 I wrote a bit about Mini Mister’s fourth birthday celebration yesterday. So today I thought I’d aspire to inspire you to make your next gift giving experience to be a bit greener. (That was a bit to mouth…oh, but you read it. Did you follow all that? *wink*)
 This year I decided to wrap our gifts in a more sustainable wrapper. A cloth wrapper actually. It is like creating a gigantic napkin out of the pretty printed fabric of your choice. Roll up the edges, and press. Edge stitch. (If you need a napkin sewing refresher, I posted a tutorial here.) Fold the corners around your gift and secure them with a bit of ribbon, or seam binding tape. (I knotted the ends so they wouldn’t unravel.) Presto, quick and easy, and sustainable way to wrap gifts.
 When the gifts have been revealed, fold up the fabric (I know you try and save the paper too, so this is the same thing, just less expensive) into a bundle and put it in a small sack for the next time you need to wrap that little surprise. There is nothing to throw away, and just think of all the beautiful printed fabric choices out there! Infinite I tell you. *Here is to a greener kind of gift giving.*
 P/S I don’t think I got one good photo of the gifts all wrapped in their pretty fabric prints. But you get the idea. Ripping off the wrapping, the anticipation, the wonderment, and supreme excitement…*oh wow*! Next time my shutter finger will have to be a bit quicker.
Growing up my parents were always going a bit “greener.” We composted, gardened organic, ate local, bought in bulk, and recycled. I didn’t realize then that living “greener” would make me want to choose a more sustainable lifestyle as an adult. Fast forward to today. Life is a bit more complicated in the dense suburbs. (I just looked this up on Wiki, our suburb measures approximately 3,400 people per square mile. The town where I grew up is approximately 45 people per square mile. I sensed some over-crowding.) And we aren’t able to do all the same green things I did as a kid. Nevertheless, involving the kids in our “green” endeavors is perhaps the best way to show them how to take care of our small planet.
When we were in New Hampshire visiting my parents this past weekend I insisted on taking the kids to “da dump.” I remember this waste transfer station to be this extraordinary place of wonder to a child. We’d pull up into this old shed of sorts. Everyone would get out of the car and guys in jean overalls would help us dump our buckets of tin cans, glass bottles, news papers, and trash bags into their respective spots. Occasionally, we’d have to roll tires to the tire pile. I remember old license plates, antiqued washboards, LPs, and ceramics hung up high on the walls, forever watching the unwanted items come and go. It smelled like stale beer, (or maybe that was our brown glass bucket) and rain water. And it was always an exciting place to visit on Saturdays with Dad.
Da Dump, as it is affectionately called by the locals has changed quite a bit. Now run by volunteers, the town has adopted a Pay As You Throw policy. Trash bags are about $2 each and to minimize the amount you throw there is a place to recycle almost everything there. My parents (Dad works and Mom stays at home most days) and one dog usually fill a trash bag every three weeks.
Motor oil, cooking oil, papers and cardboard, construction waste, glass, tin, plastics, old windows, mercury light bulbs, textiles and gently used items can all be recycled. (Some items require a disposal fee which covers the cost to transport it to wherever it is made into something new.) I ran around taking pictures and the kids explored the bails of aluminum cans, old reflectors, and new treasures in the “swap shop.” What kid wouldn’t like a place where there is the opportunity to take home a new game.
  
The kids already know we recycle #5 plastic containers. And now they have explored how others are recycling and “going green.”
This article and it’s counterparts (Save Your Money in Your Freezer here and here) were published last summer here on the blog. I feel summer is the perfect time to think about stocking up for the winter and we as a family are certainly doing just that. Canning peaches at their peak ripeness and stashing away the best cut strawberries in your freezer now is one of the ways we can eat local, more sustainably, healthfully, and save money. So read on and be sure to visit the other ways you can save your money in your freezer! Here is to the bounty of summertime. 
