Best Ever Healthy Pizza!

Our family loves cheese pizza, but you can dress this meal up anyway you want!  This recipe makes 2 large pizzas.

Multigrain Pizza Dough

1 3/4 cups boiling water

1 cup seven or nine grain cracked cereal

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup whole wheat or spelt flour

1 envelope or 2 1/4 teaspoons instant or rapid rise yeast

1 1/2 teaspoon slat

3 tablespoons olive oil

Bring water to a boil and pour over cereal in a heat proof bowl.  Cover with plastic wrap and let stand for 10 minutes.  In the meantime mix together the flour, yeast and salt in an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment.  Once the grain have absorbed the water (about 10 minutes) add the oil and pour into the flour mixture.  Mix all ingredients together until thoroughly incorporated.  Let rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour.  Turn oven onto 450`.  Roll out onto an oiled surface to fit a jelly roll pan or round pan that has been greased.  Bake the crust only for 10-15 minutes until almost golden.  Remove from oven and then top with sauce and toppings.  Bake for another 10-15 minutes until cheese is golden and bubbly.

Emily's Secret Pizza Sauce

1/4 cup olive oil

5 cloves garlic, minced

1 (32 oz) crushed tomatoes

1 tsp dried basil

3/4 tsp dried oregano

1/4 tsp dried thyme

1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

2 Tbsp red wine vinegar

1 tsp onion powder

1/4 cup brown sugar

kosher salt for taste

While your dough is rising warm the oil in a small sauce pan and add the garlic, cook for 1-2 minutes.  Be careful not to let the garlic scorch, it will taste bitter.  Add remaining ingredients and let simmer for 20-30 minutes.  When partially cooked dough is ready to be topped, place 1/2 of the sauce onto one pizza and top with desired cheese, veggies, meat or fruit.  Be sure to top everything off with Parmesan cheese for the best flavor.  Bake pizza for 10-15 minutes or until cheese is golden and bubbly.  Let cool and serve with a large green salad!  Enjoy!  

 

New Addition!

 All suited up and getting ready to hive the bees

 Released the bees and getting ready to put them in their new home

My friend Robin shaking (gently) the bees into the hive

Wow!  What a thrill!  We just hived our first colony of bees today!  My friend Robin has been a master gardener and beekeeper for over 10 years.  He graciously helped me put my new "girls" into their home.  Bees everywhere and no one got stung!  Did you know that most bees are female?  The only difference between them and the queen bee is that when the queen is still developing she is fed royal jelly from the nurse bees glands in their heads. They go from a life span of 6 weeks to 5-7 years!  Amazing!  They are Italian Bees from California and very docile.  I'll be sure to keep you updated on the exciting life of bees!   

Baby chicks moved out of the house!

The babies moved out into the coop this past week.  I have kept them separate from the big girls during the day and in the coop at night.  All their feathers are in, so tonight I will be sneaking them up onto the roost bars without the light and inside with the others after they have gone in for the night.  When they wake up, hopefully the big girls think "oh, that's weird, they must have been there this entire time and I just noticed".  Silly Chickens!  In the morning I'll be outside just before sun up to see how they interact with the big girls.  If there is any brutal pecking I'll be quick to separate them again and try tomorrow.  If you introduce new chicks to an older flock it's very important to offer an escape area or box with food and water in case the big girls refuse to let them share their water and food for a few weeks.  I'll be sure to keep you posted!

Good Morning Green Smoothie

Green Smoothie

Every morning we try to have a green smoothie.  Packed full of 5-6 servings of fresh fruits and vegetables!  This is a great way to start the day and not have to chew down another salad.  We love to put chia seeds into the smoothie.  These mild and nutrient dense seeds are great for weight loss, regulating blood sugar levels and a whole lot more!  Check out http://www.mychiaseeds.com/Articles/Top10ChiaBenefits.html for more info on the benefits of chia seeds!  Don't let the "green" color put you off from trying this fantastic breakfast!  I bet your kids will even love it!

I usually like to use 3-4 different kinds of fruit and at least 2 cups of your choice of leafy greens. Place all ingredients into blender and enjoy!

