HOW-TO-TUESDAY Herbal Vinegar Cleaner

I won’t go into how much household cleaners cost—you already know that. I’m not even going to launch into the dangerous chemicals that lurk in commercial cleaners —you know that as well.

Vinegar has SO many uses—cleaning being one of them. But, let’s face it—most folks wrinkle their noses at the thought of vinegar. So today we’re going to make a cleaner from vinegar that you’re going to love.

Begin with the cheapest CHEAPEST white vinegar. I buy it by the gallons and use it for so many things here on the farm. I keep a gallon in the Herb Cottage, one in the feed room in the chicken house and one in the barn. Oh, and, of course, one in the house.

Assemble supplies: White Vinegar—excellent anti-microbial properties.

Quart jar w/lid

spray bottle any size works.

Thyme – about a cup. Thyme has anti-microbial attributes. Our grandmothers used thyme infusions to clean wounds; we use it to clean houses. (It’s also excellent in the medicine chest, but we’ll discuss that another time.) Thyme is going to make your cleaner a beautiful shade of red. This thyme is from my garden. I LOVE harvesting my herbs—the aroma is so therapeutic.

Lavender flowers – about a cup. Lavender also has anti-microbial power which adds a triple whammy to your cleaner. Plus, it smells like a meadow on a warm summer day. I didn’t grow enough lavender to do all the lavender projects I have so this cup is from my super secret supercalifragilisticexpialidocious herb supplier. But, for you I’ll share. Shhhhh…go HERE.

Pour herbs into jar.

I added rose petals just because. Some were dried and some were fresh. My thyme was also fresh but dried works well.

Pour vinegar into jar and put on the lid.

Leave it alone for 24 hours. OK, you can take a peek—it's hard not to watch the vinegar turn red.

Strain the herbal vinegar into another jar and put the used herbs in your compost bin. Isn't it beautiful?

Fill spray bottle with vinegar solution: you can use it straight or dilute it half/half with filtered water--chlorinated if that’s what you have. Clean away! Spray on and wipe off like any cleaner. I hope you enjoy using this as much as I do.

The straight vinegar mix is good for greasy jobs in the kitchen, grime on the floor, dog puke on the carpet and scum in the bathroom. The diluted mix works great for appliances, general dusting, well basically anything. You can use it for windows and mirrors but it’s overkill as it only takes a tiny bit—like a teaspoon in a quart of water—to get sparkling glass.

Caveat: DO NOT USE ON MARBLE COUNTERTOPS—granite is ok. The vinegar will make little PITS and etchings. I learned this the hard way. It’s not a pretty sight.

You can use essential oils with or instead of herbs but I like the hands on method of infusing the herbs. To me it cleans better—maybe it’s because I’m putting my own energy into it which I firmly believe plays a part in anything you make. Like dinner.

And, if you have something you know HOW TO do please share with us. Add your name/URL at the bottom of this post. We’d LOVE to hear from you. To add a comment CLICK on the word comment--easy peasy.

Button Box

One day you're sitting snug in the house with snow and sleet flying past the window dreaming/slash/planning gardens and new chicken facilities and the next day warm breezes bring good weather and green shooting up through last years dead foliage. It's like Mother Nature is saying "GO!!"

One of the best ways she says go is with CHICK DAYS. OMGSH, I love chick days. We ordered some New Hampshire Reds (brown eggs), Armericanas (Easter eggs!), and Jersey Giants (LARGE brown eggs). They will arrive 3/17th thru 3/23rd and round out our flock of Mables. So, we are busy getting the chicken houses moved, cleaned and repaired. Stay tuned for chicken happenings! And, Mable has given us enough eggs to sell, so stop by and treat yourself to free-range eggs...there's nothing quite like them. (See 2/15 blog for nutrition)

Have also started cleaning up the yard and gardens...tulips are peeking out just to make sure it's warm enough. The wind helps keep the muddy-mucky-mess in the barnyard at bay but I still find myself walking with big convict boots caked with mud.

The burn on my finger from the melting plastic is healing nicely. It is about 1/8th inch deep and still painful to the touch. I'm still putting lavender essential oil on it and also applying my Herbal Aid Salve and keeping it band-aided during the day.