Okay, I love my freezer. If you have been reading this blog for a bit, you probably think I use my freezer like a piggy bank–which I kind of do. It is kind of like my bank for saving leftovers, saving fresh produce, and stashing dishes made-ahead of time which otherwise would be bound for the trash. Reading TipNut.com’s zucchini bread recipes in my Reader, reminded me of another freezer-saver favorite from my childhood: frozen bananas.
My mom would beat out any other sugar police out there, so we stuck to healthy everything with no refined sugar. One of my favorite snacks as a kid was a frozen bananas dipped in yogurt and coconut. In my home, we always have ripe bananas the kids aren’t going to eat, and because I don’t eat them anymore, they head for the trash. But, with this money and time-saving healthy tip, we can start saving our banana money in the freezer! Here is how I make them and some other variations:
- Select moderately ripe bananas, peel, take off those stringies, and slice in half width-wise.
- Push a clean round popsicle stick through the cut side of the banana about 1/2 way up the banana. (You can cut a 1/4″ dowel from the hardware store with a kitchen shears into 6″ lengths.)
- Coat with desired topping.
- If topping is drippy like melted chocolate: Place banana flat on baking sheet lined with waxed paper, lightly cover with plastic wrap and freeze flat for 4 hours. Then roll each individual frozen banana in waxed paper, twisting ends, and place in Ziploc freezer bag. Label the bag, and place in the freezer for a sweet and yummy frozen snack.
- If topping is dry like toasted coconut: Roll each individual frozen banana in waxed paper, twising ends, and place in Ziploc freezer bag. Label the bag, and place in the freezer for a quick, refreshing money-saving snack.
Suggested toppings:
- Plain yogurt and toasted coconut or granola
- Fruit flavored yogurt and mini chocolate chips or chopped nuts
- Peanut butter – can get messy
- Melted chocolate (white chocolate is yummy)
- Berry or fruit puree
- Caramel (melt caramels, or make your own, place bananas on baking sheet lined with waxed paper and drizzle caramel on with a fork.)
I hope these inspire a chilly snack to cool off your summer days! For more Save Your Money in Your Freezer posts visit here and here. For a printable Save Your $$ In Your Freezer download it here.
Saturday we needed to pick up our meat order. Back in March we ordered almost 200 pounds of grass-fed beef and pork from a local farmer. Since driving an hour to the butcher and then driving another hour to come home right away didn’t seem like fun, we decided to take a side trip and visit the farm and pick the first peaches of the season.
Hollin Farm in Delaplane, Virginia is a wonderful farm. The Hollin family raises beef and pork, as well as tends their peach orchard, berry bushes and vegetable gardens. They sell their grass-fed meats in bulk, and their produce is all pick-your-own.
 
The landscape view was tremendously beautiful.
We are going to have to return another time for the blackberries…sadly, they weren’t quite ripe…the bushes were taller than I am! Blackberry jam…yumm.
The kids had such fun touching those peaches hanging on each tree. Really an entirely different experience than seeing them stacked in the grocery store, or sliding out of a can. I asked Tyler what was on the trees and he exclaimed, “PEACHES! I LOVE PEACHES!”
  
We ended up picking two bags full. That is about how long a toddler’s attention will last. We gave one bag to my in-laws with a disclaimer that the toddler-touched-fruit could be a bit bruised. Little Miss liked to drag her bag along the ground after her as she romped around the orchard. 
We stopped in Stephens City at the butcher, Gore Meats. This family business has been working for generations butchering and preparing meats for sale. We get to pick up our order neatly packaged and labeled, and frozen.
 
After loading up three Igloo coolers we were on our way.
As parents we really enjoyed sharing with our children where their food comes from. My son must think that the behind the grocery store doors is where food magically appears. He and my daughter were both amazed that food does indeed grow on trees. The peaches were juicy enough for even my most picky eater to enjoy.
P.S. I didn’t get to take a picture of the steaks we grilled for the 4th. I believe we will be doing more grilling in the coming weeks and I’ll leave a note here on the blog about how our meats turned out. As for the Independence day rib steaks, second to none! Happy belated 4th everyone.
