What did you do in the garden today?

[pennyJo1960]

ya we have one of those also have to be careful what you do use in it
BF bought it at sears scratch and dent

 

[CapricornFarm]

I watered again today, still no rain in sight. Going out to plant those perennials once i finish my tea. Oh, my desert rose is producing seeds!

 

[igorsMistress]

Good idea about the sun. Have you made the comfrey/plantain/calendula/yarrow one before. I have plenty of comfrey, plantain and calendula. No yarrow, but bet I could find some. What do you like about that particular blend? What do you use as a carrier oil?

I'd love your "recipe". Do you dry the herbs first?

Next time I chop bees wax, I just might put it in the sun in a black plastic bag. I hate how it messes up my knife. I was thinking about wiping the blade with olive oil first. Have you tried that?

No, I've only made salve once. (last year) Used the same recipe. I will also put Tea tree oil and Vitamin E in it. My 92 y.o. Dad says it's the best thing he's ever found for his dry skin patches.

I have also been making my own laundry detergent for 2+ years. Never intend to buy laundry detergent again! I think hubby just ordered a stainless steel paint stirrer for me, as my immersion blender is too short to reach to the bottom of the 5 G. bucket.

I use jojoba oil usually because my skin absords it better than olive and it's not as heavy. I do add some vitamin e oil to it as well, maybe 1/4 the amount of jojoba.

I use dried herbs, and have grown the yarrow, chamomile and calendula myself. I like Mountain Rose Herbs for purchasing things I can't grow. I make this concoction every year because it really helps my hands and elbows during the winter. All the ingredients are soothing, sometimes I add rose hips too. No essential oils for me, I have chronic hives and they usually irritate my skin.

I make my own cleaning products with vinegar, essential oils, etc and have been for years. I was unhappy with laundry detergent results. We have very hard water and the clothes didn't look or smell too great. I've been thinking about trying soap nuts though.

I made the butt balm for the babies when they were babies, and I'm currently looking for something I can make for arthritis for my husband.

I made a simple yarrow salve with a touch of lavender and tea tree to put on the kids boo boos, works great for minor scrapes.

 

[lazy gardener]

My husband loves making laundry detergent, so i told him go for it. Our new washing machine has strange detergent requirements because it uses little water.

Yeah, mine is a front loader. I rue the day I bought it. I much prefer the top loader. But, the home made detergent is low sudsing, so it works well in either kind of washer. I just have to follow the cup of detergent with a couple cups of water to be sure it goes down the chute and doesn't get caught up along the way.

 

[lazy gardener]

My water is hard also. I find that if I run some bleach through the washer occasionally, that helps. Plus, there's a filter in the bottom of it that needs to be cleaned occasionally. IME, the issue with clothes not smelling the best with home made detergent is entirely about the washer b/c it retains bacteria, and it's not at all about the detergent (home made vs store bought) I also use a cap full (1/2 tsp.) of Solumel in each load that does not use bleach. Solumel is a Melaleuca product. A lot of customers complain about their washers after they buy the front loaders b/c of the bacteria issue.

 

[Pensmaster]

Sitting out in the woods again, watching the fire. I am gping to have a lot of ash for the garden!

And the chickens dust baths.

 

[CapricornFarm]

And the chickens dust baths.

Does it matter what type of wood ash it is for dust baths? This is mostly from pine.

 

[pennyJo1960]

Does it matter what type of wood ash it is for dust baths? This is mostly from pine.

Do not think type matters

 

[CapricornFarm]

My water is hard also. I find that if I run some bleach through the washer occasionally, that helps. Plus, there's a filter in the bottom of it that needs to be cleaned occasionally. IME, the issue with clothes not smelling the best with home made detergent is entirely about the washer b/c it retains bacteria, and it's not at all about the detergent (home made vs store bought) I also use a cap full (1/2 tsp.) of Solumel in each load that does not use bleach. Solumel is a Melaleuca product. A lot of customers complain about their washers after they buy the front loaders b/c of the bacteria issue.

We use fabric softener and the clothes smell great!

 

[Pensmaster]

I use oak. Not sure about pine. Neighbor burns pine and I've used some of theirs.