Make Soap the Old-Fashioned way

Learn how to make your own lye from ashes, and then 

use it to cook up a mild, soft soap perfect for personal use.

By Susan Verberg

Soap-makers love to tell the story of how ancient Romans first “discovered” soap by burning animal sacrifices on Mount Sapo, and how the creeks at the bottom of that mythological mountain were the best places to do laundry. They’ll tell you that the water, ash and animal fat on those sites accidentally created the soap that filled the creeks. The reality is that the Romans didn’t actually make soap. They traded for it with the Celts, who dominated the market because of their access to abundant limestone and seashells [writer's note: this would be access to marine plants for soda ash as opposed to potash, not limestone which is calcium oxide], from which they produced slaked lime [soda ash] to make a caustic soda lye (sodium hydroxide).

After years of professionally making all-natural goat’s milk soaps to sell at our local farmers market, I decided to develop a self-sufficient soap-making process based on ancient techniques. My goals were to make my own lye and to turn kitchen-waste fats into soap. I finally took the plunge… and what an interesting adventure it became! I dug through old articles and manuscripts, learned to decipher medieval English, and filled my kitchen with weird, bubbling concoctions. And I wondered how something that seemed so simple could be so challenging.

Don’t let me discourage you. If you’re an outdoor enthusiast, you may have made soap already. Scrubbing a greasy frying pan with campfire ashes doesn’t just scour the dirt away: when rinsed with a little water, the hydroxide salts in the ashes combine with the cooking grease to form a primitive cleanser.

Understanding Soap-Making Basic

To undertake the process of soap making, known as “saponification” (from sapo, the Latin word for soap), let’s first review what soap is and why it works the way it does. Because soap is made from water-soluble bases known as alkalis, it neutralizes acids while retaining its ability to be dissolved in water. More specifically, soap is a surfactant with the unusual ability to diffuse fats and oils into water, which is why it can rinse away oily stains.

Soap is made by mixing dissolved hydroxide salts, generally called “lye”, with fatty acids. To make your own lye that you can use to produce a soft soap, you leach (or drip) water through ashes to dissolve the hydroxide salts. Ashes are highly concentrated minerals of hydroxides, nitrates, carbonates, sulfites, and more. The quality of the lye produced depends on how well the plant material was burned. I’ve found that the more complete the burn (all organic material combusted), the more hydroxides will be dissolved, and the more basic (that is, higher pH) the resulting lye will be. In the case of incomplete burns, such as you’d find in fire pits and fireplaces, you can add lime to help change the carbonates (charcoal) into hydroxides.

My drip lye made from ashes has a pH of about 11, while commercial lye has a pH of 14 – making it 1,000 times more basic than ash lye. This is a big reason why making drip-lye soap is so different from conventional soap making. Because of the lower pH, drip lye is a lot less dangerous to handle than modern commercial lye. As a precaution, though, you should always keep some vinegar handy during soap making because its acid will help neutralize the lye’s base.

Making soap using drip lye can be challenging because the purity, density, and consistency of home made lye is uneven. For home soapmakers, I recommend preparing hot-process soap (which I describe below) rather than cold-process because an exact amount or specific purity of lye isn’t required for successful saponification. In hot-process soaps, saponification – the chemical reaction between lye and fat – is controlled by added heat, not by the pH.

During my research, I uncovered a historic trick for checking the density of drip-ash lye using a fresh egg. Because an egg has about the same density as lye that’s the correct strength, the egg will float. Many colonial recipes for drip-ash lye recommend using homemade lye if it can float an egg with ¼ of its shell showing about the liquid. This lye will produce “Black Soap”, a strong laundry soap that historical re-enactors complain is too harsh. On the other hand, I uncovered a 16^th century shampoo recipe that recommends using lye dense enough to suspend an egg in the middle of the liquid. Suspended-egg lye makes near-neutral soap, perfect for personal use because it does not “bite”. This same historic recipe also confirms the 3-to-1 ratio of lye to fat that consistently works for me: “thre pottels of lye to one pot of oyl”. It’s nice to find confirmation that’s five centuries old!

Based on experience and historical research, I’ve developed these instructions for making a soft, creamy, hot-process soap from scratch – including homemade lye.

