    Empty drink containers from coconut water or nut milks make excellent molds for soap making. One container will hold one batch of blender soap.

  • Coconut oil: This is very popular in soap making and with good reason. Coconut oil has wonderful lathering and moisturizing properties, and makes a good hard bar of soap.
  • Sugar: Increases the bubbly lather
  • Salt: Increases a soap’s hardness
  • Essential Oils: Feel free to use your favorite scent in this soap. I like to use lemongrass or lemon because it fits the “tea time” theme, but use whatever you like best. It is highly recommended, however, that you only use pure essential oils for soap making; synthetic scents do not always react well in the soap making process, and could cause your batch to fail (you’d know it if you saw it).
  • Molds: I find that the best molds for home soap making are empty nut milk, coconut water, or similar containers. Just rinse them out thoroughly before use, and cut the tops off so you can easily pour your soap into them. After the soap is hard, simply tear the box away and recycle.

RECIPE

This recipe will fill a standard-sized blender about half way full. You really don’t want to make any more than this because you want enough room in the blender for the liquid to move and mix after you turn the blender on. Because there is lye here, oozing soap out of the blender is not something to encourage.

  • 1 green tea bag (you can use black tea)
  • Olive oil: 14 ounces
  • Coconut oil: 6 ounces
  • Distilled water: 7.6 ounces
  • Lye: 2.8 ounces
  • Salt: 1 tsp
  • Sugar: 1 tsp
  • Essential oils: 2 tsp
  • 1 empty box from, say, coconut water or nut milk (at least 32 ounces in size)
When the soap traces, it will change color and become opaque. A bit of soap drizzled from a spoon will remain on the surface for a few seconds before sinking back into the soap.

When the soap traces, it will change color and become opaque. A bit of soap drizzled from a spoon will remain on the surface of the soap for a few seconds before sinking back into the soap. It will leave a trace!

Measure your lye into a small bowl and set aside.

Get your essential oil bottle ready with the lid open and the dropper popped out. Have your teaspoon at the ready, too.

Measure your distilled water into a container, then heat it until it is warm (if you wish you can heat it in a microwave). Pop the tea bag into the water and let it steep until the tea is brewed. When cool, transfer the tea into a jar with a lid. Make sure you remove the tea bag, squeezing it thoroughly to extract all of the liquid.

Wearing your protective gear, slowly pour your premeasured lye into your tea. The addition of the lye will cause a few things: 1) your solution will get cloudy and 2) it will get very hot. This is normal.

Pour your soap into a prepared mold such as this.

Pour your soap into a prepared mold such as this.

Leave your lye solution sit until it reaches about 90F (this may take a few hours) and when the lye is completely dissolved in the tea.

Measure your oils into a saucepan and heat over low heat until your coconut oil melts.

You want the temperature of your lye/tea solution and your oils to be the same, about 90F.

Pour your oil into your blender, then add your lye/tea solution. Using the blender on the lowest, slowest setting possible, blend for about 15 seconds.

Stop the blender, shake it to remove any air bubbles then remove the lid. Add in your salt and sugar, and your essential oils. Place the lid back on your container.

Blend for an addition 15 to 30 seconds, or until your soap traces fully (to check for tracing, dip a spoon into your soap and drizzle it over your soap; if your soap leaves a mark (“trace”) behind that takes a few seconds to sink back in, trace has been reached.

Pour your soap into your mold and carefully tap your mold on the counter to release tiny air bubbles. Because blender soaps trap a lot of air in the mix, some air bubbles are inevitable  in your final bar and tapping the mold, as you would a cake pan, will help minimize this. Leave your soap sit undisturbed overnight or for about 8 hours.

After it is hard, tear off your mold and slice your soap into bars using a knife.

Soap should age 6 weeks before use. Frequently people leave soap sit for only three weeks but this aging process is important because the chemical reaction between the lye and fats is not yet complete at three weeks. Leaving the soap sit until the chemical reaction is complete will:

  • Make the bar harder, which means it will last longer
  • Make the soap more mild for your skin
The bar on the right was made using green tea, and the bar on the left was made using black tea. Notice the color difference and the different shapes two types of molds made. Otherwise, the soaps are the same.

The bar on the right was made using green tea, and the bar on the left was made using black tea. Notice the color difference and the different shapes two types of molds made. Besides shape and color, the soaps are the same.

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Rural Spin

 
4 Comments

Posted by on May 20, 2013 in Hobbies and Arts, Home and Living, Homesteading, Recipes, Saving Money

 

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Dandelion Sunshine Jelly

09 May

Dandelion Sunshine Jelly by Rural Spin - www.ruralspin.com.

Making jelly using dandelion flowers is a commitment, no doubt about it. But if you enjoy tedium and working with lovely flowers, this is the jelly for you! And there is a real feeling of satisfaction you get from making a delicious food from what some call a weed.

My recipe is not straight-up dandelion jelly. To me, dandelion jelly deserves to be elevated a bit to reflect what I think of as its sunshine status. I wanted to layer flavors with dandelion’s honey-like flavor so the jelly tastes more like dandelion than just jellied flower parts. Because of this, I use honey as the sweetener to accentuate the natural dandelion flavor, lemon juice and zest for brightness, and cinnamon for warmth. This is a lovely, light, tasty  jelly to serve on toasts, with cheese and crackers, or as a glaze to a baked ham.

Dandelion Sunshine Jelly ingredients: dandelion flowers, honey, cinnamon, and lemon zest.

Dandelion Sunshine Jelly ingredients: dandelion flowers, honey, cinnamon, and lemon.

INGREDIENTS

Makes 2 pints

3 to 4 cups dandelion petals

3 to 4 cups water

2 cups honey

1 tsp cinnamon

Zest from 1 lemon

1 tbls lemon juice

4 tbls low-sugar pectin

PETAL PICKING

The hardest and most time-consuming part of the process is collecting enough dandelions and plucking the petals off of them. I suggest collecting a good gallon of flowers, but make sure those flowers are from an area that has been chemical-free for several years. I’m lucky enough to live in a neighborhood where very few residents use chemicals on their lawns, and they happily gave me dandelion-picking rights.