8-12oz. water

1 banana

3 tablespoons chia seeds

1/2 cup applesauce or 1 chopped apple

1-2 cups baby spinach, 1-2 cups Swiss chard or any other leafy green you want

5-6 frozen strawberries

1 fresh peach or mango slices if you have them.

Salmon, Asparagus and Orzo Salad with Lemon-Dill Vinagrette

Salmon, Asparagus and Orzo Salad with Lemon-Dill Vinaigrette

This salad is heavenly!  I love the way the lemon-dill dressing tastes with the salmon and orzo!  A perfect dish to bring to any occasion or just a family sit down dinner.

6 cups water

1 pound asparagus, trimmed and cut into 3-inch pieces

1 cup uncooked orzo (rice shaped pasta)

1 (1 1/4 pound) skinless salmon fillet

olive oil

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1/2 purple onion, chopped

1/2 cup feta cheese

1 tablespoon freshly chopped dill

3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 1 lemon)

2-3 tablespoons olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

Bring 6 cups of water to a boil.  Add the asparagus and cook for 3 minutes.  Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon and place in large bowl.  Add the pasta to the water and cook according to directions on package.  In the meantime, drizzle salmon with a little bit of olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Broil  for 5 minutes or until salmon is flaky.  Set aside once finished.  Add chopped onions, feta cheese, dill, lemon juice, olive oil, and salt and pepper to taste into the asparagus.  Add fish and drained pasta.  Mix thoroughly. Serve immediately.  Recipe from Cooking Light, Fresh Food Fast. pg. 105

Quinoa, Carrot and Lentil Soup

Whole Grain Triple Berry Muffins

There is nothing like a good healthy and hearty bowl of soup with whole grain berry muffins on a cold rainy spring evening!  This soup combines a grain (quinoa) with a lentil, giving it the perfect protein combination.  Although, quinoa is a perfect food all by itself, it adds more nutrition with the lentils and veggies.  With fresh parsley from the garden added at the end, this soup has wonderful flavor!  

Quinoa, Carrot and Lentil Soup:

1/2 cup quinoa

1/2 cup lentils

4 cups vegetable or chicken broth

1 cup water

4 carrots, peeled and sliced

1 red onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp ground coriander

1/2 tsp sea salt

28 oz stewed tomatoes

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Combine quinoa, lentils, broth and water in a large dutch oven and bring to a boil.  Reduce to simmer, cover and cook for 10 minutes.  Add carrots, onion, garlic, cumin, coriander, salt and stewed tomatoes.  Simmer for another 10-20 minutes until the carrots are just tender.  Add the fresh chopped parsley at the end and serve.  Recipe inspired by 'Quinoa 365 Cookbook'

Whole Grain Triple Berry Muffins:

3 cups whole grain flour of your choice (spelt, barely, oat, wheat, kamut, rye, quinoa, etc.)

 (I personally like to use 3-4 different kinds of flour)

1/2 cup organic sugar or agave

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups non-fat plain yogurt

2 large eggs

1/2 cup canola oil or applesauce (for a low fat version)

2 cups frozen triple berry mix (I use the stuff from Costco)

Preheat oven to 350`.  Spray a muffin pan with Pam.  Whisk all dry ingredients in a large bowl.  In a medium size bowl mix together the wet ingredients.  Combine wet ingredients into the dry.  Gently fold in the frozen berries.  Scoop batter into the muffin tins and bake for 30 minutes.  Recipe inspired by 'America's Test Kitchen Baking Cookbook'.

The Power Protein Packed Garden Burger

Garden Burger

I love a good burger!  When  I stopped eating red meat I started looking for some good vegetarian alternatives.  This recipe is good, however I am still on that journey.  Give a try and tell me what you think.  It's packed full of really good for you ingredients, like the super food quinoa, walnuts, lentils and lots of veggies!

