Weekly Roundup - Living On Nothing Edition [Survival Today

Did you hear about the guy that lives on nothing? No seriously, he lives on zero dollars a day. Meet Daniel Suelo, who lives in a cave outside Moab, Utah. Suelo has no mortgage, no car payment, no debt of any kind. He also has no home, no car, no television, and absolutely no “creature comforts.” But he does have a lot of creatures, as in the mice and bugs that scurry about the cave floor he’s called home for the last three years.

To us, Suelo probably sounds a little extreme. Actually, he probably sounds very extreme. After all, I suspect most of you reading this are doing so under the protection of some sort of man-made shelter, and with some amount of money on your person, and probably a few needs for money, too. And who doesn’t need money unless they have completely unplugged from the grid? Still, it’s an amusing story about a guy who rejects all forms of consumerism as we know it.

How to Brew Your Own Beer and Maybe Save Some Money. A fantastic introduction to home brewing, something I’ve never done myself, but always been interested in trying. (@Generation X Finance)

Contentment: A Great Financial Principle. If I had to name one required emotion for living a frugal lifestyle it would be contentment. Once you are content with your belongings and your lot in life you can ignore forces attempting to separate you from your money. (@Personal Finance by the Book)

Use Energy Star Appliances to Save On Utility Costs. I enjoyed this post because it included actual numbers, and actual total savings, from someone who upgraded to new, energy star appliances. (@The Digerati Life)

Over-Saving for Retirement? Is it possible to “over-save” for retirement? Yes, I think so. At some point I like the idea of putting some money aside in taxable investments outside of retirement funds, to be accessed prior to traditional retirement age. (@The Simple Dollar)

40 Things to Teach My Kids Before They Leave Home. A great list of both practical and philosophical lessons to teach your kids before they reach the age where they know everything. I think that now happens around 13 years-old. (@My Supercharged Life)

Index Fund Investing Overview. If you are looking for a place to invest with high diversification and relatively low fees (for broader index funds with low turnover), index funds are a great place to start. (@Money Smart Life)

5 Reasons To Line Dry Your Laundry. My wife and I may soon be installing a clothesline in our backyard. In many neighborhoods they are frowned upon - one of the reasons I don’t like living in a neighborhood. I digress. One of our neighbors recently put up a clothesline, and we might just follow his lead. (@Simple Mom)

* 4 Quick Tips for Getting Out of a Rut * Young and Cash Rich * Embracing Simple Style * First Trading Experience With OptionsHouse * The Exponential Power of Delayed Consumption * How Much Emergency Fund is Enough? * 50 Questions that Will Free Your Mind * Save Money On Car Insurance

The original page can be found on-line at http://www.pioneerthinking.com/personalspa.html

Personal, In-Home Health Spa

(ARA) - In the hustle and bustle of today’s busy lifestyles, weekend health spas have become a welcome retreat, but are often too extravagant and costly for frequent visits. With a little creativity and imagination, you can create the therapeutic and rewarding effects of a spa in the privacy of your own home — with a sunroom.

A sunroom is an ideal space to create a relaxing, in-home spa. Typically surrounded by the beauty and serenity of the outdoors, sunrooms often provide a dramatic yet private setting. Moreover, the natural light that they provide has the power to change your mood, according to doctors, who believe that sunlight has positive effects on a person’s overall well being. Combined with other spa-like features, such as aromatherapy, the practice of using plant-derived fragrances to change your mood, you can have your own private retreat in no time.

“People are discovering all the added benefits a sunroom can have,” explains Rick Jones, president of Patio Enclosures, Inc., North America’s largest designer and installer of sunrooms. “From their therapeutic sunlight, to their versatility and beauty, sunrooms are perfect places for personal relaxation,” he said.

With some creative planning — and planting — you can treat yourself to a restorative herbal mask or an aromatherapy message. Here are a few basics for starting your own home spa. You might even try growing some of the ingredients on your own, possibly in your sunroom.

Roses are for more than smelling. Tea with rose hips offers more vitamin C than oranges. In a coffee grinder, grind the hips and add to a cup of very hot water. Add one-quarter cup of fresh leaves to one cup of boiling water. For a lemon-flavored tea, add lemon balm. This tea is ideal for soothing nerves and aids in digestion.

Marigolds act as a natural antiseptic when picked as they begin to bloom. Mixed with oil, they help relieve cuts, burns, itchy skin and chapped lips.