Soft Soap in 8 Steps

1 - To make a leaching barrel, drill a small hole at the bottom of a 5-gallon bucket and stuff it with a piece of dishcloth as a filter. Fill the bucket with sieved ashes, tamping down intermittently. Level the top, leaving about 2 inches of headroom. Slowly pour in about an inch of rainwater. When the water has absorbed, add about an inch more. Continue to slowly add water until liquid starts to drip out the hole in the bottom of the bucket – it should take about a day. Prop the ash bucket on top of a second bucket to collect this drip lye. (Or build a setup like in the illustration at the left.) You’re ready to test the strength when you’ve collected about 1 gallon.
                                                                                

2 – If you’ve used regular ashes from a woodstove or fireplace in Step 1, the drip lye will be dark brown and probably won’t suspend an egg. Slowly heat the the drip lye and allow it to evaporate until it has the desired strength, which is likely to about a quarter of its original volume. Use stainless steel vessels for heating lye, never aluminum (which creates noxious gases in combination with lye) or enamel (which lye will etch). Cool down the lye before soap making. Contaminants will settle to the bottom. The next day, pour the purer lye solution off the top (that is, decant it). If you’ve used white ashes from a high-efficiency stove in Step 1, the lye may be light yellow and will float an egg from the get-go. Use this lye as is to make a strong, sharp laundry soap. To make neutral hand soap, slowly add water in small amounts until the egg is suspended in the solution.

 3 – Measure out (by liquid volume) 3 parts lye to 1 part oil. Fats that are solid at room temperature, such as tallow and lard, should be heated until they liquefy, and then cooled. If you’re a soap-maker beginner, use olive oil because the process will be easier. Add the lye to the oil and mix well – a stick blender works great – and let sit overnight.

 4 – After 12 hours rest, the solution will have separated. Mix it very well. Heat the solution for an hour or two in a slow cooker on the high setting with the lid in place. Stir only occasionally, as the soap should not be allowed to cool down. When the soap starts to rise, you’ll see foam forming under the lid. Remove the lid, and stir the soap well to settle the foam. Replace the lid, but prop a toothpick under the lid to create a little gap for hot air to escape.

5 – As the soap cooks in the slow cooker (still on the high setting), you’ll see bubbles form at the edge of the ceramic insert. This is the soap “turning itself”. It should only bubble at the edges – never boil in the center. You’ll observe finished soap starting to form on top. Stir occasionally to ensure that no areas dry out at the edges of the insert. Be sure to stir gently, because the mixture can foam up suddenly at this stage.

6 – The soap will get thicker and thicker until it incorporates, or finishes. Remove the slow cooker’s lid so excess moisture can evaporate. This soap will look like custard (soap-makers call this “trace”), leave droplet marks (“trace marks”) on the surface when scooped and drip off the spoon in globs. You’re nearly finished!

7 – Cook until it starts to have a glazed, sleek look, like petroleum jelly, and leaves little wavy points when stirred. If you part the soap at the bottom of the cooker, it should not come back together. Stop cooking at this point for a thin, soft soap. Or, keep evaporating the moisture until the soap is your desired density – it will never get hard. I prefer a whipped cream consistency.

8 – Your finished product will vary by color and consistency. I’ve made successful batches of soap using “old-fashioned” techniques and each one takes about six to seven hours. If you decide to try this process over open heat, be aware that a more erratic heat sources will make the soap behave erratically as well, and your mixture may not come to trace.

Making soap from homemade drip lye is a fun and rewarding project, and one that doesn’t require specialized or expensive equipment. I hope you’ll give it a try!

Susan Verberg is the founder of Far Mountain Soap in Ithaca, New York. Find her handmade soaps at www.FarMountainFarm.Blogspot.com

From the December 2016/January 2017 Mother Earth News issue, page 40-42.

Backyard Dye Fun!

Having laid my hands on half a dozen skeins of plain white wool yarn, and having the resources of a homestead, I decided to combine the two and under guidance of my friend Angelika try my hand at all natural plant dyeing this summer.

But where to start? And what to buy? Isn't dyeing quite an intricate and expensive challenge better left to the experienced and initiated? In part that is true, it is quite handy learning to dye from someone who has done it before. But it does not have to be difficult or expensive at all - it can be as intricate as you decide to make it. If you're looking for a specific shade, and want to be able to duplicate, mine is not the way for you. But if you're happy to get color, and even happier if it is mostly the color you intended - you can get a surprising amount of dyeing fun out of an ordinary back yard.

We both prefer natural fibers so we used a selection of linen, cotton and wool fabrics and fibers. I quickly learned that plant based fibers and animal based fibers do not take color the same way; plant based fibers are made from cellulose which is fairly resistant to taking dye. Animal fibers are made from protein and are relatively easy to dye. Both need a little help to create a good connection between fibers and dye and this process is called mordanting.