1/4 cup quinoa

1/4 cup dried green lentils

1 1/2 cups water

1/3 cup finely chopped walnuts

1/2 cup fresh whole wheat bread crumbs

1 egg

1 (15 oz.) can garbonzo beans

2 stalks finely chopped celery

1 onion finely chopped onion

1 finely chopped red or green bell pepper

1/4 teaspoon of sea salt and freshly ground pepper

Combine quinoa, lentils and water in a rice cooker or in a saucepan, bring to a boil, cover and let simmer for 20-25 minutes or until lentils are tender.  Remove from heat and set aside.  

 Preheat oven to 350` and spray a baking sheet with pam. Combine all ingredients together in a large bowl mixing with hands, while breaking up the beans.  Form into 8 patties (about 1/2 cup each).  Place on baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes.  Serve with whole grain buns, purple onions, red leaf lettuce, tomatoes, avocado, and whatever else you want to go with it!  Recipe inspired by 365 Quinoa cookbook.

My Top 10 Perennial Culinary Herbs

I love herbs!  Did you know that herbs are natural insect repellents and flavor enhancers?!  They are perfect companions to other vegetables and plants! I love finding new fresh recipes that require using or cooking with herbs!  I especially love walking through my herb garden taking in all the aromas!  Here are pictures of my herbs (just planted last year) growing and doing well after a healthy rain storm! 

Chives and Garlic Chives

Chives are so versatile.  You can throw them in salads, top off soups, potatoes and make a yummy herb butter.  Regular chives have a purple blossom and garlic chives have a white blossom.  Be sure to allow the blossoms to open, but not go to seed, unless of course you want chives all over your garden!  They can be prolific if you let them!  Chives are excellent for keeping aphids and spider mites away!

Italian Leaf Parsley 

Parsley can be used in just about anything!  I love it chopped fresh in pasta salad, green salad and vegetable lentil soup.  Parsley is biennial, meaning it comes back the second year, reseeds itself in that second year and grows back the following spring.  Parsley grows well from seed but, doesn't like to be transplanted.  If you do choose to let it go to seed make sure there is enough room for it to grow, otherwise you may just want to start over every 2 years.  Soak your seeds over night before planting to help the germination process go a little faster.  

Greek Oregano

I love Greek oregano!  It has the best flavor of all oregano's in my opinion.  It has a spicier flavor and depth to it than other oregano's.  It's a great addition to spaghetti and homemade pizza sauce.  It is also used to deter the cucumber beetles in the garden.  Oregano is self seeding and can be prolific.  Be sure to pull out the babies, unless you want to transplant it somewhere else in the garden or share with a friend! 

French Tarragon

French tarragon is a wonderful herb that just doesn't get enough credit in the kitchen!  It pairs very well with fish, eggs and chicken.  Barefoot Contessa makes a fabulous 'Chicken Veronique' served over rolls or whole grain bread.  The ingredients are simple.  Chicken, mayo, green grapes, celery, salt/pepper and fresh tarragon.  French tarragon has a slightly anise flavor to it, almost licorice like.  The plant grows well in sandy soil and must be divided every 2-3 years.  

English Thyme

One of my most comforting smells is English thyme!  I love to cook with it!  And I put it in pretty much everything!  From stuffing a roasted whole chicken to soups, roasted root vegetables and sauces!  It has so many different uses!  Thyme is also used medicinally.  Check out health.learninginfo.org/thyme.htm for more info on all the wonderful recipes and benefits of thyme. I also love to grow lemon thyme, it is wonderful added to lemon pound cake!

Arp Rosemary

Rosemary is one of my all time favorite herbs!  It is absolutely heavenly!  I specifically purchased an Arp rosemary plant because it has been known to survive our cold harsh winter months here in northern Utah.  When my husband first started to landscape our yard he wanted to let more light into the basement windows.  So he created this 2 foot lower level next to the house with boulders to hold back the earth.  A small cove for the rosemary plant was created, giving it protection and perfect sunlight facing east south.  As you can see, she pulled through the winter and is now blooming beautiful light blue/purple flowers.  Rosemary repels cabbage moths, bean beetles and carrot flies.  I use it in spaghetti, roasted root vegetables with chicken, roasted stone fruits, and herb oil over grilled flat bread!  Martha Stewart has a heavenly rosemary butter cookie that is to die for!

