25 Ways to Use Peppermint

O'peppermint tea --

two delights per sip

as steamy hot as passion

cool as a wintry lake dip

~Terri Guillemets 

Come sit with me and share a pot of peppermint tea - I'm so happy you are here!  Peppermint is one of the gifts of the plant world that is extremely versatile.  It can seem both warming and cooling at the same time.  The plant grows easily and spreads quickly so make it one of the first plants you choose for your herb garden - just be sure to set it some boundaries or you will have it EVERYWHERE! 

It is a good thing that it grows so easily because there are many uses for it fresh, dried and as an essential oil.  If you harvest right before the plant blooms, you will get it at its most intense, peppermint-y goodness.  As promised here are my favorite ways to use this herb. 

Ways to Use Peppermint

Fresh: 

• Use leaves to flavor lamb, fish and poultry
• Use leaves to flavor vegetables like peas, new potatoes and carrots
• Use leaves to flavor green salads and fruit salads
• Use leaves in beverages such as punch, lemonade and tea 
• Freeze leaves in ice cubes for your iced tea

 Dried: 

• Makes a caffeine free tea that is invigorating and also helps settle upset stomachs 
• The tea helps some with headache relief 
• The tea is also a source of calcium, magnesium and phosphorus. 
• Sprinkled in the back of cabinets helps deter ants and mice
• As a hair rinse, it can help with dandruff
• Steeped in a warm bath relaxes tense muscles
• Simmer some in a large pot of water to make your home smell great - especially good to do when someone in the house is ill as an air cleanser 

Essential Oil

• For motion sickness, inhale the peppermint scent
• Add to a humidifier to help with congestion
• Mix with a carrier oil and rub on temples and neck to help with headache relief
• Mix with a carrier oil and apply to abdomen to help ease cramps
• Use in your diffuser to increase alertness and relieve stress
• Use some in an epsom salt foot bath for tired feet
• Add a few drops in some water and drink to aid with digestion
• Add a few drops to scent your bath water 
• Add a few drops to your shampoo to help with dandruff  
• Inhale the scent before a test or difficult task to increase alertness
• Place a few drops in a spray bottle of cold water and spritz yourself to help with hot flashes
• Put a few drops on a cotton ball and place in the bottom of the trash can to dispel odors
• Put a few drops on a cotton ball and place where you have seen spiders.  They do not like it! 

That's the top 25 ways I use peppermint.  How do you use it?  I would love to hear in the comments.  

Tomorrow is Farmgirl Friday and the intermediate level of the Going Green badge has tasks to make laundry soap (I'm still experimenting and looking for a liquid one that won't separate); make all purpose, window and floor cleaners (done); and.....making soap.  I have to admit that making real soap - not the melt and pour stuff - is something I have always wanted to do but have hesitated.  

Let's learn together and support each other to get this task done. Tomorrow, I'll investigate the equipment needed, the supplies and the safety precautions to take to help boost my confidence. We can spend the week gathering both supplies and courage... I hope to see you then.  :) 

Peace be with you, 

Star Schipp

This post may contain affiliate links which means if you make a purchase using one of those links, I may receive compensation at no extra cost to you.  It is a great way to support your favorite hobby farm blogger.  Thank you!   

Why Seed Libraries Matter and What You Can Do to Help...

Control oil and you control nations.

Control food and you control the people. 

~Henry Kissinger

There has been a lot of stories in the news on the issue of large corporations gaining interests in the global commercial seed markets.  Currently, three companies hold patents on 53% of the seed markets.  There is a growing movement to patent seeds and this includes an attempt to patent heirloom varieties.  

Heirloom seeds are the ones that have been passed from generation to generation between gardeners and farmers.  These are plants that have developed in an open-pollinated manner and will produce seeds that can be planted to get a plant like the parents.  Vastly different from hybrid seeds which cannot be saved from season to season - they must be purchased anew every time you wish to plant. 

Gardeners tend to be resourceful and some have gotten together to create seed libraries.  A seed library is an organized service where gardeners can "borrow" seeds, grow them, save the seeds and return them to the library for other gardeners to grow too.  It is an excellent way to preserve our heirloom garden heritage.  It is also a good way to foster a sense of community.  

Recently, the news has aired stories of seed libraries being "outlawed" in some areas.  The point in question is the way some states' Department of Agriculture view seed sharing.  Some states require a license to distribute seeds and those licensed must comply with certain regulations.  By the regulations, the seeds must be labeled correctly and meet certain germination rate standards.  