Pick more dandelions than you think you'll need so you can pick-and-choose the best for your jelly.

Pick more dandelions than you think you’ll need so you can pick-and-choose the best for your jelly.

The petals need to be removed from the flowers as quickly as possible after picking them; the flowers close up quickly after harvest and after that happens, collecting the petals becomes much more difficult.

It is very important not to get any green parts (sepals) mixed in with the petals. The sepals will not only affect the color of your jelly, they also affect the taste, and not in a good way. Dandelions contain a milky sap, and you don’t want any of that bitterness to contaminate your jelly. It takes a long time to get just the petals off of the flowers, but if you’re going to make this jelly that is what you have to do. Make yourself a nice relaxing beverage and enjoy the peace and quiet.

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Cut the flowers in half to make it easier to remove the petals and prevent the green sepals from making their way into your jelly.

Cut the flowers in half to make it easier to remove the petals and prevent the green sepals from making their way into your jelly, which will result in a bitter taste.

Most bloggers making dandelion jelly use scissors to remove the petals. I personally find it easier to use my finger nail. It not only greatly reduces the amount of sepals that make their way into your petal pile, I find that it is quicker than clipping carefully.

To remove the petals, I first cut the entire flower in half. Then I use my thumb nail to pull only the petals off the flower. It’s pretty easy to avoid the sepals with this method, and in two or three pulls, you’re ready to move on to the next flower. And, your petal harvest quotient per flower is much higher than multiple clips. I find this to be important unless you have quadruple the amount of dandelion flowers you need, and have the luxury of only clipping the very top of each flower once.

Make sure you only remove the petals from the flower; including the green sepals into your jelly will result in a bitter taste.

Use your thumb nail to pull the petals from the flower, avoiding the green sepals.

You can stop this tedious process when you have between 3 and 4 cups of petals.

JUICE GETTIN’

There are two ways to get your dandelion juice from the petals: simmer ‘em or steep ‘em.

Simmer ‘em

To simmer them, combine your petals with an equal amount of water and simmer for 10 minutes. Strain through a jelly bag or dish towel to remove all of the dandelion liquid. Measure out 3 cups of liquid for making the jelly. If you don’t have quite enough for 3 cups, add a bit of plain water to top it off. (Make sure you squeeze the juice from the petals, too.)

At this point I like to filter the juice through a coffee filter to remove any bits and pollen that sneak through. This also makes a clearer jelly. Once you’ve done this, proceed to Jelly Makin’!

Dandelion tea oxidizes from yellow to a lovely russet color with time. This does not affect the taste of the jelly.

Dandelion tea oxidizes from yellow to this lovely russet brown color with time. This does not affect the taste of the jelly in any way, and the final product will be a lovely dark gold color.

Steep ‘em

You can also get the liquid by making a tea out of the petals. To do this, place your petals in a bowl and cover them with boiling water (use the same amount of water as you have petals). Let them steep overnight, then strain in the morning through a jelly bag or dish towel into a bowl.

As with the “Simmer ‘em” method, I suggest running your dandelion tea through a coffee filter to fully remove any petal bits and pollen. It makes for a nicer looking jelly product. And, again, if you don’t have a full 3 cups of dandelion juice, just top off with water.

A note on color: Dandelion juice will oxidize with time. Fresh juice will be yellow in color, but the longer you wait to make your jelly the color will darken to the russet color shown at left. I don’t mind this as I am adding cinnamon and honey, which darken the color.

JELLY MAKIN’

Wash your lemon and zest it. Cut the lemon in half and juice half, which will end up being about 1 tablespoon of juice. Set the zest and lemon juice aside.

Take your 3 cups of dandelion juice and pour it into a sauce pan. Bring to a simmer and add your lemon zest and lemon juice. Add the cinnamon. Continue to simmer for about 5 minutes, stirring.

Slowly add your pectin. But watch it…if you add it too fast it won’t mix in well with your juice and will be clumpy. I use a whisky to stir briskly after I put a bit of the pectin into the mixture.

After all of the pectin is incorporated  bring the mixture to a full rolling boil that can’t be stirred down. Make sure you stir constantly.

Add your honey and return the mixture to a full rolling boil. Boil hard for one minute, again stirring constantly.

Remove from heat and skim off any foam.

Immediately pour your jelly into clean, prepared pint jars. If you are canning the jelly, process the jars

in a hot water bath for 10 minutes at normal elevation, and 15 minutes at high elevation, following normal canning protocols as outlined at the National Center for Home Food Preservation.

Dandelion jelly can be eaten with cheese and crackers, on toast, or added as a glaze to meats.

Dandelion jelly can be eaten with cheese and crackers, on toast, or added as a glaze to meats, such as ham. It also makes a lovely addition to pastries and baked goods.

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12 Comments

Posted by on May 9, 2013 in Edible Plants, Food Preservation, Homesteading, Recipes

 

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Cottonwood Bud Salve: Soothing and Healing

22 Apr
Cottonwood bud salve is easy to make and has many medicinal qualities.

Cottonwood bud salve is easy to make and has many medicinal qualities.

I’m a big believer in people making their own salves and healing oils, not only for controlling what ingredients touch your skin (especially open wounds), but also to save money. Cottonwood bud salve has been a well-known European and Native American ointment for ages, and is easily made if you have access to dormant buds from a poplar tree.

The salve can be made using the dormant buds from different species of poplar trees (Populus sp.). Cottonwood is the most well-known, but aspen and poplar can be used too. The active ingredients are salicin and populin, pain relievers and anti-inflammatories related to aspirin. (Poplars are healing for other purposes, but here I’ll focus on the salve.)

