We're almost done with our store bought vanilla extract, so I wanted to get this started, since it takes about 2-3 months to extract. Vanilla extract is even easier to make than sweetened condensed milk. You basically cut some vanilla beans add alcohol and wait. I can't believe no one has ever taught me this stuff before.
As you use the extract, you can keep replacing the teaspoon or so of liquor. Leaving you with basically a never ending bottle of vanilla! (As long as you always have some liquor on hand...)
I am never buying vanilla extract again...
Ingredients:
Vanilla beans - 1 bean for every 1/3 cup alcohol. (I purchased mine in bulk from New Seasons Market for about $1.50/each).
Alcohol - vodka, rum, brandy, etc. (I purchased the cheapest glass bottled vodka in the store $6.80/750ml).
How To:
1. Cut the vanilla beans lengthwise, leaving their ends attached.
2. Place the beans in a glass jar/container and cover with alcohol (I used 3 beans and 1 cup vodka).
3. Store in a cool, dark place for 2 - 3 months and shake every few days.
4. You want to protect the extract from direct sun exposure. So you can either keep it stored in a dark cabinet but most people recommend filtering and storing it in a dark bottle.
$6.64 for 1 cup of never-ending extract.
If you prefer other extracts in your pantry, you can make others using a similar process, like almond extract.
We used up the last of our store-bought laundry detergent, so it's time to experiment with #32 on my 99 Skills Challenge list. To read more about the challenge, click here.
The ingredients to the laundry detergent are very similar to the ones I used for my dishwasher powder. The two additions are baking soda (which I had in the house) and Fels-Naptha bar soap, which I bought at the local grocery store, in the same isle as detergents and cleaners. I used a recipe from Sew Much Ado. There is also a liquid recipe that I will try in the future. But for now, it's just the powder stuff. I've done one load so far. I normally use liquid detergents, but I threw the powder in with some water before the clothes, to make sure it was dissolved. I also threw in half a cup of vinegar to the load for good measure. So far, no complaints.
Homemade Laundry Detergent
1 bar Fels-Naptha Soap
1 cup Borax
1 cup Washing Soda
1/4 cup Baking Soda
1. Finely Grate Soap. I used the grate attachment on my food processor. Then I attached the regular blade and pulsed until it was finely grated.
2. Add Borax, Washing Soda, and Baking Soda.
3. Stir. You want it to look like a well-blended powder. I just added everything to the mason jar and shook it. It took longer than expected. In the future, I'll add everything back to the food processor and pulse.
When we ran out of dishwasher detergent the other night, Willis wrote on the shopping list, "Dishwashing Liquid." Little did he know that making your own detergent was #33 on the skills list and most of the homemade recipes I found (if not all) were for powders, not liquids.
Normally, I'd buy liquid because I've convinced myself that powders get clumpy and don't work. I also kind of really enjoy the smooth feel and ease when the liquid pours into the dispenser. Crazy, I know. But for the sake of this challenge, I'm gonna get over it. In the past, I would purchase Seventh Generation liquid dishwasher detergent because, in the grand scheme of things, they are pretty "eco-friendly." If I remembered my own container (something, I'm really really trying to be better at), I'd buy it in bulk.
But it's time to kick things up a notch. Yes, the stuff I buy uses "natural" products and yes, the plastic containers are made of recycled materials, and yes I might recycle or re-use them, but then what? Does the plastic just vanish? Is recycling really all that sustainable? Is my detergent really being made in Vermont? Is there not something better?
I'm not really sure. I'm not even fully convinced that using the dishwasher is even better (in terms of energy, soap, and water usage) than washing by hand. All of the articles I've read on dishwashers vs. hand leave production and materials out of the equation, I'm sure that has a lot to do with it. And where do all these dishwashers end up when they retire? My guess is a landfill, the side of a road, or a hoarders front lawn. But, we have a dishwasher. And I'm lazy. Maybe my next challenge will be to go a certain amount of time without using it...
Making your own detergent is definitely cheaper. See a cost break down here. In my research, I came across many different variations on a theme for a homemade dish detergent. I didn't use citric acid because I forgot to purchase it while I was at the store. So, it's basically just washing soda or soda ash and borax. Although I'm sure neither company is reliable in terms of "eco-friendliness," both products come in cardboard boxes that we can compost in our backyard. These products are also useful in other places throughout the home (clearing drains, cleaning tubs and toilets, deodorizing furniture, etc.) In the future, if not too expensive, I might look into other brands or alternatives.
I gave the powder a test run and so far, so good!
