Posted on 03/23/2008 11:36:40 PM PDT by nw_arizona_granny
Americans finding soaring food prices hard to stomach can battle back by growing their own food. [Click image for a larger version] Dean Fosdick Dean Fosdick
Home vegetable gardens appear to be booming as a result of the twin movements to eat local and pinch pennies.
At the Southeastern Flower Show in Atlanta this winter, D. Landreth Seed Co. of New Freedom, Pa., sold three to four times more seed packets than last year, says Barb Melera, president. "This is the first time I've ever heard people say, 'I can grow this more cheaply than I can buy it in the supermarket.' That's a 180-degree turn from the norm."
Roger Doiron, a gardener and fresh-food advocate from Scarborough, Maine, said he turned $85 worth of seeds into more than six months of vegetables for his family of five.
A year later, he says, the family still had "several quarts of tomato sauce, bags of mixed vegetables and ice-cube trays of pesto in the freezer; 20 heads of garlic, a five-gallon crock of sauerkraut, more homegrown hot-pepper sauce than one family could comfortably eat in a year and three sorts of squash, which we make into soups, stews and bread."
[snipped]
She compares the current period of market uncertainty with that of the early- to mid-20th century when the concept of victory gardens became popular.
"A lot of companies during the world wars and the Great Depression era encouraged vegetable gardening as a way of addressing layoffs, reduced wages and such," she says. "Some companies, like U.S. Steel, made gardens available at the workplace. Railroads provided easements they'd rent to employees and others for gardening."
(Excerpt) Read more at dallasnews.com ...
http://happyhens.blogspot.com/
Leann’s Happy Hen Gourmet Mash
Here’s an “action shot” of the hens enjoying my world famous Gourmet Mash. 9.5 out of 10 hens agree this is the meal of their lives!
The mash often consist of a small quantity of layer pellets with yogurt, cottage cheese or kefiili (like kefir, a cultured milk product) plus odds and ends of whatever is available. The cultured milk products are very, very good for helping chickens stay healthy.
This weekend I made an amazing gourmet mash which made the hens extremely happy, and wanted to share this recipe with you poultry enthusiasts. Since it involves meat, if you are a new visitor, please check the archives for my post on chickens as omnivores—other poultry enthusiasts have assured me they see the same dietary behavior in their flocks too! We don’t often feed them meat, but it has a dramatic positive health benefit when we do. Consider adding meat to your mash recipe in the early spring to help boost immunity after a long winter, after an illness, and during a molt to help protein depleted birds (feathers are all protein). You can also omit the meat or other items from this mash and add your own ingredients.
Leann’s Happy Hen Gourmet Mash
feeds a flock of 20 (with enough left over that everyone gets some)
1-2 pints yogurt or other cultured milk product
1 pint low-salt cottage cheese
2 pounds ground beef
1 bunch parsley
1 bunch lemon balm
1 head garlic
1-2 cups raw pumpkin seeds
1 pint baby tomatoes
enough pellet feed to make a mushy consistency
2-3 casserole type pans
Put all the pans on a counter or work space where you can evenly divide the ingredients between the 3 pans.
-Add the yogurt & cottage cheese
-Remove leaves from lemon balm and add to pans
-Take parsley, and using scissors, snip entire bunch into small pieces
-Put in ground beef, yes, raw
-Slice all tomatoes in half and add
Mix with hands, getting ground beef and cottage cheese thoroughly mixed
-Add a small quantity of pellets to mash, enough to make it thicken
-Peel most of paper husks off garlic cloves, and add cloves to Cuisinart
-Add pumpkin seeds to Cuisinart, and blend until both garlic and seeds are in bits
-Add this mixture to mash
Mix well, and serve (put the dishes in various parts of the run so all hens, low and high in terms of pecking order, can eat freely)
I don’t always use all these ingredients, but a little about what the benefits are for your flock:
Cultured dairy products are as beneficial for hens as they are for humans. Cultured dairy is high in protein and calcium, and the friendly flora helps prevent diseases and parasites in a flock.