For soft skin, try a homemade oil with lavender. Fill a jar with lavender flowers. Gently crush the flowers and add enough olive oil to cover the herbs.

Cover the jar and place it in the sun, shaking every day. Strain the oil after a few weeks. Massage the oil into your skin or add to your bath.

For a refreshing facemask, mix the following ingredients in a blender: 1-cup mint leaves, 2 tablespoons oatmeal and 2 tablespoons water. Keep on your face for 15 minutes.

Lettuce is for more than salads. To soothe sunburned skin, boil lettuce with water and after it has cooled, add the liquid to your bath.

Grow your own loofah. This relative of the cucumber works great as an exfoliator.

Follow the growing instructions on the loofah packet, which can be purchased at most nurseries. After harvesting, soak them in water. Peel the brown skin and remove the seeds. Place them in the sun to dry.

For a refreshing foot soak, mix 3 drops tee tree, crushed lavender petals and a fresh squeezed lemon to warm water.

For the added spa-esque feeling, try arranging scented candles throughout your sunroom. You can also play soothing music or purchase a miniature running fountain, available at most home stores. To really go all out, the investment of a Jacuzzi is sure to offer years of enjoyment and relaxation. In addition, your new sunroom spa is an ideal setting to practice yoga. Earth-tones pillows and rugs add an element of relaxation and there are many casual furniture and window treatment options available to you for your sunroom spa.

“The great thing about your sunroom spa is that it can transform into a romantic dinner setting or a planetarium on a starry night,” adds Jones. “A sunroom is the one room in the house that can be used for almost anything.”

The Author

The original page can be found on-line at http://www.pioneerthinking.com/fr_spasecrets.html

Spa Secrets: A Fragrant All-Over Body Mask

by Francoise Rapp, Aromatherapist and Alchemist

You don’t need to travel to far off regions to indulge in exotic beauty rituals. Learn how easy it is to create an enchanting ambiance right at home or at your spa with the following aromatic treatment. This unique body treatment, made of a natural Middle Eastern clay, smoothes and deeply cleanses the skin.

What You Will Need:

* 1 package of Rhassoul*
* 1 C. Fine Sea Salt
* 1 TBSP. Liquid Honey
* 3/4 to 1/2 Cup of Distilled Water

Enchanting Aromatic Blend

* 5 drops Lemongrass
* 4 drops Rosewood
* 4 drops Ylang Ylang

* Rhassoul is a clay mined from beneath the shafts of the Atlas Mountains. It has detoxifying, cleansing, degreasing, and astringent properties. You can find it in most natural food stores or replace it with regular green clay, also found at natural food stores.

To Prepare Your Clay:

Mix the distilled water and honey together. Warm the honey in the microwave first if it is too stiff. Add the essential oils, and then add the clay and sea salt. Stir well until you create a nice and loose paste.

Routine For Your Massage Room:

Prepare four bath towels by dampening them and placing them into a crockpot set to low heat.Cover your massage table with two of the warmed blankets. Place a plastic sheet on top on which your client can lay down. Suggest that your client wear either a two-piece bathing suit or have a disposable bikini for the treatment.

Spread the paste evenly all over the front and back of the body. Have your client lie face up and wrap her or him with the plastic sheet and blankets. Leave the upper chest opened to allow your client to breathe more easily and feel more comfortable. The body wrap should last 30 minutes, during which you can massage the scalp and face with accupressure points.

Open the blankets and sheet and use the warmed towels to remove the paste. Please test the temperature of the towel on yourself using your client.

Create NEW spa services to make your business grow while offering your clientele unique ways to relax, nurture, and relieve stress!

The Author

(c) Francoise Rapp. Internationally renowned aromatherapist and alchemist, Francoise Rapp, shares her expertise in using essential oils to heal and revitalize body and mind. Highlights include aromatherapy classes, recipes and aromatic treatments for health and wellness,

The original page can be found on-line at http://www.pioneerthinking.com/ds_masks.html

Facial and Body Clay Masks - All You Ever Wanted to Know About Facial Clay Masks
By: Danny Siegenthaler

Facial Clay Masks are part of a complete skin care regime and should be included at least twice a week in your daily skin care regime. There are however clays, and then there are high quality, premium cosmetic/beauty clays.