Peppermint, Spearmint and Lemon Balm

I grow all three in containers because they are so invasive!  The honey bees love the blossoms and the scent right by the back door is quite lovely!  The honey bees do their job and we never have a problem with them that close to the house.  My peppermint and spearmint is in the red pot, it repels  ants, white cabbage moths, aphids and flea beetles.  Peppermint tea is used for relaxing the digestive track and relieving gas pains.  Take some freshly dried leaves and let it steep in water that has been boiled and then taken off the heat for about 15 minutes.  Check out health.learninginfo.org/peppermint-herb.htm for more info on the benefits of peppermint.  My lemon balm is in the blue container and is still waking up from winter.  It is used in teas to alleviate anxiety and depression.  It's also nice chopped in a fruit salad with mint, chopped over sorbet and smoothies.   

English Lavender

I know what you must be thinking...  Lavender? a culinary herb?  Yes!  Lavender blooms around July and is used for many purposes.  I will take my lavender blossoms and use them in teas to add to lemonade or cranberry juice.  I have also made a lavender icing to go over delicate sugar cookies.  My all time favorite tea to sip on in the evening before bed is chamomile lavender tea.  I never sleep better than when I have a cup a few hours before bed.  Lavender essential oil is excellent for alleviating tension headaches, painful cuts and burns and can help decrease scarring.

Sage

Sage is one of those herbs that reminds me of fall!  One of my favorite memories growing up was walking into my parents home  on a crisp fall day to the smell of butter, onions and sage sautaying on the stove top.  I know that soon we will be eating something comforting and very flavorful!  Sage is great for repelling cabbage moths, bean beetles and carrot flies. Sage is held sacred by many of the Native American Indians.  They believe that sage, when burned balances and purifies the body and mind of all negative spirits and impurities.  In ancient times they would use it to heal the sick.  It has also been known to improve brain function and memory. 

Red Bean Veggie Lasagna

Red Bean Lasagna

Vegetarian cooking has been, at times, a struggle for the kids, especially with all my experimenting.  It's a big success when I can make something that the kids love and actually eat.  This is one of those recipes!  I even got to use some of my herbs from the garden!  I hope you enjoy it too!  It's even better the next day for lunch!

1 tablespoon cooking oil

1 cup chopped onion ( 1 large)

1/2 cup chopped carrot (1 large)

1 clove garlic, minced

1 15oz can red beans, drained or 2 cups cooked beans

1 15 oz can diced tomatoes, undrained

1 15 oz can tomato sauce

1/4 cup chopped parsely

1 tablespoon fresh basil or 1 1/2 teaspoons dried

2 teaspoons fresh oregano or 1 teaspoon dried

1 pkg whole wheat lasagna noodles

2 cups freshly chopped mushrooms

1 16 oz container of cottage cheese

1 egg

2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

1/4 cup grated parmesan

3 cups baby spinach

In a large dutch oven heat oil.  Add onions, carrots and garlic.  Cook for about 5 minutes, until tender.  Add beans, tomatoes, tomato sauce, parsley, basil, and oregano.  Bring to a boil and reduce heat.  Cover and let simmer for 15 minutes.  In the meantime cook your noodles and preheat oven to 375`.  Add mushrooms to tomato sauce and simmer, uncovered for 15 more minutes, stirring occasionally.  Meanwhile in a medium bowl combine cottage cheese, egg, 1 cup of the mozzarella and parmesan cheese.  Set aside. 

In a greased 3 quart casserole dish spread 1/2 cup of bean and tomato mixture in the bottom.  Arrange 3-4 noodles on top of that and 1/3 of the cheese mixture and 1/3 of the spinach.  Continue laying in this order 2 more times and cover with foil.  Bake for 40 minutes and then take off foil and top with the remaining cheese, bake for another 10 minutes, until the cheese is melted and bubbly.

Recipe taken from Better Homes and Gardens 365 Vegetarian Meals

 

Raising Chickens

The Red and Blue Palace!