Meat, as I’ve already mentioned, can be an excellent periodic supplement to a flock diet. This is especially true after winter, illness, or a molt when a hen’s protein needs increase dramatically. Additionally, according to the Weston Price Foundation, there are fat soluble vitamins and activators that only meat can provide. Since raw is better, put your meat in the freezer for 2 weeks prior to feeding to your birds, to kill any possible parasites, etc. Feel free to search the archive for a post about feeding raw deer liver to the flock—they loved it!
Lemon Balm is a powerful antiviral—our flock was exposed to viral poultry pox, which is sort of like human oral herpes in that it is non-fatal and they carry it for life. So for our flock, treating with lemon balm is a good thing.
Parsley is extremely high in minerals and vitamins. I’ve also been known to use granulate kelp and dulse.
Garlic is a potent antiviral, antifungal, antiparasitical, and antibacterial. Organic poultry farmers rave about use of garlic, and the mash is the best way I’ve found to get the girls to eat it.
Raw pumpkin seeds are noted in Chinese medicine to be excellent at expelling worms and other parasites in humans, I hope this is true for hens. If nothing else, it’s a great vegetarian source of protein and zinc for the flock. Zinc is another immunity booster. Sunflower seeds are a great substitute if all you want is the protein boost.
Tomatoes are reputed to be useful in changing internal ph so that a hen’s body is not hospitable to parasites and other disease bearing invaders. I have also heard that pomegranete seeds and cranberries are useful for the same thing.
Have fun making your own mash—your hens will love you for it!
Posted by Picasa
posted by happygardeningmama @ 6:18 AM 5
[A pleasant blog, with nice photos....granny]
http://www.urbanchickenunderground.blogspot.com/
This blog is dedicated to legalizing chickens in urban backyards.
http://www.cityfarmer.info/portland-tour-de-coops-urban-chicken-coops/
Portland Tour de Coops - Urban Chicken coops
Linked by Michael Levenston
tourcoop.jpg
Image from Growing Gardens, Portland Chickens.
At the 5th Annual Portland Tour de Coops in July, about 600 people visited, on average, 17 backyard chicken farms in Portland, Oregon. Link to their web site here. See photos of hen houses at Dave’ Garden Forum here.
U.S. City Dwellers Flock to Raising Chickens
By Ben Block, Worldwatch Institute
October 6, 2008
In the backyard of a suburban home in Denver, Colorado, 22 chickens are hiding out from the law.
They arrived when a member of BackyardChickens, an online forum, ordered the birds in the mail this past May. “I actually get my chicks in today hopefully, and I am worried that animal control will be at the post office waiting for me with hand-cuffs,” the new poultry farmer wrote.
An underground “urban chicken” movement has swept across the United States in recent years. Cities such as Boston, Massachusetts, and Madison, Wisconsin, are known to have had chickens residing illegally behind city fences.
But grassroots campaigns, often inspired by the expanding movement to buy locally produced food, are leading municipalities to allow limited numbers of hens within city limits.
Cities such as Anne Arbor, Michigan; Ft. Collins, Colorado; and South Portland, Maine have all voted in the past year to allow residents to raise backyard poultry. “It’s a serious issue - it’s no yolk,” said Mayor Dave Cieslewicz of Madison, Wisconsin, when his city reversed its poultry ban in 2004. “Chickens are really bringing us together as a community. For too long they’ve been cooped up.”
See the complete article here.
Chickens Still in Soup here.
http://marsrovername.jpl.nasa.gov/
Kids will name it in a contest.
MARS ROVER NAMING CONTEST
Submit Your Essay between: 11/18/2008 - 1/25/2009
You must be a student in grades K-12 in the United States, including U.S. possessions and schools operated by the U.S. for children of American personnel overseas.
WORLD-WIDE PUBLIC POLL
Submit Your Votes: on or around March 22-29, 2009
Nine finalist names will be selected, 3 from each grade range: k-3, 4-7, 8-12. Give NASA your feedback by ranking your favorites among the 9 candidate names, and you may just help determine the Grand Prize Winner!
WINNING NAME ANNOUNCED: on or around April 16th, 2009
My honeymoon wasn’t a great memorable time because we spent it in such a fancy place. It was memorable because we spent it together, doing whatever we felt like doing, with only a couple of suitcases to worry about.<<<
That is what life should be.