Argiletz clays are amongst the best clays on the market today. They are free from any contaminants and have many beneficial effects on the skin, making them ideal clays to use for facial and body clay masks. But what exactly are these facial clay masks and what do they actually do to your skin that is so beneficial? In this article we will take a close up look at facial clay masks, how they work, what makes them an essential part of your skin care regime and how your skin benefits from their use.

What are clays?

Clays are naturally occurring substances containing minerals, trace elements and nutrients. Clay is a part of most soils and gardeners the world over are very familiar with the properties of clay rich soils.

In the beauty industry however, clays are used in different ways, however, the properties of the clays don’t change, their applications however, do.

Argiletz clays are high quality sun dried clays that come from Argiletz, a region in France, where they are extracted at specific depths in areas that are free from contamination. They are quarried under strict conditions to ensure that their mineral content and purity is retained.

Green Argiletz clay for example is a bio-mineral, which is naturally concentrated, containing various mineral salts and trace elements including: Silica, aluminum, magnesium, calcium, iron, phosphorus, sodium, potassium, copper, zinc, selenium, cobalt, manganese and many others.

What do facial clays do? and How do they Work on the skin?

These mineral salts, trace elements and other nutrients listed above have a detoxifying, nourishing, restoring and soothing effect on the skin.

Clay is naturally absorbent and draws toxins from deep in the skin’s tissues, thus cleansing and detoxifying the skin. Its slight grainy texture exfoliates dead skin cells from the surface layer of your skin, while the nutrients contained in the clay have a toning and firming effect on the skin.

By adding plant hydrosols such as Melissa, Niauoli, Rose and others, the natural benefits of the different facial/body clays can be further enhanced.

Types of Clays used in our Facial/Body Clay Masks

There are many clays and types of clay, however in this article I will focus on what are arguably the best quality clays on the market today. The different Argiletz clays used in Wildcrafted Herbal Products’ facial/body clay masks.

Green Clay

The most absorbing of the Clays, Green Clay is generally used as a Face Mask for tissue repair, drawing toxins from the skin and to normalise excessive secretions of oil or sweat. Applied as a Face or Body Mask, facial clay masks cleanse, exfoliate, smoothe and soften the skin. Green clay is especially good at drawing toxins out.

White Clay

White clay is a mild clay used for normal skin. It has similar properties as green clay and is suitable for Face and Body Masks for young and sensitive or mature and delicate skins. Applied as a powder, White Clay is an excellent body deodorant and a natural alternative to talcum powder. White Clay is the Clay of Choice for use as a Hand Mask to soothe and soften dry hands.

Red Clay

Red clay is high in iron oxide, hence its colour, and helpful for broken capillaries, bags under the eyes and sensitive skin types. It is used for toning the bust, thighs, stomach and upper arms. Red clay is an oily, mildly absorbent clay and is used for Face and Body Masks in cases of dry, sensitive or mature skin.

Pink Clay

This Clay is intended for use in a maintenance programme for the face and body. The softening effect of Pink Clay refines the skin’s texture while toning the epidermis (outer layer of the skin).

Yellow Clay

Yellow Clay is used for normal skin and has similar properties as green clay. This clay is derived from the iron oxide, Xanthoria Parietina. Yellow Clay is generally used for Face and Body Masks, particularly in cases where the condition of the skin and body needs revitalising. Yellow Clay is recommended for most skin types to restore tired and neglected skin.

Note: Be careful of coloured clays, there are many manufacturers that add dies to clay to produce artificially coloured clays, which do not have the same properties of effects and may well do you more harm than good. So choose carefully

What are the effects of Natural Clays on the skin?

As indicated above, Argiletz Clays are pure, mineral-rich clays that help detoxify, cleanse, tone and revitalize your skin when used in masks and/or in body/face creams. They also have a nutritive effect on the skin. It is important to choose the right facial clay for your skin.

How to use the clays?

The Earth Medicine Facial Clays should be used once or twice a week, prior to toning and moisturising, as a special cleansing skin treatment. The gel based clay blends can be used as a gentle, conditioning exfoliant scrub, whilst the cream based clay blends can be used as a mask to nourish, moisturise and hydrate.

Masks

The Cream based clays are designed for use as masks. Apply sufficient Clay Crème to the face and neck and leave on for 10-15 minutes. Rinse off in warm water.

