Skin Soothing Salve - DIY

Salves.... never did I think in a million years, I would be making my own - seriously! 

After taking my herb class at Midsummer Farm in New York State,(I've mentioned how much I love Barbara and Mark in the past) I learned the basics of making a great salve. From there, I started to think about the products that I used on my skin, every day, and realized that some were really really good products, free of harmful chemicals, but others, were not. Every day, when I use up a product that has some "not so good" chemicals, I think about how I can make my own, if not, buy a better version of a commercially available product that meets my needs of being sans harmful chemical/fragrance. This lead me to think about my need for a good, soothing hand product for the harsh winter months.  For a long time, I had a love affair with the thick body butter type products from the big name body stores you find in the mall. Between the fragrances and chemicals, I knew that I was going to stop using these and make something that would give me nice smooth skin when the weather started beating up on it!  

So, today I whipped up a batch of Skin Soothing Salve with calendula, rose petals, lavender and cocoa butter. This is a super simple and quick recipe I concocted (on the fly) and excellent for beginner salve makers, so lets get started!

You will need:

2 - 3 oz containers for storing the finished product (or 1 - 6oz)
1/3 cup bees wax (I like the pastilles from Mountain Rose Herbs )
1/3 cup cocoa butter (I like the wafers from Mountain Rose Herbs)
1/3 cup calendula infused olive oil (I will explain this process)
10 drops lavender essential oil
some dried rose petals and calendula petals (Optional)
double boiler
a wooden skewer for stirring (makes clean up easier)

To make:

Lets start with the calendula infused olive oil. You can do this one of two ways. 

Method 1:  fill a jar half way with dried calendula petals then fill the rest of the way with olive oil and let sit for at least 6 weeks at room termperature, shaking a few times daily to mix it up. Strain out the petals for the amount you need. The one in the picture below has been infusing since December of 2014!! Its like women, they get better with age (or thats what I tell myself) :)

Method 2:  2:1 ratio of olive oil to calendula petals in a sauce pot over very low flame for 4-6 hours stirring occasionally (do not let this boil) or same ratio in a crock pot on low for approx. 6 hours. 

Next, chop up a bit of dried rose and calendula petals. This is going to be used more decoratively but still serving skin soothing properties.

Now, bring a double boiler to boiling then turn the heat down to medium. Add the bees wax and stir continuously with the wooden skewer until melted.

Once melted, add in the cocoa butter (I chop my wafers because it is easier to get an accurate measurement that way) and stir until melted together with the beeswax.

Once this is fully melted, you are going to add in your strained calendula infused olive oil.  If the oil is at room temp or cooler, it will start to harden when it hits the hot cocoa butter/ beeswax but not to worry, just stir until it all becomes liquified again. Turn off the heat and quick stir in the lavender essential oil.

Quickly pour into the containers and immediately wipe the bowl of the double boiler clean with a dry paper towel.  THIS IS SUPER IMPORTANT! You do not want wax going down your drain pipe so wipe as much of the residue out of the double boiler bowl before it hardens. 

This mixture will dry quickly so add the petals a little bit at a time and gently push them down in the container with the skewer. Repeat this every minute for a layering effect until the mixture looks like this.

As the salve is hardening, the petals become suspended in the salve making it look really luxurious. I mean serious - we want this to look like it came from a real shee-shee chic boutique after all!

Normally I recommend giving the containers a little tap-tap while the mixture is hardening so that their aren't any air bubbles, but this is not needed in this recipe since we are pushing the petals down every few minutes. 

Leave the containers be so everything settles and hardens nicely and then.... TA-DA! You are all done!  Darling little Skin Soothing Salves - one for you and one for a friend!

As always, comment with any questions you may have. 

Enjoy and Happy Salve Making

-Danielle

Note: This is not a sponsored post. The companies mentioned in this blog are those that I use and fully support.  No royalties were obtained from these companies.  If you have sensitive skin or are allergic to any of these ingredients, try on a small patch of skin first. Not intended to heal any skin conditions or diseases. Always consult with your medical professional. This recipe was created by me so please use it as much as you like, for personal use, but please do not make this recipe and sell finished product. 

I'm Back!!

Hi everyone!!

So I know i've been MIA for a while and haven't posted any thing since the beginning of APRIL! Horrific, I know!! Well, just a short little ditty about why I haven't posted in so long.  Aside from the daily trials of normal life, my husband was going to be entering grad school in pursuit of a degree he is super passionate about; however, this meant that 4 days out of the week, he would have to leave closer to the school he would be (is) attending. We still went about our normal daily lives, but I focus more of my attention on us spending time together before he would be starting school. Don't get me wrong, we didn't spent every waking second together but I chose to give my blog a break since it does take a good amount of time on Saturdays (morning for making, afternoons for writing). I did grow a ton of plants in the garden this summer, but however, the weather where I live just wasn't cooperating very well.  Hot and steamy in May, cooler June, sweltering and dry July and August... the plants didn't know what the heck was going on. Some people may see this season as a complete waste of time, but I just let it go and am planning on a better Fall growing season. More to come on that in the next few weeks! So anyway, my husband started school and is settling in which means while he is home studying on the weekend, I have time to blog again.  Exciting, I know. 

Hope you all have had a great spring and summer! 

Danielle

From High Heels to Hay Bales April Gardening Ep 1

Join me in my first video to accompany my blog as I plant out my April garden. Peas, carrots, radishes, onions, beets, and sunflowers!