From looking over Angelika's shoulders and listening to her explanations the past few years - she loves dyeing with natural materials - I did pick up some dyes need mordanting, some fibers need it too, but not always or in the same amounts... but why? As it turns out most fibers and dyes are not all that compatible, there isn't a lot for the dye to adhere to. So to give the dye a place to stick, something is added that bridges, or sticks both to the fabric and to the dye. In the case of cellulose fibers a tannin mordant is needed, followed by a metal mordant and in the case of protein fibers a metal mordant is enough. It is possible to dye wool without mordants but it won’t be as vibrant; onion and tea are high in tannin and will dye, but mordanting as well influences the intensity of color. Black walnut is a bit of an odd one, it does not need mordanting because it is high in natural mordants but because the chemical structure of the pigment allows it to directly adhere to the protein fiber!

 

 Processing sumac leaves to make a tannin mordant.

Two good sources for tannin mordants are sumac and rhubarb leaves. As rhubarb is easily available in spring, and sumac easy to find in summer and fall these two make a good three season source of natural tannin mordant. With both sumac and rhubarb the leaves are used, not the wood; for each pound of dry yarn use four pounds of greens. Put leaves in a big pot, cover with water, bring to a boil, and boil for an hour. After an hour remove the greens, add the cellulose yarn and let sit for another hour, or two. Another source for tannins would be black tea, but as that is highly concentrated it would also act as a dye and darken the yarn significantly. Sumac does too, but not as significant and therefore does not interfere with the dyeing process as much, making it a better tannin mordant for brighter colors (and it's free).

A good metal mordant is alum, or aluminum sulfate, which is fairly inexpensive and sold over the internet at stores specializing in dyes. Use 10% for wool or up to 20 % for fine yarn like silk, cotton or linen, of the dry weight of the yarn. Add enough water to submerge the yarn, bring to a boil, turn off, add the damp yarn and let steep for an hour, or so. Do not boil fibers, especially wool roving and tips, as the roiling bubble action of boiling can naturally felt it!

Mordanting the fibers in sumac ‘tea’ overnight.

Mordant the evening before and let the yarn sit in the mordant overnight - that way the yarn is cooled down enough it can easily be squeezed or wrung dry for the next step, the dye bath. Keep in mind that each mordant results in slightly different color dyes, so choose accordingly. For instance chromium really brightens colors (but is poisonous), alum gives clear colors, tin brightens colors and can also be used as an afterbath (adding it to the dye late to darken), copper gives the best greens and iron darkens, and is often used as an afterbath. Both copper and iron can be made at home: copper can be added by dyeing in a copper pot, and an iron solution can easily be made by adding vinegar to iron scraps (like nails and pieces of cheap fencing) in a glass jar - but be careful not to screw down the lid as the exothermic reaction might respond unexpectantly!

Harvesting stinging nettles is quite a prickly business!

Using plant materials it is not all that difficult to dye yellows; pale yellow, lime yellow, greenish yellow, brownish yellow - most plants give some sort of yellow dye. Like ragweed dyes a greenish yellow, birch & poplar dyes yellow, any of the rosacea leaves dye yellow, peach & apple leaves dye yellow and bindweed dyes a light green yellow. It's the other colors that are harder to find. Onion skins can dye a bright orange and reportedly, bindweed roots dye a slight pink, as do rhubarb roots (but I'm not digging up my patch!). Willow leaves and bark dye a cinnamon brown, black walnut a deep brown at first draw and a cinnamon brown at the second. We also tried some odd ones like daffodil heads (yellow) and tageta flowers (also yellow) and honestly, if there is any indication of dye (it stains your fingers while weeding) get a bunch, boil it down, and see what happens!

Harvesting goldenrod flowers to make a bright yellow dye.

Except for a few dyestuffs, like goldenrod, most dye baths benefit from prolonged exposure. A good rule of thumb is to make your bath in the afternoon, add the yarn, put the colander with greens on top of it (keeps the yarn submerged and keeps steeping more dye) and let it sit overnight. You'll benefit from the cooler evening temperatures to cool down your kitchen again and as an added bonus the yarn is nicely cooled down by the next day to easily be rinsed in cold water without starting a felting reaction. Let it dry, or set, completely - out of the sun - before washing with soap.

Goldenrod dye with unmordanted wool yarn (top L) and alum mordanted wool (top R).