This salve is sometimes called balm of gilead, or oil of gilead, a valued salve from biblical times. However, the plant used to make oil of gilead was likely one among several options, all indigenous to the Middle East, including desert date (Balantes aegyptica), mastic tree (Pistacia lentiscus), or the most likely candidate, myrrh (Commiphora opobalsamum). In fact, many consider myrrh to be the only true source for Balm of Gilead (or Balsam of Gilead). Therefore, the balm made from poplar buds, even though it is definitely effective as a salve, is not true Balm of Gilead though the name is probably interchangeable at this point.

 

 

Cottonwood bark is very coarse and distinctive looking.

Cottonwood bark is very coarse and distinctive looking.

USING THE DECOCTION

You can use the oil or salve on your skin wherever you are feeling discomfort from aches, pains, inflammation or sore joints. Some massage therapists use the oil for clients who experience arthritis pains, or for athletes with very sore muscles. It can also be used to help heal burns or various skin irritations like chapped skin or scrapes. Just rub the salve on your skin as needed.

GATHERING THE BUDS

Collect the unopened leaf buds when they are dormant, in winter to early spring, between January and March. I like to wait until early spring right before the buds open; I find the amount of resin is higher in early spring than when the tree is in full dormancy.

The bark of cottonwood is dominated by large, grey blocks of bark on the tree trunk. The leaf buds are distinctive, large, and pointed, arranged alternately along the stem. The bud scales are a yellowish green with reddish or orange tinge at the edges. It is not uncommon to see beads of resin on the buds, especially in early spring (my preferred collection time).

The buds of poplar trees, like this cottonwood, are distinctive looking.

The buds of poplar trees, like this cottonwood, are distinctive looking.

I collect the buds after a windy day or a storm; bits of branches break off and fall to the ground, making collection a simple process. If you can find low-hanging branches, that works, as well, but fallen branches are easier and they don’t damage the tree since they have already been removed by natural forces.

MAKING THE DECOCTION

There are two ways to extract the active ingredient from the buds: simmer it or let it steep.

Let it steep:

To let it steep, remove the rinsed, dried buds from the stems and place them in a jar. Cover them with about twice as much olive oil as you have buds and put the lid on the jar. Let it steep in a cool, dark place. Some let the buds steep in the olive oil for a year or more before calling it good. Some leave it sit for a week. Because of this variability, I feel I am getting the most out of the buds using a low simmer (heat that is too high, however, will damage the active ingredients so watch it).

Let it simmer:

Remove your buds from the stem, rinse them to remove any dirt, and let them dry. Place them in a saucepan and cover them with about twice as much olive oil as you have buds (you can also use coconut oil). Turn the heat to as low as you possibly can, and let the buds simmer for two hours or more, then strain.

These cottonwood buds will be rinsed, dried, and simmered very gently with olive oil.

These cottonwood buds will be rinsed, dried, and simmered very gently with olive oil.

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The oil is good as-is after this process. You can just jar it up, store it in a cool, dark place, and rub it on your skin as needed. Or you can take it a step further and make a salve from it, which will make it a bit easier to apply. (Note: If you use coconut oil, it will solidify on it’s own in temperatures above 76F, but will melt in warm weather.)

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Grated or chopped beeswax can be melted gently with the cottonwood oil to create a salve.

Grated or chopped beeswax can be melted gently with the cottonwood oil to create a salve.

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To make a salve, add no more than 1 oz of beeswax (by weight) for every 5 oz of cottonwood oil. You can either grate it or chunk it up with a good knife. Add it to the saucepan along with the strained cottonwood oil, and melt the beeswax on low heat. Once it is all melted, pour it into a jar. As it cools it will solidify and be ready for use.

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Add the beeswax to the cottonwood oil and gently heat until the beeswax is melted.

Add the beeswax to the cottonwood oil and gently heat until the beeswax is melted.

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Colors3

 
3 Comments

Posted by on April 22, 2013 in Home Remedies & Apothecary, Homesteading, Saving Money

 

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7 Ways to Use Eggshells (and tips you need to know)

07 Apr
Eggshells can be ground in a blender and used for many purposes, indoors and out.

Eggshells can be ground in a blender and used for many purposes, indoors and out.

If you eat eggs, make sure you make the best use of those shells! Most of an eggshell is calcium. In fact, about 95% of shells are calcium carbonate…the same stuff that sea shells, coral, and limestone are made from (the other 5% includes proteins, calcium phosphate, and magnesium carbonate). Here’s a list of what you can do with those shells so the calcium and its brittle shell don’t go to waste.

USE EGGSHELLS FOR THIS

1) Give your hens a calcium boost. Eggshells contain 95% calcium, and hens need calcium to lay eggs that have those strong shells. There is nothing unhealthy about feeding your hens eggshells, as long as those shells have been sterilized to kill bacteria (see below on how to do this) and offered in ground form. Pay special attention to shell sterilization if you get some of your eggs from another source where you can’t be sure of the laying hen’s health.

2) Give your pets a calcium boost: In the case of eggshells, what is good for chickens is good for your pet. Adding pulverized eggshells to their food provides extra calcium for bone health. And just like using shells for chickens, be sure to sterilize the shells first.

3) Give yourself a calcium boost: Consuming calcium from eggshells can help you, too. In a 2003 study published in the International Journal of Clinical Pharmacology Research, eggshell consumption helped stop bone loss in postmenopausal women. While you can consume pulverized eggshells for added calcium, remember that calcium amounts very greatly in shells, so there is no way to tell exactly how much calcium you are getting (but we know you are getting more than if you didn’t consume the shells at all). Be sure you bake the shells before consuming to prevent ingesting any bacteria if you haven’t washed the shell before eating the egg (see below).

The finer your grind your eggshells, the sooner the calcium will be available to garden plants.

The finer your grind your eggshells, the sooner the calcium will be available to garden plants.