What survived the cold, snowy Winter!

I can safely say that all of the snow has finally melted from our property here in the Northeast! A few days ago, it was 60F and I couldn't help but be tempted to go outside and dig in the dirt but I didn't think that the ground was defrosted yet since we had snow showers only 3 days before. Man was I wrong - not only was the top layer of soil defrosted, but I was able to stick my pitch fork 8" down into the soil and give it a good turning over. Exciting as this was, it was nowhere near as exciting as what I came across while turning the beds over.

So way back, at the end of August, I wanted to try second (really third) season veggie growing and knew that I was going to need to construct some sort of a "cold frame" type structure.  While I had purchased an inexpensive greenhouse earlier in the year, I intended on using this as more of seed starting house in the Spring and didn't want it to be beaten up by the cold, snowy Winter! So pretty much my gears got grindin' and the idea for this little beauty was born…. an auto-temperature regulated hoop house/cold frame!

So how does it work? Well that little vent closes itself when the temp drops below 40F and then will reopen when the temp reaches 70F again. Isn't she lovely? Isn't she wonderful?!?

So once this was built and ready for the colder temperatures, I had to plan things to grow in it - it was a no brainer, different types of salad greens, for sure! So I planted a few rows of spinach, a few rows of arugula and then in the space where I was able to fit two more rows, I just basically scattered baby lettuce mix all over the place. 

I also wanted to try growing things in the "wide open spaces" so I planted a cabbage and some more spinach in a non-protected bed, as well as sowed some garlic and left my broccoli plants that I planted the Spring before, in the ground.

For Christmas, my brother, sister-in-law and nephew bought me a compost tumbler that I had been wanting (lame request for a gift, I know, but it really is such a great gift for a gardener). So my husband and I put it together on Christmas morning and I took it out into the yard, in the freezing cold. As I was walking past my broccoli plants, I couldn't believe my eyes… little baby broccoli heads, here, there, and everywhere - on Christmas morning!  I quickly picked them, as fast as I could… I mean HELLO - I was in my Wellies, flannel pi's and a peacoat. I was freezing my knickers off! So I came inside and this is what my harvest looked like. It was truly exciting!

Fast forward a few weeks. Things were growing so nicely in the cold frame, and then it happened….. SNOW! Ordinarily, this wouldn't have been a problem because my greens were protected in the cold frame, but rain came after the snow and my cold frame was frozen solid to the ground - I kid you not. At this point, I didn't freak out too much because I knew once the snow started to melt, I'd be able to pick the greens that were growing inside. Well, I was wrong… it snowed, and snowed, and snowed some more, and eventually my cold frame was completely covered, so much, 1/2 of it collapsed from the weight of the snow. I basically told myself that this was all just going to be a big fat fail since it was such a snowy, cold winter. Those are the chances you take as a gardener, you know?!

Well fast forward to this past week. Like I said before, I went outside to have myself a good dig and I was so excited to find that what I thought the now had destroyed, was still alive and well, well to some degree.

My husband and I started to rake away the Fall leaves from the raised beds (I leave them there so that they can serve as a mulch over the winter). As I was raking… there they were… a bunch of little spinach plants, just as I left them in late Fall!

 I immediately reached down and plucked off a leaf and ate it… No, I didn't wash it but what can you do, right?! It's only a little dirt. It tasted amazing and so now I am going to let them grow a little more and slowly use the "cut and come again" method so that it continues to grow (or so I hope). 

So we kept on raking and turning the soil over and I came over to the spot where I planted the cabbage and sure enough, under the leaves was a little baby cabbage plant. It hadn't grown much in size since I planted it, but it was surely alive!

I am going to let it do its thing and see if I do, indeed, grow a pretty little head of cabbage!

Next, my husband and I decided that we were going to pick up the cold frame and put it away for the next growing season. When we lifted it up, there were 4 rows of greens that were smashed from the collapsed area, which was a complete bummer but as I looked over to the area that hadn't collapsed, there were salad greens that were untouched, unharmed, and colorful as ever!

With the nice weather coming back and the cold frame off, I am certain that this "cut and come again" lettuce will give me a few good cuttings while I am waiting for my Spring salad planting to get growing!

At this point, I was so excited that I went over to the side yard, where I planted my garlic in the fall and there it was, just as I left it the last time I saw it - little green shoots sticking out of the ground…. even after 4ft of snow and ice were piled on top of it!

I could not believe it!! So basically, this will continue to grow until July, or until the shoots Fall over and die - then it will be ready to dig up. 

I keep saying how excited I was/ am, but I really was/ am so excited, I couldn't contain myself. What a nerd! My Spring growing season has started off on a great note and I can't wait for everything to start growing. 

So what am I going to be planting in the next few weeks? Sugar snap peas, broccoli, radishes, carrots, cranberry beans (these are the beans I use in my pasta e fagioli ), kale, swiss chard, beets, onions, lettuce, spinach, and possibly turnips, parsnips, and leeks. What are you going to be planting for the Spring?

