30 Uses for Coconut Oil

I’ve mentioned Coconut Oil in a couple of different posts this week, and it really is an amazing substance. So beyond Making Your Own Deodorant and oil pulling, what are some other uses for this incredible oil?

1. Coconut oil is great as a cooking oil. It has a high smoke point, and can be used in baking, stir frys, and deep frying.
2. It can be used as a dairy free replacement to butter/margarine.
3. It can be used in place of vegetable oil in any recipe.
4. It’s an immediate source of energy when eaten, and isn’t stored in the body as fat.
5. Coconut oil can be used to season cast iron skillets.
6. Soothe a sore throat and cold symptoms by dissolving a tablespoon in warm tea.
7. Consuming a tablespoon of coconut oil before each meal can help improve digestion.
8. It can be added to smoothies to give them a nutritional boost.
9. Daily ingestion of coconut oil can help alleviate allergy symptoms.
10. Rub it into your skin as a basic lotion.
11. As mentioned above, it can be used in homemade deodorant.
12. Can help prevent stretch marks during pregnancy when rubbed on the belly.
13. Coconut oil can be used as a night time moisturizer.
14. It can be rubbed on your lips as a natural chapstick and to clear up cold sores.
15. Coconut oil applied to the skin acts as a natural SPF 4 sunscreen.
16. It can help heal a sunburn (after the initial heat of the burn is gone).
17. It can reduce the itch of insect bites, chicken pox, or poison ivy.
18. It can soothe irritated skin caused by eczema or psoriasis.
19. It can improve general oral health through oil pulling.
20. Coconut oil can be used by itself, or combined with baking soda, as a naturally whitening toothpaste.
21. Mix a small amount with salt and rub on feet to remove dry skin.
22. Consumption of coconut oil can improve insulin levels.
23. It has been shown to increase the level of absorption of calcium and magnesium.
24. A tiny amount rubbed on hands, and then run through hair can help reduce frizz.
25. When mixed with an equal part of sugar it can be used as a body scrub in the shower.
26. Nursing moms can take 3-4 tablespoons a day to help increase milk supply.
27. Coconut oil can be used in place of lanolin cream for nursing mothers.
28. It can be used on mom, and in baby’s mouth to treat thrush.
29. It can be used as a cloth diaper safe diaper cream, simply rub on baby’s bum.
30. Coconut oil can help remove cradle cap – massage the oil into baby’s head, and rinse with a warm washcloth.

There are numerous other uses, but this will give you an idea of how truly versatile this oil is! Try it out for yourself!!

Homemade Pickles from Garden Cucumbers

Making your own pickles is a relatively simple process, made even easier with help from a "Mrs. Wages - Dill Pickle Mix".

I started out with a sink full of cucumbers picked fresh from our garden.

I then cut them up into the sizes and shapes that I wanted. Some jars have spear pickles, others are whole pickles, and the remaining are pickle slices.

I then prepared the mix by following the package directions, pour the hot mix over my cucumber pieces, capped the jars, and processed in a hot water bath. The end result was 14 pints of freshly made pickles! Thirteen pints went into the cupboard, and one pint went directly into the refrigerator for use.

If you've never canned anything before, pickles are a quick and easy way to learn!

Supplies needed to make your own pickles:

9-11 lbs of cucumbers (the small pickling kinds work best, as their name implies)
Vinegar
Water
Pickle mix
Canning jars, lids, and rings
Canning pot
Lid Lifter (not necessary, but very helpful) - I have used a fork to lift the lids before, and it works, but the lid lifter works better
Jar grabber (not necessary, but very helpful) - You could also use tongs, but the hot jars are mush more easily handled with the grabber designed for the job

Make Your Own Deodorant

Did you know that you can make your own deodorant?  It's one of those things that I have never really thought about making myself, it's not overly expensive to buy, and it's readily available.  However, when I stumbled upon this recipe online, it seemed so simple that I had to try it!  I already had all of the ingredients, so there was nothing to stop me (aside from the fear that it wouldn't work, and I would have to endure a day of being a stinky mess!).

Here's the recipe:

Ingredients:
5-6 Tablespoons of Coconut Oil
1/8 Cup of Arrow Root Powder
1/8 Cup of Corn Starch
1/4 Cup of Baking Soda
Several Drops of Bergamot Essential Oil (for scent)

Directions:
In a bowl, combine the powders.  Add in the coconut oil, and mix to form a thick paste.  Add several drops of essential oil, until you've reached the scent level that you want.  Store in an air tight container.