Yes, LARD. Good ol’ animal fat. Nothing like it.<<<
Yes, or bacon drippings.
Try making your peanut butter cookies with lard, the plain old Rex lard.
It changes them entirely, Aunt Moselle insists that lard must be used in them.
It isn’t that hard to render your own, I used a big blue roaster in the oven for mine, low to med heat and let it go.
Put in fruit jars while still warm enough to melt 2 generous spoonfuls of Crisco.
The Crisco has enough preseravative in it, to keep your lard sweet and fresh....This was taught by the Arizona Extension Service in WW2, and my friend Mary taught me.
Thank you for your kind words, this is meant to be a useful thread..You are welcome any time.
Seasonal Furnace Maintenance
Good idea...for those with a furnace...Actually very important, for both saving money and for safety, from fires and the dust.
Might be a good spot to tuck in this little tidbit of personal experience.
In the mobile that I put on the mountain, the butane hot water heater was in the middle bed room closet, many are in the larger mobile homes.
I came home from work and as I went down the hall, I smelled this awful smell. Coming from my grandaughters bedroom.
Of course I checked, she was asleep and had not noticed it.
With some checking, I found it was the hot water heater, an O ring had worn out and butane was entering the bedroom, straight from the tank.
Needless to say, when I replaced the hot water heater, it was in the greenhouse, outside of the trailer.
Chicken farms are even springing up in cities like Cleveland
The Plain Dealer - cleveland.com, OH - Nov 14, 2008
“It’s a new chapter for urban farms,” Cimperman said. “Gardens increase community activism, decrease crime and improve property values. ...
Urban chicken farming craze
Beliefnet.com, NY - 7 hours ago
Cleo, our trannie rooster, found a nice home with a farmer in rural north Texas. We are assured that he will be master of a hen harem. ...
Backyard chickens find new popularity in suburbia
Lower Hudson Journal news, NY - Nov 18, 2008
“I call them closet chicken farmers. I know any number of people who have two to five or six chickens in their backyard. It’s incredibly great to have the ...
The New Coop de Ville
Newsweek - Nov 17, 2008
Many urban farmers are taking that motto to heart. In New York, where chickens (but not roosters, whose loud crowing can disturb neighbors) are allowed in ...
Farmers in the Great Lakes region of ...
Maryland ag’s effect on Bay analyzed at law school
American Farm, MD - Nov 18, 2008
“Believe it or not, there is a shortage of chicken manure on the Delmarva Peninsula. We are contacted by farmers who want manure for their cropping ...
Great Lakes Radio Consortium
CITY CHICKENS AND URBAN EGGS
Great Lakes Radio Consortium, MI - Nov 16, 2008
Linda Nellet brought a few of her birds to a backyard-chicken seminar in Chicago. She and other seasoned urban chicken keepers hope to keep chicken-raising ...
The Independent Weekly
Dating on $30 a day
The Independent Weekly, NC - Nov 19, 2008
Standouts include the chicken and cheese enchiladas rancheras (Dessen’s recommendation: Share to save money); pork burrito de chile verde; enchilada with ...
The urban farmer’s almanac
National Post, Canada - Oct 25, 2008
Besides being easily traced to its source, urban farm products save on fuel. City beasts such as chickens, goats and tilapia will eat orange peels and ...
Chickens in the city?
Chicago Journal, IL - Nov 5, 2008
Urban Initiative, an educational wing of the community-supported farm Angelic Organics, will hold its first Basic Backyard Chicken Care workshop. ...
New! Get the latest news on Urban Chicken farmers with Google Alerts.
From the 1890’s
MEMOIRS OF M. TALLEYRAND; HIS NEGLECTED CHILDHOOD AND HIS AMERICAN...
New York Times - Dec 31, 1890
I did not make a very firm stand in favor of the economists, yet I could. scarcely map ... If things do not mend in Holland. will soon be removed to London; ...
Related web pages
A STUDY IN SOCIOLOGY.; New Cooking Classes at the Brooklyn Bureau of...
New York Times - Nov 20, 1898
These ravel the Brussels carpets — no one is too to do that — cat the rags into strips, and sew. them together to make rag ,carpets and mend the clothes. ...