Facial Gel Wash

The Gel based facial clay washes are designed for use as gentle exfoliant and toning scrubs. Simply moisten the face and neck with warm water and apply a small amount of Clay Gel and massage into a light foam for 2 minutes. Rinse off with warm water.
about the author

Danny Siegenthaler is a doctor of traditional Chinese medicine and together with his wife Susan, a medical herbalist and Aromatherapist, they have created Natural Skin Care Products by Wildcrafted Herbal Products to share their 40 years of combined expertise with you.

Join our Natural Skin Care Newsletter - it’s fun, free and Informative and you receive a free eBook on natural skin care.

http://modernvictorymovement.blogspot.com/2009/09/insect-conservation.html

[Live links at site]

Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Insect Conservation
Last week in my essay on Endangered and Extinct Insects I briefly mentioned the Xerces Society, an international non-profit environmental group specializing in invertebrate conservation. The Xerces Society is named after the now extinct Xerces Blue butterfly (Glaucopsyche xerces). Their website is loaded with great information on insect conservation and I encourage everyone to check it out. Much of the information I will present here comes from their website.

Native Bees

“There is an astonishing diversity of native bees across the USA. About 4,000 species have been identified and catalogued, ranging in length from less than one eighth of an inch to more than one inch. They vary in color from dark brown or black to metallic green or blue, and may have stripes of red, white, orange, or yellow. Many common names reflect the way they build nests: plasterer bees, leafcutter bees, mason bees, carder bees, digger bees, and carpenter bees.

Others are named after particular traits, such as cuckoo bees that lay eggs in the nests of other bee species (like the cuckoo bird), sweat bees that like to drink salty perspiration, or bumble bees, who got their name from the loud humming noise they make while flying. Since most don’t fit the stereotyped image of a bee (black-and-yellow-striped, living in a hive, and apt to sting) they are easily overlooked. Out of sight, out of mind they gently get on with foraging, and in doing so provide the vital ecosystem service of pollination.” — (from the Xerces Society website, September 2008)

Native Bee Conservation:

Native bees, as well as all other pollinators, require two essential things to thrive - safe places to nest and flowers from which to gather pollen and nectar. Provide these two ingredients on your farm or in your yard and the pollinators will be plentiful.

There are a lot of things that farmers and backyard gardeners can to do encourage a healthy population of pollinators on their homestead. Here is a list:

1- Plant native wildflowers and other native flowering plants. Aim to have various colors and bloom times throughout the year. Include flowers of different shapes and sizes, after all there are an estimated 4000 species of bees in North America. And they all are different sizes, have different tongue lengths and often specialize in certain sizes and shapes of flowers.

2- Plant host plants for native butterflies, skippers and moths. Host plants are the plants on which the adults lay eggs and that the newly hatched caterpillars feed on. Most butterflies, skippers and moths only lay eggs on certain host plants, which vary by species. For example,the host plants for Black Swallowtails are parsley, carrot, dill and parsnip. Host plants for the Spicebush Swallowtail are spice bush and sassafras. The Monarch butterfly only lays eggs on milkweeds. A short list of butterflies and their larval host plants can be found at the Monarch Watch website .

3- Plant the flowers and host plants in close groups. Flowers clustered into groups of one species will attract more pollinators than individual plants scattered throughout your yard.

4- Avoid the use of herbicides, pesticides, insecticides, fungicides and other chemicals if at all possible.

5- Include water sources. Butterflies love to “puddle.” Puddling is when butterflies land on wet sand or mud and lap up the water to get salts and minerals from the damp puddles. Place a tray of course sand in your garden, being sure to keep it damp. The butterflies will love you for it.

6- Build some native bee boxes. Plans for Bumble Bee Boxes can easily bee found on the Internet, as can plans for other native bee nests. Check out the links below to find plans for bee boxes and nests.

The Xerces Society

The following fact sheets and booklets are available to be downloaded from the Xerces Society (just click on the links - will open as .pdf files).

Fact sheet: Nests for Native Bees. Learn how to make nests for native bees.

Fact sheet: Plants for Native Bees in the Pacific Northwest. Learn which plants best support native bees in the Pacific Northwest.

Fact sheet: California Bee Plants. Learn which plants best support native bees in California.

Fact sheet: Plants for Native Bees in the Upper Midwest. Learn which plants best support native bees in the Upper Midwest.

Fact sheet: Plants for Native Bees in North America. General information on providing plants that support native bees throughout the United States.

Fact sheet: Butterfly Gardening. Learn how to convert your garden into a paradise for butterflies.