Dishwasher Detergent
1 cup Washing Soda
1 cup Borax
Vinegar (to be used as rinsing aid)
Other things you can add: 1/2 cup salt, 1/2 cup citric acid, lemon essential oil
1. Mix the washing soda & borax (add additional other ingredients if desired)
2. Place in sealed container
Use 1 Tbsp. per cycle (distributed between pre-rinse and main wash).
Fill rinse aid dispenser/indicator with vinegar.
This is kind of a trick item, because, honestly, it's more like 3 skills instead of one. I've never made cheese by myself, but some of my past housemates have. I plan on trying it out in the next few weeks, but we have so much cheese in our fridge right now, that it doesn't seem worth it. Maybe a mozzarella to put on a pizza?
We're not huge kefir drinkers. So, I might not try this. Unless anyone wants some homemade kefir?
I have however, made yogurt. I started making yogurt at some point within the past year, after I picked up a copy of Edible Portland, a free local publication, focusing on things that you eat. There was an article about yogurt and a super simple recipe. I cut the recipe out so as of now, I am unsure of who the author is.
I don't even really like yogurt. I do, however, love the "cream on top" yogurt by Brown Cow, because it tastes like ice-cream. And guess what, so does homemade yogurt! It's so creamy and you can add your own sweeteners or flavors.
And yes, I used "local" milk.
Yogurt
3 1/2 cups milk
2 heaping Tbsp plain yogurt
1. Place yogurt in a bowl, whisk until smooth, and leave on the counter until it reaches room temperature.
2. Heat the milk to 180 to 190 degrees. Remove the milk from the heat and let cool to between 115 and 120 degrees.
3. Whisk a small amount of the warm milk into the yogurt to thin it. Then pour the loose yogurt back in to the milk.
4. Pour the milk into a sterile quart jar or an insulated bottle, cover it, and keep still and warm until the yogurt sets-anywhere from 4 to 10 hours.
I place some towels in my freezer bowl and let the yogurt set in there.
5. Once the container is set, place it in the refrigerator to firm its structure and slow the continuing acid production. Then enjoy! But remember: Before you've eaten all the yogurt, set aside 2 heaping Tbsp as a starter for the next batch. Make yogurt again within 4 to 5 days for the best results.
Makes 3 3/4 cups.
I actually cut this recipe in half.
I know I didn't fulfill this whole challenge with the cheese and kefir, but I did make butter!! I'll tell you more about that later.
Currently listening to:
Tilly and the Wall - Rainbows in the Dark
For those of you who read this, I want to invite you on an adventure/challenge with me. This challenge will introduce us to new ideas and ways of doing, especially in terms of being "eco-friendly." What do you think? Are you in? Maybe you'll also blog about your adventure?
But first, I'd like to start this post by disclosing how lazy I am. For those of you who know me best, this will come to no surprise. My purpose for this disclosure is to hopefully convince those of us who think that "being green" takes too much time or energy or is too hard, that most of the time, it's actually pretty easy. Basically, what I'm saying is, if I can do it, you can do it. It's just a matter of exploring how and understanding why these actions are important.
I sleep on average 10-12 hours a night, spend most of my waking hours drinking coffee and sitting on the internet, and honestly, contrary to popular belief, I don't really like being outside (especially when it's cold or hot). Don't get me wrong, I enjoy the occasional backpacking and camping adventure, but I could never live in a yurt. I used to run daily and ride my bike everywhere, using my car only for out of town adventures, but lately my running shoes and my bike have been gathering dust. Nowadays, you can also find me in the Starbucks or Burgerville drive-thru, even without my own to-go cup (egads!)! I'm hoping to either change some of these habits or explore why I do them (laziness? cheap-skate? convenience? brain washed?)
A friend recently posted a link on facebook to this article. It's more a list than an article. A list of things people can do to be more "eco-friendly." I think it's a pretty good list and that it might be interesting to explore them all both in real life and via this blog. Some of the skills, I have already aquired or explored, and for those I hope to polish them, find ways I can do them better, or encourage others to try them out.
I won't go in order, but I will hit try to hit all 99. What do you think is a good goal? At least one a month? I'll try. Here we go!
I'm not sure exactly when I started thinking about what I ate...well besides, "is this delicious?" I grew up eating grilled cheese sandwiches, french fries, cheese pizza, and cheese burgers...sense a pattern? And my idea of a "healthy" meal was what we ate in Ireland on a Sunday after church: peas, mushy carrots, roasted potatoes, and some meat. And to be honest, now that I think about it, not much has changed!
At some point, however, after high school graduation, I decided to stop eating meat. I think it was a combination of living in a college dorm and not having access to real kitchen and not knowing where to begin when it came to preparing meat (I'm still a little unsure). There was also the convenience of veggie burgers, veggie pastas, and grilled cheese sandwiches prepared in the local university cafeteria. I felt good about the decision to not eat meat, because of the environmental degradation caused by most of the meat industry in the United States. The number of hog farms in North Carolina was declining, while at the same time the total number of hogs was increasing exponentially. You couldn't travel across the state without smelling a hog farm and during the hurricane seasons the hog waste lagoons had potential to flood and contaminate the water supply, effecting mostly low-income communities.