Before I finish up, I want to just mention my fig tree.  So back in the summer, I purchased a fig tree from my local garden center. It was growing nicely, and then all of a sudden, the little bugger just died… all the leaves fell off and that was that.  For some weird reason, I never got around to throwing it out.  I went to my herb class at Midsummer Farm in Warwick, NY and Barbara and Mark ( the owners) told me not to throw it out and bring it inside for the Winter.  Apparently, from what they told me, fig trees are pretty indestructible once they are established (not for one second did I think that my newly purchased tree was at all "established".  They went on to tell me about the fig tree in their greenhouse (its a big green house) and how they cut it down to just about 6' one Fall and by the next Fall, the tree was touching the top of the green house again.  So, because of their experience, I listened and brought Figaro (yes, I named the damn tree) inside to live for the Winter. One day in December, I took a peek at the tree and thought I was seeing things… well I wasn't, there were little, bitty buds on the tips of some of the branches.  I immediately started watering it and here we are today… ITS ALIVE!

Although there hasn't been much growth since I first saw the new buds, there surely are more and more buds appearing each day.  Once the frost is finally over, I will set this outside for the Summer and then bring it back indoors for the Winter, after a good pruning, of course.  Barbara and Mark sure do know what they are talking about - they really are hard to kill!

So thats pretty much it for now.  Sorry I haven't posted in a few weeks - things have been kind of busy.  I do post pictures to Instagram more frequently, so feel free to follow me there!

If you are interested, Midsummer Farm is having their Allium and Brassica Pre-Sale on April 25th and 26th from 9am -2pm at the farm (Follow the above link for more info).

Thats all for this time! Be sure to subscribe to my blog so you don't miss a post.  I have a lot of great things planned for the upcoming months!

Happy Spring!
Danielle

Rose and Lavender Face Toner DIY

There is something so special about rose petals… I am not sure whether it is their distinct scent or their delicateness  that makes them so appealing! I have always been completely fascinated with roses, ever since I was an itty-bitty Danielle - Seriously. When I was a little girl, both my grandfather and my great uncle (my grandfather's brother) would bring me roses from the rose bushes in their gardens. Even to this day, there isn't a time when I see fresh cut roses from a garden either in my house or someone else's, that I don't think back to my childhood! 

So it is pretty safe to assume that all of my life, I have had a thing for roses.  A few years back, while visiting my favorite herb shop (of all time), Sugarloaf Mountain Herbs (Joe and I have gotten to know the shop owner and one of the shop keepers quite well), I began talking to Alyssa (the shop keeper) about natural skin care and different herbs for skin care. During the conversation, she asked me if I've ever given rosewater a try as a nice refreshing face mist (I had never tried it before), and recommended that I give it a try. I purchased a bottle from the shop and quickly, both Joe and myself became highly addicted. Between the scent of the rosewater and the actual skin benefits, there wasn't a single product, neither drug store or high end skin care line, that could compare. My skin  felt softer and firmer than ever before -  I practically told every person that crossed my path that they had to give it a go in their own skin care routine. I used plain old rosewater as a face mist after I washed my face or needed a mid-day refresher for months and months… until I got the idea to make a rose and lavender face toner.  Just when I thought it couldn't get any better…. it totally did! So today, I am going to teach you how to make this totally easy, super fantastic face toner! Let's get started.

You will need:

• 1/3 cup dried rose petals or 2/3 cups fresh rose petals (Be sure to use rose petals that have not been sprayed with any chemicals!!)
• 2/3 cup witch hazel
• a jar (roughly qt sized)
• a jar/ misting bottle for the finished product
• fine mesh strainer
• 15 drops of Lavender essential oil

To make:

Measure your rose petals and witch hazel.  I used dried rose petals for this project since roses were out of bloom when I started making this DIY.  If roses are in season when you decide to make this, you can choose to use any variety and any color petals.  If it were up to me, however, I would choose either red or bright fuchsia colored roses as they will turn the water a nice vibrant color while the mixture is brewing.  If you choose white, yellow, or light pink flowers, the coloring of the finished product will lack the color but still contain the skin benefits.

Take both of the ingredients and pour them into a jar with a lid.  If you are using fresh petals, you need to make sure you have enough witch hazel to fully cover the rose petals. Also, make sure the jar isn't jam-packed tight as you are going to need to shake the jar to mix things up, time-to-time. When you add the two ingredients into the jar, give them a good shaking and leave your jar on a counter, out of direct sunlight, for 2-4 weeks. Shake the jar once per day.

As the time passes and the longer the petals are soaking, the color of the rose water becomes more vibrant. I choose to let my batches sit for 4 weeks so that they are good and strong… if you can't wait, two weeks should do the trick.  So after they are done "brewing", you are going to want to strain the petals from the witch hazel.  To do this, take your fine mesh strainer (or a few layers of cheese cloth) and pour the mixture through. I usually strain my 3-4 times to make sure that I get all of the little bits out so they don't clog my mister.  If you are going to use this without using a misting bottle, you can store the toner in a jar and pour it onto cotton rounds. For this method, you don't have to worry about straining it so many times. Here is a before and after picture of my strained toner.

Isn't she lovely?!? So at this point, add 15 drops of lavender essential oil to the strained toner and give it another good shaking. Now you are all set to either pour this into a misting spray bottle (I use glass since I have a thing about plastic) or a jar that you can use to pour.

And thats all she wrote my friends!! Your very own, all natural rose and lavender face toner!