Fact sheet: Native Pollinators on the Farm: What’s in it for Growers? An overview of the contribution native bees make to crop pollination, and their value to agriculture.

Plant list: California Central Valley Pollinator Plant List. A list of the most important nectar or pollen plants for crop-pollinating native bees in California’s Central Valley.

Plant list: California Central Coast Pollinator Plant List. A list of the most important nectar or pollen plants for crop-pollinating native bees in California’s Central Coast.

Plant list: Northern California Sierra Foothill Pollinator Plant List. A list of the most important nectar or pollen plants for crop-pollinating native bees in California’s Sierra Foothills.

Plant list: Southern California Pollinator Plants Coast and Foothill Regions. A list of the most important nectar or pollen plants for crop-pollinating native bees in Southern California.
Booklet: Pollinators in Natural Areas: A Primer on Habitat Management. This 8-page primer provides an overview for how to manage natural areas for the greatest benefit to native bees.

Booklet: Pollinator-Friendly Parks. How to Enhance Parks and Greenspaces for Native Pollinator Insects (Free PDF download, 1.8MB File, 54 pp., full color)

Booklet: Making Room for native Pollinators: How to Create Habitat for Pollinator Insects on Golf Courses. Published by the U.S. Golf Association, 2002.

Booklet: Making More Room. A companion to Making Room for Native Pollinators, which updates the original guidelines and expands them include information on butterflies. Appendices contain detailed plant lists for Oregon and Washington.

Booklet: Farming for Bees: Guidelines for Providing Native Bee Habitat on Farms. Outlines ways to protect and enhance habitat for native crop pollinators in the farm landscape.

http://modernvictorymovement.blogspot.com/2009/09/small-plot-gardening.html

[links are live and hidden, LOL, on the site]

Friday, September 18, 2009
Small Plot Gardening
I have recently published essays to the Modern Victory Movement on lasagna gardening and forest gardening techniques for growing your own food. This essay is on small plot gardening techniques for growing your own food even if you have access to only a small plot of land, such as a tiny suburban or urban backyard, or even just containers on a balcony or patio.

Many homeowners, and certainly most apartment and condominium dwellers, simply don’t have the space for the large sprawling garden traditionally found in rural parts of the country. The question they face is how to maximize food production in the limited amount of space available to them.

Two excellent resources are the leaflets Small Plot and Intensive Gardening (link opens as a .pdf file) from the Purdue University Cooperative Extension Service and Small Plot Vegetable Gardening (also a .pdf file) from the Iowa State University Cooperative Extension Service. Many of the tips below come from these two leaflets.

Tips for Small Plot Gardening

Site Selection: Choose a site that gets at least six hours of direct sunlight a day, if possible. The more the better.

Site Preparation: Small plots of land make excellent sheet mulch gardens (such as a lasagna garden), which is what I personally recommend (the resources listed above give some additional alternatives). Container gardens can also be made using sheet mulch techniques.

Planting: As with traditional gardens, the timing of your planting is important as some crops cannot take cold weather and others cannot take hot weather. Your local garden centers, agricultural extension offices and gardening clubs should have sheets available that list frost dates and planting times for your area.

Space Saving Techniques

Interplanting: Grow two or more vegetables in one area by planting slow (long season) and fast maturing (short season) crops. The fast maturing vegetables will be harvested before the crops begin to crowd each other.

Examples of slow (long season) crops: carrots, tomatoes, cabbage, corn, broccoli, Brussels sprouts
Examples of fast (short season) crops: lettuce, radishes, green onions, spinach

Intercropping: Sow a fast and a slow growing type of seed together. For example, sow radishes and carrots together. When the radishes are harvested, then the carrots will be automatically thinned.

Succession Planting: As soon as one crop is finished, plant another. When cool-season crops, such as lettuce, spinach, radishes, and peas are harvested, replant with beans, beets, or turnips.

Use Vertical Space: Use a trellis or fence to support pole beans, cucumbers, and squash. Cage or stake tomatoes. Take care to consider the mature height of vertical crops and not to over shade low-lying crops.

Plant “Bush” Varieties: Bush varieties of cucumbers, squash and melons take up less space by growing their fruits on shorter vines than traditional varieties.

