Homemade Laundry Detergent

On our move towards more green, more healthful, more simple living, we decided to start making stuff.  Lots of stuff.  From beauty products, to cleaners, to food preservation, we're trying to do our part little by little.  What I've been amazed about in my research into natural products is how a few key staples--vinegar, honey, olive oil, baking soda, borax, glycerin, castille soap (like Dr. Bronner's)--can provide so much of what we need and use everyday.  And the best part--if you make it, you know what goes into it.  As I make new batches, I'll post the products along with their recipes. 

I started making homemade laundry detergent last year.  Even Jake can't say that it doesn't get the clothes as clean as any commercial cleaners!  Occasionally I've gone back to Trader Joe's for some of their laundry detergent (phosphate-free, of course; phosphates are very harsh on the water supply), but what I love about this recipe is the sheer simpleness of it.

• 1 bar of Ivory soap (or Fels Napatha soap), finely grated
• 2 cups Borax
• 2 cups Washing Soda

Mix all together. 

 And done.  2 Tbs. to a warm or hot wash.   Stir it up in the water a bit to break up soap clumps before adding clothes. 

Frequently asked questions:

But why make your own laundry detergent?
1. Better for the environment.  Not only are you not using harsh petrochemicals, but you actually don't need as much as the commercial detergents call for (unless you have a very soiled or very large load).  So a little does in fact go a long way!
2. Cheaper--I haven't done the math precisely, but estimates on the internet are anywhere from $.05 to $.10 per load.  The average commercial detergent is approximately $.20 per load.  Not bad. 
3.  Time--It takes 5 minutes.  Think of all the time you can save by not figuring out what detergent is on sale, what detergent has the new hot scent, etc! 

What about the information that says that Borax and Washing Soda are toxic?
Well, yes--don't eat it.  You will get sick.  But they are certainly far better for you than the other chemicals in commercial detergents.  Some people have experienced skin irritation if it comes in contact with the skin.  Wear gloves if you'd like extra protection, otherwise just use a spoon to stir it up.

What about fabric softener? 
Guess what??  The answer is another staple--vinegar.  It does the trick.  Add a half cup per load during the rinse cycle and dry on the line or in the dryer as normal.  If it doesn't get soft enough, add 1/3 of a fabric dryer sheet to the dryer.  You don't need any more than that!

Where do I buy Borax and Washing Soda?
Borax can be found in most supermarkets, Target, Walmart, etc.  Washing Soda is a bit more difficult.  I can't find it anywhere in Pittsburgh except a very small chain, Kuhn's.  So check out at the smaller chains or independent grocers in your area.  If you can't find it there, though, washing soda is also called "soda ash," a chemical used in the pool business. 

Can I make liquid laundry detergent?
Absolutely.  I just personally the powder is easier to do.  But if you'd like more information, check out the following websites:
http://tipnut.com/10-homemade-laundry-soap-detergent-recipes/
http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2008/04/09/making-your-own-laundry-detergent-a-detailed-visual-guide/
http://www.domesticcents.com/saving-money/homemade-laundry-detergent/

Service

Today I ended my year of service with AmeriCorps.  It was a whirlwind year, mainly because I quite typically had to make things very very hard on myself by getting married and having a second (and third and fourth) job.  I gained so much experience in knowledge about working with young kids, working with difficult people, among others.

But most importantly, my year got me thinking about what this whole idea of "service" is.  I love the idea of volunteering and serving other people.  I am fully in support of anything that will help another human being, a community, or the planet.  But, sadly, there also seems to be some hidden assumptions to the idea of service that make me uneasy sometimes.  Service implies an already preexisting power structure, but one that can work both ways.  On the one end you have the lower serving the higher--a waiter serves his customers food, a butler serves the master of the house, etc.  On the other end you have the higher serving the lower--non-community volunteers taking trash out of rundown neighborhoods, volunteers bagging food at the food pantry, etc.  Most of the service from this past year could be classified under the second type, albeit without most of the sinister overtone of the "lower/higher" distinction.  I say "without most" because there were definitely times that, when not perhaps sinister, the intentions behind our service to a particular community with ignorant and ill-informed.  Certainly, intentions are good, but what of the results of said service?  What if (as I believe will happen with a few of our projects) the long-last effects are few or even non-existent? 