A few tidbits about the toner:

• Why roses? Besides their delicate aroma, they are antibacterial which helps keep acne and breakouts at bay, they contain high amounts of vitamin C which help protect skin cells agains damage from the sun, the oils found in roses help lock in moisture to skin, and they help to tighten pores and restore firmness and suppleness to you skin while adding a beautiful and youthful glow to you skin - who knew right?
• Why lavender? Well #1, the lavender e.o. helps make the toner smell more pleasant because the witch hazel can over power the delicate scent of the roses.  Also, it too has anti-acne, moisturizing, and toning properties just like the rose petals so they work lovely together. 
• Why witch hazel? It's antibacterial and antiseptic which helps reduce and eliminate breakouts (see the theme here?), helps cleanse pores and keeps blackheads from forming, it tightens and shrinks pores, and has anti-inflammatory properties which help with redness and itching that can occur on the skin.
• How do I use this? It's easy - wash your face and use the toner after cleansing your face, but before your moisturizer! If using a misting bottle, spray 3-4 spritzes on your face and then using a cotton round, wipe the toner onto the skin. If you are not using the misting bottle, pour some of the toner on to a cotton round and wipe your face.  You will be amazed that, sometimes, you will find that there will be some dirt left behind on your skin, even after cleansing! I call toners the "spin cycle" of skin care, for this very reason. 

If you make this toner or have questions, please let me know in the comments below!

Happy DIY'ing!

Danielle

Disclaimer:  This DIY is to be made and used at your own discretion. These health benefits have been obtained from professional resources; however, these statements have not been proven by the FDA. These are my own thoughts and conclusions regarding the ingredients mentioned in the post and are based on the work and research of other herbalists. As always, with any product, a small skin test should be performed before using this DIY.  If you have allergies to any of the products mention, do not attempt to use this DIY. Additionally, this post is for informational purposes and has not been evaluated by a dermatologist.

Pasta e Fagioli… Our Family's 100+ Year Recipe for Pasta with Beans

Cranberry Beans a.k.a Bolotti Beans (:sigh:) oh how I love thee! So for many years (well maybe my entire life, but who's really counting anyway) my grandmother would always make this delicious meal which has been in my family for years… say like over 100 (crazy I know). Well the story goes something like this.  My great-great grandmother, Nonna, (yes that's right, two greats!) was making this since before my family came to America from Sicily.  As my grandmother accounts, Nonna used to go to the corner market and buy these beans by the bushel basket in order to make enough Pasta e Fagioli for their large family (10 children, mother, father, uncle, grandmother and grandfather) OMG! With no real recipe to be handed down, my grandmother used to watch her Nonna make this, and for years, has been making it for her family from memory. When I asked her to tell me how she makes it (I can't tell you how much I love this) she laughed and said other than her and her Nonna, I am the only other person that will know how to make it… that is until, I tell you all how to make it later on in this post. 

Before we get into it, here's a little ditty about cranberry beans.  Since I adore this meal so much (I think i've said that like 3 times already), I decided to give it a whirl and grow my own cranberry beans in my garden last year, as an experiment.  Let me tell you bob - these things grew like nobody's business! This year I am certainly going to grow them with the intention of making Pasta e Fagioli and succession plant them so that I have a constant supply throughout the summer - if I can manage and don't run out of room, I will plant enough to be able to dry some to get me through the winter months too!

So back to the beans. They are mild tasting and when they are fresh, their pod is green and pink/purple speckles and the bean inside is white with red/purple speckles (you will see in the picture below). You can find them this way at either farmers markets in the summer months, or sometimes find them in your local fruit and veggie store.  I have read, however not seen this with my own eyes, that you can find them dried in certain markets/health food stores, too!

"Thats all I have to say about that" (Forest Gump reference) - let's get cooking'!

You will need:

• 3 lbs fresh cranberry beans in the pod (approximately 4 cups of shelled fresh beans and 2 cups of dried)
• 1 onion
• 1 stalk of celery (not one rib) with a lot of leaves on it
• 2-3 cans of chicken broth (depends on how much evaporates while cooking)
• 1 8oz can of tomato sauce (if you have your own canned from your garden, make sure it is completely smooth, no chunks of tomatoes)
• 1 Box Ditalini pasta (cooked)
• red pepper flakes (to taste)

To make:

Take all 3 lbs of your cranberry beans and give them a good washing while they are in their shell.  If you are using the dried version, soak them overnight to soften them. See how beautiful these pods are?! I just love them!

Now comes the fun part, shelling all of these beans - it sounds like it takes a long time but I had a cup of tea and by the time I was done with my tea, all of my beans were shelled! Make sure to check each bean…throw them out if there are any signs of mold!

Once you get them all shelled, this is what the beautiful beans will look like. Don't be fooled however - they don't stay all speckly and pretty once they are cooked - bummer I know!! Give them a rinse again.  In the picture on the bottom right, I am showing you that out of all of the beans in the shell, I only ended up with 4 cups after I shelled them.

Now, grab your onion and finely chop it.

Next, take your celery and cut off all of the leaves,  pull off the outer ribs of celery and there will be more leaves in the center or heart of the stalk…use those too. Coarsely chop the leaves and save the ribs of celery to make my Super Duper Chicken Souper later on in the week - prep once use twice?! The leaves of the celery add amazing flavor and sacrifice having to chew chunks of celery because that would just be weird in this dish!

Put a little bit of olive oil in a medium sauce pot and get the celery leaves and onions working. Once the onions become transparent, then add the tomato sauce, 1 can of chicken broth, and the beans. I also added about a tbsp of red pepper flakes here because I like mine HOT HOT HOT!  If the group you are feeding isn't into spicy foods, the red pepper flakes could be added to each serving when it's finished.