 For the month of May my One Small Change was “to go off the grid” and make our bath and beauty products at home. I have been more and more concerned about all the antifungals, preservatives, fragrances, and colors that go into the shampoos and lotions we used every day. Our skin absorbs so many of the substances we spread on it and I am now aiming to steer clear of these petro-chemicals and go all-natural. (Not au natural, just use natural shampoos.)
So was I successful?
Mostly.
Here is what I was aiming to replace.
- toothpaste, mouthwash
- shampoo, conditioner, body wash, facial cleanser
- shaving cream
- body lotion, body oil, moisturizer,
- facial moisturizer, toner, and lip balm
I ended up making and trying all the items I use except mouthwash. I ended up liking and now continue to use:
- shampoo
- body wash
- body lotion, body oil
- facial moisturizer and toner
- lip balm
I couldn’t give up my commercial natural conditioner, toothpaste, and facial cleanser.
My husband…well, he would rather stick to the commercial stuff for now, though I did purchase for him a more natural brand of hair gel, shaving cream, and body wash.
 The kids now use homemade shampoo/bodywash, and body oil. But they still use commercial tooth-gel sometimes. The rest of the time they use simply xylitol. (More explanation about this one below.)
As a guide I used my favorite book Organic Body Care Recipes by Stephanie Tourles which I have mentioned here a thousand times. But I was able to adapt and develop a few of my own recipes which I intend to share with you here.
So, without further adeu…
 Minty Body Wash
- 8oz unscented liquid castile soap
- 10 drops peppermint essential oil
- 2 drop tea tree oil
- 1t jojoba base oil
Pour all ingredients into a pump or squeeze bottle and shake vigorously. No refrigeration necessary, but best if used within 1 year.
 Floral Clean Shampoo
- 1 C distilled water
- 1T calendula flowers
- 1T nettle
- 2t comfrey roots
- 2t orange peel
- 10 drops lavender essential oil
- 5 drops calendula essential oil
- 1/2 t jojoba oil
- 1/4 C natural shampoo
In a small saucepan bring water to boil. Remove pan from heat and add calendula flowers, nettle, comfrey, orange peel, and rosemary and let steep for 30 minutes. Strain liquid through a double cheese cloth lined stainless steel sieve into a medium bowl.
Add essential oils and jojoba base oil and stir to blend. Add shampoo and stir. Pour shampoo mixture into a plastic squeeze bottle.
Refrigerate and use within 4 weeks. I like to decant a small portion I can use in a week’s time and leave it in my shower. I refill it each week.
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The toothpaste I tried is actually a tooth powder made of xylitol and baking soda. I didn’t love the sweet tastes of xylitol. But for the kids I omitted the baking soda and just dip their brushes in Xylitol. This can be swallowed in small amounts, so I just stick their damp toothbrushes into a small tub of the xylitol powder and just stick it on in their little mouths. If you haven’t tried xylitol, it tastes sweet.
 For more small changes you can make to make your lifestyle a little greener, click on over to the Hip Mountain Mama’s One Small Change blog! Here is to being green.
Sorry for the blog interruption this morning. Host stuff. Glad to be back. 
Getting rid of extra, unused, unnecessary stuff is difficult. How is it that accumulating things is so easy?
I’ve been spring cleaning. (Is it still spring? Am I a little late?) Some may think I am nesting. Others may think I have reverted to my frenetic, anxiety-ridden, organized ways. As I see it, when we move to a less congested part of the country, I don’t want to bring all this STUFF with us. I only want to take the stuff that is useful and the stuff that we love. So, shouldn’t that imply we need to get rid of the rest?
Or, putting it differently, we are finding a better afterlife for those items we once loved, (or just never loved) or don’t need anymore (like those baking cookbooks.)
 We could certainly fill trash bags with unwanted pillow covers, costume jewelry, and plastic candle holders and set them out by the curb for the trash pick up. Or we could be a little green and find these usable items a new home that is not a landfill.