Another assumption seems to be that all service is created equal and all service is necessarily beneficial.   But that was simply not the case.  At times it was painfully evident--sitting around a project with nothing to do because the coordinators hadn't planned well enough or there were too many of us for the job, thus wasting precious wo/man power (not to mention time).  At other times, the disparity between the quality of service was not seen but felt.  Leaving one service project you might feel bored and apathetic about it all, others you left feeling rejuvenated about the prospect of the service you have put into action. 

I don't mean to sound so cynical about the whole thing.  The whole endeavor of service is absolutely worthwhile, but I at least in the future will be thinking a little more about what this means and the kind of service that I value performing, for whom, and to what end.  Perhaps this makes me even more of a service erudite with nothing better to do than think about how I can best change the world and further reinforces the very notion of "higher/lower" that I seek to dispel.  Yet maybe it will make my future service more meaningful, both to me and the areas I serve, to have some answers to these questions.  Without asking them, we seem to run the risk of alienating the motivation from the action of service, and in this day, with resources running thin, it's something that we just can't afford.  

We are Granola

If you are what you eat, we are granola.  We only recently began to eat a lot of it once we started making it ourselves.  And I think the only reason we started making it is because people were calling us "granola" and "modern day hippies" and the like and it seemed weird that while in many ways we aptly fit these descriptions, we did not in fact consume granola.  I had also been under the mistaken assumption that granola was somehow "bad" for you.  While being a high-calorie food, thanks to complex carbohydrates, honey, and nut fats, it's also chalk full of nutrients, protein, and fiber.  So the lesson here: moderation is key.

Well that's all been changed thanks to a wonderful foundation recipe that came in one of the Penzey Spice Catalogs.  The recipe has been used so many times there's oil blots on it.  It's very well loved.  And let me tell you: moderation is hard.  It's our morning staple cereal, and we top it off with yogurt and fresh berries if they're in a season.  Delicious.  But we also have a handful during the day if we need a pick me up.  Delicious.  Or as a little bedtime snack.  Delicious.  Frankly, it's hard not to eat it all the time.

This recipe is for a double batch.  Store half in the freezer.  Trust me--you'll need to make a double batch.  It goes that quickly.

• 6 cups old-fashioned oats (not quick oats)
• 2 cups oat bran
• 1/2 cup ground flaxseed
• 1/2 cup wheat germ
• 2 cups nuts (almonds, sunflower seeds, pecans, cashews, etc.
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 cup honey
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 2 tsp. vanilla
• 6 Tbs. canola oil
• 1 1/2 cups dried fruit (raisins, craisins, pineapple, apple, etc.)

First, mix together the oats, oat bran, flaxseed, wheat germ, and nuts in a large bowl.

Next, preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Then take a small saucepan and combine the honey, water, sugar, vanilla, and oil.  Cook over low heat until it just begins to bubble.

Pour the honey over the oats and mix thoroughly, scraping up the bits and pieces from the bottom of the bowl.

Divide the mixture between two large jelly rolls pans and spread out evenly.  Baking for approximately 20-30 minutes (depending on how well you like it done--I like mine crunchy!).  Stir every 8-10 minutes while baking.

Let the oat mixture cool completely.  Once cooled, add in your dried fruit and store in refrigerator or freeze. 

I've adapted this recipe to suit whatever I have on hand.  I love to add cinnamon to it.  I added steel cut oats (about 2 of the 6 cups) when I mistakenly bought them one time and then had no idea what to do with them.  And I even have put in quick oats on occasion when I'm just a bit short (gasp!).  And that's what I love about this recipe--it's versatility.  And if it means that we--like the granola that we eat--are versatile, I'm flattered.