So now you basically mix it all together, give it a nice big stir, and bring it to a boil. Once its boiling, turn down the heat to a simmer and put a lid on the pot. They key to this recipe is "low and slow".  Keep adding chicken broth so that the beans are always covered with liquid (see the middle picture below). Simmer for two hours and by the end, your Pasta e Fagioli should look like the bottom picture.

Lastly, add the beans to your cooked Ditalini pasta and serve in bowls! Be sure to save a little bit of the pasta cooking water to use if the finished Pasta e Fagioli needs to be loosened a little bit. As you will see below, this is not the typical soupy type of Pasta e Fagioli that many restaurants serve - this is truly what the literal translation of the name says it is "Pasta with Beans" and I promise you… its delish!

And that's all she wrote (not literally, but ya know)! I topped mine with more red pepper (the hotter the better) and thats pretty much it.  It doesn't look like much but trust me, it tastes so good and has a ton of fiber and protein from the beans! Give it a try… I mean, after all - its been in my family for over 100 years and its still a family favorite meal!

Enjoy!

Danielle

Homemade Butter Cream Frosting in 5 Minutes or Less!

So I think it's safe to assume…. cupcakes might just be the most tempting thing of life, don't you agree?! I can't seem to keep myself away from them no matter how hard I try. Even with the whole gluten sensitivity thing - I JUST CAN'T FIGHT IT sometimes! 

So you want to bake cupcakes at home… you buy the cake mix and frosting from the store, add a few ingredients from the refrigerator and poof! Homemade cupcakes - I THINK NOT! Did you ever stop and read what is in the frosting?? High Maltose Corn Syrup and a bunch of other preservative ingredients! Now I know you are like "well I buy it because its easy and quick" but let me tell you sister (or brother) the real thing can be made in a pinch and with ingredients you probably already have in your home! 

So today my friends, is the day…. the day to promise yourself to never, ever (ever!) buy store bought frosting again and simply whip up a batch of your own in 5 minutes or less!  Here we go!

You will need:

1 stick of butter (room temp)
4 1/2 cups of confectioners sugar (I didn't say it was healthy!)
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
5 tbsp milk (or cream but I use milk)

To make:

Take a mixing bowl and add the room temp stick of butter. I usually cut the butter into cubes because it is easier to work with. Use either a hand or stand mixer and whip the butter until it is nice and smooth then add the confectioners sugar, vanilla, and milk and mix with mixer until very smooth and creamy.  If you are thinking to yourself "Damn I wish she made a chocolate version" well I'm allergic to chocolate (criminal, I know) so I usually don't make things I intend to eat with chocolate, but if you want chocolate, I'd substitute 1/4 cup of the confectioners sugar with 1/4 cup of cocoa!

And that my friends is how you made butter cream and I promise you, its way better than the store bought stuff you used to use! Quick and easy, isn't it?!

Comment below if you give this a try or have questions related to the recipe!

Happy Valentine's Day and enjoy!
Danielle

Valentine's Day Bunting

So one thing we love to do in our home is decorate for holidays. Our front entry way is perfect for decorating as it has a very large entry way into the living room and a staircase going up to the second floor - there are lots of decorating options here! Since the Christmas decorations came down, I was anxiously waiting to ramp up this area again for Valentines Day. After thinking about how I was going to decorate this space for Valentine's Day this year and my burning desire to make a bunting, I had a great idea - make a Valentine's Day Bunting (duh)! I have a thing for the rustic chic look so I knew I wanted to do something with burlap for this project, plus, I had a mess load of Valentine's Day fabric in my stash that was screaming to be used. After about an hour (really, its a quick project), I had made a super cute, shabby chic rustic bunting! If you are interested in this DIY, follow along - it's super easy and you don't even really need to use a sewing machine!

You will need:
burlap (I used a wide burlap ribbon)
natural fiber twine/string (I used burlap)
printed fabric
matching thread
sewing needles (one with an eye large enough for the fiber twine, one for the thread and 
    one long tapestry needle)
small piece of chalk (or pen)
scissors
straight pins
buttons (enough to place one every 10" of the final length of the project)

To make:

First lets start with the measurements! Measure the doorway or whatever you are going to hang your bunting along (a fireplace mantle would be lovely but we don't have one over our pellet burning stove). The doorway I used was 62"(measure in inches so that the math is easier). Once you have this number we are going to do the following calculations and cut to size:

• The natural fiber twine/string: length of the area + 4"
• Mine was 62" + 4" = 66"
• Cut two of these lengths
• Burlap: length of area x 2
• Mine was 62" x 2 = 124"
• Fabric: length of area x 3 
• Mine was 62" x 3 = 186"
• cut to the same width of the burlap
• for me it was 7" wide
• Make sure to mark the fabric using the chalk (or pen)

Now that you have all of the materials measured and cut, lets start to assemble. Take your natural fiber twine and thread it through a wide-eye sewing needle. At one end, measure 2" from the end and form a loop with the 2" piece. This will serve to help with hanging the finished product, as well as keep the twine from slipping through the burlap.

Here is a picture of the wide burlap ribbon I used (I found it at Michael's)

Now, sew long stitches (it doesn't have to be perfect) along the length of the burlap, about 1" from the edge. When you get to the end, with the last 2" of thread, tie another loop like the one you tied before.  At this point, your burlap will be nice and gathered. 