4) Incorporate them into your soil: It’s a great practice to add ground eggshells into your garden soil (and your indoor pots, too). But realize that it takes awhile for those shells to break down enough for the calcium to be available to your plants. In fact, eggshells can take many years to decompose fully and it will take several years to see the benefits of those eggshell additions to soil. But don’t let this deter you as adding eggshells to soil is great for plants! Start now…in a year or two you’ll start to see benefits (the finer you grind the shells, the more quickly you’ll see benefits). And don’t forget to sterilize those shells before adding them to the soil to prevent adding bacteria to your garden.

5) Keep garden critters at bay: Slugs are slippery little devils, and they dislike the chalky sharpness of ground eggshells. Cutworms don’t like it, either. Sprinkle the eggshell around plants like tomatoes, peppers, broccoli, and cabbage to keep their stems safe and destructive critters away. Make sure you cover the surface of the soil around the entire stem.

6) Clean your pots and pans: Yes, you can grind your eggshells into a powder and use it as an abrasive. But, it being an abrasive and all, it will scratch! I’ve used this for especially stubborn spots on cast iron pans or stainless steel (on the insides). Don’t use this on any surface that you want to see a scratch on.

7) Make your coffee sweeter: Adding crushed eggshells to your coffee grounds helps to lessen the acidity of your coffee. Then you can toss the used grounds and eggshells in your compost bin. Better yet, toss them both into your garden soil! The eggshells have the calcium, but the coffee grounds provide the nitrogen.

You can use a blender to grind eggshells fine. (Bowl by the Little Pottery Venture.)

You can use a blender to grind eggshells fine. (Bowl by the Little Pottery Venture.)

PREPARE EGGSHELLS LIKE THIS

For most eggshell uses, it is better to make sure they are clean and free from bacteria. If you don’t wash the eggs thoroughly before using, bake the shells at 150 degrees Fahrenheit on a cookie sheet for about 10 minutes.

You can grind your eggshells either wet or dry. I personally find grinding  them dry to be easier, but decide which method works best for you in your kitchen:

To grind eggshells wet, simply take all of your eggshells, place them in a blender and fill the blender with water to about 1/2 way up the eggshells. Then whizzzzzzzzz, and drain. What to do next is where I find the difficulty. Small bits of wet shell are not necessarily cooperative, and most uses for eggshell are easier to implement when the shells are dry.

To grind eggshells dry, you can either leave them sit in a bowl until they are thoroughly dry (I keep the pretty bowl shown above next to my sink and simply stack eggshells as they accumulate), or you can bake them. Baking to dry and sterilize them can serve double duty here! If 10 minutes baking at 150F doesn’t dry all of the wet egg remnants inside the shell perfectly, just leave them bake in the oven until the insides of the egg are perfectly dry. (To see a video on how to use your blender and a mason jar to grind your eggshells and other foods, click here.)

DON’T USE EGGSHELLS FOR THIS

I just can’t recommend that you use eggshells to start seedlings, even though this is a popular infographic on Facebook and all over the interwebs as an eggshell tip (I know…I’m the problem child sometimes). Seedlings are like icebergs…at best what you see above the soil is equal to what is going on below the soil. In fact, sometimes the root system is much larger than the seedling. Half an eggshell just doesn’t have the space necessary to support a growing and intricate root system unless you transplant it pretty quickly to the garden. In drier climates it is also difficult to keep such a small amount of soil moist enough to keep a healthy seedling happy.

Eggshells do not sharpen garbage disposal blades. I don’t think it harms the garbage disposal any more than anything else, but I have read that egg shell bits in the drain, because they are heavier than usual kitchen sink refuse, can contribute to drain clogs. The idea being they settle into a pipe at some point, and slowly start to trap debris. Even more reason to use eggshells for one of their many beneficial purposes!

Rural Spin

 
16 Comments

Posted by on April 7, 2013 in Animals, Gardening, Home Remedies & Apothecary, Homesteading, Kitchen Tips

 

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Sprouted Wheat Berries: Whole Grain Goodness

03 Feb
Sprouting wheat berries provides whole grain, enhanced nutrition to your diet.

Sprouting wheat berries provides whole grain, enhanced nutrition to your diet.

Wheat berries (or wheatberries) are completely unprocessed wheat that contains all parts of the seed: the germ, the bran, and the endosperm. This means the complete nutrition from all of the whole grain’s minerals, phytochemicals, and vitamins is retained. While wheat that has been highly processed into flour and used in junk food byproducts can harm your health, studies show that whole grains such as wheat berries have positive health benefits, such as lower cholesterol, and reduced risk of Type 2 diabetes and heart disease, among other benefits. And keep in mind that wheat seeds can remain viable for up to 30 years, if stored correctly of course. This means you can buy in bulk and have whole-grain, sprouted green goodness for many years.

HEALTH BENEFITS

Overall sprouting wheat berries increases their nutrition, and since sprouted grains are a “living food” their nutrients are more readily accessible (yes, you can sprout many kinds of seeds and beans besides wheat, but we’ll cover those in another post):

  • By sprouting the grain you enhance some benefits such as increased calcium and some vitamins, like vitamin C (though other vitamins are decreased, like some B vitamins).
  • Sprouting grains helps to decrease the amount of antinutrients (like tannins) that interfere with nutrient absorption. The result is that many nutrients in wheat that would otherwise not be available for absorption become available with sprouting.
  • Sprouting grains increases enzymatic activity, which makes them easier to digest. 
  • The glycemic index of sprouted grains is lower, which is better for heart health and helps you feel full longer. Diabetics also benefit from a lower glycemic index.
  • Sprouted whole grains are easier to use in a wider variety of dishes and increasing your intake of whole grains is a huge benefit to health.
Cover one cup of wheat berries with some warm water and let sit overnight or up to 24 hours.

Cover one cup of wheat berries with some warm water and let sit overnight or up to 24 hours.