Some Suggested Bush Varieties (Iowa State University Extension)
Cucumber: Salad Bush, Bush Pickle, Spacemaster
Summer Squash: Pic-N-Pic (yellow crookneck)
Winter Squash: Bush Delicata, Table Ace
Muskmellon: Minnesota Midget, Honey Bun Hybrid

On a personal note, I have had very good luck growing Spacemaster cucumbers here in North Carolina. I do not have any personal experience with the other varieties mentioned.

Square Foot Gardening: A form of intensive gardening in which the garden is marked off into squares of space for crops rather than planting in straight rows. The name comes from partitioning blocks of garden space that are 1 ft. x 1 ft. A common arrangement is to mark off squares that are 4 ft. x 4 ft. (16 sq. ft.). This area is then divided into four parts that are 2 ft. x 2 ft. One tomato plant or equally spaced seeds are then planted in these square areas, depending on the space needs of the plant. (For more information, see Square Foot Gardening, by Mel Bartholomew, Rodale Press, 1981.)

Band Planting: Plant crops in bands of double or triple rows instead of single rows where practical. Wide paths between rows waste valuable space. Smaller crops such as lettuce, spinach, beets and radishes are especially suited to band planting (see the table on spacing in the Small Plot and Intensive Gardening leaflet).

Audience: Neurological healthcare professionals, patients

[Posted 09/17/2009] FDA continues to receive reports of progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML) in patients receiving Tysabri. Tysabri was approved by the FDA for the treatment of relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS) in November 2004 and for moderately to severely active Crohn’s disease in January 2008. From July 2006, (when Tysabri marketing resumed) to September 8, 2009, 13 reported cases of Tysabri-related PML were confirmed worldwide in patients being treated for MS with Tysabri monotherapy. There have been no postmarketing reports of PML in patients treated with Tysabri for Crohn’s disease. Less than 2% of Tysabri use in the U.S. has been in patients with Crohn’s disease. Based on available data from the U.S. and outside of the U.S., the current rate of PML in patients who have received at least 24 infusions ranges from 0.4 to 1.3 per 1,000 patients.

The risk for developing PML appears to increase with the number of Tysabri infusions received. At this time, the FDA is not requiring changes regarding PML to the Tysabri prescribing information or to the Tysabri risk management plan, called the TOUCH Prescribing Program.

Read the MedWatch safety summary, including a link to the “Information for Healthcare Professionals” page, at:

http://www.fda.gov/Safety/MedWatch/SafetyInformation/SafetyAlertsforHumanMedicalProducts/ucm182667.htm

You are encouraged to report all serious adverse events and product quality problems to FDA MedWatch at www.fda.gov/medwatch/report.htm

Cherry Chutney
Posted by: “KittyHawk”

Cherry Chutney

9 cups coarsely chopped pitted tart cherries (Note)
1 large onion, chopped
1 small orange, peel and all chopped
2 Tbsp minced fresh ginger
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup cider vinegar
2 Tbsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 Tbsp coarse (kosher) salt
1/2 cup water

In a 5 quart (or larger) stockpot, combine all ingredients except cherries
and bring to boil. Add cherries and boil gently, uncovered, stirring
frequently, until thickened, about 30 to 40 minutes.

Pour into prepared jars leaving a 1/2” headspace. Check for air bubbles.
Process in a boiling water bath for 15 minutes. Adjust time according to
your altitude.

Makes: 3 1/2 pints

Note: For a low tech way to pit cherries, unfold a paper clip from the
center.
Depending on cherry size, insert small or large loop through the top of the
cherry, loosen the pit and pull it out.

________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
2. Cherry Honey Relish
Posted by: “KittyHawk”

Cherry Honey Relish

2 1/2 cups pitted tart cherries
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup white vinegar
1/3 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground cloves
1/8 tsp salt
1/2 cup pecans, coarsely chopped
1 Tbsp Clear Jel
1 Tbsp cold Water

In a 2 quart saucepan, combine the first seven ingredients. Cook
slowly, uncovered for 30 minutes. Stir in pecans.

Combine the cold water and cornstarch and gradually stir into cherry
mixture. Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens.

Refrigerate, freeze or can.

If Canning: Wash and sterilize 5 half pint mason jars and lids. Pour
hot cherry mixture into prepared jars leaving a 1/2” headspacer.
Quickly wipe the glass rims clean of any spillage, and screw the lids on
the jars. Carefully set into a large canner of boiling water. Bring
back to boil, and process the relish for 30 minutes.