When you are buying seeds from a company, I can understand why you would want to know that kind of information on your purchase.  But, if your neighbor was sharing some seeds with you over the backyard fence, would you expect the same information?  

Of course, there are some good points to a level of regulation.  Invasive plant species can and do cause a lot of problems.  So in the planning of a seed library, how will you control for that?   I'm going to stay informed on the issues as the debate continues.  The source I will follow is Seed Libraries Daily and I urge you to stay informed too.  

At this time, I haven't been able to find any seed libraries in my state but I would love to start one.  Is there one in your state?  (Seed Library Locator Map) 

If you are interested in getting involved in the debate, consider reviewing a petition to the Departments of Agriculture and sign it if is seems reasonable to you.  

Growing your own food is an important part of caring for your own health, safety and security.  Let's preserve it...

I'm so glad you were able to join today and I hope to see you again tomorrow.  I'll be sharing ways I use the mint I grow in my garden and also how I use peppermint essential oils.  :)

Peace be with you, 

Star Schipp 

This post may contain affiliate links which means if you make a purchase using one of those links, I may receive compensation at no extra cost to you.  It is a great way to support your favorite hobby farm blogger.  Thank you!    

Feed the birds: It's good for YOU!

In order to see birds it is necessary to become a part of the silence. 

~Robert Lynd 

Welcome to the farm, I'm so glad you are here!  Pull up a chair near my kitchen window and watch the birds with me.

This barred owl photo was taken by my daughter right from our kitchen window.  We spent the summer watching a mama feed her babies nearly every day and it was an unforgettable joy.  Feeding the birds was a new hobby for me when we moved to the farm.  I put my favorite chair right where I could watch the nearly constant activity going on right outside my window.  Bird watching is incredibly relaxing.  

How can having bird feeders be good for you? 

• First of all, connecting with the natural world has a positive impact on your mood and reduces stress. 

• The act of caring for animals is also another stress reducer.  

• Going outside to fill the bird feeders gets you out in the fresh air and sunshine and will boost your energy and mood, bring vital Vitamin D to your body and lower your blood pressure and stress hormones. 

• A natural tendency of bird watching is to learn which different birds come to your bird feeder.  Learning new things keeps your brain healthy.

• Listening to birds sing relaxes you physically but stimulates your brain and increases alertness.  It keeps you mentally sharp. 

In general, feeding the birds will be a supplement to their regular diet and they will seek out insects and other naturally available foods in the area so don't plan on fulfilling all of their dietary needs. Hummingbirds and goldfinches have higher caloric needs though so if you wish to feed them, plan on keeping those feeders full as much as possible.  

You will have greater success in a variety of birds visiting the feeders if you place the feeders so that birds have some measure of safety from predators.  Feeders placed about twelve feet from brush piles, evergreen trees or bushes will provide adequate protection.  Also, if there is a window nearby, place a decal on it to prevent birds from mistaking the reflection for a clear flight path.  Collisions with windows causes many bird deaths.   

Different birds enjoy different types of foods.  

Some foods to consider offering are:

Black-Oil Sunflower Seeds, White Proso Millet, Peanuts, Suet Cakes, Nyjer Seed, Cracked Corn, Fruit, Crushed Egg Shells, Peanut Butter 

Here is the recipe for the homemade suet cake that I feed the birds and sometimes the chickens. 

Suet Cake

Ingredients: 

2 cups crunchy peanut butter

2 cups lard 

1 cup black oil sunflower seeds 

1 cup cracked corn 

1/2 cup raisins

1/2 cup dried and crushed egg shells

Instructions: 

Melt together peanut butter and lard.  Mix in all other ingredients.  Pack into a large pan and refrigerate until hardened.  Cut into blocks and place in suet feeders.  

I hope you get to spend some time this week watching the birds and listening to their beautiful music.  Your stress will melt away :) 

Tomorrow we are back to thinking about the garden and I'll discuss some controversy that has come up with sharing seeds and seed libraries.  I hope to see you then!  

Peace be with you, 

Star Schipp

This post may contain affiliate links which means if you make a purchase using one of those links, I may receive compensation at no extra cost to you.  It is a great way to support your favorite hobby farm blogger.  Thank you!   