If you are interested in raising backyard chickens for eggs or meat, there are a few things you should know before beginning.  First, you will want to check with your city to see if your area is zoned for chickens.  Most areas are catching onto the chicken movement and allowing people to raise their own.  In West Jordan where I live, we are allowed to have 5 hens and 4 chicks.  I have 3 hens at the present time, 2 Red Stars and 1 Barred Rock. I also have 5 chicks, 1 Buff Orpington, 1 Barred Rock, 1 Easter egg-er (Americana), 1 Welsummer and 1 sliver laced Wyndotte.  I got the chicks in the hopes to get different colored eggs and have a variety of hens.  I of course will eventually have to cull my big girls for dinner at some point once the others have reached maturity for egg laying (about 20 weeks).  

 

 

Certain breeds lay more prolific than others.  You may also want to take into consideration the temperament of the breed.  There are some great resources to find the right breed for you.  www.backyardchickens.com is an excellent website and forum that I frequently visit.  They can give just about every answer to every question you may have.  I also purchased a magazine called CHICKENS at my local farm store (CAL-Ranch or IFA).  In there has a list of chicken breeds, size and color of egg, temperament, weight, origins, etc., along with other wonderful ideas and tips on how to raise your chicks successfully.  

 

People always ask me if chickens are difficult to raise.  I always tell them that they are easier than a dog!  I clean the coop and run about once a month.  They are not only beautiful and fun to watch, but have great personalities and don't get into trouble!  One of my Red Stars loves to let me know that she has laid an egg, by clucking her "I just laid an egg song".  She likes to shout out to the world when the other girls have laid too.  A proud moment of the day I suppose! :)

 

I give my girls 4 sq ft each in the coop (separate from the nest box space (which should be 2sq ft, 4-6 inches off coop floor)) and 6 sq ft each in their run.  The more room a hen has, the happier she will be!  We enclosed our run with the coop just because there is a gully just south of us that brings down all sorts of wildlife from the mountains. We did it that way so we don't ever have to worry about the safety of our chickens from predators, especially at night.  Chickens need to be able to perch up higher off the coop floor to roost for the night.  A bar or 2x2 piece of wood will do, reaching from wall to wall.  Under their roosts, where they sleep, I have a tray (old wooden window box) placed underneath the roost to catch their poop.  I then gather it up about every 2 weeks and throw it into my compost pile.  Chicken manure has a large amount of nitrogen and is an excellent organic fertilizer!  Be sure it has broken down completely before using or it can burn your plants.  I don't allow my girls to free range while my garden is growing, but they are able to get out in the fall through the early spring, just about every day.  There are some great blue prints of chicken coops on the website noted above. 

Chickens love treats!  And they love to scratch (digging around for bugs, scraps of food or something fun to play with)!  I often give them all my left over table scraps, excluding meat (which is rare in out home), eggs, onions (because they don't like them) and garlic.  My girls don't particularly care for cabbage either, but yours could be different.  I also offer them scratch from the farm store.  

 

The majority of the work is done within the first 2 months of raising your chicks.  The babies need to be fully feathered before going outside, this takes about 8 weeks.  You will need a warm light, water and food source and pine shavings to put down for them to walk on, poop on and sleep on.  I find that I need to change out their little space every other day to prevent my house from smelling.  The chicks need a light that will provide 95 degrees when you first bring them home.  Every week pull the light away about 5 degrees until they don't need it anymore at 70` (if you keep your house that warm).  Once fully feathered you can put them outside given that it's not to cold, while providing a light source if they need it.  ...And then there is the coop.  Building the coop can be a fun project for the entire family.  Have fun with your new adventure into the world of chickens and get them used to you by holding them gently and giving them lots of love.  Please feel free to ask any questions about raising chickens in your backyard!

Easter Nest Cookies

Easter Nest Cookies

Holidays are the perfect excuse to make a treat!  I got the cookie recipe from America's Test Kitchen Baking Cookbook (Holiday Cookies) and I made up my version of cream cheese icing to go on top.  This is seriously the best sugar cookie recipe I have ever made!  The kids and I made these the day before Easter and shared them with the neighbors.  We had so much fun baking, decorating and sharing!