Be sure to check out our recipe of the month on our website: www.RCVfarm.com
Chef Gary hasn't quite decided which one he's going to post, but if it's as good as last month's asparagus, it will taste great.

I am making cup cakes for my grandsons birthday today...now if I can figure out how to get some herbs in them....hmmm

If you are wondering (or even if you've totally forgotten the title of today's blog) how Button Box applies to anything I've said so far: My grandma's button box was extraordinary. At least to an eight year old. It held so much more than buttons: lace snippets, grandpa's overall snaps, a horseshoe nail, a Texas sea shell. Then, my mom's box was somewhat different representing her hoarding proclivities: fish hooks, newspaper clippings, jewelry. Of course, I carry on this informal tradition with my own button box, except mine has grown to several boxes! And, since I write, I apply everything to writing. So, THIS button box is a compendium of farm miscellanea. Love it. Life Is Good.
PS Chef Gary just decided: Grilled cheese sandwich and tomato soup. Don't let the benign name fool you; this recipe is KICKIN'! It should be on-line by noon.

Don't Leave Home Without It...

What in the world of owies would I ever do without lavender? So many many times in my life lavender has come to my and my loved ones rescue: burns, cuts, bites, bruises and did I say burns? Yes, it merits mentioning more than once. I have NEVER had anything--home remedy or OTC--help with burns like lavender essential oil does. Last week I was burning the trash and failed to see a plastic bag burning with invisible flames. I reached into the trash burner to touch a match to some paper and the melted plastic dripped on my hand. On the medical community's pain scale of 1 to 10, two of my fingers registered a 10. I pulled the small bottle of lavender that I almost always carry out of my pocket and applied several drops. It took a minute or two for the pain to subside and when it returned, I just applied more lavender. The applications were about 20-30 minutes apart for a couple of hours, then 2-3 hours apart for the rest of the day. Blisters formed but there was no pain. It's been a week and I'm still using the lavender a couple times a day. Lavender's analgesic, antimicrobial and antiseptic properties make it a great little first aid product.

Lavender - diverse and all-inclusive

Ahhh, a new day. Just finished taking some early morning photographs of my pansies (they love these cold mornings) and exercising our new puppy, Cassi, so my brain is awake and ready to roll.



Yesterday I decided to make some Kava Kava decoction. (Simmer root for 3-4 minutes, turn off heat, steep for 3 hours. Reheat--on the stove, not the microwave--strain, add more water and honey to taste. This is super to drink before bedtime). I used a small metal tray for the lid as the pan I was using did not have a lid. When I took the tray off to check the Kava, I didn't use a hot pad. How old am I and how long have I been using the stove?! Why do we do these things. Anyway, I burnt my thumb and fingers. OW. You all know how that feels. I almost always have a small bottle of lavender essential oil in my pocket for life's little emergencies. I put on a few drops and the pain immediately subsided. After about two minutes, the pain returned and I applied more lavender. It never hurt again and this morning the burn is just a memory. Those flat telltale burn marks on the skin are not sore or red. I have witnessed this over and over through the years and still it makes me smile.

Lavender is so well known that we often take for granted its many qualities in the medicinal, cosmetic and culinary worlds. Lavender water has many applications and is simple to make: Pour 1 cup of boiling water over 2 tsp dried lavender flowers. Steep in a covered container for 15 minutes. Drink as a hot or cold tea, soak cloth and put over forehead and eyes for tension headache or dab on temples and back of neck, use in recipes in place of required liquid, spray on bed linens, spray on ironing, bathwater, facial and hair rinse...use your imagination!

One of my lavender beds


Lavender grows well here in the Midwest; it is very tolerant and forgiving of our up/down weather. She likes soil that is well-drained and on the limey side and she loves the sun so don't plant her in shade. They will grow from seeds but be patient, they are VERY slow to germinate.

Lavender sugar is popular and has been around for a loooong time as shown in this recipe: "Conserve of the Flowers of Lavender' Take the flowers being new so many as you please, and beat them with three times their weight of white sugar, after the same manner as rosemary flowers; they will keep one year.' The Queen's Closet Opened by W.M.Cook 1655

Have a monumental day and green blessings,
elizabeth :)