Start counting your time after the water has returned to a boil.
Carefully remove the jars, being careful not to twist the ring caps at
this point. Allow to completely cool. Remove the rings, test your caps
to be sure they have sealed. Store in cool place. Will keep indefinitely.

Makes: 5 half pints

________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
3a. Re: Ascorbic acid
Posted by: “CATHY

where can you get ascorbic acid?
cathy

________________________________
From: KittyHawk
Subject: Re: {FPDC&M} Ascorbic acid

When I can fruit I use a tsp per gallon of water. Once I prepare the
fruit I toss it in the water and let it sit until I have all my fruit
done. Then I scoop the fruit out and drain and toss into the boiling
syrup or if it is cold pack I pack the jars then add the syrup.

Darlene

joyous_puzzler6 wrote:
> I use ascorbic acid to keep fruit from going brown in my kid’s lunches, but I am wondering if you can use it for canning too. If it is possible to use it in canning, what are the proportions? Anne

To visit group on the web, go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FoodPreservationDryingCanningAndMore/

“Meals-in-a-Box” [For emergencies]
Posted by: “Kathy

These are GREAT!! I guess our enrichment person kind of “made them up”. They are as follows:

She found great sized boxes - about 12”x6”x3”- and in them she put the following items for the following recipe:

Enchilada Casserole
(serves 8)
1 - chicken bouillon cube
8 oz (1 cup) water
1 - 5 oz can evaporated milk
2 - 10 3/4 cans cream of chicken soup
1/4 c. dried onion flakes
1 - 10 oz can diced tomatoes with chilies
1 -12.5 can chunk chicken breast - or 2 cans if preferred
8 oz tortilla chips

Dissolve bouillon cube in boiling water. Combine remaining ingredients - except chips - with bouillon and heat through. Place tortilla chips in a 9x12 buttered baking dish. Pour mixture evenly over chips. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 min. If desired, remove from oven and top with grated cheese and cook 5 more minutes.

Serving suggestion: dehydrated refried beans with taco seasoning - (3 c dry with 2 1/4 cup boiling water.) and Knorr’s Fiesta Side Spanish rice.

So, this was in the box:
1 - chicken bouillon cube
1 - 5 oz can evaporated milk
2 - 10 3/4 cans cream of chicken soup
1/4 c. dried onion flakes (in a baggie)
1 - 10 oz can diced tomatoes with chilies
1 -12.5 can chunk chicken breast - or 2 cans if preferred
8 oz tortilla chips (in a baggie)
3 cups dehydrated refried beans (in a baggie)
bag of Knorr’s Fiesta Side Spanish Rice

The idea is to use it when you may not have time to plan anything else, it is using food storage you probably already have, and an older child could start the meal if needed.

She did 4 dinners and a dessert this way - it is FABULOUS! If anyone has anything like this to share, I’d love to have ideas - she also had a Turkey Dressing Casserole, Spaghetti, and Southwestern White Chili. I made one for Taco Soup - totally easy!! Any ideas would be GREAT!!

thanks
kathy

http://groups. yahoo.com/ group/LDSFS

NEWS from CPSC
U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission
Office of Information and Public Affairs
Washington, DC 20207

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 22, 2009
Release #09-345

CPSC Recall Hotline: (800) 638-2772
CPSC Media Contact: (301) 504-7908

The Tipping Point: CPSC Urges Parents to Inspect and Secure TVs, Furniture, and Appliances to Prevent Tip-Over Deaths and Injuries

WASHINGTON, D.C. - For young children, the home is a playground, and while many parents childproof to ensure that their home is a safe place, some may not be aware that unsecured TVs, furniture and appliances are hidden hazards lurking in every room. Today, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is urging parents once again to take simple, low-cost steps to prevent deaths and injuries associated with furniture, TV, and appliance tip-overs.

CPSC staff estimates that in 2006, 16,300 children 5 years old and younger were treated in emergency rooms because of injuries associated with TV, furniture, and appliance tip-overs, and between 2000 and 2006, CPSC staff received reports of 134 tip-over related deaths. Additionally, CPSC staff is aware of at least 30 media reports of tip-over deaths since January 2007 involving this same age group.

“Many parents are unaware of the deadly danger of this hidden hazard. I urge parents to include securing TVs, furniture, and appliances in their childproofing efforts,” said CPSC Chairman Inez Tenenbaum. “Taking a few moments now can prevent a tip-over tragedy later.”