My Return to Cooking

Cooking is in my genes.  I was predestined to want to cook.  I took every advantage when I was younger to help my mother in the kitchen, to be inspired by my dad's magic hand, and to try every recipe I could manage from the Kraft Kids cookbook.

Admittedly, however, I have been long stuck to the recipe on the page.  Only recently have I begun to feel confident enough to go by instinct, by feel, by smell, and by taste.  This is in large part thanks to Jake.  Part of the reason I fell madly in love with him--and what keeps me happy to this day--is that he can cook even better than I can.  When I found out he made homemade chicken wild rice soup from scratch, I was S-O-L-D.  Throughout the first few years of our relationship, we cooked many a meal together.  It was something we both enjoyed doing, and we'd try new things out on each other all the time.  But more often than not--and more often from my own choosing--I would do the "prep work" while he'd do the rest.  I was more than okay to watch him work his magic over the stove.

And the fact that he know show to cook has served our little family particularly well over the past year when my work schedule meant I didn't get home until 7 pm.  He really stepped up to the plate and made more dinners than I can even recall, especially after I started making him a "menu" so he didn't have to answer that eternal question "What's for dinner?" all by himself.

But now that my schedule has shifted and I'm home by the shockingly early hour of 4:30, I now can cook dinner.  And not just the prep work because as soon as we get home Jake usually bolts for the garden to work out there.  We're talking about me cooking the entire thing.

It's been glorious.  Apron on, hands washed, I feel I'm on a culinary adventure nowadays.  The constant influx of things from the garden presents an intellectual challenge.  How can I make zucchini different again??  I look forward to seeing what I can come up with, and it feels really good to be able to produce something not only from scratch, but using produce and herbs you've grown.  Satisfying in the stomach, satisfying in the soul.

So what was for dinner last night?  Warm weather Couscous.  The title sold me given how awfully hot it's been recently, but when I saw all the garden veggies in it, my heart pitterpattered.  I had found the recipe to use up the glut and make it all come together in a tasty creation.  And even though I didn't have everything on the list, I improvised.  I made it work.  Substituted roasted cumin for cumin, coriander powder for coriander seeds, added some carrot and garbanzo benas--you know, the standard ;-)  Here's the link to the recipe, but here's the basic idea:

1. Cook couscous by pouring boil water over and steaming it for 10+ minutes (or whenever the other stuff gets done)

2. Chop lots of vegetables (onions, peppers, zucchini, green beans, carrots, etc.) and saute in olive oil.

3. Add spices, including tumeric which instantaneously turns the dish a vibrant yellow, and some broth and simmer til vegetables are done (5-10 minutes).

4. Top with fresh cut parsley and raisins.  Voila!

Transitions

How fortuitous that on the same day I have my exit interview for my year of AmeriCorps service, I have a staff meeting with my other job, Prime Stage Theatre, that blows my mind with all the exciting things that are to come for the company. 

I'm in a point of transition at a very unlikely time for transitions.  I closely follow and observe the changing of the seasons, so now--in the dead middle of summer--is not when I would normally have expected such a transition to be made.  But I'll take it.

Last year at this time, I remember being much more worried about the future than I am now.  I worried so much about not being able to do the freelance teaching artists thing that I snatched up the opportunity with AmeriCorps as a saving grace.  But then I worried what AmeriCorps would be like, and then, when I was offered the gig with Prime Stage, how in the world I would manage to do 1 1/2 full time jobs. I was worried about what everyone worries about--money.

Now, the future is looking bright.  Even though the freelance side of things makes me nervous, I realize more than anything what a gift it is and will be for me to be doing what I love to do--theatre--with people I love to work with--kids. And I can't put a price tag on that.

Attack of the Zucchini, pt. 2--freezing

Last year we froze grated zucchini for zucchini bread and muffins.  This year, we decided to freeze slices. 

We started by washing the zucchini and slicing it into 1/4''-1/2'' slices.

Then we steam blanched them for 3 minutes.  Put the cover on the pot and let it boil away.  I prefer this method over the traditional water bath blanching method only because getting them out is super easy--just pull up the steam tray!