BEFORE YOU START

When you sprout any grain, it will double or  triple in volume so be sure you use a container that is large enough to contain it as it expands. You can buy a designated grain-sprouter for about $5 from your local health food store or food co-op; it is simply a jar with a lid that has a screen on top. You can also make your own from a half-gallon canning jar. Use the ring of the jar lid to hold into place cheese cloth, muslin, an old nylon, or a piece of screen. You could use a piece of decorative cotton, too, if the weave is not too tight. If you’re upcycling a jar from a food you bought at the store (free!), use a rubber band or string to hold your cloth or screening onto the jar  instead of using the solid lid.

SPROUT YOUR GRAINS

One cup of wheat berries triples in volume when sprouted, so make sure your jar is large enough to accommodate.

One cup of wheat berries triples in volume when sprouted, so make sure your jar is large enough to accommodate.

Place about a cup of wheat berries in your jar and rinse with warm water. Then, add fresh warm water to the jar, making sure your seed is covered with water about an inch over the grains. Soak the seeds overnight or up to 24 hours.

The next day, rinse your seed in warm water once, and then drain well (this is where your screen or cloth come in). After the seed is drained well, tilt your jar on its side and spread the seed out a bit. All you’re doing here is making your layer of seed thinner so seeds at the bottom aren’t too crowded. Place your jar in its side on a counter and wait for the seeds to sprout (a day or two…). You want the jar in a place where it will get some light (but not direct sunlight). Some sources say to place the seed in a dark place, but I find that this slows down the germination significantly.

Make sure to rinse and drain your seed at least once a day, or twice if you live in a drier environment (here in semi-arid Colorado, I rinse in the morning and evening). Just lightly rinse the seed in room-temperature water, drain thoroughly, spread on its side again, and let sit. In two to four days your grain will begin to sprout (depending upon air temperature).

After a day or two, you'll see the grains have sprouted. I like to continue growing mine with daily rinsing until the tail is about 1/4 inch long and just starting to green up.

After a day or two, you’ll see the grains have sprouted. I like to continue growing mine with daily rinsing until the tail is about 1/4 inch long and just starting to green up, about an additional day.

How long you leave your sprouts to mature and green is a matter of choice–I like to leave them until they get about 1/4″ of growth on them, although they are “officially sprouted” with just 1/8″ of growth. After they reach the stage you like, you can feel free to add them liberally to stews and soups, spreads, salads, or serve alone as a breakfast cereal. I have also served them warm with olive oil, garlic, and Parmesan cheese, or with olive oil and herbs. I even make a kind of luscious “bread” (don’t think it’s a regular loaf, because it’s not!) with the berries, so stay tuned for a special blog post on that, coming up next week!







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12 Comments

Posted by on February 3, 2013 in Food Preservation, Great for Kids, Homesteading, Recipes, Saving Money

 

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Harvesting and Drying Mint

19 Aug

Mint is wonderful in the kitchen, medicine cabinet, and as a pest repellent.

Mint is one of those herbs that has a ton of uses and grows prolifically in the garden. Sometimes that prolific growth can be a nuisance (it has, in fact, take up residence in one of my raised beds and it’s definitely a battle between me and it). But like anything else in life, what can be seen as a hassle can also be take as a gift with just a slight shift in perspective: Instead of cursing your prolific mint, harvest it shamelessly and exploit it for one of its many uses! SHAMELESSLY!

There are many kinds of mint (spearmint, peppermint, chocolate mint, apple mint, pineapple mint, and others. They are all perennial, meaning they’ll come back year after year; you’ll have a never-ending supply of this tasty plant after sticking just one in your garden. But beware: if you don’t want it to spread everywhere make sure you plant your mint in an area where you won’t mind it getting a bit out of hand. However, flavored mints such as chocolate and apple are not as prolific as the straight-up peppermint and spearmint.

Mint does best in full sun to part shade with a soil that is slightly acidic, rich, and fairly moist, so if you live in a more arid environment, your mint won’t explode as it would in more ideal growing conditions. And, of course, you can grow mint in a pot for year-round fresh use provided it gets a southern exposure when indoors.

Mint not only serves as a valuable food and flavoring in the kitchen, it also has medicinal uses such as calming the stomach, assisting with gingivitis, helping relieve colds, and cooling overly warm skin, among others. It can also be used to repel pests in the home and garden, and lend a wonderful scent to washing linens when included with vinegar in the final rinse water of a wash. I’ll cover these uses in more detail in a future ‘spin.

HARVESTING

If your mint is a new planting, wait a year or two for it to establish a strong root system before you start harvesting it. You can clip fresh mint sprigs during this time for sure, but for a full-on, no-holds-barred harvest, wait until the mint is well established. With my established mint, I literally hack it back in late spring, mid summer, and again in very early fall until there is only about 6 inches of stem left; it grows back readily. Just make sure you don’t harvest too late in the fall; you want to give the plant enough time to recover before winter hits. Like any other herb, the best time to harvest mint is in the morning while the volatile oils in the plant are at their strongest.

After washing my mint, I lay it on a towel in several loose layers to dry thoroughly in the sun.

Before drying mint, rinse it clean under a spray hose in the kitchen sink, or outdoors if you have a lot of mint you’re processing in one batch. After cleaning, the mint must be thoroughly dried. I do this by shaking off the mint thoroughly, then laying it out on a few loose layers on a towel in the sun.

AIR DRYING

After my mint is washed and dried, I bundle it up for hanging and drying. I make my bundles loose to allow for the much-needed air to circulate around the herb and draw the moisture away. Air circulation is key when it comes to drying herbs; the air removes the moisture from around your plants and helps prevent mold from developing.

When making my bundles, I use rubber bands to secure the ends. Rubber bands have two main advantages over string: first, the contract as the stems dry out and shrink, thereby maintaining a tight bundle throughout the drying process and second, they can be used over and over. I save all of the rubber bands I end up with from the grocery store or anywhere else, and use them for my herb drying. I attached an unfolded large paper clip to my bundle and use the paper clip to hang the herbs from my ceiling. You can hang herbs from wall racks, or anything else you can think of as long as the location is warm and gets plenty of air circulation (i.e., basements are poor choices).