In the case of goldenrod, the flowers give the bright yellow color and are a potent dye. The longer it sits, though, the deeper the color gets and at some point the green stems and small leaves, which dye brown, will add, making it even darker. So for a bright yellow 15 minutes tends to be the optimum time. Similar with onion peels; sitting overnight can darken the orange towards brown. Black walnut is also a powerful dye and needs no mordanting at all for wool fibers, making it a good beginner’s dye. It also has antifungal properties and was used for wool underclothing throughout history to help prevent skin conditions!

Onion skin dye with alum mordanted wool fiber and unmordanted wool yarn.

For my first project we used well known dye plants like black walnut leaves, goldenrod flowers, stinging nettle and onion peels. We could have weighed the greens, but as our limitation was space in the pots, not the amount of greens, we picked as much as we could fit into each stockpot. As I could fit three stockpots on my stovetop we made three dye baths at the same time, in a similar fashion as the mordant solution: cover the greens with water, bring to a boil and boil for an hour, or so. Remove the greens, turn off the heat, add the yarn - and see the color change...

We dyed plant fibers and protein fibers and got wildly different results - both between the two types of fibers and from what we expected and what actually happened. Unless every variable, including temperature, pH & weights, are carefully controlled, natural dyeing is quite the spontaneous undertaking! For instance; a linen dress I was hoping to dye a deep brown with black walnut turned into a beautiful yellow copper instead - linen really does not take dye very well. A cotton dress I was hoping to dye yellow with logwood turned blue instead! The wool was mordanted in an acidic environment (an alkaline can damage wool fibers) but not rinsed real well, acidifying the dye to a pretty yellow brown. But when we made a new batch and added the cotton dress it was naturally alkaline and dyed a deep blue!

LTR: undyed, goldenrod, nettle, onion, onion (longer), iron – all unmordanted wool.

We sure saw chemistry in action: what a difference the nature of fibers makes, how some dyes react to changes in the pH but others not at all, the color difference a bit of metal mordant makes, how some strike enthusiastically quick but others need soaking overnight… to get a taste of all the intricate variables possible while still being such a surprisingly easy and rather satisfying project... I totally see how natural dyeing quickly can become quite the passion!

Mediaeval Secretes!

To separate my homesteading from my medieval studies I started a new blog called:
http://bookeofsecretes.blogspot.com/

It will have tons of soap making, brewing, cooking and other tidbits on there - please come and check it out! I'll cross post some applicable posts, it looks like I'll be spending most of my time over there - it sure is fun going medieval!

Free Seed Cabinets for our community.

One more gardening thing, and then it is time for lunch...

When planning your vegetable and flower gardens do not forget to check out the Free Seed Cabinets at Cooperative Extension this time of year! I am sure I blogged about this before, I love the program! This program is until supplies run out, in addition to the previously blogged Community Seed Swap coming weekend.

http://ccetompkins.org/garden/help-gardeners/free-seed-cabinets#sthash.to5Rgm2A.dpuf
the Free Seed Cabinets

Each year, staff in our Home Horticulture program write to various seed companies to request donations of seeds that are leftover from the previous year, but still viable.  CCE-Tompkins receives many generous seed donations in response to this appeal (including many organic seeds) from vendors that have included Ithaca Agway, Seed Savers Exchange, FEDCO, Burpee, Heirloom Seeds, Seed Saver Exchange, Select Seeds, Harris Seeds, and Southern Exposure Seed Exchange, for example.  There is a cabinet for flowers, and another cabinet for vegetables and herbs.

How It Works

Seed packets are organized in 2 cabinets, one for flowers, another for vegetables and herbs.  Everyone is welcome to come and take some seeds for free, but to keep the system fair, we've had to put these GUIDELINES into place which seed-takers must follow:  ONLY 1 VISIT PER MONTH and a LIMIT OF 10 SEED PACKETS PER VISIT.

So that we can track the success of the free seed program, we ask those taking seeds to write down their name, email and number of seeds they have taken.  Seeds generally are available starting in late January until the supply is gone.

We ALSO invite gardeners to contribute accurately identified and dated seed (date of seed collection) to the Seed Cabinet for others to share.  We have small envelopes here, or you may use your own, but be sure to put the year of seed collection on the envelope, as well as the name of the plant. NOTE: all donated seeds should be given to Pat Curran, our Horticulture Educator, for review before we make them available to the public.