Next, we plopped the zucchini into an ice bath.  If you really get going at a good pace and you have enough ice to keep the water cool enough, you can start a little processing line!

After that, we had to try and remove as much moisture from the zucchini as possible.  Moisture on frozen foods = freezer burn and even mushier vegetables = yuck!  We did this in a two phases--one, draining in a sieve, and second, patting them dry with a towel.  Low tech, and we love it that way.

Last but not least, it was time to package those little zucchini slices up for good.  First, before there's anything in them, we labeled the heavy-duty freezer bags!  I can't tell you how many things I've pulled from our freezer with no identification on them...I've learned my lesson for good now!

Then we put them all in the bags.  I typically just shove them in, but my husband went for the aesthetic approach.  Lovely job dear!

Some 10 bags later, we called it a day.  That, and we didn't have any more ice.  Perhaps it was better that way.

The Attack of the Zucchini

How many different ways can you cook a zucchini?  How many different ways can you cook a zucchini?  My fearless husband and I set out today to answer that question after we were robustly and offhandedly caught in "The Attack of the Zucchini!"
..............................................................................................................................
(moonlight, mist over the garden on a humid summer night)

Zuke 1: Ha!  They'll never know what hit them!

Zuke 2: That's right!  They'll have no choice but to pick us now!  How much did you grow today?

Zuke 1: 4 inches.  How bout yourself?

Zuke 2: Like always, I beat you--I'm 5 inches longer today.

(cut to kitchen where Jake is doing...inappropriate gestures...with zucchini)

Alyssa: Jake, cut it out. Please stop that!

Jake: Just comparing, that's all!

Zuke 1 (voiceover): This was not exactly the kind of afterlife I had in mind.


Alyssa: What are we going to do with all of this zucchini?

Jake: (in song) We could chop it, fry it, dry it, freeze it, pickle it!  We could shred it, bake it, sautee it, but most of all EAT IT!!!!

Zuke 1 (voiceover): Yeah, they definitely didn't warn us about this in school!  Run!  Oh, wait.  That won't work.  Hhmm....What to do now? I know!  I'll send a secret telepathic message to all my friends to tell them to grow, grow, grow!  These schmucks will never know what hit them in a few days.  Muhahaa ha ha!!
 ..............................................................................................................................

Well, Zuccini, we're giving you a run for your money.  First up yesterday--a lovely Vegetable Frittata.  I've never made a frittata before because I've been afraid the egg would stick the the cast-iron pan, but lo and behold with enough butter and oil, it just slid right out!  Here the general recipe (and what's great--you can swap out veggies as you have them on hand!)

• 2 Tbs. olive oil
• 1 Tbs. butter
• 3/4 large green pepper, chopped
• 1 large clove garlic, chopped
• 1 handful of swiss chard or spinach, chopped
• 1 small zucchini (5-7'' long), chopped in half-moons
• 1 Tbs. each of fresh basil, rosemary, and chives, chopped
• 1/2 Tbs. each of fresh oregano and thyme, chopped
• 5 large eggs, well beaten
• 4 roma tomatoes, sliced in half
• cheese for topping (we used cheddar and parmesan)
• salt, pepper, and onion powder to taste (we ran out of onion, so we pinch hit!)
• fresh chopped parsley (optional, for garnish)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Heat oil in cast-iron or oven-safe fry pan.  Saute green pepper and garlic over medium heat for 3-4 minutes.  Add zucchini--saute another 4 minutes.  Add swiss chard and fresh herbs.  Saute just until the greens are wilted.  Turn heat up on veggies to medium-high heat for one minute. Add eggs, lifting edges to allow runny egg to run to the pan.  Keep doing this until the egg does not run any more.  Quickly top with sliced tomatoes and cheese.  Pop into the oven for 10-15 minutes, or whenever the egg is set and the cheese begins to brown.  Slice and serve hot or cold.

Final product?  Deliciousness...