Post It
Post your unwanted stuff on Craig’s List, Freecycle, ebay (though I have never done this), community classified ads, or yard sale it. If you have an item and want to work to get a bit of cash for it, besides Freecycle, these are all great ways to get rid of your unwanted stuff. But when I mean “work” to earn that cash, I mean sifting through tens of e-mail inquiries, meeting up with your prospective buyer, or shipping your item, and then being prepared for a no-payment deal. But, hey, you are keeping things out of the landfills and getting the item out of your home.
Donate It to Charity :: 501(c) (3)s and beyond…
Give your unwanteds to the Salvation Army, Good Will, Purple Heart, thrift stores, consignment stores, doctors’ and dentists’ offices, libraries, churches, schools, crisis shelters, food banks, and community centers. There are probably a huge number more charities you can think of I haven’t listed here. I volunteered to teach inner-city adults basic computer skills and the charity ByteBack did accept computer donations way back then. Take a gander and look at idealist.org for a good cause near you.
Oh, call or e-mail your prospective charity before dropping by with your next donation, just to make sure they are still accepting “stuff.”
Recycle It
Recycling can be confusing sometimes. Well it is confusing for me a lot of the time. What can you recycle, what can’t you recycle? And where do you recycle any of it?
First go to your municipal website and look at trash collection, recycling, solid waste, and waste management. My county site says what can be recycled, what needs to be tossed in the trash, and where to go to recycle special items like motor oil, appliances, and hazardous waste.
Also, remember to query the company where you purchased your now-broken-camera-lens or no-longer-working-VCR, and see if they are accepting old items to be refurbished, or dismantled for parts.
Keep on the look out for recycling bins at grocery stores for those #5 plastic containers and #4 grocery bags. And be keen for other recycling or up-cycling opportunities.
Finding new homes for our unwanted stuff takes time and energy. But we feel a little greener not tossing everything in the landfill. Do you have any other ways you give your extras a second life?
 This was a messy loss. This month, I decided to “go off the grid” and make my own bath and beauty products. I am becoming more and more leery of the chemicals and additives in commercial shampoos and lotions. So, I decided to step off and instead of dabbling, jump in, and make all our lotions and potions with natural ingredients.
I have a few recipes that work well, and am experimenting with the ones that don’t work well. Like this one.
 An example of an emulsification gone bad.
 An example that ended up in the trash. This was supposed to be a creamy smooth, pale yellow calendula cream.
I am now off to the kitchen to try a new experimental concoction. I hope to share my recipes and results with you at the end of the month. For a little further reading about other bloggers making One Small Change in their lives to help preserve our Earth click on over to the blog!
 I’ve been reading a lot about how to make the most of local farmers’ markets around the blogosphere. (Simple Organic posted this informative article here.) So, well, I thought, since we are blessed with a wonderful market near our home, I’d jump on that band wagon and offer up my own tips to maybe help others make the most of their local outdoor market, or perhaps, even entice a someone out there to make their first trip. (By the way to find a market near you, Local Harvest’s website has great links. Also check out your municipal government website. My market is organized by the county.) So without further adieu:
 Browse first then buy
Take a tour around the market. See who has what that week. Anything look at its ripe peek? Anything look particularly enticing? Compare prices. Compare selection. Refer to your shopping list and decide how you are going to allocate your budget. (I usually subtract $6 off the top of our weekly budget for fresh wheat bread which is a treat for the kids, and, well, a half-eaten, gift for our in-laws. So as not to cross-contaminate my gluten-free kitchen you know.)
Use your senses
You have eyes, ears, fingers, a nose, and a mouth so use them! Taste samples and compare flavors. Feel the texture and firmness of different vegetable varieties. Notice the sweet and pungent smells of herbs and fresh produce. Listen to the voices and the outdoor ambiance of a farmers’ market. It is really so different than grocery carts clanging and sales announcements on a loud speaker. And use your sight to soak in the brilliant colors heaped on tables and in bins. It is visual excitement that will most certainly invite your appetite. Begin to really explore your food, its origins, and notice the beauty of a fresh air market.