The Seed Cabinets are located in our Agriculture/Environment office and may be visited weekdays from 8:30am-4:30pm.  Tompkins County Cornell Cooperative Extension is located at 615 Willow Avenue in Ithaca (Dey St. exit from Route 13).

Community Seed Swap

Community Seed Swap & Guidelines

Bring your home-saved seeds (or surplus purchased seeds) to share with others, pick up some seeds for spring planting, learn how to clean seeds, and get tips on starting plants from seed for next year's garden. Cost: $5.00 donation, or free if you bring seeds to share! See below for guidelines if you plan to bring seeds to share. Contact Chrys Gardener at cab69@cornell.edu if you have any other questions.

Seed Swapping Guidelines

- It's ideal if you can pre-package small seeds in individual envelopes. Sometimes with small seeds, people don't realize how much they are taking. By pre-packaging there will be more to go around.  Write the name of the variety and the year collected on the envelopes. Large seeds (corn, beans, etc) can be loose for people to package themselves.
-  People will have questions about the varieties you are swapping - how tall does it get, how many days till harvest, what's the flavor like, etc. Know your varieties, and if you want to save yourself from repeating the same information you can make an index card with information for each of the  varieties you are swapping.

Home-Saved Seed

- Be sure that you saved seeds from plants that were open-pollinated varieties, not hybrids, otherwise they will not come 'true-to-seed' for the next person that grows them. If you bought the plants from a garden center, the tag may say if it's a hybrid. If you started the plants from seed yourself the seed packet will say either open-pollinated or hybrid
- Some vegetables will cross-pollinate with other related plants, for example many types of winter and summer squash can cross producing sometimes inedible results in the next generation. Some plants are self-pollinated and are easy to save 'true' seed from without any isolation techniques - tomatoes, lettuce, peas, and beans are all generally considered 'fool-proof'. If you saved seeds from other types of vegetables without avoiding the possibility of cross pollination, just state that on the seed packets (eg. 'Possibly crossed with other squash').

Purchased Seed

- If you have extra quantities of purchased seed that you want to swap, you can bring both open-pollinated and hybrid varieties. Just make sure they are clearly labeled as such so that people who want to save seeds from them  know which is which.
- See more at: http://ccetompkins.org/calendar/13/11/06/community-seed-swap-guidelines#sthash.uIGajFUy.dpuf

I feel like gardening... it is sunny outside and it might be in the single digits and everything covered in snow, but from behind my computer it looks great! So I am thinking gardening thoughts instead... which brings me to the Cooperative Extension Community Seed Swap coming Sunday February 2nd from 10am to 3pm. I already sorted and bagged my seed surplus, and are ready to go, how about you?!

Community Seed Swap

Bring your home-saved seeds (or surplus purchased seeds) to share with others, pick up some seeds for spring planting, learn how to clean seeds, and get tips on starting plants from seed for next year's garden. Cost: $5.00 donation, or free if you bring seeds to share! See below for guidelines if you plan to bring seeds to share. Contact Chrys Gardener at cab69@cornell.edu if you have any other questions.

It's ideal if you can pre-package small seeds in individual envelopes. Sometimes with small seeds, people don't realize how much they are taking. By pre-packaging there will be more to go around.  Write the name of the variety and the year collected on the envelopes. Large seeds (corn, beans, etc) can be loose for people to package themselves.

See more at: http://ccetompkins.org/calendar/13/11/06/community-seed-swap-guidelines#sthash.uIGajFUy.dpuf

DIY cat pee remover

Yep, I put the cat in the livetrap in our sunroom, not thinking livetraps don't come with kitty bathrooms and our sunroom does come with carpeting...

From the DoItYourself Forum:

Get rid of cat pee and dog pee smells forever - Recipe

Ingredients
Baking Soda
White Vinegar
Dishwashing Detergent
3 % Hydrogen Peroxide

Directions:

1. If the cat has recently urinated on the carpet, first absorb as much of the cat urine as possible using paper towels or an old towel. Place clean paper towels over the cat urine area and tread on them so as to absorb as much of the urine as possible. Repeat with dry towels until no more moisture can be absorbed.

If the cat urine has dried and you are not sure where the soiled area is you can use a black light to detect it. In a darkened room the black light will pick up urine and other stains. Hand held black lights can be purchased for between $15 to $25

2. Next, wet the area with a solution of 50% white vinegar and 50% water. Make sure you use enough of the solution to penetrate the fibers deep down. Allow it to almost dry. You can assist drying by blotting with paper towels as described above. If you own a wet and dry vacuum extractor use that to remove excess moisture.