Related web pages
HOW TO MEND YOUR WHEEL; Suggestions to Cyclists Who May Meet with...
New York Times - Jul 14, 1895
The humber of places that make a specialty of cycle work and are prepared to fix any ... The reason for the scarcity of repair shops which do cycle work ...
All 2 related - Related web pages
DRESS MAKING SCHOOLS.; How to Make Dresses Inadequately Taught in New...
New York Times - Feb 23, 1896
... much less mend decently, and very much less make a garment, ... Public schools, the few that teach at all, do not go beyond plain sewing. ...
All 2 related - Related web pages
A Castle of Ice. A Story
The New England magazine. - Cornell University - Sep 1, 1894
But if you really want to make something for the house ... Oh, I dont do Georges mending. He made such a fuss about my looking after his things, ...
Related web pages
HER POINT OF VIEW.
New York Times - Nov 15, 1891
Another woman, a writer, says on the contrary: “I make a practice to give my ... “Do, Sue, like a dear girl, mend this glove for me, l’m desperately late,” ...
Related web pages
SEASON OF EMBROIDERY HERE.
New York Times - Jul 9, 1899
But I do mend my gloves even in Summer. and then I don my housewife with a dignified air, ... “There are Just three things that New York women care to make. ...
Related web pages
RACEGOERS MADE FURIOUS; Hisses and Threats for the Starter at the...
New York Times - Jun 11, 1899
“Lynch him’” and rushed down to the judges’ stand to make a still further angry ... and charges f robbery and dishonesty against him do not mend matters, ...
Related web pages
THE FINANCIAL MARKETS
New York Times - Feb 23, 1897
And, according to the aforesaid bank officer, if money market conditions do not mend before the 1st of , h, it will only be a question of one bank following ...
All 2 related - Related web pages
COOKING IN WARTIME.; The Old Soldier Indulges in Reminiscences of...
New York Times - Jul 3, 1898
... a half of salt pork and three barrels of bea to make us a mess of pork and beans. ... She was supposed to do our mending for us, and we paid her for it. ...
All 2 related - Related web pages
http://www.miss-thrifty.co.uk/2008/09/30/make-do-and-mend-vogue-for-the-credit-crunch-bunch/
Doesn’t this book look marvellous?
Make Do And Mend was published in the UK in 1943, by the Ministry of Information, at a time when food and clothes were rationed. Every British citizen was permitted one egg a week, a modest cube of cheese and unlimited bread and vegetables. Coupons for clothes were cut from allowance books; enterprising women supplemented these rations with garments cut from curtains, and kohl pencil lines up the backs of their legs, to look like stockings. Their cookware was handed over to be turned into fusiland turned into aeroplanes. (And if all this wasn’t bad enough, their towns and cities were being bombed at night.)
This frugal tradition continued beyond the Second World War and into the 1950s, when the Manchester Evening News published Take a Tip : a collection of readers’ money saving titbits.
It’s funny, isn’t it? These little booklets have been hanging around for decades, unwanted and unread, gathering dust in attics and mouldering on charity shop shelves while we’ve been out spending and splurging on overpriced frivolites and cheap tat.
Now that we’re headed for a recession - a Depression, even, if the doomiest of the doom-mongers are to be believed - all these pearls of wisdom are suddenly relevant again. With our financial indexes plummeting, our markets in turmoil and our elected representatives banging heads with one another, this seems as good a time as any to revisit some of our forebears’ handiest household hints.
Here are some of my favourites:
From Make Do And Mend
Don’t waste a whole lemon if you only need a drop. Stick a skewer into the lemon and squeeze out the juice you need. Wrap the lemon in foil and keep it in the fridge.
Mend clothes before washing them as the tear or hole may become unmanageable. Keep a look out for loose buttons and other fastenings and mend at once. Save all tapes, ribbons, buttons, hooks and eyes and keep a well-stocked work basket.
Freeze leftover pieces of cake until you have enough to make a trifle.
Unwrap new soap and store it among towels and bedding. The soap will scent the linen and it will also harden making it last longer.