For the cookies: 
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
16 tablespoons butter (2 sticks), softened
2 tablespoons cream cheese, softened
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

In a large electric bowl fitted with a paddle attachment mix together the flour, sugar and salt.  Cut butter into 1-inch pieces and drop into bowl one at a time while mixing.  Continue to beat the four and butter mixture until until it looks crumbly and slightly wet.  1-2 minutes.  This is called reverse creaming.  Beat in cream cheese and vanilla until the dough comes together, about another 30 seconds.  You may knead to dough by hand a few times until it forms a large cohesive mass. 

Heat oven to 375`.  Transfer dough to clean counter surface, divide in half and wrap in plastic wrap.  Refrigerate dough for 30 minutes.  Once dough has chilled, sprinkle flour on a clean flat surface and roll out into a 1/4 inch thick round.  Cut into desired shapes and place on greased baking sheet.  Bake for 10-12 minutes, turning pan half way through until lightly golden brown around the edges.  Allow cookies to cool on sheet for 10 minutes and then another 10 minutes on the cookie sheet.

For the Icing:
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup cream cheese, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon almond extract
4 cups powdered sugar

In an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment cream together the first 4 ingredients.  Add the powdered sugar and whip until combined.  Taste for consistency and flavor, add more powdered sugar or extract if desired. Decorate as you please!

Vegetarian Shepard's Pie

About a year ago I read the "China Study" by T. Collin Campbell.  It is based on the longest running nutritional study ever done in the history of our time.  In a nut shell, what they found was the ability to turn on and off the cancer switch with animal protein.  Other diseases of affluence were included, like heart disease, diabetes, osteoporosis and obesity to name a few.  In their studies they found that when 20% or more animal protein was consumed, the switch for cancer and other diseases was on.  When the protein consumption was lowered to 5%, it was turned off.  I highly recommend reading the book or even starting with the documentary "Forks over Knives".  In our families efforts to eat meat more sparingly, I have discovered some wonderful vegetarian meals.  I hope you enjoy them as much as we do!

Vegetarian Shepard's Pie  

From 365 Better Homes and Gardens Vegetarian Cookbook

Wash, peal and boil 4-5 baking potatoes. Drain and place back into pan. Add 1/2 t. dried thyme. Add 1/4 - 1/3c milk or sour cream, a little butter if you want, salt and pepper to taste and beat with an electric mixer until fluffy.

While the potatoes are boiling place 1 c. lentils, 3 clove of garlic, chopped, 2 c. vegetable broth and 3/4 c. water in a large skillet and bring to a boil. Allow to simmer for 20 minutes. Add 1 medium red onion, chopped and 4 medium carrots, chopped. Simmer for 10-15 minutes longer until vegetables and lentils are tender. Add 1 (14 oz.) can of Italian style diced tomatoes, 2 T. tomato paste, salt and pepper to taste.

Top the lentil mixture with mashed potatoes and 1 c. shredded cheese. Bake in the oven at 350` until the cheese is melted and bubbly. Enjoy! Make it vegan and use soy milk and soy cheese. I got this recipe from "Better Homes sand Gardens 365 vegetarian meals"

Herbal Garden Homemade Cold Pressed Soap

"Herbal Garden Cold Pressed Handmade Soap!

I recently decided to get my old fashioned homemaking skills on and try cold pressed homemade soap!  It worked!  It has a lovely scent of rosemary, lavender and peppermint.  It was so satisfying to make!

Before making soap be sure to read through all directions carefully and visit www.pinemeadows.net (this is the place I got my ingredients from)

You will need:
One large glass bowl or heat resistant plastic bowl (for lye)
One very large metal pot for gently heating oils
One scale (preferably electric)
One electric blending stick or wooden spoon
One instant read thermometer
Rubber Gloves
Goggles
Newspaper/paper towels to put down on your counter to protect it from lye
molds to pour soap (I used a cardboard box lined with a large garbage bag)
Vinegar, in case lye gets on your skin and you need to relieve the burn

Ingredients:
40 oz. coconut oil
32 oz. palm oil
24 oz. olive oil
12 oz. canola oil
4 oz. cocoa butter
16 oz. lye (sodium hydroxide)
52 oz. distilled water
1.5 oz essential oils (optional)

Put on your gloves and goggles with newspaper under the counter to protect it from the chemical reaction between lye and water.