Hang it up to make sure it fits.  If you did the measurements correctly, the twine should be pulled tightly from end-to-end of the doorway/ space.

Super cute already, right? I forgot to mention, the way I designed this project was so that it is in two pieces and the holiday ruffled fabric will be interchangeable so that you can just take off Valentine's Day, make one for St. Patty's Day (and other holidays) and attach it to the burlap piece… cleaver, I know. In all seriousness, I hate to make the same projects over and over again so I wanted to make sure that this was a multi-use DIY.

Ok so now that you took all of 5 minutes to do that (I hope it didn't take longer), lets move on to the fabric ruffle.

My original piece of fabric was only two yards long so I had to cut multiple 7" strips until I had enough length per my calculations (it ended up being just under 3 pieces). If this is the same for you, just seam the strips together  (1/4" seam allowance) so that you have one really long piece of fabric that is the length that you calculated.

In the picture below, I showed you my chalk markings, this makes life so easy when you have to cut really long strips of fabric. So anyway, take the strip and fold right sides of the fabric together (the wrong side of the fabric will be facing outward) and pin together. You are going to sew 1/4" from the edge, either by hand or on your sewing machine, the entire length of the fabric.

Now comes the most annoying part of the whole project - turning the fabric right side out! Since my strip was like a gazmillion inches long, this got really old, really quick. So once you feed the fabric back through itself, get your iron and press both the fold and seam nice and flat. Some people skip steps like this but, I have to tell you, it makes a big difference. 

Once everything is pressed nicely, you are going to top stitch (if you don't sew, its just a fancy word for sewing on top of the right side of the fabric) the entire length of the fabric, 1/4" from the seam side. Once you sew all the way down, do the same thing again, 1/4" away from the stitching you just made. You will see what I mean in the picture below. You are making a pocket for my "I'm too lazy to make real ruffle stitches"  method lol. 

At this point, we are going to make this crazy long strip turn into the pretty ruffle in the lower corner of the picture above.  Take that second piece of twine but this time, thread it through the long tapestry needle. The reason that you want the long tapestry needle is because it becomes a pain to try and feed the twine through all of this fabric with a short needle. Once it's threaded, tie at knot again, 2" from the end like you did before. Now thread the twine in-between those two rows of stitches you made (its a little pocket for the string). Be careful not to loose the end of the twine when making the ruffles.  Since the fabric is 3 times longer than the string, things are going to get a little tight so be careful. Once you get to the end of the fabric, tie that loop again, with the last 2" of twine. Take some of that matching thread and quickly tack the end of the twine to the end of the fabric. This is so that the ends of the twine will never slip through the ruffle (even when you are storing it after the holiday).

For the last part… we are going to "sew buttons" (literally) and attach the two pieces together. Take your needle and thread and a button and sew to the very beginning of the burlap ruffle, right over the stitching you made with the twine. Then, sew one button every 10" from the previous button, for the length of the burlap - make certain to sew a button at the end of the burlap on the other side (you must have one button at each end)

Now, take pieces of twine and knot small loops (big enough to fit over the buttons but not so big it will fall off). Take your needle and thread and sew these loops to the fabric right where the twine is fed through, making sure to match them up with the buttons you sewed on the burlap. Once all of the loops are sewn on, loop them onto the buttons and poof - the two pieces are attached. 

I apologize for the blurry picture above, oops! And that's all she wrote.  Hang it up and enjoy! If you are ambitious, make more ruffles for other holidays. I intend on making a year-round shabby chic rustic bunting with the burlap and ivory lace ruffles!

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial!  If you make one of your own, please comment and tell me about it below. Also, if you have questions, comment below and I will be sure to answer them for you!

Happy DIY'ing

Danielle

Homemade Kombucha

Some of you may be thinking "What the heck is kombucha?!" Others may be avid drinkers of the tea but either way, today I am going to teach you how to brew your own! I have to admit, when I first got into kombucha, I was only able to drink the favored versions that you can buy in the stores.  The bottled "original" kombucha (without flavoring) nearly put hair on my chest… oh my word - it was like drinking vinegar! So I stayed far away from the original stuff and stuck to my old faithful favorite - Syndergy Guava Goodness  by GT's Kombucha!

I was literally drinking this stuff like it was going out of style… 5-7 bottles per week! My husband started to get into drinking it as well but at just under $4 per bottle (and nearly $45/week just for myself) we were like its nuts to spend $90/ week for both of us to drink this stuff - no matter how delicious and beneficial it is! Thats when I got the bright idea (sometimes I get these crazy ideas and everyone thinks I am nuts) to make my own!

So for those of you who have no idea what kombucha is, it is a fermented tea with a ton of goodness for your body. So as with anything that is not considered to be the "norm" there are just as many articles about the benefits as there are about the dangers or myths about the stuff. There have been articles that indicate health benefits of helping with building the immune system and improving digestive health because of the beneficial bacterias (think something similar to Kefir or yogurt), and even improving energy. And then there are they nay-sayers posing an opinion that it could be harmful, etc., etc., etc.

So for the purposes of CYA (covering your (my)  arse) I will tell you that this post is truly my opinion, based on my experiences, and you should make this recipe with caution and at your own discretion (blah blah blah). As for the health claims, there has not been been a lot of  hard core research on the topic so, if you are like me, you are going on the reputation that has been created by those who have been drinking the stuff for many many years and feel that there is a true benefit to your health by drinking it. 