 Bring an open mind
Maybe there are veggies you haven’t tried or don’t prefer. Step off and take a chance. Grab a bunch, or pick up a few, and bring them home. Search your favorite Internet recipe site for a new dish and you may just find a new love.
Join me as a write my new summer series Delicious Discovered. I plan to post each week a new recipe using a more unusual ingredient. Or just one we don’t typically eat. Last week was an exploration in preparing ramps, a wild leek that grows locally. I made gluten-free ramp and buttermilk biscuits and posted the recipe here.
Take your own containers
Bring your own reusable produce bags and use fewer plastic baggies and save your farmer some money. Also bring your own berry containers to trade-in and egg cartons for those farm-fresh eggs. Just store these extras in your reusable grocery tote for a quick grab the next time you head to the market.
 Ask questions
Even though you are shopping at a farmers’ market doesn’t mean everything available is locally produced and is organic. Ask where they grow their crops, are they resellers of certain products, are they certified organic or use organic growing practices? Also ask questions to learn more about their wares! Ask what is new that week, or about how to best way to cook up that new veggie you decided to try!
Say “thank you”
When I am still fast asleep, my favorite grower wakes up at 4 AM the day he comes to sell at our market. I thank him every week for his hard work and dedication to growing wonderful produce. Without which, I wouldn’t be able to enjoy fresh kale, spring onions, and asparagus at my dinner table. Other ways you can express your appreciation is to visit the farm and volunteer your help for a day. Or join the farm CSA to buy a share in their small farm business, or go do some picking work yourself. Many farms hold festivals and events for customers who come to visit their farm operations. (For a listing of farms near you, visit www.pickyourown.org.)
There are really so many ways to take full advantage of summers bounty and connect with the amazing folks who work to produce the foods we serve at our dinner tables. What is the way you love to celebrate your farmers’ market?
 Have you heard of this? I was watching late night TV with my husband after our P90X workout date, yes, we are silly like that working out at 8:30 PM after the kiddos are in bed…and stumbled upon this very intriguing show called The 100 Mile Challenge.
Basically in 2005, Canadian couple Alisa Smith and J.B. MacKinnon decided to do an experiment and made a one year commitment to eat local. That is, to consume only foods grown within 100 miles of their home. This adventure became a book, and a media phenomenon, and now a TV show.
I thought, could I DO that? Think about it…no capers, no roaring 40s blue cheese, no coffee, no chocolate, no black pepper or Celtic sea salt. No tea, no oil, no juice (maybe apple juice), no pretzels, or virtually anything packaged. No spices like vanilla, or sugar, or even sweeteners like agave nectar or stevia. And nothing that made of items grown more than 100 miles from your home!
At first blush I was overconfident thinking, well, there is the farmers market just around the corner from us. There are plenty of farms near us that raise meats, cure them, and produce dairy products including yogurt, cheese, and butter. But then my mind started to reach a bit further…what about during the winter? What about when nothing is growing outside because the ground is frozen solid? Well, although I haven’t read the book, (I have been too fascinated by the show) I have read that this couple decided to do a lot of food preservation like canning and freezing. And they make a great point about this extra bit of work. Although food preservation is fairly time consuming, going on the 100 mile diet might make you think about what you are doing in place of enabling your family to be a bit more self-sufficient.
So am I taking this challenge? No. I feel it would be too difficult for our family to go cold-turkey. (No pun intended.) We are still struggling to get my son to eat a pork chop…that is raised within 100 miles. To fill in he simply needs those California grown apples to subsist. He’ll learn. But I am certainly going to think about where our foods do come from. It takes an awful lot of fossil fuel to fly that mustard to my table from France. Is that necessary? Can we do without? Is there a substitute that is a bit more sustainable?
Sometimes it amazes me to think about how out of touch we are with “eating local.” What about you? Are you a locavore? Do you eat seasonally? Do you think you deserve those peaches from Chile in March? (A confession: sometimes I do!)
Okay, not really, really. One day, I’d love to generate all the power our household needs from renewable resources like the wind and the sun. But what I am talking about here is, becoming a little more self sustainable and making my own bath and body products.
