Try freezing your fresh tomatoes

I saw this great suggestion/post on Homesteading/Survivalism's facebook page a month or so ago.  I don't know why I'd never thought of this before, but since they posted it; I thought it was worth a shot!  So, I had a dozen or more tomatoes today and washed them, cored them and gave a quick squeeze to get out some liquid/seeds and popped them in a gallon bag.  They look great and hopefully they will taste great when I pull them out in a few months to make soup or something yummy! Great idea for fresh tomatoes- IF you have space in the freezer!

Bringing Fall indoors

I love to look out into the backyard in the fall and see our beautiful grasses coming to life!  Unlike most plants in the garden, grasses don't look their best until mid-summer and my favorite look is in the fall when you start to see plumes coming on (here in Utah it's the first of September).  These make a beautiful arrangement for "indoors"!  Cut them when they are green or after they have turned brown and use them again and again each year.  You can cut grasses like Silver Grass early or wait until they have opened up a little for the more fuzzy look or combine several different varieties to a fun look.  Here is photo of the grasses in my yard today and a fresh cut arrangement I made this morning.  Below that, are a few more that I made last fall and pulled out today to place in some more vases.

Late September - Silver Grasses

Fresh Cut today - Silver Grass plumes

Arrangements from last fall - 2011- different varieties
(tuck them in a garbage bag -to avoid fuzzies floating around -when you store them)

Grill Cleaner - Wild Orange Essential Oil

I cleaned our filthy grill recently with one of my favorite essential oils - Wild Orange!  Check out these photos and see why this will be my number one choice from here on out. I know, I know, it was so dirty it was embarrassing!   Truly, we hadn't cleaned it all summer long and you could really see all the grease built up over the summer- ick!  Formerly, I'd use a Grill Cleaner from the store or a Stainless Steel Cleaner but since I had my Orange Oil handy I thought I'd give it a try.  I knew that Orange oil (and frankly most citrus essential oils) was great at taking off sticky labels on picture frame glass and since the grease was so tough/sticky I thought maybe it would work the same.  So, I just put a few drops right on top of the black grease, spread it around a bit to cover well, then I let it sit for just about 2-3 minutes.  Then I wiped clean with a paper towel!  The areas that were super tough, I had to do twice, but really, it came off without even having to rub hard.  I must admit I used about 3/4 of a  small 5ml bottle, but still it's CHEAP and no harmful chemicals going into the air or into my lungs!  You'll notice our grill is old (about 8 years old) and does have some normal wear/tear and discoloring which oils can't help, but overall, I think the oil worked really well- I'd give it a A+!  Note to self:  Next time, try diluting the orange oil with a carrier oil and see if it works just as well in a diluted state.

BEFORE

After

More.... Before

After

Time to Harvest Nashi (Asian Pear)

We have been waiting for this week all summer!  The Nashi (Japanese for "pear") are ready and perfect for picking!  Our home is situated in a subdivision which was formerly a farm full of Nashi and peach trees.  The farm was owned by the Akagi family.  How lucky we were to have Nashi trees in our backyard that were mature and producing nicely when we moved into the neighborhood!  We take care of them and prune, thin every season and find that if we take good care we can have a really nice harvest every year unless the spring brought on storms when the blossoms were still on the trees.  Now and then we have a poor harvest due to bad weather in the spring, but it's rare.

Here is some of our bounty from yesterdays' picking!  These fruit are fully ripe when they turn yellow but are very good even when they have a little green still showing.  They are simply juicier and sweeter when yellow.  Once they turn yellow,  get them in a very cool storage or the refrigerator.  They will keep at least a month in a cool/cold area (some say 3 months, but by then the texture starts to change and they get a little soft).  I have tried to make juice/jelly before and I must say I prefer them in the RAW - just cut one and eat it or put it in a nice salad!  The juice/jelly simply require too much sugar to make it tasty in my opinion.
Everyone loves them!
They are juicy and crispy pears!  The kids love them and we've never shared them with anyone who didn't like them!  Yesterday when we were picking, several people walked by our fence line where a few trees hang over the fence.  One apologized -said that he picked our fruit while walking the day before and the other was a biker that just said "Can I have one of your asian pears? I love them!"  Of course, we said!  We understand that our trees are about 30 years old and they are of the Twentieth Century variety.  These go for about a buck a piece at Costco, so we are grateful to have them so plentiful in our yard and we love to share them with friends so if you come over in September, bring a bag with you and grab a few!