Rubber bands are the best way to hold herb bundles for drying. Here, a rubber band is first slipped over one stem, then wrapped around the bundle several times.

After wrapping the rubber band around the bundle several times, secure the end by slipping it over a few branches. This provides plenty of give for shrinkage.

You may have read that herbs should be placed in brown paper bags to dry. I believe this is nonsense. I think the only exception is when you are drying an herb such as dill and want to save the seed, then you’ll need to place a paper bag around the seed head. Otherwise,  unless you live in the driest of environments there is no way you’re going to get enough air circulation to draw the moisture away from your plants if they are suffocating in a bag. I am also lazy. Packaging herbs up for drying is just not something I am interested in spending my time doing since I see no detectable benefit from doing so, unless I am saving the seed. But I’m sure many will disagree with me, and that’s ok!

This re-purposed screen serves as a wonderful drying rack for herbs when hung from a ceiling in a warm, airy locations such as my front sun room.

Instead, I hang my herbs upside down from a drying rack I have hanging from the ceiling in my front sun room. The rack used to be a screen with rice paper lining, but the rice paper was torn at one point, so I removed all of the paper and the hinges, and hung it from the ceiling to serve as a drying rack. It also just looks kinda cool.

The ideal temperature to air dry herbs really varies; I’ve read anywhere between 70F and 120F. Frankly, whatever warm location you have available is the best location. So many guides provide supposed “rules” but ultimately the best environment is the one you have available to you. You just need to find a way to work with what you have. But with drying herbs, good air circulation is a must…without it your herbs will mold. If you don’t have good air circulation, consider placing a fan in the room in which your herbs are drying. And it’s best to keep your drying herbs out of direct sunlight; while my sun room is sunny, the herbs at ceiling level are protected from direct exposure.

How long does air drying take? It depends upon those unique conditions you are working with. In an 80F, moderately humid environment with moderate air circulation, bundles such as the ones shown above can take two to four weeks. Here in Colorado in my very warm sun room, it only took about 4 days to get crisp-dried mint.

OVEN DRYING

I encourage you to air-dry your herbs whenever possible; it just seems a lot easier to me if you have the space and if your environmental conditions are dry enough. However, if you live in a moist environment or don’t have the space to hang herbs, oven drying is a great option! Some people even prefer the flavor of oven-dried herbs to air-dried. Frankly, I can’t tell the difference.

To oven dry herbs, you also want to wash and either air dry or pat them dry before proceeding. Then you can either strip the leaves from the stems and place them in a single layer on a cookie sheet, or lay the stems on the cookie sheet themselves in a single layer. Place the herbs in a warm, 180F oven for 3 to 4 hours with the oven door cracked to allow moisture to escape. Then, crush the leaves and store.

COLLECTING AND STORING

Collect your dried mint by crushing the leaves off the stem.

The leaves are the edible portion of mint, so when it is thoroughly dry, you’ll need to remove them from the stems. I do this by taking one of my bunches, holding it over a large bowl or sheet, and simply pressing the stems. The leaves crush off cleanly from the stem, and any bit of stem that might break off and fall is easily removed after I have finished removing all of the leaves from my mint.

It is recommended that you store your mint in a cool location away from direct sunlight. I store a portion of my mint in a used tea tin and keep it in a cupboard by my tea kettle. The rest of my yearly supply is stored in a large air-tight mason jar in my pantry. Sometimes I just take the jar out and look at it…herbs that you harvested and dried yourself are not only fresher (and thereby tastier) than store bought, looking at them can also help us feel the summer sun on a cold winter day as we recall the harvest.

 
11 Comments

Posted by on August 19, 2012 in Edible Plants, Food Preservation, Fun Experiments, Gardening, Great for Kids, Hobbies and Arts, Home Remedies & Apothecary, Homesteading, Recipes, Saving Money

 

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Homemade Cottage Cheese, 1839 Style

29 Jul

In 1839, making cottage cheese was just a matter of leaving raw milk sit out until it formed curds, then strain overnight.

First, let me say that this won’t work unless you have raw milk available to you. The reason is that raw milk never really goes “bad,” it just sours. You can use it months after it’s left the cow (properly handled, of course). Pasteurized milk, on the other hand, has had its molecular structure altered, and because of that it doesn’t ever sour, it putrefies. This means if it goes bad, it’s not edible. I know, I know, this happenstance eliminates the possibility for many to make cottage cheese using this method, but it’s still interesting to see how people made food 175 years ago.

But if you do have access to raw milk, this makes a wonderful creamy cottage cheese that I love. It’s creamier than store-bought cottage cheese, and the “lumps” are very small. The flavor is a combination of cottage cheese, sour cream, and cream cheese. It doesn’t taste like store-bought cottage cheese because the store-bought stuff is cultured, which gives it a specific flavor. You can make cultured cottage cheese at home, too, if you purchase the culture from an outside source, but this recipe allows you to make your own like folks made it at home long ago. And, it’s easy as pie!

INGREDIENTS & HOW-TO

  • 1/2 gallon raw milk
  • salt (optional)
  • butter (optional)

Raw milk forms curds on its own after it sits in a warm location for several hours.

Take your milk out of the refrigerator and set it in a warm corner (room temperature or higher) until curds form, which will take between 12 and 24 hours, depending upon the temperature of your room. You’ll see the curd development easily as the curds will separate naturally from the whey, as seen at right.

Once the curds form, strain them overnight, making sure not to press them. This can be done in different ways. I took a colander and placed it inside a larger bowl, and then poured my curds into a jelly bag. I left the jelly bag sit in the colander in the refrigerator overnight (you don’t need to refrigerate it). If you don’t have a jelly bag, you can just line your colander with a kitchen towel. Or if you don’t want to save your whey, you can secure a jelly bag or towel (tied at the ends) to the kitchen sink spigot and just let it drip into the sink.