Factory farms have quickly replaced local, family-owned, generational farms and are a major contributer to global environmental degredation. The need to grow feed contributes to deforestation and often uses excessive amounts of pesticides and fertilizers. Such high concentrations of waste pollutes water sources and soil. The farm workers, surrounding communities (again, both mainly low-income), and consumers are also negatively effected due to the amount of chemicals, pesticides, and growth-hormones used in production. And lastly, let's not forget about the treatment of the animals. Whether you're a vegetarian or an omnivore, it's hard to argue that animals in factory farms are treated humanely. These animals live in overcrowded buildings (rarely, if ever, seeing the outside world), are over-bred and genetically mutated, and are restricted from doing what they were born to do (roam, hunt, forage, nest, etc.). Yet, whether intentionally or not, we still consume a mass amount of factory farmed meats.
I could go on, but since this isn't a post about factory farms or whether or not I should eat meat, I'll stop there. It's a post about understanding what we eat. About understanding what I eat and why.
Ok, so I stopped eating meat in college and after I moved out of the dorms, I started to experiment in the kitchen. I started with what I would say 99-100% of college vegetarians make and eat at home: tempeh, broccoli, some Bragg's Amino Acids, and rice - maybe add a little more vegetables here and there. I really hate that meal.
When I finally stopped working and volunteering 50 plus hours a week, I really started to spend a lot more time in the kitchen. I had time and I was interested in saving money by not eating out. I wanted to really enjoy eating at home. I wanted to enjoy my grilled cheeses, my pizzas, and my high carb diet without all of the processed foods, packaging, or guilt. In order to do this, I looked up recipes on the internet: how to make my own bread, vegan cheese sauces, seitan, etc. I also started reading food focused books like Barbara Kingsolver's "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle," and Michael Pollan's "In Defense of Food." But like I pointed out at the beginning, I'm not perfect and I occasionally enjoy an overly processed fast food meal. But I try.
So, to really get to the point of this post, I thought it would be a good idea to evaluate the labels and ingredients of what I consumed today:
Breakfast: English Muffin Sandwich and a cup of coffee.
Nayonaise - This is a soy-based alternative to mayonnaise. We normally have a giant tub of Vegenaise in the house, but when we ran out I found a jar of this stuff for 49 cents (!!) at the local Grocery Outlet. I couldn't resist. I've also made my own mayonnaise, but I wasn't super satisfied. There is just something special about Vegenaise.
Pepper Jack Cheese - We received a giant pack of cheese from a neighbor of ours who volunteers with the local food bank. It wasn't labeled, so honestly, I have no idea what was in it. But it was free and delicious and has been of great service in our kitchen lately.
Lentil Sage Deli "Meat" - Field Roast is a company based out of Seattle, WA and they make some of the best meat alternatives I've ever had.
Coffee - bulk coffee. Not sure of the brand, but definitely fair or equal trade, from a local roaster.
Milk - I've recently started to buy milk and creamer from a local dairy farm. They are a family-owned farm that produces and bottles their own Jersey Cow milk. They are sustainable, grain-fed, and hormone free. The bottles are glass and re-usable - you pay a one time deposit and return the bottles to the store.
English Muffin - This isn't something we normally have on hand. We purchased this 12 pack of Fred Meyer brand english muffins a few months because they were on super sale and Willis really wanted them. We've kept them in the freezer and after eating them for breakfast every now and then, we're finally down to one. I think I'm going to make some from scratch next weekend.
Izze. - Every now and then, I'll treat myself to a soda, sometimes a Dr. Pepper, sometimes an IZZE. IZZE is an all-natural sparkling juice drink. This one was grapefruit.
Ingredients: pure juice made from apple, white grape, orange, and grapefruit juice concentrates, sparkling water, citric acid, natural flavor, gum arabic, red radish juice.
Dinner: Pizza & Beer
Dough - I made the dough today.
It contains: flour (from the bulk section), yeast (bulk), sugar (bulk), canola oil (bulk), salt (bulk), organic dry milk.
Sauce - I also made the sauce today. It was super easy and fast. Just a few ingredients simmered and blended together.
Tomatoes from last summer's garden, onion, garlic, basil, and canola oil.
Cheese - Same Pepper Jack Cheese from this morning's sandwich.
#22 Make Your Own Vanilla Extract
Click here to see the 99 Skills that I am challenging myself to explore.