The acidity of the vinegar will neutralize the ammonia in the cat urine.

3. Apply a liberal amount of baking soda over the affected area and drizzle it with a quarter of a cup of hydrogen peroxide mixed with a teaspoon of liquid dishwashing detergent. (not caustic detergent that you put in a dishwasher) Work it in with a scrubbing brush or your fingers (be sure to wear rubber gloves) to dissolve the baking soda and work it down into the carpet. Allow it to dry. Then vacuum.

The vinegar will neutralize the ammonia and hydrogen peroxide is a powerful oxidizer capable of killing bacteria which cause the urine smells. Baking soda is a well known deodorizer which absorbs odors. Sprinkle it on your carpet monthly then vacuum up to keep your carpet smelling fresh all the time.

Important. Never use ammonia or ammonia-based products on the carpet. One of the ingredients of urine is ammonia and your cat may well be encouraged to re-offend in the same area if it detects the smell of ammonia. Many household cleaner cleaners contain ammonia so be sure to read the label.

If you don't have hydrogen peroxide on hand you could substitute it in an emergency for a spray laundry stain remover. Check the bottle. If it says 'Oxy' anywhere on the label then it probably contains hydrogen peroxide.

Caution, you should test your carpet for color fastness in an inconspicuous area.
Use only 3% Hydrogen Peroxide.

For peed on Laundry:

Remove cat urine odor from laundry. Use this method on your clothing, bedding, rugs or anything you think you can stuff in the washer (not including your cat). Simply add ¼ cup apple cider vinegar along with your normal laundry detergent, start the washer and VOILA!

>>> tried it, and it works! Does still have soda crystals coming up in the carpet (sort of a cloudy stain that vacuums out) and locally the carpet is really clean - but - NO SMELL!

SPCA feral cat program

With the new goat barn and multitude of rodents I was thinking of contacting the SPCA to rehome a feral cat - they have the ads in the store at the mall. And while I was thinking about the pro's and con's someone moved in :)

For the past couple weeks a slender grey very shy cat has been prowling our perimeter and sleeping with the girls (hay stacks are sure a cat magnet, Greebo loves to sleep over in them too). I was not really planning to mess with it, but after catching it by mistake in the livetrap - someone is tunneling big time thru the shed and barn - I figured might as well have the feral cat program look him over.

So he went today and turns out it's a boy and already neutered! So most likely a dumped pet, tho for us he's been real snappy and hissy - our "pet" name has been "enge kat" (scary cat) and Simon wanted to leave him at the SPCA and take the beagle in the window back home!

Why I am posting all this? Turns out the SPCA has a program for feral cats where when you catch one and bring it in (and I presume then take it back to your barn) they'll spay/neuter and vaccinate it for free! You can contact them at 257-1822 and they operate on Tuesdays.

apple cider vinegar & honey help arthritis

I've come across one too many references to the apple cider vinegar (with mother) with honey mixture as an old time remedy for arthritis I decided to google for more info - see below - and plan to try it for a while. Since my sister recommends drinking something acidic with meals anyway to help digestion it seems this way I could help two problems with one honey drink :)

From the website: arthritis-treatment-and-relief.com

"Dr. D.C. Jarvis, practitioner in Vermont, wrote a book entitled Arthritis and Folk Medicine. It is an interesting account of the centuries-old remedies used by farmers in Vermont for preserving vigorous health into old age. The book explains in detail the uses of apple cider vinegar for everything from relieving arthritis to reducing blood pressure to curing osteoporosis.

Jarvis believes that people with arthritis are calcium deficient, yet their joints and blood vessels are lined with calcium deposits that interfere with blood circulation and cause pain. He explains: “People with arthritis are usually classified as calcium deficient, although they do tend to accumulate calcium deposits. Vermont folk medicine says they are not making hydrochloric acid in the stomach, or else the amount made is too small. Normal calcium metabolism is so highly dependent upon this acid that when there is a lack of it a disturbed calcium metabolism is inevitable.”

Apparently Vermonters believe that treatment of arthritis, and many other health problems, must begin in the stomach. Jarvis found that when an apple cider vinegar cocktail is taken daily, calcium deposits are released back into solution in the bloodstream to be re-circulated to the proper parts of the body (the bones), thus alleviating arthritic pain and warding off osteoporosis. He explains: “The bones are a storehouse for calcium, and the ability to deposit calcium in the bony framework of the body with the aid of vinegar is certainly of value in elderly people because it makes the bones stronger and much less likely to be broken.”