The next day, turn your cottage cheese into a clean bowl. At this point you can choose to add more cream if you want it super creamy (I don’t find this necessary), butter for additional richness, or salt or spices to taste. I like it plain, myself. I just dump the cheese into a bowl and call it good.

I eat my cottage cheese with fruit and nuts, and I use it in recipes for things like homemade ranch dressing, dips, or anywhere I’d use cream cheese, sour cream, or sometimes plain yogurt. It has a wonderful flavor, and is so easy to make that I use cottage cheese in many ways. It is really only limited by your imagination!

Note: The references for this came from  the 1839 publication, “The Kentucky Housewife,” by Mrs. Lettice Bryan. The original text reads: “Take a large bowl of milk* that is just beginning to turn sour, cover it and set it in the corner where it will keep lukewarm till if forms a curd. Then place a linen cloth over a sieve; put in your curd, fold over the corners of the cloth to keep out the dust, and let it drain till next morning, without pressing it in the least. Then turn it in an earthen dish, add as much rich, sweet cream as will make it a little soft; add a large spoonful of butter to each pint of the curd, mixing it in a very little salt, and work it with a spoon till th whole is very smoothly mixed. Then put it in a china bowl, and set it in a cool place till the tea-table is ready.”

 
17 Comments

Posted by on July 29, 2012 in Fun Experiments, Great for Kids, Homesteading, Recipes, Saving Money

 

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Wild Edible Cookery: Milkweed Flower Risotto

21 Jun

Milkweed flower buds taste like a cross between asparagus, peas, and artichokes. They make a wonderful addition to a risotto.

I can’t say enough about the tasty versatility that is the edible milkweed flower bud. They are a delicious cross between asparagus, peas, and artichokes and can be had for free if you know where to look (but as always don’t be greedy and over-harvest any wild edible–in this case the monarch butterflies rely on them for survival). While several parts of certain milkweed plants are edible, the flower buds offer a treat in early summer and can be either eaten on their own with butter, or incorporated into other dishes such as this delicious risotto recipe we made up in the Rural Spin kitchen. Be sure to read our ‘spin, Respect for the Yummy Milkweed for more info on how to process milkweed flower buds for eating.

INGREDIENTS (about 4 servings)

Milkweed flower buds before processing. They need to be processed twice to remove bitterness and alkaloids. After that, they are delicious.

  • 2 cups processed milkweed flower buds (again, see Respect for the Yummy Milkweed on how to do this)
  • 1 1/2 cups arborio rice (if you don’t use this kind of rice, the recipe just won’t work)
  • 4 cups chicken stock (you can also use vegetable stock if you want a vegetarian option)
  • 1 cup white wine
  • 3 cloves garlic, sliced very thin or chopped finely
  • 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional, or more to taste)
  • 3 tablespoons butter
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese (or more…if you want)
  • salt and pepper to taste

HOW-TO

Place your stock and wine in a saucepan and heat until boiling. Reduce heat to a slow simmer — you want it to just stay hot. You’ll then want a heavy-bottomed, shallow pan — like a large, deep frying pan — for making your risotto:

Processed milkweed flower buds are added after the rice is fully cooked, to incorporate and heat through.

  • Melt 2 tablespoons of butter and 1 tablespoon of olive oil in your pan over medium heat until bubbly. Toss in your garlic and and red pepper flakes and saute for about two minutes until the garlic is soft.Toss in your rice and stir thoroughly to coat the rice with the butter and oil. Saute for about two minutes, stirring constantly, until the grains are lightly toasted.
  • Start adding your hot broth/wine mix. To do this take a ladle-full at a time (my ladle holds about 1/2 a cup of liquid) and add it to your rice, stirring constantly until all of the liquid is equally absorbed into each grain of rice. After the liquid is absorbed, take another ladle-full of your liquid and repeat the process until all of the liquid is absorbed and the rice is cooked through. It is important to follow this process and stir constantly. If you don’t do this and you just dump all the liquid in at once, your risotto will not work.
  • You want the rice to be tender but still have a “bite” to it. If you find you need more liquid, add more broth or wine. As you follow this process, you’ll notice that the starches in the rice will create a wonderful creaminess. That is why other rice varieties won’t really work.
  • After your rice is cooked, add your processed milkweed flower buds and the last tablespoon of butter. Stir to heat through and incorporate.
  • Turn off your heat, then add your Parmesan and mix thoroughly. Taste to see if you need to add salt and pepper.
  • Remove from heat and serve, topped with more red pepper flakes and Parmesan, if desired.

    Milkweed flower risotto with Parmesan, garlic, and red pepper flakes.

 
3 Comments

Posted by on June 21, 2012 in Edible Plants, Homesteading, Recipes

 

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Ginger One Eye: A Chicken Hatched for Fame

12 Jun

Near-blind Ginger One Eye is one hen destined for fame. She isn’t afraid to look a person in the eye.

Behold Ginger One Eye, the newest addition to my massive flock of four chickens. I got her when I had to give friends at The Lyons Farmette my young hen-turned-rooster, Louis. Louis was a fine bird, but local chicken laws forbid roosters and Louis had to go.

Betsy, owner at The Farmette, asked if I wanted to take one of their hens in Louis’ stead. Bumpina — as she was affectionately called because her left blind eye bumps out from the side of her head — was overwhelmed in the flock of 80 hens at The Farmette. Betsy and I both agreed that a mostly-blind Bumpina would be much better off in my wee flock where I could keep an eye on her. So, Bumpina made her way home with me.

Now, I am the first to admit that my hens get some odd names. Louis’ full name is “Louis The Man.” Another chicken is named “Prison Break” for its propensity to make a mad dash for the gate whenever I open it. And two hens are both named “One of The Twins” simply because I can’t tell them apart.