Zucchini Scrambled Eggs

Harvest 2012

Here is some of my harvest this summer-we are only a family of three so we have trouble eating all that just a few plants produce by ourselves!  It's so rewarding and fun to grow vegetables in your own backyard- have you tried it?  Grow them in a pot if you have to -on your back porch, but do try it sometime!  Start with just a few simple things like a tomato plant and a few herbs or if you have a lot of space you can't go wrong with zucchini or cucumbers.  Those two really spread out so you've got to have room and basically you can't kill a zucchini plant - they seem to thrive no matter how you mistreat them!  All you need is some decent soil and in my yard, I don't even really need to weed much around these plants, simply toss a few snails out of the way every week or so-super easy to tend!  I seem to get through most summers without having to use any bug spray or anything, so there you go- your own organic garden!   I love to add some shredded zucchini in our scrambled eggs in the morning! Try it- they are delicious! It makes your eggs nice and moist plus you get some "green" into your mornings!   I just throw the zucchini in the skillet first with a bit of olive oil, let them cook for just about 2 minutes, then toss in the eggs and cook until done!

Aromatherapy Awareness Week

In celebration of Aromatherapy Awareness Week June 9-16th, you are invited to attend a Open House where we'll be making Bath Salts, Air Fresheners, Sachets and simple Cleaning sprays!   Please rsvp on Facebook or  Evite so I'll be able to have enough supplies for everyone!  Drop in anytime from 11 am - 4pm on Saturday June 16th!  We'll have stations set up where you can Make & Take your own products for a small fee.

Air Fresheners or Facial Mister -Several
bottle styles to choose from!

Bath Salts - Various
containers to choose from

Here are a few photos to show you what we'll be making!

I will be pricing items shortly, but most will be around $2 each  and I'll have a few ribbons/things on hand also.     

If you have a need to make a "lot" of any one of these, please send me a email and we can make sure you can get supplies in a larger quantity  (essentialoils4u@hotmail.com).



Left: These are little sachets or Pick-me-up's - perfect beadlets that are easily scented in a jar, then you use them to scent drawers, your car or use as Pepperment Oil and keep it in your car as a pick-me-up when you start getting drowsy or try Wild Orange/Peppermint together for a afternoon wake-up-call at the office/keep one in your desk drawer!

Left:  2 Homemade Cleaners to choose from

1) Larger sprayer bottle - ALL PURPOSE Heavy Duty cleaner OR new OnGuard concentrate cleaner

2) Smaller sprayer bottle - All purpose (windows, counters, etc.)


There will be a special *GIFT for the first 5 people to arrive and a fun drawing for a Lavender Neck Wrap including a bottle of Lavender*, so bring a friend!

What does a aromatherapist do?

A Aromatherapist is someone who has been formally trained in the use of essential oils, essential oil safety, history of essential oils, the distillation processes, blending, dilution rates, contraindications etc., and has a basic understanding of anatomy and a familiarity with plants/individual oil makeup (chemical constituents and their efficacy/therapeutic effect).  A aromatherapist is always working toward a whole body balancing - meaning, they are looking at health as a balance of healthy eating habits, routine exercise, good sleep habits, supplements, etc. and also, always considering the role of our spiritual and mental well being in that balancing act.   Essential oils and aromatherapy can play a part in bringing the body back into balance and while aromatherapy is not a licensed modality at this time in the USA, it may be, in the near future, as we become more and more aware of the benefits (with virtually no side effects if used according to standard dilution rates/recommended daily dosages) natural, pure essential oils can bring.
Here is a article that states more specifically what a Aromatherapist can/cannot do according to a accredited school - American College of Healthcare Sciences: What Can I Legally Do As An Herbalist, Aromatherapist, Or Other Holistic Health Practitioner?
Not all aromatherapy training/education is the same.  If you are looking for a certification in aromatherapy or to become a Registered Aromatherapist be sure to do your homework before entering into a program.  Some can run a small fee of $300 for a weekend course and some upwards of $5000+ for a accredited certificate or diploma program.  Course are even available online.  To some degree, you get what you pay for.  If you are simply looking for some basic training so you feel comfortable using essential oils at home for you and your family, a weekend course or 16-20 hours of training is a great place to start.  However, if you are seeking to enhance your current holistic practice with a specialty like aromatherapy a more intensive course might be a better fit.   Training you might receive in the United States will also vary from what may be available/offered in other countries.