Fermented tea? What the…? Well basically kombucha is created after you brew a very strong and sweet tea that sits at room temperature with a SCOBY (symbiotic culture of yeast and bacteria) that looks like what some say a mushroom or to me, a beige jellyfish! So for any of you who have taken microbiology or who know a thing or two about fermented foods (hello sauerkraut and wine) basically adding the bacteria and yeast colonies to a tea with high sugar allows the bacteria and yeast to feed off of the sugar and boom - fermentation occurs and you are left with this delicious tea - in a nut shell. If you leave it too long, you will end up with a sort of vinegar (yikes)! If you are really into the whole science thing then go read up on how fermentation occurs but if not, just go with what I said lol.

I have to tell you, I have been making this stuff for quite some time now and have given it to many people to taste (people who are avid drinkers) and they absolutely rave about this recipe which makes me feel good - tried and true.  My husband and mother,as well as myself drink it religoiusly so I make mine in big, BIG,  batches. 

If you are wondering what it tastes like, its hard to describe but its pretty much like a tea that is sorta sweet with a little tang and fizz at the same time. The homemade version is much more mild than the original store bought and is easier to ferment to your liking. 

So if you haven't ran away in pure terror by this point and you are like "heck yeah I wanna try this" here is how I brew mine. 

Remember I make mine in big batches (3 gallons at a time) so that it lasts me two weeks (the length of the fermentation process) and I continuously have a supply. For the purpose of this recipe I will give you the measurements for making 1 qt at a time, but my pictures are based off of how I brew mine in 1/2 gallon jars so don't get confused - use the measurements!

You will need:

•  2 Black or green teabags (you can also use loose leaf tea if you wish - make sure either version of the tea is UNFLAVORED) I've used both types and we prefer the black tea over the green. 
• 1/3 cup of sugar 
• 1 qt of water
• a SCOBY (you can buy one from a reputable source or get one from a friend)
• 1/2 cup of starter liquid (comes with a scoby if you buy it, get some from a friend or use original flavor store bought kombucha)
• paper coffee filter or cheese cloth
• qt size mason jar 
• qt size bottle for finished product (make sure it is plastic or glass - NO METAL)
• rubber band
• plastic funnel
• wooden (or plastic) spoon
• a sauce pot (big enough to boil a qt of water in)

To make:

Get a pot of water boiling and sterilize your mason jar for at least 10 minutes (super important)! In another pot, boil 1 qt of water.  If you are using a water filter that filters out chlorine then bring the water to a boil and turn off.  If using tap water, bring the water to a boil and boil for an addition 10 minutes once boiling.

Once your mason jar is sterilized, set it on a pot holder on your work surface and grab your teabags and sugar.

I make my kombucha using all organic ingredients - you can use regular ingredients if you like. So this is the tea that I use… its from Whole Foods. The reason that I love this tea, other than that it is priced well for organic tea, is that it comes in teabags that do not have a staple in them. Call me crazy but one of my biggest pet peeves is the staple that holds the string on - why do we need to have metal in our tea!? 

This is the sugar that I use- you can use regular white granulated sugar if you wish.  If using organic sugar, make sure it is not turbinato sugar!

So take your tea bags and plop them in your sterilized jar.  Next, pour in the sugar like this (remember  I have more ingredients in my jar because I am making a larger batch than the recipe calls for)

By this time your qt of water should be done boiling. Very carefully pour the water into the mason jar but do not fill it all the way to the top -you want to leave at least 1/2 cup of space at the top. On the mason jars, there is a line just before the top - thats a good place to stop filling. 

Now you are going to want to stir, stir, stir until all the sugar is dissolved. Once that happens, place the coffee filter (or cheese cloth) over the top and secure with a rubber band like this

Put the coffee filter on with the teabags still in the jar?!? Yes! You want them to steep in there until the tea cools to room temperature - like I said before, this is a strong, sweet tea in the beginning. 

So now you are going to let this cool until room temperature. On a nice day (not when it's freezing like it is here at the moment) I will put these outside on my front porch to cool. I will tell you that if you are going to cool these outside, make sure to use the coffee filter rather than the cheese cloth and make sure the rubber band is secure (you don't want little bugs to go into the tea- they will be highly attracted to it because of it's sweetness). Sometimes the cooling process takes hours so be patient. 

Other kombucha brewers add the teabags and sugar to the pot of boing water which is fine too.  The reason I don't make mine this way is because I found that it takes much, much longer to cool in the hot metal pot!

Ok so once your tea has cooled, take off the coffee filter, remove the teabags with a wooden spoon and add the starter liquid.

From this point forward - no metal, whatsoever, should touch the kombucha! This is super important so be mindful of what you are using!

Now you are going to want to grab your SCOBY and add it to the jar.  Once it's added it will probably float around near the top.  If it sinks, don't worry, that is fine too.

Now, put the coffee filter/ rubber band lid back on and  place in a warm area (out of direct sunlight) for 10-14 days (this will depend on the temperature of the room).

I usually line up all of my jars (6 1/2gallon jars at a time) on top of my refrigerator. Now while it is fermenting, I suggest tasting it at the 10 day mark to see if it is ready. A new baby SCOBY will be forming on the top of the jar so be careful not to disturb it too much.  Take a straw and put it into the top of the jar and slide it along the side, put your finger over the top of the straw to put some kombucha into the straw, and give it a taste. 