“You may think your home is safe, but everyday things like a television can hurt your child. I was right there and it happened,” said Sylvia Santiago, of West Haven, Connecticut who lost her two-year old daughter in 2008.

Typically, injuries and deaths occur when children climb onto, fall against, or pull themselves up on television stands, shelves, bookcases, dressers, desks, chests, and appliances. In some cases, televisions placed on top of furniture tip over and cause a child to suffer traumatic and sometimes fatal injuries. “The most devastating injuries that we see resulting from furniture tipping on children are injuries to the brain and when a child is trapped under a heavy piece of furniture and suffocates,” said Gary Smith, MD, DrPH, Director of the Center for Injury Research and Policy at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio.

Recent revisions to the voluntary safety standards for clothes storage units provide for the inclusion of warning labels and additional hardware to secure the furniture to the floor or wall. To help prevent tip-over hazards, CPSC offers the following safety tips:

* Furniture should be stable on its own. For added security, anchor chests or dressers, TV stands, bookcases and entertainment units to the floor or attach them to a wall.

* Place TVs on a sturdy, low-rise base. Avoid flimsy shelves.

* Push the TV as far back as possible.

* Place electrical cords out of a child’s reach, and teach kids not to play with them.

* Keep remote controls and other attractive items off the TV stand so kids won’t be tempted to grab for them and risk knocking the TV over.

* Make sure free-standing ranges and stoves are installed with anti-tip brackets.

To see this release on CPSC’s web site, including links to view a video and to download a new CPSC Poster and Safety Alert, please go to: http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml09/09345.html

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NEWS from CPSC
U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission
Office of Information and Public Affairs
Washington, DC 20207

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 22, 2009
Release #09-346

CPSC Recall Hotline: (800) 638-2772
CPSC Media Contact: (301) 504-7908

‘CPSC 2.0’ Launches Product Safety Agency into Social Media
Consumers to Be Informed of Important Safety Issues Faster and More Frequently

WASHINGTON, D.C. - In keeping with its commitment to protect the lives of children and families, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is launching “CPSC 2.0,” a comprehensive social networking initiative that will make lifesaving and other safety information more accessible to consumers. Utilizing a variety of technologies and social media sites, CPSC will rapidly expand its reach to millions of consumers.

“Through social media, CPSC can directly reach millions of the moms, dads and others who need our safety information the most,” said CPSC Chairman Inez Tenenbaum.

Today’s launch coincides with CPSC’s Furniture and TV Tip-over Education Campaign. By educating parents and caregivers about the dangers of unstable furniture through dramatic video, blogging and podcasting, CPSC hopes to raise the public’s awareness of tip-over dangers in the home.

Future CPSC 2.0 content will address other safety issues in and around the home in engaging, consumer-friendly ways.

Chairman Tenenbaum added, “Safety can often be achieved through education, and we plan to use every available technology to keep Americans informed.”

Consumers can find CPSC on its “OnSafety” blog, which has messages, articles, videos, podcasts and other information. The site also has a ‘Recall Widget’ tool that anyone can easily add to their Web site. CPSC will also have an official presence on a YouTube channel, a Twitter page, and a FlickR page.

To see this release on CPSC’s web site, including links to CPSC’s new social media sites, please go to: http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml09/09346.html

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‘CPSC 2.0’ Launches Product Safety Agency into Social Media — Learn more at http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml09/09346.html

Visit our new blog, OnSafety at www.cpsc.gov/onsafety
See our videos on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/uscpsc
Follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/OnSafety
See our photos on Flickr at http://www.flickr.com/photos/uscpsc

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is charged with protecting the public from unreasonable risks of serious injury or death from thousands of types of consumer products under the agency’s jurisdiction. The CPSC is committed to protecting consumers and families from products that pose a fire, electrical, chemical, or mechanical hazard. The CPSC’s work to ensure the safety of consumer products - such as toys, cribs, power tools, cigarette lighters, and household chemicals - contributed significantly to the decline in the rate of deaths and injuries associated with consumer products over the past 30 years.

To report a dangerous product or a product-related injury, call CPSC’s Hotline at (800) 638-2772 or CPSC’s teletypewriter at (800) 638-8270. To join a CPSC e-mail subscription list, please go to https://www.cpsc.gov/cpsclist.aspx. Consumers can obtain recall and general safety information by logging on to CPSC’s Web site at www.cpsc.gov.

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