Bumpina’s name quickly changed when I told my friends that “I got a chicken with one eye.” They would say, “How’s the chicken?” And I’d reply, “You mean the one with One Eye?” It stuck. Admittedly, this name creeped my neighbor out a tad, as she is much more sane than I. We decided One Eye needed a first name that was a bit more genteel for everyone else to use who wasn’t abnormal like me, and Ginger popped into my head as an appropriately dichotomous foil to “One Eye.” Think of her like a character in a Quentin Tarantino film.

Fast friends, River and Ginger One Eye, discussing the day’s events.

Ginger One Eye has a wonderful personality and she is without a doubt my favorite hen, though Phyllis is right up there. Ginger One Eye’s blindness gives her a certain quirky edge that makes her hard to resist. Whether it’s because she can’t see me or because she really likes me I can’t tell. And sometimes it’s just better not to know these things so we can delude ourselves that it’s the later. But whenever I walk into the run, she walks slowly up to me and lays on top of one of my feet…like she’s trying to hatch me. I do have to watch out when I take care of things in the run, so as not to step on her gentle self.

Ginger One Eye and my dog, River, also have a special relationship. They bonded immediately through the run fence, and as Ginger had a propensity for escaping the run early on, she and River carried their friendship even further over the fence line. While One Eye has seemed to stop her forays into the wild world away from the coop, she always walks right to River when River plants herself next to the fence run. In fact, River will whine for Ginger One Eye to come to her if she doesn’t do so on her own. It’s quite sweet, and indeed puts life into perspective after a trying day.

 
7 Comments

Posted by on June 12, 2012 in Animals, Farm Profile, Homesteading

 

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A Depression-era Kitchen, and a Matter of Opinion

13 May

A Depression-era kitchen has the power to evoke memories, dreams, and realism.

Back in April, I posted a photo of a kitchen onto the Rural Spin Facebook wall, with little information beyond saying the photo was taken between 1935 and 1942 via the Farm Security Administration/Office of War Information program. I asked people for their thoughts, and the photo was met with a wide variety of responses. Most shared positive memories and dreams, some took a practical look at the kitchen, and a small portion didn’t like what the photo represented to them:

  • “It is a very servicable kitchen. I just LOVE the wood stove over in the corner – and the cast iron is FABULOUS!! It is a very sustainable kitchen. My great grandmother had a kitchen like this – as did my grandmother early in her life.”
  • “This is when kitchens weren’t about decor, or high priced gadgetry, but the life center of the home. Well worn pieces that were tried and true, staples and cooking utensils within easy reach, a good, sturdy table where much of the preparations were done on, not to mention the eating! Let’s not forget the simple straight backed chair …a place to rest while peeling potatoes or having a quick cup of tea or coffee. All about simplicity and practicality.”
  • “Thoughts? No one is stopping you from living like that.”
  • “There is NOTHING wrong with this kitchen. I love it, and my wife wants that stove!”
  • “It is way way way bigger than grandma’s but much the same otherwise….. loved it — Oh, and she had 2 lamps hung on the wall – one by the table (which was against one wall with a long bench) and the other was on the wall by the stove on the opposite wall….”
  • “They’d need the woodstove, big time, the walls are uninsulated, only electric appliance appears to be the radio, no electric lights, unlikely that there is running water, most likely either a hand pump at the sink, with an outhouse somewhere well out of sight. I don’t know too many folks who would live like this today, at least voluntarily.”
  • “No running water. What a dream.”
  • “Absolutely beautiful….wish I had a kitchen like this.”

And so the comments ran. They are all valid opinions, and a testament to how an image can conjure up a wide variety of thoughts, but also deep emotions. Reading the comments we can feel the power of longing some feel about having a kitchen like this and how the photo speaks to them in words of warmth, love, caring, and simplicity. To others, they see this same image and realize that there is some hard work ahead in this kitchen, be it the need to haul water to what it would be like doing laundry on a hot summer day. Others feel more comfortable with Teflon and the immediacy of hot water on command. They are just differing viewpoints, and without differing viewpoints life would be boring, indeed.

The fact of this kitchen is that it was taken as part of the Farm Security Administration program in Depression-era Dust Bowl. Government photographers and writers at the time were tasked with documenting the lives of destitute farmers, and most of the famous Depression-era photos we have come from this program. The program was originally touted as a way to assist very poor farmers, sharecroppers, and tenants who were being hit hard during the Depression. The program was hotly debated, and this ‘spin is not about the the program itself. Instead, this is about the power that an image can have over us, and help us dream of what we want for ourselves, or what we don’t want.

Florence Thompson, destitute migrant mother of seven and pea picker in California. Photo by Dorothea Lange, 1936.

One of the most famous photographs of the collection is undoubtedly that of this 32-year-old migrant pea picker in California. Florence Thompson, shown at right with three of her seven children, evokes strong emotions. We look at this photo and see worry and poverty.

But 40 years after the photo was taken, Florence was able to tell her story after having become aware of the photo’s existence. Florence’s daughter Katherine recalls a hard life that had its mix of good and bad, “We never had a lot, but she always made sure we had something. She didn’t eat sometimes, but she made sure us children ate. That’s one thing she did do.” (For the complete story of Katherine’s reflection on this photo, read the 2008 article “Girl from iconic Great Depression photo: ‘We were shamed”“

In truth, this kitchen belonged to a poor family in the Dust Bowl southwest. Life was very hard for this family, and this kitchen is one of the nicer ones photographed that are available in the image collection (the Farm Security Administration/Office of War Information Black-and-White Negatives collection can be found here). But like Florence’s daughter shows, even in hard times, even with rough kitchens and uninsulated walls and hard work, there is the spirit that even if someone doesn’t have a lot, at least they have something. And sometimes that “something” is worth more than a modern kitchen. Sometimes that something is, indeed, about warmth, love, caring, and simplicity.

 
12 Comments

Posted by on May 13, 2012 in Historic Reflections, Homesteading

 

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