From Take A Tip
Leave two small dishes or bottles of disinfectant on your kitchen table and the flies will disappear. I have not had one in even during the recent heat-wave.
If you have been to the seaside in brown shoes and had sea water over them the best way to remove the stains is to dissolve a small lump of washing soda in two tablespoonfuls of hot milk.
Apply the solution to the stains by means of a rag, let it dry (a minute or two) and add a second application.
After this has dried, use ordinary shoe polish to clean them. The stains will disappear like magic.
To remove grease stains on fabric, sprinkle good coating of talcum powder over each stain. Leave it on for about ten minutes and then cover it with brown paper.
Press this with a not-too-hot iron and brush off the surplus powder and all the stains have gone.
To clean strawberries, soak them in water to which a teaspoonful of vinegar has been added. It is surprising to see what insects there are hidden in the fruit. Wash in clear water and drain though a sieve.
If the hearthrug wanders, stick the rubber rings from old jam jar lids to the corners and, at intervals along the edges, it will then stay put.
I’d love to know what you make of these! If you would like a second helping (strictly rationed, of course), just tip me the wink..
UPDATE: This post was selected for the 173rd Carnival of Personal Finance, hosted by Girls Just Wanna Have Funds.
[I have used my soap to scent drawers or in a basket in the room, for 50 or 60 years, hate soft slimy bars, which you will not have with the air dried bars, it is ok to let them dry for years, I have been using some of the special bars, from 1966.
They were fancy handmade balls of soap and were just fine.
granny]
5 Simple Water Conservation Methods: Do They Save Real Money?
November 20, 2008 @ 2:00 pm - Written by Trent
Categories: Frugality
One of the most common frugality tactics is to find ways to reduce your water bill. There are many, many ways to do this in your average home, but several tactics seem to pop up time and time again.
The question is: do these tactics really save significant money? Is it enough to make the move worth the hassle? Let’s dig into five of these methods and find out.
Assumptions
In order to do some of the calculations below, I had to make a few basic assumptions.
First, I’m using a cost of $0.0015 per gallon for the water. I obtained this estimate from offline research materials provided by the American Water Works Association. This means that 1,000 gallons of tap water will cost you about $1.50.
Second, I did usage counts in our own home in order to make calculations. I basically assumed that my own family is the “average American family,” in other words.
Putting a plastic bottle in your toilet tank.
The average home toilet tank uses roughly a gallon and a half of water per flush, though older toilets often use substantially more. When you flush, this water goes straight down the bowl, costing you roughly two-tenths of a cent.
However, for almost all flushes, one does not need nearly that much water to expel the contents of the bowl. The solution often prescribed for this unnecessary water usage is to take a plastic soda bottle, fill it with water (and perhaps a few pebbles to weight it down), then put that bottle into your tank. This reduces the amount of water in the tank at all times and thus reduces the total amount of water your toilet uses.
How much does this actually save? Let’s say you put in a 20 ounce soda bottle into your tank, which is 0.16 gallons. This would reduce your average flush from 1.5 gallons down to 1.34 gallons of water used.
How many times do you flush? I did a count at our home and counted a total of sixteen flushes over a day-long period at our home (two adults, two children).
Using that metric, putting a bottle in our tank would save us 2.56 gallons of water per day. Over the course of a full year, that’s 934.4 gallons saved. In dollars and cents, that bottle would save us $1.40 a year.
Is it worth doing? Considering it’s something you can do in a minute and that it lasts for years and years, it’s probably worth the time. There’s no real downside to it, either - for virtually all flushes, the small fraction of water saved will make no difference at all. For us, it was a no brainer - we did it.
Installing a low-flow shower head.
The Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission reports that a normal shower uses 8.5 gallons of water per minute. In comparison, a low-flow showerhead uses (depending on the model) 1 to 3 gallons of water per minute. Our home currently has a mix of normal flow and low flow heads.
I asked around for a recommendation for a low-flow shower head and a friend pointed me toward an Alsons 657CBX - which allows you to switch between 1.85 and 2.5 gallons per minute. The plumber liked this model because, as he put it, some people don’t like the low flow setting but enjoy the higher flow one. The model costs $25 via Amazon and is easy to install.