*Warning!!! Always add lye to liquid, NOT liquid to lye!!!

Measure by weight in your scale the right amount of water, put it into bowl, then measure lye and carefully add to water. Mix with wooden spoon thoroughly, (be careful of fumes) and set aside.

Measure oils by weight and place in pot over a very low heat just until melted. You can use the blending stick to help break up the oils. Be careful to do it slowly and do not raise temp higher than lye temp mixture.

Check the temp of both lye and oil separately of course. When both are in between 125`- 100` then they are ready to come together. (Keep then as close together in temp as possible) Carefully add your lye mixture to the oil mixture without splashing. (I actually used a very large 6 gallon bucket) Start to mix thoroughly with blending stick or wooden spoon, (perfect time to add essential oils) until it starts to trail (leaving a trail of soap behind when it drizzles off the spoon). It will harden quickly! When this happens it is ready to pour, again be careful not to splash. Cover soap with plastic wrap and blankets to keep from cooling to quickly. Soap should be ready to cut within 24-48 hours. Once cut stack on a cooling rack allowing for air flow. Do not use soap for 4-6 weeks while it cures. Enjoy! Let me know if you have any questions. ! :)

Time To Plant The Garden

The daffodils and magnolia bush are blooming here.  Nothing smells more beautiful!  

Welcome Spring!

Are you thinking about planting a garden for the first time or just want to get a better crop this year?  Here are a few tips to help you get started!

Soil Preparation
Soil preparation is the most important part of gardening.  First, you need to check your soil to see if it is workable.  Pick up a handful of soil and squeeze it.  If it stays in a clump then it is too wet to work.  If it crumbles and falls apart, it's ready to go!  Adding organic matter to your soil allows the plants breathe, supplies nutrients and holds water longer.  I recommend a good organic compost from your local nursery or farmer.  Mix your compost in with your soil by using a shovel or large cultivator.  I suggest avoid tilling the ground more than once if you choose to do so.  Tilling can easily break down soil structure and kill soil microbes that protect the plants, resulting in weak, unhealthy plants.  This process can be done for all flower and vegetable beds.

Are Raised Garden Beds Better?
The advantages of raised garden beds are that they warm up faster allowing for a longer growing season and decreases compaction.  Whether you have garden boxes or just raise the beds from the ground on your own be sure to keep them 3-4 feet wide with 1 ft paths in between the beds. 

Fertilizer
Compost has a lot of nutrients to sustain seeds germination and growth.  However, if you want to fertilize, be sure to do it 2 weeks before direct seeding and planting or 2 weeks after.  Some great organic fertilizers can be found at any local nursery or country store.  Alfalfa meal, Epsom salts, Bone Meal, Cotton Seed Meal, Blood Meal and Fish Emulsion are all great options.

What Can Be Planted Now?

Cold Crops prefer temps of 55-75 degrees, can with stand light frosts with minimal damage, seeds germinate at a minimum soil temp of 40 degrees and an optimum temp of 65 – 75 degrees.  These crops include Hardy and Semi-Hardy.

Hardy Crops can be planted from March 15th - May15th and include:

Asparagus (perennial)

Rhubarb (perennial) 

Broccoli (can be planted through July 15^th)

Kohlrabi

Onions
Peas (plant through May 15^th)

Radishes (plant through September 1^st)

Spinach

Turnips

Semi Hardy Crops can be planted 1-2 weeks after the first group, March 20th - May 1st

Beets (plant through July 15^th)

Carrots (plant through June 15^th)

Cauliflower (plant through July 1^st)

Endive (plant through July 15^th)

Lettuce

Parsley

Parsnips

Potatoes

Swiss Chard (plant through July 1^st)