NOTE: you should not have anything that resembles mold forming. If you do, throw away your kombucha immediately. I have been making mine for quite some time and have never had this because I meticulously follow the steps as I am giving you.

If all is good, take a taste. When it is ready (usually about 14 days for me but quicker if the kitchen is hot) it should taste sort of sweet with a little zing of tartness.  If it is really sweet and tastes like sweet tea with no tartness, it is not ready. Let it keep fermenting and taste it daily!  If you let it go too long you will end up with vinegar!! Don't let it get to this point!

So when it is ready, you will have the old SCOBY you started the tea with (some people call this the "mother") and a new SCOBY  (the "baby"). Here is what mine looked like after the two weeks. 

Take out both the new and the old SCOBYs from the team and put them in a glass or plastic container with enough of the kombucha liquid that you just made, to make another batch of kombucha at another time.  Now, this is where this gets fun… for every batch of kombucha you make, you will make a new scoby. So you started with one, and one grew in the brew you just made, so now you have two SCOBYs. This means you now can make two batches on the next brew - and so on and so on, for each jar you have going. At one point I ended up with 18 SCOBYs at the end of a brew because I had two in each jar because I had big and little jars going all at the same time!

Remember, you need to save 1/2 cup of liquid per SCOBY to make new qt batches. Once you have enough starter liquid and SCOBYs, you can move up from qt jars to 1/2 gallon jars if you wish (just adjust the measurements for the 1/2 gallon size jars - you will calculate all of the ingredients for this size jar including the starter liquid but you will only need 1 SCOBY no matter what the size of the jar is). It may take you a few brews to get to this point, but be patient… it happens pretty quickly once the SCOBYs and liquid start piling up. This is what people call a "SCOBY Hotel". Put a lid on the container and put it in the refrigerator until you are ready to brew again! 

Now for the bottling part. You will need a jar with a lid and a funnel.  These are the types of jars I use. 

You are probably like "she said no metal from that point on and that lid has metal". While that is true, the inner part of the lid is lined with silicone and therefore, the metal will not touch the kombucha :) The top bottle is an glass milk jar from a previous milk purchase - I decided to lose my deposit on the jar because it would make a great kombucha bottle. 

Put the funnel into the bottle and slowly pour in your kombucha. If you pour too quickly you will make a foamy overflow mess because there is some carbonation in the kombucha. Put the lid on and store it in the refrigerator! If you aren't going to have some 'bucha for a few days, open the lid and put it back on - you don't want too much pressure to build up in the jar because it could explode (this never happened to me but i've heard it can). 

And thats pretty much all she wrote. When you are ready to drink, pour it into a glass and enjoy it.  Some sediment on the bottom of the bottle is normal (there may also be stringy little bits floating around) - because its kind of gross to drink, even though it is harmless, put a plastic (or glass - no metal) fine strainer (some people use cheese cloth) over the top of the drinking glass and pour the kombucha over it to eliminate some of the sediment and enjoy!!

Just a few notes:

• How do you have a continuously supply? Once I bottle a batch I immediately start the process over again this way we continuously have kombucha to drink. If you wait until you drink all of the kombucha to brew again, you are going to be kombucha-less for two weeks while you are waiting for the new batch to ferment and you will be sad :(
• Why do we brew 3 gallons at a time? Well there are 3 of us drinking it (8-10 oz per day) everyday for two weeks while the next batch is brewing, so we have to make a ton of it to get us through the two weeks. Also, we like sharing/ bartering it with some of our friends so we need extra for that on occasion. 
• Why no flavored teas?  Well often times the flavored teas do not allow for fermentation to happen properly because of oils and artificial flavorings. Some people do use flavored teas and have it work well for them but I don't feel too comfortable doing it so I stay away.
• Can I flavor it? Yes you can, its called the second fermentation  process and there are many videos on this on YouTube for you to check out.  In our house, we don't bother since we love the plain kombucha we brew. 
• Why no metal after you add the starter liquid?  The metal creates a reaction and alters the fermentation process - not a good thing.
• What if I am scared to brew my own? If you are scared to brew your own - health food stores sell it pre-bottled. Although it is expensive, it is mighty tasty!
• Isn't that a lot of sugar? Well yes, to start with, but the sugar content decreases during the fermentation process so its not as sugary as you would think.
• Where did I get my first SCOBY? I didn't have any friends that were brewing their own so I had to buy mine online.  I did some researching and found that Savvy Teas and Herbs had organic SCOBYs and had quite a great reputation. This is what I started out with. Also, Kombucha Brooklyn is another company I've heard great things about. I am a firm believer in not using the dehydrated SCOBYs that are out there!

Well thats pretty much it.  It may sound scary to brew our own but I have to tell you…my experiences have been great, with no problems, and gave me the ability to make 1 gallon of kombucha for about $4 (it is cheaper if you don't use organic ingredients) compared to spending $4 for a 12oz bottle! I did do a lot of research and YouTube video watching (reputable brewers of course) before I started making my own but thats just the way I am.

If you give it a try, let me know in the comments below. Also, feel free to comment with any questions and I will try to answer them the best I can. 

Happy 'bucha brewing!

Danielle

Disclaimer: As mentioned before, since there have been cautions against brewing your own, this recipe is to be made at your own discretion and I am not liable for any adverse outcomes that can come of brewing your own! Also, I am not sponsored by any of the brands/companies mentioned in this posting.  These are companies that I have used in the past and are those that I prefer. Always consult with your doctor before taking.