To use: Simply scoop out a small amount and apply to your underarms.  If you have any remaining on your hands you can simply rub it into your skin as a lotion.

If you don't have Bergamot essential oil, you could use your favorite essential oil scent in place of it. Personally, I would probably forego the essential oil next time I make it, the coconut oil already gives it a light coconut scent on its own.

Admittedly, I was hesitant to try this out; who wants to spend a day stinking up the office in the event that this homemade concoction fails?!?! I mixed it up on a Thursday evening with the intention of trying it out over the weekend when the only people that would be witness to any offensive smells would be my loved ones. Friday morning, as I was preparing to go to work, the little jar of homemade deodorant was calling my name. Casting my hesitations aside, I tried it out (on a workday!). Having little confidence in the efficacy of this DIY deodorant, I tossed my regular deodorant into my work bag just in case I needed it.

I was pleasantly surprised by how well it actually worked! It worked just as well, if not better than my store bought deodorant, and it was entirely all natural! That was it, I was hooked!

My family was on vacation the following week, and I packed my little jar of deodorant, and again the back up store bought deodorant. I never once had to use the store bought stick, my homemade stuff served me well, even in the heat of the summer!

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The American Frugal Housewife - A Review

The American Frugal Houswife - A Review
By: Lydia Maria Francis Child

Amazon Prices: Kindle - $0.00, Paperback - $6.95, Hardcover - $8.96

Can a book written about life and frugality in 1832 America really be of use to us today?  That was the question I asked myself as I downloaded this book, and began reading it.  As it turns out, it can!  While there are many items that Child writes about that aren’t relevant on the whole to today’s times, there are many issues that are broached in this book that are still perfectly pertinent.

Written as a guide to women in the New World, this book offers many themes that are still common today.  Written anecdotally from her life and perspectives, Child embraces topics such as not trying to keep up with the Joneses, as she states, “No false pride of foolish ambition to appear as well as others should ever induce a person to live one cent beyond the income of which he is certain.  If you have one dollar a day, do not spend but seventy-five cents.  If you have but half a dollar, do not spend more than forty cents.”

She preaches of the frugality of doing things yourself, rather than taking advantage of having things prepared for you. “Make your own bread and cake. Some people think it is just as cheap to buy of the baker and confectioner, but it is not half as cheap. It is convenient, but those who are under the necessity of being economical should make convenience a secondary priority.”

Child offers guidance on teaching your children the value of money, “In early childhood, you lay the foundation of poverty or riches, in the habits you give your children. Teach them to save everything, — not for their own use, for that would make them selfish — but for some use. Teach them to share everything with their playmates; but never allow them to destroy anything.”

I could easily quote the majority of the book, and tell you how fitting it is to current events, and the movement towards self-sufficiency.  Granted, Child does offer up many household solutions and recipes that I will likely never require, such as how to wax cheese (though you never know, that may come in handy at some point), or what kind of straw works best for stuffing a mattress, however, there are many of her tips that are still valid today.  In Child’s section of the book entitled, “General Maxims for Health,” she asserts, “Rise early. Eat simple food. Take plenty of exercise.  Never fear a little fatigue.” A sound maxim for life, and one entirely as true today as it was in her time.

This book is entirely worth the time spent reading it, if not only to glean some advice from days gone by, but to also relish in the fact that we aren’t forced to worry about how to cook calf’s head so as not to waste it.

Make Your Own Almond Butter

A friend of mine posted this picture on Facebook, and I wondered, "Could it REALLY be THAT easy?" While I was out grocery shopping, I bought some almonds with the sole purpose of trying this!

According to the picture, all I would need was a food processor, and some almonds. Easy enough, so that's how I started. I simply dumped 2 cups of whole almonds into the food processor, and turned it on.

After 5 minutes it looked like this:

There wasn't much change after 10 minutes...

After 15 minutes of spinning around in the food processor, it started to turn into a grainy paste...

After 20 minutes the magic started to happen!! The ground almonds were suddenly turning into something that resembled almond butter!!

After 25 minutes, the almonds became ALMOND BUTTER!! A taste test revealed that this almond butter was lacking something (my daughter agreed), so we added less than a teaspoon of sugar, and it was perfect!

We poured the almond butter into a mason jar, and we were finished. Two cups of almonds yeilded about 8 ounces of almond butter.

Next time I do this, I'll warm the almonds in the oven a little bit before starting. I've read that warming the almonds helps to speed up the almond to almond butter process. My food processor is rather antiquated, so it may not be an issue with newer machines; however, I kept stopping the food processor, and stirring the almonds around with a spoon for fear that the motor on the food processor would burn out.