So, what do real-world showering times look like? Over the course of a week, I estimated that there were thirteen showers taken in our home, averaging twelve minutes in length per shower, a figure that my wife concurred was “reasonable.” This adds up to 156 minutes of showering in a week and, thus, over the course of a week, the shower head above will save us 1037.4 gallons of water (assuming we are replacing a high-flow showerhead). That adds up to a savings of about $81 per year!
However, there are some drawbacks here. First, replacing the shower head in your home might not save you that much water. If your initial shower head is reasonably efficient, your savings won’t be that tremendous. Second, low flow showers can be unappealing to some bathers. I don’t mind them (except for washing my hair, which takes a bit longer), but others can be frustrated by them.
My suggestion? Don’t get an ultra low flow showerhead. It can be worthwhile to get a lower flow showerhead - and it can save you significant money, indeed - but don’t jump on board the lowest flow head you can find or it may seriously degrade the quality of your showers.
Taking “on the clock” showers.
For a long while, I got in the habit of taking very brief showers. I used a timer and established a routine of taking five minute showers, shaving seven minutes from my shower time. Now, I don’t worry about it quite as much - I take quick showers if I need the time, but quite often I take showers around ten minutes in length.
So, let’s say you’re able to shave two minutes off of your daily shower and your shower head is an average one - 8.5 gallons per minute. That means in an average week, you can save 119 gallons of water - saving you about $9.31 per year.
What I found is that shaving a small amount of time from your shower doesn’t make a noticeable difference and can easily become the norm without any quality reduction. However, if you shave a lot of time, it can really cut into your ability to adequately get clean.
My suggestion? Try shaving just a minute or two off your shower. One good way to do it is to just consciously keep moving while showering - scrubbing away instead of just standing there.
Washing only full loads of clothes.
My wife and I tend to naturally run full loads with every load we run, so this tip didn’t particularly impact us. Of course, I know of at least one person who refuses to run a load much larger than half a basin, claiming that it doesn’t get clothes adequately clean.
So, let’s say an average load actually fills up three quarters of a bin and you do two loads of laundry per week - 104 loads per year. Filling up the bin each time would thus save 26 loads per year. Using the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission numbers, a load in a top-loading washer uses 60 gallons, which would thus save 1,560 gallons a year - $2.30.
My take? It’s not enough of a cost savings to drastically change how you wash your clothes, particularly if the strict cleanliness of your clothes is something of personal concern to you. The more direct change you can make is simply to add an item or two to your loads without overloading your washer.
Shaving with a basin rather than a running tap.
The city of Tampa reports that an average tap dispenses three gallons of water per minute. When I shave at the sink, I usually spend about four minutes shaving, meaning that a running tap wastes twelve gallons of water.
Alternately, I could run a gallon of water into the basin, turn off the tap, and simply use the water in the basin, saving eleven gallons of water per shave. If you shave every day, that simple change would save 4,015 gallons of water per year - $6.03.
This is a simple change that you can use with many common tasks. Fill the basin instead of running the tap when you brush your teeth, wash your face, shave, do dishes by hand, and so on.
What’s the general conclusion here? One time fixes and minor behavioral changes when it comes to your water use are usually worth it - but only over the long haul.
http://www.miss-thrifty.co.uk/2008/11/14/frugal-grandmas-pie-and-pudding-secrets/
Frugal Grandma’s pie and pudding secrets
November 14, 2008 By: missthrifty Category: Food, Waste Not
I asked my Frugal Grandma if she would provide holiday cover while I am away on my Thrifty Roadtrip this week. Frugal Grandma can do anything…
When you make fruit pies put the bottom layer of pastry in the tin, paint with egg and leave to dry. This stops the bottom of the pie from becoming soggy with juice. Use the rest of the egg to paint over the top of the pie before you sprinkle with sugar, and this will make it nice and shiny. Try not to put too much juicy liquid into the pie as it will make its own when it cooks.
When you make a bread and butter pudding, put a smear of marmalade in the bottom of the dish. This greatly improves it.
At Christmas, mince pies are often a bit rich when you have been stuffing yourself. So in our family we always make a lot of little apple pies, which seem to go much faster. Don’t forget to make the tops of the mince and apple a bit different so you know which is which.
