Monthly Archives: April 2019

Vinegar, what is it good for, just about everything!

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I do not like to clean. I do not like to use harmful or smelly chemicals in my home. I do not like to spend a lot of money on cleaning supplies. I do love a clean home though. After my son was born, these positions grew deeper. I needed to find non-toxic, easy and inexpensive ways to clean my home. I always used vinegar to clean glass but I started to explore it further. It was already in my kitchen, it’s used on food – thus non-toxic, and it was inexpensive. I started to use it in the bathroom, kitchen and then found it was an excellent cleanser for just about everything. Now I always have a spray bottle filled with a mixture of 1:1 white vinegar and water handy. I use it as some would use “Fantastic” or “409.”

Vinegar is an acid that neutralizes alkaline substances such as scale from hard water. It is also a disinfectant and antifungal.

Here’s what I use the 1:1 white vinegar and water solution in a spray bottle for:

  • Cutting the grease, soap scum, hard water deposits and dirt all over the house
    • Cleaning windows
    • Countertops and stovetops
    • Disinfecting cutting boards
    • All purpose floor cleaner
    • Bathrooms – for disinfecting and removing/killing mold and mildew
  • Removing hard water mineral build-up
    • Remove your showerhead and soak it in 1:1 solution of vinegar and water over night – like a miracle when you reattach the showerhead, water will flow through all the holes once again
    • Soak a cloth in 1:1 solution and lay it on objects with mineral buildup, leave over night, it should scrub off easily the next day – if not, leave it on for another day and try again. Patience is always important if you don’t like to scrub.
    • Clean out your electric drip coffee maker – run a 1:1 solution through a cycle and then run straight water through again
  • Removing mold from leather – spray on, wipe off and then let it sit out in the sun. You may want to rub some olive oil into the leather afterward to condition the leather, so it won’t dry out.
  • Carpet cleaner and deodorizing pet smells. Once a dog pees on the carpet they tend to go back to the same place, vinegar will destroy the scent so they won’t return to the scene of the crime.
  • Removing wallpaper, borders and labels that stick on. Spray anything you want the glue to release, let stand for at least 10 minutes or more then pull off. If some residue remains, spray again and if you’re patient, the glue will release with time and with very little effort. The vinegar breaks down the bond in the glue.

Uses for straight White Vinegar:

  • Use instead of a rinse aid for your dishwasher
  • Laundry – add a cup of vinegar during the rinse cycle and it will soften your clothes and prevent clinging.
  • WEED KILLER! I was very excited to learn yet another use for our old friend at the Northeast Organic Farmers Association in Saratoga Springs few years ago.

I loved the idea as I enjoy foraging our lawn for herbs to put into our salad, and using toxic chemicals is not an option to rid our lawn of uninvited plants. I typically enjoy watching and eating the weeds coming into our lawn but I simply cannot find affection for Bull Thistle. It hurts to walk on! I have tried digging the young seedlings up but their roots grow too deep, so I end up leaving craters everywhere. Now I pour a ½ cup of white vinegar into the base of the rosette, to saturate the root…and within one day, it is obvious that it has killed the plant. White vinegar does it again and now the bull thistle is eradicated without adding poison to our lawn.

 

Bye Bye Thistle!

What do you use white vinegar for? Please share and I will continue to share.

 

 

 

Bringing some old friends home

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When we bought our home in the spring of 2017, the gardens were quite a draw. They had been loved, nurtured and cultivated for almost 25 years. They start blooming in March and continue until November with lots of beautiful colors and flowers that pollinators adore. Once I had more time to spend on the land and get to know it better I realized the gardens were filled with many strangers. Most of the plants were cultivated and didn’t resemble their native cousins. Many natives like our beloved Goldenrod (Solidago, spp.), were weeded out.

Since we moved here, I’ve been trying to envision what the land would welcome. This has been an enormous and daunting task for me as I am a forager, not a gardener. I have always relied on Mother Nature to guide me; she always has the best designs. Who am I to mess with perfection? Nevertheless, it has become obvious that the land needs more and requires my support. But what and where?

In the first year, Mike and I created a nursery so I could bring my dearly treasured herbs over from the old house. They all loved their new home and thrived. Last year, I expanded the nursery and some friends made their way into it. I also brought in a couple of new herbs to get to know better, but they don’t seem to have overwintered well. Yet it is still early and we will see.

This year, I am trying my best to pay attention, listen and observe. I’ve started walking in our local forests and taking notice how the land and plants affect my heart and soul. Last week, I started to ask some plants to come home with me. I never take the first one I see and only take one or two that are growing in large groups. So far, they appear to enjoy their new home. I hope they thrive and multiply.

Here are some of the new additions to our land.

Trout Lily

When I see Trout Lily (Erythronium americanum) in the woods, I feel like I am home. For that reason, it made sense to try to bring her to our land. Even though, I’ve been told they do not transplant well, I thought it was worth a try. I found a large patch and tried my best to dig deep so I could release her entire bulb with some soil. The bulbs are known as a corm and are edible raw. They apparently taste like cucumber. I hope we will get a chance to taste them in years to come. I believe they are enjoying their new home. Time will tell.

 

Coltsfoot

One of my favorite spring indicators is Coltsfoot (Tussilago farfara). Years ago, I read a piece where Susun Weed noted that an excellent cough remedy could be made by infusing their blossoms in honey. I had always wanted to try this but whenever I found an abundant patch of Coltsfoot, it was in a drainage ditch. And folks, no one wants medicine made from herbs growing in a drainage ditch ~ yuck! Hopefully, our new arrivals will flourish and give me a chance to try this remedy some point down the road.

Hepatica

Another lovely spring indicator is Hepatica. When the sun shines, it makes the forest floor sparkle. She gets her name from her leaves, which, like the human liver has three lobes. She was once a very popular liver tonic. As a result, over 450,000 pounds of dried leaves were brewed into tea during 1883 alone. That is a lot of leaves! I don’t have plans to start collecting leaves, but who knows what will stir me in the years to come. I am simply grateful she seems to be enjoying her new home.

Slowing I am bringing old friends to the land. It will be fun to see how they will change the feeling of the land. How do you decide what to bring home? Please share and I will continue to share.