In his conclusion, Jarvis summarizes the Vermont folk medicine prescription for arthritis: “Give 2 teaspoonfuls of apple cider vinegar and 2 of honey in a glass of water, taken at each meal. If this mixture is not accepted by the stomach at mealtimes it may be taken between meals.”

Use the cider vinegar and honey treatment for arthritis and also apply cider vinegar externally to painful joints. Local treatment can also be given by soaking the arthritic hand, or foot in a strong, comfortably hot solution of cider vinegar for ten minutes, two or three times a day - (a quarter of a cup of cider vinegar to one and a half cups of water).

Arthritic knees can be attended to by making a poultice - soak the cloth in a mixture of cider vinegar and water, (as per above mixture) wring out and wrap it around the joint, then secure with a dry cloth to retain heat. When the wet cloth cools, it should be wrung out in the hot solution and applied afresh. Repeat several times, twice daily.

The Arthritis Foundation does not endorse this treatment and lumps it under unproven remedies. My patients sometimes will try things like this. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t. I personally don’t see any real harm in trying it. But I wouldn’t advise using this as a substitute for what your rheumatologist recommends."

weird tips from around the homestead...

From the Backyard Chickens Forum - Pesky Black Kitchen Ants!
"I read in Countryside Magazine about using a small pile of cornmeal where the ants can get it. The cornmeal is very corrosive to their digestive tracts and they die. They carry it back to their nest and store it for the others and they die also. Well, I tried it this year and.....it works!!! I was having black ants all over my cabinets and getting into my sugar! Within a week, no more ants. Haven't seen one since. I used fine yellow cornmeal. Left it on the counter for a couple of days only. Hope this works!"

From Countryside Magazine Volume 95 page 20
Minor Cuts
"Apply ground black pepper to stop bleeding. No, it's won't sting."
Minor Burns
"Immediately apply ice wrapped in damp cloth until the pain stops. It may take hours, but there will be no scar (tried it myself, the cold hurts, but then it fades away, and no blister!)."
Potato Growth Inhibitor
"Commercial potatoes are sprayed with a poisonous sprouting inhibitor. Peel potatoes before cooking. Cooking with peels on forces the poison into potato's flesh."

Advice from a German friend - Bee or Wasp Sting
"Immediately cut an onion in half with as much cells damaged to release as much onion juice as possible; rub vigorously onto sting site until pain goes away. Might need to re-cut onion to release more juice if necessary (also tried and it worked like a charm, hardly any swelling where I normally swell up like a balloon)."

Advice from my sister with night time hungry's
"Drink a little fruit juice or water with a big squirt of lemon juice with your evening meal. The acid of the lemon juice will trigger the stomach to release (more) digestive fluids, resulting in a better digested meal, less/no food left undigested in stomach and thus less/no 'hungry' feeling at night."

- collection in progress

homemade baby wipes / udder wipes recipe

I think I might finally have found my goat wipes! And of course the winner is the recipe from Fias Co Farm of course: I'll have to stop by Greenstar for essential oils and Wegmans for the off the shelf items - and keep my eyes open for a good food storage container (can always feed the contents to the chickens, if we or the kid won't eat it LOL).

From the Fias Co Farm website:
I like to keep homemade "goat wipes" on hand in the barn for cleaning up goat baby butts, or does during that "leaking time" after they've given birth, or just to wipe my hands. You can also use these as udder wipes since the essential oils give it an antibacterial quality.

To make your own goat wipes, find a food storage container (a coffee can will rust) that will hold a roll of paper towels that have been cut in half. Use only Bounty paper towels, anything else will just become a mushy mess. Cut a roll in half with a bread knife. Remove the cardboard tube. In the container mix:

* 1 Tbs. baby oil (or Calendula oil)
* 2 tsp. Dawn dish washing detergent
* 2 C water
* 5 drops Tea Tree essential oil
* 5 drops Lavender essential oil

(I used to add commercial teat dip in the hope that it would give it an antibacterial quality, but when mixed, the dip's strength dissipates quickly so it's really just a waste of money.)

Place the half paper towel roll into the container, remove it, turn it over, and place it back in. To use your wipes, remove them from the center of the roll.


Another baby wipes recipe, though not recommended for goat wipes as it is not antibacterial. From Backyard Chickens Forum

Strong paper towels work the best.
Cut one roll of paper towels in half.
Take out the core so wipes pull out of the center.

