Wild Juniper Berry Soap is Ready!

The recent hard rains knocked thousands of ripe juniper berries from our Juniperus virginiana trees. So what do you do when you're given an unexpected gift? You make Juniper Berry Soap, of course! Sprinkled with ground wild juniper berries and scented with an evergreen juniper berry essential oil blend, this invigorating soap is a forest lover's dream!

Wild ideas soaps du jour are whipped up in micro batches at the whim of a master soapmaker. Each hand stamped bar comes with an earth friendly glassine bag and a kraft ID sticker. 6 oz. jumbo bar. Hurry, supplies are very limited.

Are You Hip 2 Da Hop?

The native hop tree that is, aka Ptelea trifoliata or wafer ash?  The bitter fruit was used as a substitute for hops in brewing beer back in the day, but the aromatic bark, roots, and leaves have been used for home remedies too, and that's what gets my attention.  Not that I don't like beer mind you, but I'm just sayin...

According to Plants For A Future, "the root-bark is anthelmintic, antibacterial, antiperiodic, stomachic, and tonic.  It has been mixed with other medicines in order to give added potency.  It has a soothing influence on the mucous membranes and promotes the appetite, being tolerated when other tonics cannot be retained.  It is also taken in the treatment of intermittent fevers such as malaria, heartburn, roundworms, pinworms and poor digestion.  Externally it is applied to wounds.  The roots are harvested in the autumn, the bark peeled off and dried for later use.  The roots are a tonic, used in the treatment of asthsmatic breathing, fevers, poor appetite, etc.  The leaves are said to be useful in the treatment of wounds and also in the destruction of intestinal worms."

And here I always thought it was just used for making beer during the colonial days?  Now that I'm hip 2 da hop, I'll see this one growing next to my clothesline in a whole new light.  The flowers smell amazing by the way, and are intoxicating in and of themselves...anybody ever smelled them?

To Everything....Turn, Turn, Turn

There is a season....turn, turn, turn.

And a time for every purpose, under heaven.

Now's the time!  There's no better time than right now.  What time is it for YOU to do?  I swear it's not too late...

A Plastic Net Produce Bag Alternative Bath Pouf

Here's a re-use-it crafty kind of idea I had the other day.  Try it at home...or not.  I love taking baths, but I hate those plastic bath pouf thingies you buy at the dollar store (hear my mantra....plastic is EVIL!), and since just about everything you buy these days involves some kind of plastic (did I say how EVIL that stuff is?)....I at least think we need to come up with some halfway decent ideas for reusing some of this garbage.   I'm not going to bore you with step by step instructions here because it's pretty self explanatory and you're reasonably intelligent beings...

 

Ok, so it's not quite as fluffy as one of those EVIL store bought bath contraptions.  But you can replace the natural soap bar from time to time, and it even uses one of those little plastic bread wrapper thingies too!  Will you try it?  Will it work?  How can you improve it?

What else can you do with a plastic net produce bag?