Overall, I declare this a HUGE SUCCESS!!

GardenMats - An Update

Do you remember my post about GardenMats? Well, I thought I should take a minute and update you about how our garden is doing this year.

Unfortunately, Mother Nature hasn't provided us the optimum gardening weather this year, but we've still managed to keep our plants alive. With the help of the GardenMats, weeding has been much less daunting, and also has the advantage of keeping our vegetables from sitting in the dirt as they are growing/forming.

So far, we are very happy with the performance of the GardenMats, and have no complaints. They have continued to perform exactly as they were described to by the company. I'm certain that they will continue to be a mainstay in our gardening adventures for years to come.

What To Do With All That Rhubarb?

I came to the sudden realization today, that I haven't done anything with the rhubarb growing in our backyard yet this year!  We've only been growing it for the past couple of years, and my rhubarb recipes to date have been limited to ONE.  Unfortunately, our rhubarb stalks were quite spindly this year, but that didn't stop me from trying out a new recipe!  I wish I had taken a picture of the end result, but by the time I thought of it, the confection had been reduced to mere crumbs by my family.

Alas, here's the recipe that we tried, and LOVED!

Rhubarb Bars

Ingredients:
1 c. flour
1/3 c. powdered sugar
1/3 c. butter

Filling:

1 c. sugar
1/4 c. flour
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 tsp. vanilla
3 c. finely chopped fresh or frozen rhubarb

Procedure:
Combine flour & powdered sugar; cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Press into the bottom of a greased 11-inch x 7-inch x 2-inch baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 12 minutes. For filling, combine first four ingredients. Stir in rhubarb; pour over warm crust. Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool on wire rack. Serve warm if desired. Store in refrigerator.


My family LOVED this recipe!

Free Curtains

Letting friends and coworkers know about your hobbies can be advantageous.  I had mentioned a recent sewing project to a coworker, and it turned out that she had a bunch of fabric that she was looking to rehome.  She asked me if I was interested, and I wholeheartedly said, "Yes!"  So far she has brought me multiple boxes of fabric!!

In one of the boxes was this large piece of drapery fabric.  I didn't immediately know what I was going to do with it, but after a couple of weeks the need for this fabric became very clear.

We have been working on finishing our mudroom (slowly over the course of the past three years), and it came to completion last week!  Unfortunately, the fabric that I had set aside to be the curtains for this room was not quite long enough. I remembered seeing the fabric pictured above while I was sifting through the boxes that were given to me, and inspiration struck!

Armed with the donated fabric, a pair of scissors, some black thread, and my sewing machine, I set to work.  Straight valances are, by far, one of the easiest sewing projects.  If you can cut and sew in a relatively straight line, you can sew a valance.

The valance above was made from a strip of fabric cut 24 inches in length (I kept the width from selvage to selvage). I made a quarter inch rolled hem on all four sides, then folded the top down three inches, and seamed along the bottom of the folded edge (creating a three inch pocket on the top of the valance. I then measured down one inch from the top of the fold and made another seam all the way across. This created a "ruffle" along the top, and a smaller pocket to feed the curtain rod through. Each valance took less than 20 minutes, including measuring, cutting, and sewing!

Hidden Edibles

We have various food producing plants scattered around our yard, tucked in flower beds, or serving as their own yard art.  The chives pictured above are cozied up in a corner of a flower bed behind our house.  The rhubarb below has its own stone walled garden bed, and lives on the wood line of our back yard.

For Mother's Day this year my daughter gave me a single strawberry plant (as well as a bunch of annuals for one of the flower barrels), being the only strawberry plant that I have, it lives in the corner of yet another flower bed.

Another not-so-hidden edible plant that we have is peppermint.  I didn't take a picture of it, because the peppermint makes me angry.   Don't get me wrong, I love the smell of peppermint, it's a pretty plant, but it spreads like crazy.  A few years ago we had ants that were making their way into our house, so I sought out remedies to keep the little buggers from coming inside.  One of the suggestions that I read was to plant peppermint around the foundation of the house.  So I bought two measly little peppermint plants.  I planted them in the flower beds in front of our house, and didn't think much of it after that.  No one warned this novice gardner that peppermint is a self propogating nightmare!!  I have plucked more peppermint from those two flower beds than I care to admit!  Lesson learned, if you're going to grow peppermint, a potted plant is more ideal.  At least it has seemingly deterred the ants though!!

GardenMats - Ease the pain of weeding!