- Frugal Grandma
http://www.miss-thrifty.co.uk/category/food/
Frugal Dinner
This recipe is called Beef Collop; it was first made by my mother when she ran a small London cafe in the late 1940s. Meat was rationed at that time and my ma never liked to waste anything, so she invented this dish. It became so popular that she ended up having to buy meat especially for it.
If you have very little meat left from a roast, say 2 slices of beef (or lamb, pork or chicken), then do the following:
Cut the meat into small pieces.
Cut a fair size onion into small pieces and fry until it is glazed and cooked through.
Put the diced meat into the onion, along with any leftover vegetables.
Add a small handful of sultanas.
Make a really nice, thick meat gravy (add some Marmite, which gives a nice savoury flavour).
Add a tablespoon of chopped mixed herbs.
Add a dollop of tomato puree, if you have it.
Mix the lot together and cook through.
Serve with mashed potatoes and veg.
If you don’t TELL the family that this dish is short on meat they will never know it.
Frugal Grandma
It lets you know if a particular web page changes. Let's say you are interested in the next update to a retail page, or a site promoting upcoming festivals, etc. Set up a watch this page link, and when the page changes, you get an email notification. Simple. You can cancel the alert at any time.
http://www.miss-thrifty.co.uk/2008/07/19/keep-insects-away-with-basil-and-lavender/#more-16
Keep insects away with basil and lavender
July 19, 2008 By: missthrifty Category: Food, Garden, Household
Basil: Ants in the kitchen drove me mad last summer - until I discovered that basil is Ant Kryptonite. Buy a pot from the supermarket for £1.99 or thereabouts, put it in a bigger pot and stick it on the window sill. Water sparingly and replace every few months. It keeps the ants away - and it smells nicer than Raid.
Lavender: It grows in your garden (or your neighbour’s garden) for free - and flies hate it. Little bunches, hanging in windows or left on top of tall furniture, work well. Replace when the lavender smells of nothing but twigs. It seems to me that “true” lavender is much more effective that lavendula (the “cheaper” stuff, which has squatter, slightly pinker blossoms) - but this could be mere horticultural snobbery on my part.
http://www.miss-thrifty.co.uk/tag/olive-oil/
An instant jar of salad dressing
August 06, 2008 By: missthrifty Category: Food,
Don’t rinse out that empty or almost-empty jar of mustard. Instead, pour in a little olive oil, replace the lid and shake thoroughly. Voila! A fresh salad dressing.
This works best with wholegrain or French mustard. It also works with those jars of ready-chopped garlic or ginger.
ShareThis
Perfume bottles and thrifty bath oil
July 22, 2008 By: missthrifty Category: Grooming No
Fill an empty perfume bottle halfway with olive oil and shake it. Voila: delicious-smelling bath oil is yours. I think I read this in Reader’s Digest half a lifetime ago. I was wary until I learned (probably from Just Seventeen or Mizz) that in lieu of body lotion, Jerry Hall moisturises by covering herself in olive oil, then wrapping herself up in clingfilm (saran wrap for American readers) and leaving it all on overnight. I have never tried this though - I think it would weird my husband out.
Oh, and if the perfume bottle has a spray nozzle and you can’t get it off, this trick also works with non-empty perfume bottles: spray a few squirts into a little oil, shake and pour.
ShareThis
Cleaning patent leather shoes and bags…
July 14, 2008 By: missthrifty Category: Wardrobe 1
Magnolia in Black/Ivory Patent Leather
…Don’t bother with commercial patent leather cleaners. All you need is a little olive oil and a couple of soft cloths! Dip a cloth in the oil and rub it over the shoes or bag. Leave for 20 - 40 minutes, then wipe off with a clean cloth. This cleans the leather, keeps it from cracking or scuffing - and costs practically nothing. Seriously: this works a treat.
Victoria magazine is back!! You can get all the issues for 2008 for just $19.95 with no shipping charge! These would retail for over $30 if you could find them on the newsstand!
I guess I'm partial to this magazine because it's my namesake. Mom used to call me "Victorian" when she was in a playful mood. :) Vicki
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.