Getting the Bugs Out!

It's that time of year when I'm harvesting tons of food from my veggie garden. Every year we end up with an absolute flock (swarm?) of fruit flies too! Now I'm sure they only want to get in on some of the good stuff while they can. They also seem to have a high level of fascination with the human eye! What's up with that?! So when our indoor fruit fly population gets to be too high I set a little trap for them. We tend to have quite a bit of fruit and veggies around all year, so the fruit flies are inevitable!

This trapping method is the best thing! I won't use pesticides inside my house, so this is the perfect way to control them without resorting to chemicals. Best of all, the items you need are already in your house!

 

Here's what you need:

1 glass (clear is best so you can keep an eye on everything)
1 sandwich baggie (or a small piece of plastic wrap)
1 rubber band
1 toothpick
approximately 1 - 2 inches of fresh fruit in your glass (pineapple is the best, but most any other fruit will work well too)

You'll add the fruit to your glass, and then cover the top with the plastic. Stretch the plastic to fit tight like a drum, and use the rubber band to keep it in place. Poke little holes with the toothpick all around the top of the plastic. Make sure you keep the plastic tightly stretched after you're done poking the holes.  Those little buggers can go in, but aren't clever enough to actually figure out how to get out!

 

Just set your trap someplace in your house where you tend to see fruit flies.  Don't worry, they'll find it! When you have several trapped, you can return them to the wild, or dispose of them in whatever way you see fit. You can easily re-set the plastic on top of your glass. In a few days, you won't have any of those pesty little fruit flies left! Works every time!
~~Diana

Fun With Suds

I recently made a batch of home made laundry soap, and I just looove the way it smells. It's very evocative of citronella.  A really fresh scent.  The last time I made it, my neighbor joined me and we went "halves" on everything, including the whole manufacturing process. Her daughter came along and helped with the grating (and let me tell you, that's a real help!). I didn't think to take any pictures during all of this, but I did take one of the finished product.

It's crazy-easy to make, your laundry smells so fresh (without all of the heavy perfumes), and best of all it's really inexpensive. It's the perfect thing to use if you have a front-loading machine because it's non-sudsing. And it's perfectly safe for septic systems.

The first time I made a batch (over 25 years ago, omigosh!), I really had no idea what to expect. It smelled good, and it looked like soap should, but I wasn't sure it would actually clean anything because it wasn't sudsing up in the washer. Well, I've come to learn that the suds aren't what actually cleans your laundry. I took a really good look at the water in the washer on that first load, and I couldn't believe my eyes! The water was so cloudy and tan in color that I couldn't tell that I even had any clothes in it!  Now, you may be thinking that our clothes must have been really dirty. I would say just average, nothing too bad.  Well, when I took everything out of the washer, it all looked very clean. I believe this soap removes all of the built up detergents, softeners and other things that built up over time.  And the clothes smelled just so fresh!  I've been sold since that day.

Here's my recipe:


POWDERED LAUNDRY SOAP

12 cups Borax *  (20 Mule Team)

8 cups Baking Soda  (any brand is just fine)

8 cups Washing Soda  (I use Arm & Hammer)

8 cups Bar Soap - finely grated **  (measured before grating: 8 cups = 64 oz)


OPTIONAL:  8 cups Powdered Oxy type cleaner ***  ($1 stores carry an off-brand that works just as well as the big name brand) 

*You may adjust the Borax according to the hardness of your water. (ie, the harder your water, the more Borax you'll add).

**I use Zote (the pink one), because I really like the scent, but you may also use Fels Naptha or Ivory. Don't use any type of deodorant soap or your clothing (and washer) will end up with a terrible film.

***I started using this in occasional batches about 15 years ago to boost the soap when there are extra dirty clothes to wash.  It's not a required ingredient for the soap recipe, just an option.

First, (and I cannot stress this enough!) slice the bar soap in 1/2" slices and allow to air dry for a day or two, you might want to occasionally turn the slices over during this time.  It's a really moist soap and won't grate finely, it will want to clump instead.  Once you think it's dry enough, place several sliced pieces of bar soap at a time in a food processor and finely grate until it's all grated.  If it's grated too large, it will not dissolve well in your washer.  Just for reference...your grated soap should be much finer than mine is in the picture!

Mix all ingredients in a sturdy bucket (I use a 5 gallon paint-stirring stick to mix).  Make sure to get it thoroughly blended.

That's it.  I use 2 tablespoons (or 1/8 cup if you'd rather measure with a cup) per load.

I wash everything in cold water, so I pre-melt my 2T of soap in 1 cup of water in a mason jar in my microwave.  Especially with this last batch I have!  LOL  (you may have noticed the really large pieces of pink Zote in my picture?)  Just be sure to keep your eye on your melting soap as the microwave tends to cause it to foam up, and from experience I can tell you that it will overflow rather quickly!  I use a whisk to stir the soap during the melting process; it blends it better than a spoon.

I tend to keep a few batches pre-melted so I can just start doing laundry any time I want to.  I store my pre-melted soap right in the mason jars.  The melted soap may become semi-solid, but don't worry!  Anybody who's ever had the pleasure of doing "science experiments" with their kids will know that Borax does some strange things!  All you need to do is shake the jar for a few seconds and your soap will become a liquid again.  You can always zap it for a few seconds in the microwave if you'd like.

I like to add the soap to the water as the machine is filling, and allow it to completely fill before adding my clothes...just to be sure it's dissolved in my hard water. 

This batch will make quite a large amount.  I store my Powdered Laundry Soap in a plastic tub that originally held 35 pounds of cat litter.  It's heavy duty, has a lid and a metal bail, perfect for laundry soap!

PS.  The overall cost for this last batch was 6¢ per load (1 load = 2 tablespoons)! 

Have fun and let me know if you try this.
~~Diana

An 'Almost' Goose Chase

Sometimes when you go shopping it's a military maneuver; you know..."hit it and get it" as my Darling Boyfriend says! That's mainly the way he shops, but there are also times when he'll happily look around (just not all day!).  Sometimes when I'm shopping (usually alone!) I'll tend to drift in the vicinity of the garden stuff (if it's in season that is!), and of course the bake and serve ware. I just love looking at all of the pretty bowls and baking dishes!

Well, the other day I was shopping for some clothes and strolled over to the kitchenware area. I turned a corner and found the prettiest hand painted veggie / cracker tray, and there was a cute little flower-shaped bowl that matched. They were just so bright and cheery, and really perfect for entertaining. I was all set to get both pieces, and I noticed that there was a fairly large chip along the top of the rim. I passed on buying the pretty little bowl, but I did get the tray!

Of course I still wanted that pretty little bowl, so I called around to all of the other store locations.  I was just starting to get disappointed, and beginning to think that I would have to settle for that chipped one, as I called the last store on my list. Would you believe that they had not one, but four of them?! So I asked them to please put all four of them on hold for me, and they were happy to do so. I showed up with bells on to pick up my four little prize bowls! It's sometimes the smallest personal victories that can really make your day!  Aren't they all so cute?

As long as I was there, I just had to take a look around to see if by chance they might have any other accompanying pieces. I did find one more piece that, I think, will set off the whole ensemble. Take a look...

Oh...one last thing...did I mention that they were all on clearance?  I wrapped up the entire purchase for $13.87.  Major score!

~~Diana