                          

We love fresh vegetables, we love growing our own vegetables, but we hate weeding!!! Ugh! To help combat the weeds this year we purchased GardenMats.  GardenMats boast claims that they drastically reduce the amount of weeding necessary to maintain a healthy garden.  The mats come in various lengths, and with holes sized for the plants that you intend to grow, and are said to last at least ten years!  Most importantly, for us, GardenMats are proven to grow 100% organic vegetables with no fear of chemicals leeching from the mats into the soils where the plants are growing!

The initial calculations were a little daunting, merely because we had to decide what we were going to plant, how many of each plant we wanted, and which mats would then need to accomodate our plans.  We were forunate in the fact that GardenMats are produced locally, and we were able to go to their place of business and buy them directly from the source.  GardenMats can also be purchased via their website, with a nominal shipping charge. 

Set up was easy!  We simply rolled out the GardenMats over our tilled garden soil, and staked them into the ground.  We made sure that each mat abutted the next to inhibit weed growth between the mats and rows of plants.  We then planted the seeds in the holes, following seed depth recommendations on the packages, and planted our pre-established plants in their designated holes. 

The growing season here in Vermont is still in the early stages, since gardeners typically don't plant their garden crops until after Memorial Day to avoid the fear of frost.  In the picture above, our garden is about two weeks old.  As you can see, there are no weeds coming up through the GardenMats!!  The few weeds that we do have are in the exposed holes, and easily recognizable from the growing crops that we planted. 

It has only been a couple of weeks since installation, but so far we're very happy with the results.  GardenMats does offer a refund of your purchase if you aren't happy with the mats after two years of use.  Thus far, I highly doubt we'll be taking them up on their refund option, as it has already greatly reduced the amount of weeding that we would typically have done at this point. 

I'll continue to update on the progress of our garden, and our opinions of the GardenMats as the season progresses.

**I am in no way affiliated with GardenMats.  This is simple a review of our experiences with the product.**

Treasured Trash

One of our true steps towards self-sufficiency has been our garden.  Slowly over the course of the past few years we have been expanding our garden site, as well as diversifying the variety of vegetables that we grow.  Each year we have been buying organic material to boost the garden soil, since the soils around our house are very sandy.  This year we have decided to take things one step further, and we started a compost pile.

This bowl sits on our kitchen counter and collects our food scraps (except meat and dairy).  Banana peels, onion skins, broccoli stems, egg shells, virtually any and all scraps go into this bowl.  When the bowl gets full, we send our unofficial "compost girl" out into the backyard where she then empties the bowl onto our compost pile.  It's the perfect job for my five year old!!!

Our compost pile isn't anything fancy, just a heap of dirt, leaves, and kitchen waste.  Once every couple of weeks we go out with a shovel and stir things up a bit.  I've been surprised by how quickly our little pile is growing, and how much kitchen waste we had previously been throwing in the trash. 

Once the compost has matured (either this fall, or next spring) we'll then till it into our garden bed to help build up the fertility of the soil, turning our kitchen trash into fertilizing treasure!

A Pretty Little Dress

Keeping my daughter clothed has become a challenge as she’s been going through numerous growth spurts lately.  Currently, she’s in rather desperate need of summer clothes.  I hesitate to buy an entire wardrobe for her because it’s costly, and the way she’s growing lately she’ll have outgrown them in the next week!!  So for now, she has the requisite shorts and t-shirts for summer wear, but not much else. 

For my birthday, in March, my husband’s grandmother was gracious enough to give me a gift card to a local fabric store.  This gift card has been sitting on my nightstand since then, dying for me to use it.  I didn’t have any particular projects in mind, but I had an afternoon to myself so I went shopping.  While I was in the fabric store, I saw this patterned cotton, and it SCREAMED at me to be made into a dress for my daughter.  Since I’m not one to deny the wishes of screaming fabric, I brought it home with me.  The fabric retails for $9.99/yard.  While it wasn’t the most inexpensive yard of fabric, I was shopping with a gift card, and had a 40% off coupon, combined, this made it a much more palatable purchase at $5.99/yard.

 

Armed with a vision, and my sewing machine, I set to work.  After two hours of very interrupted sewing (answering the never ending call of “MOOOOOOOOOOM!!!!!!!!!!!”), this was the end result. 

I was quite proud of the final product, and for $5.99 my daughter has a brand new dress, and I have enough fabric left over to make her a matching headband, and a matching dress for her doll. 

This similar dress retails at $40.

Overall, for $5.99 (but free to me because I used my gift card) and a little bit of time spent in my sewing room, I’m calling it a success!