I used to think about shampoo, conditioner, toothpaste, lotion, and mouthwash came in plastic bottles with commercial labels. Now, I am changing my perspective about the chemicals, additives, and preservatives that go into these commercial products. And I’ve decided I don’t want these things on my body or for my family.
:: Toothpastes are foamy. Why? Sodium lauryl sulfate. This foaming agent is a skin irritant.
:: Mouthwash is blue. Why? FD&C Blue aluminum lake. Although FDA approved, there is strong scientific evidence that consuming this coloring can lead to neurotoxicity.
:: Shampoo doesn’t become yucky…ever. Seriously…I just tossed a bottle I’d had in the back of a closet for more than 16 months…and it still smelled, and looked the same as if it had just come home from the store. Why? Methylchloroisothiazolinone. This anti-fungal and antibacterial preservative is an immune system toxicant, and its use is restricted in Japan and Canada.
If these additives, colorings, and preservatives are no good for your body, how can they possibly be good for the environment? Additionally, think of the packaging waste going on here! If I were to use one plastic bottle of body wash in 2 months, that is 6 plastic bottles I’d toss out in a year. So between now and retirement, (age 62) that would mean I’d toss 168 plastic bottles on top of the toothpaste tubes, shampoo bottles, conditioner bottles, lotion bottles, facial cleanser bottles, shaving cream cans, okay, you get the idea. While some of these are recyclable, recycling still requires energy. How can I consume less? How do I diminish our carbon footprint? I am making my own. (A note…all these bottles shown here actually contain enough ingredients to make bath and body products to last our entire family for about a year. Many of them are small, and none of them contain colorants, preservatives, or other chemicals. Additionally, I intend to use, and reuse, glass containers to hold all our lotions and soaps. )
If you are a regular reader here, you probably already know I have been sticking my nose in some natural body-care recipes. Or rather, I have been making a few organic, preservative-free, lotions, balms, oils, and shampoos in the comfort of my own home. I’ve been doing so much nose sticking, I have more lotion than I know what to do with. (I suppose I could have a worse problem certainly.)
So my One Small Change goal for the month of May is to “go off the grid.” That is to say, make all of my own bath and beauty products at home and not purchase any from the store. Shampoo, conditioner, shaving cream, toothpaste, mouthwash, face wash, facial lotion, body lotion, lip balm, hand and foot cream, cold remedies, and bug-repellent. (Okay, I am not going to try to make dental floss, but if you have an idea, let me know. And I am going to stick to a commercial facial sunscreen. Sans nanotechnology though.) I wonder if I can do it? I wonder if I can make a few of my own recipes? If I do succeed, or if I don’t, I know I will learn a lot.
So, here is the deal. Over at Hip Mountain Mama’s blog One Small Change, the community is extending things. This challenge was to make one small change a month to help the environment, and green your lifestyle. Though the challenge was to last through Earth Day, the community decided to continue efforts and keep on making small green changes. So join in and click on over to see what other bloggers are doing in their homes to help our Earth!
Check back in here at the end of May and see what I did to succeed in doing my part to preserve our precious earth!
Sources:
http://www.cosmeticsdatabase.com/ingredient/706089/SODIUM_LAURETH_SULFATE/
http://www.cosmeticsdatabase.com/ingredient/702409/FD%26C_BLUE_1_ALUMINUM_LAKE/
http://www.cosmeticsdatabase.com/ingredient.php?ingred06=703924
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thank you for stopping by my blog  I am a 35 year old mom to a 4 year old son, a 3 year old daughter, a son born in May, and a wife to my life wonderful. I write in this space when my crafty inspiration strikes or when I get to pondering about how we can live more simply and better connect with the earth around us. We are a family surviving the suburbs, contending with commercialism, and getting to a greener lifestyle. Welcome! ~Abbie a few blogs I like in no particular order Permission © Organizing-Life 2009
All images and designs are property of Organizing-Life. Please do not copy any original designs or photography without written permission. Thank you!
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