Make solution of 2 cups water, 1/2 cup of baby oil, 1/2 cup baby magic baby bath

Place 1/2 roll of paper towels in container. Pour solution over towels. Store in container. Makes 2 1/2 rolls.

From Countryside Magazine, volume 94 page 76.
Use a roll of absorbent paper towels and cut in half (so not use a serrated knife). Remove the inner cardboard core. Find a container with a lid for the roll to fit snuggly into. Cut an X or very small opening in the center of the lid. This is to pull the paper towels from the center of the roll through.

2 tablespoons Kosher V-6 Oil or (organic) olive oil
1 tablespoon unscented bath gel base
2-6 drops lavender essential oil
2 cups warm water

Note: she finds the V-6 oil much lighter on the skin than olive oil.

DO NOT CALL list information

Cell Phone Numbers Go Public this month.

Cell phone numbers are being released to telemarketing companies. In addition to being a nuisance, these calls can be costly when cell phone accounts are charged for calls received. These calls can be prevented by placing your cell phone number on the National DO NOT CALL list.

You can do this either by calling the National DO NOT CALL list at 888-382-1222 or going on line at this address: www.donotcall.gov/default.aspx The call to put your phone number on the list must be made from the phone you want listed.

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle • Used Clothing

Second Hand and Vintage Clothing stores in Ithaca:

Trader K's
119 East State Street
Ithaca, NY 14850-5543
607.272.4011

Service League Shop
104 W Seneca St
Ithaca, NY 14850
607.272.2120

the Salvation Army
381 Elmira Road, Ithaca
607.273.3872

Petrune
126 E State St
on the Commons
Ithaca, NY 14850
607.277.1930

Dinosaur Dry Goods
Rt 90
King Ferry, NY 13081
315.364-5591

Especially for Children:

Mama Goose
430 West State Street
Ithaca, NY 14850
607.269.0600

Gorges Kids
19 East Main Street
Trumansburg, NY 14886
(607) 387-4994

Local Building Resources

Holistic Homebuilders
owner Sarah Highland
607.272.3475
sarahkh@lightlink.com

Sarah and her crew build our 2 car garage, with photography equipment storage unit and loft, in the beautiful traditional timberframe style. She also constructs pole buildings, and refrains from using man made materials like plywood and chipboard.

Shady Creek Construction
owner Chris Yoder
5907 State Route 414
Romulus NY 14541
888.778.8120

Chris Yoder and his crew specialize in metal roofing but also construct pole buildings using locally milled lumber. They built a beautiful horse barn on Iradel Road (between 96 and Sheffield) from hemlock in the board and batten style - I would love having a barn like that on my property!
testimony from Rochester Green Living

Green Building Directory from Cornell Cooperative Extension, listing local green buiding businesses, professionals and tradespeople.

Collins Lumber & Sawmill
Conkrite Road in Alpine, NY
607.594.3490

While they are not contractors, they do mill local wood for both contractors like Sarah Highland and hobbyists like me. We get all our wood from Collins, even though it's a 20 minute drive. Rough sawn hemlock is great to work with and lasts as well as pressure treated lumber.

Significant Elements
212 Center Street, Ithaca NY 14850
607 277 3450

Charity salvage yard, good place to pick up doors, windows, old fashion hardware, kitchen & bathroom ceramics; also runs lead paint awareness workshops (website under construction). Keep an eye out for their monthly FREE FRIDAY event.

Shaver Brothers
32 Perrine Street, Auburn NY 13021
800-564-7206

Lots of architectural salvage. Just neat to walk around, even if you are not looking for anything in particular! Seems to have a larger selection than Significant Elements, but is a bit of a drive.

Green Eco Services
"your one click source for all things green"
Their website has an extensive list of salvage yards in New York State if you can not find what you are looking for locally.

Sustainably harvested local Black Locust fence posts

A good local company we used for our locust fence posts is Top Notch Tree Service. They also do tree work - he's an arborist - and they harvest the locust from their own locust grove. He has very decent prices, $4 per split eight foot post and $20 delivery.

You can contact Rob Neff at phone 607.898.9898 cell 607.423.9400 or email at TopNotchTrees84@yahoo.com

two recommended livestock butchers

Grap's Slaughterhouse
36 Langford Creek Road
Van Etten NY
607.589.6844

Shirk Meats
4342 John Green Road
Dundee NY 14837
607.243.5581