Garbage Soup

In our house we only go food shopping twice a month. I get everything we need for those two weeks and leave a little bit of extra money aside for any staples that we may run out of: milk, bananas, baby puffs, etc. But it seems that a day or two before food shopping we don’t really have much to eat in the house as far as dinner goes. There is always an onion, a few carrots, a few cups of dried beans or a can of tomatoes stashed in the back of the pantry, or something of that nature. So I like to take these opportunities to clean the fridge and make room for the new, yummy goodies.

I got this idea from my grandmother, Hunna. She was always a pro in the kitchen, always cooking up somethin’ tasty. As a child, I can remember making my first shepherd’s pie in her kitchen at the age of seven. Although I hate shepherd’s pie to this day, I will forever have fond memories of Hunna’s kitchen. Her recipe box now sits proudly on my counter top. It’s my tiny box of treasures that I turn to on days that I need inspiration or some good comfort food. Among those recipes, and one of my favorites, is her Garbage Soup.  This was Hunna’s way of making room for her food shopping trip. Here is her recipe:

Hunna’s Garbage Soup

Cook your choice of meat (ham hock, chicken, or other) with bone in 2qts. water with 1 chopped onion and 1 Tbsp. salt. Cook for 2 hours.

Add:

2 cups tomatoes

¼ head chopped cabbage

¼ cup rice or barley

5-6 sliced carrots

2 cups green beans

1 cup diced potatoes

½ cup chopped celery

Fresh parsley to taste

Cook for another hour

Just about once every two weeks I make my own version of Garbage Soup. It’s always different, yet exciting. This is what I came up with today:

1 cup dried navy beans

1 cup dried red kidney beans

1 cup dried garbanzo beans

1 chopped onion

1 chopped green pepper

½ cup sweet fresh corn

1 cup of sliced fresh okra

1 baby butternut squash (de-seeded and chopped)

2 Tbls. leftover taco seasoning

2 Tsp. dried Cumin

Salt and pepper

8-10 cups water

Add everything to your crock pot. Cook on low for about 6-8 hours. Add water if needed through the cooking process for desired thickness.

Serve with fresh bread or tortilla ships and a dollop of sour cream.

Happy cooking!

Let's Talk Dirty

So let’s talk dirty, dirty laundry that is. It seems like no matter how much laundry I do there is always more awaiting the wash. There is always a dirty sock that gets left behind on the way to the laundry room or a dish rag left over from cleaning the highchair after lunch. No matter what, there is always laundry that has to be done. Off the long list of weekly to do’s, laundry is one that I don’t mind too much. I find it somewhat relaxing and I look forward to it most of the time. We made the decision of not having or using a dryer. One reason for this is that it saves us a butt load each month on our energy bill, it’s better for the earth, and the best part is the clothes smell oh so good!

In our household we try to do everything as natural as possible and we also try to do most things ourselves, including laundry. So I just wanted to share some helpful tidbits, and a few things that I enjoy. For starters I would like to say that laundry soap is SO unbelievably expensive, something that I am just not okay with. I much rather spend my money on something else, like a good bottle of wine or a new book for our son Finnegan. Plus laundry soap containers produce waaaay too much waste for me. This website, www.reduce.org has a lot of cool tips for that sort of thing.  So I decided to make my own laundry soap. In the search for the perfect recipe, I found and tried many that I liked. I decided to take a few recipes and combine and modify them to make my own.  I have two that I like to use. Here they are:

Basic Laundry Soap Powder

4 cups Arm & Hammer Washing Soda

1 cup Borax

1 cup baking soda

2-3 cups shaved Dr. Bronner’s Castile soap bar (you may find many scents at any local health food store)

Mix all ingredients together and store in an air tight glass container (cutting down on those wastes).

Use ½ cup per average load.

Makes about 24 loads.

 Basic Liquid Laundry Soap  (huge money saver)

4 cups of hot tap water

1 Dr. Bronner’s Castile soap bar (any sent)

1 cup Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda

½ cup Borax

*Grate soap bar and add to sauce pan with hot water. Stir continually over medium-low heat until all soap is dissolved and is melted.

*Fill a 5 gallon bucket or container (I use a Rubbermaid container with a lid) half full of hot tap water. Add melted soap, washing soda and Borax. Stir well until all powder is dissolved.

*Fill bucket to top with more hot tap water. Stir and cover. Let sit, while stirring occasionally over night so it can thicken.

OPTIONAL-Add 10 to 15 drops of essential oil per 2 gallons. Add once soap is cooled.

Front load washers-use 1/4 cup per load (recipe makes about 640 loads)

Top load washers- use 5/8 cup per load (recipe makes about 180 loads)

SO THAT’S IT! SUPER EASY! RIGHT?

Laundry Room Must Haves…

*Vinegar – bleach alternative (works great for my son’s cloth diapers) also can be used as a fabric softener

*Lemon juice – white’s brightener

*Borax – pre treater for tuff stains (pore about a tsp. on the stain and scrub)

*Hydrogen Peroxide – pre treats blood stains

*Essential Oils – Lavender is great for towels, sheets and baby or kid’s things. Eucalyptus or peppermint is great to wash sheets or blankets with when someone is feeling under the weather.

*Dr. Bronner’s Castile Soap Bar – pre treater (wet bar and gently rub onto the stain)

*baking soda- fabric softener (make sure you let it dissolve in the water before adding your items. Use ½ for every load.)

*clothes pins and extra hangers

Laundry Money Saving Tips…

*ALWAYS wash laundry in cold water

*use the shortest cycle possible and don’t over stuff your washer

*hang laundry to dry whenever possible

*make your own laundry products

Something else that really helps me keep up with the laundry is that I try and designate a different day of the week for different types of laundry. This really helps me stay on top of things and helps me not feel like my life is just one big load of laundry. I have a day for bathroom and kitchen towels, sheets, cleaning rags and towels; a day for adult clothes; a day for baby clothes and baby related items and a day for blankets and other household things such as pillow covers, rugs, dog beds and such. And every other day I do a load of my son’s cloth diapers.

So that’s it in a nut shell. I think we covered most everything. Happy washing!

Cock-a-doodle-doo

So its official, we will be adding a few new members to our family in just a few short months. Yes you heard me; the Duffy’s are finally getting chickens! We could not be any more excited if we tried. It has been a major goal in our family’s farming experience. Back when we lived on the homestead with our espoused family- the Sullivan’s- we had many chickens, each with a name and their own unique personality. They were far more than just pets or animals; they were members of our family, beaming joys. We provided for them so they provided for us. What an amazing feeling it was to be woke by the subtle clucks of our dear friends, slowly pulling ourselves out of bed, rustling around clumsily to locate our shoes to head outside to start the day- First stop; feed the chickens. We had to leave our feathered friends behind when we left the homestead. But now it is our turn to start our own chicken clan.  We cannot wait to teach our boy about them, what they can do for us and our family and what great joy they can bring.