Every Monday Matters Week 9: Internet Safety

Treat your password like your toothbrush.  Don't let anybody else use it , and get a new one every six months. ~Clifford Stoll

Welcome to Week 9 of our journey through the book Every Monday Matters by Matthew Emerzian and Kelly Bozza.  I'm so glad you are here!  The topic this week is internet safety.  It seems that there is a news story every single day on another company or website being the target of a hacker attack.  At the very least, I get several emails a day that are SPAM or obviously not sent by the person whose email is attached to account....pretty sure my son has never sent me an email that says "Star, Check this out!"...that is a hack.  

The internet is a wonderful tool.  Research takes less time and writing is so much easier and bill paying is too but it comes with a heavy price.  Identity theft has hit an all time high of 16 million U.S. citizens a year. That is almost 44,000 incidents daily.  The average cost of each incident is over $9,000.  That is staggering, frightening and overwhelming.  

It can happen even when everything about a transaction seems to go normally.  I ordered a pressure canner from Amazon and it arrived promptly and in good condition - no indication whatsoever that anything was wrong.   Two days after it arrived, I received a call from Amazon asking me about the transaction.  Turns out that the transaction was fraudulently charged to someone else and the money I had paid when to a third party.  There was not one single clue when I made the purchase that anything was amiss.  I had never had trouble with Amazon purchases and considered them an extremely safe place to make transactions.  I do still use them but I'm smarter now about how I do it. 

Here are the 5 Actions to Take Today

1. Passwords need to be complicated!  Use different passwords for each site. 
2. Never use the save log-in and password feature. 
3. Always log off the internet or computer when finished. 
4. Keep your anti-virus software and firewall up to date. 
5. Never open emails that are from strangers or if they appear to be from someone you know but look otherwise weird.  

The password issue is the hardest one for me but it is worth the effort to create truly unique passwords.  Passwords need to be at least eight characters long and have upper case, lower case, numbers and symbols.  Honestly, I have a lot of trouble remembering passwords when they have to be like gibberish.  

Create a password that is truly unique and difficult to guess by using the first initials of a favorite quote or favorite song has been something that is working for me so far.  Use of symbols or numbers in place of letters is a good tool too.  For example:

"This is the day the Lord has made, I will rejoice and be glad in it" becomes:  T1tdtLhm!wraBgi1  

"Mary had a little lamb whose fleece was white as snow" becomes:  Mh@l1wfwWas

I hope you make this Monday Matter by protecting yourself when using the internet.  It is well worth the effort. If you can't remember the last time you changed your passwords, please do it today. 

Tomorrow I'll be writing about one of my favorite hobbies which is feeding the birds.  I'll post an easy recipe for suet for both the bird feeder and your chickens too.  I hope to see you then. 

Peace be with you,

Star Schipp 

This post may contain affiliate links which means if you make a purchase using one of those links, I may receive compensation at no extra cost to you.  It is a great way to support your favorite hobby farm blogger.  Thank you! 

Sunday Cooking: Caramel Apple BakeOver

Good apple pies are a considerable part of domestic happiness. ~Jane Austen

Today's Sunday Cooking was inspired by a statement from my dear husband who said "If apples in an apple pie were cooked as much as the carrots you make, I might like it more." Hmmm...I didn't know he didn't like apple pie.  I knew he preferred cherry or pumpkin but in the twenty years I have known him, this nugget of knowledge eluded me.  Guess there remains some things to learn about him ;)  

The only way to get him to eat carrots is to cook them until they are extremely soft and candy them with butter and brown sugar.  So, this recipe is for him.  It will be warm and ready when he gets home from work tonight and I'll top it with a scoop of cinnamon ice cream - love in a warm and melt-y, sweet sort of way...

It is the way cooking goes in my home.  I cook food the way my family will eat it.  It makes no sense to firmly assert that cooking carrots or apples longer than is recommended is the wrong way to do it. No tender-crisp green beans either...I want them to eat what I cook so that is not the battle I will pick.  I don't feed food critics in this house - I feed those whom I love and they love me right back.  

Here are my favorite BakeOver dessert recipes.  I hope you enjoy them.  

Caramel Apple BakeOver

Ingredients: 

4 cups peeled and sliced apples

1/4 cup water

1/2 cup sugar

3 Tablespoons butter

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

dash salt

1 sheet puff pastry 

Instructions: 

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. 
• In a BakeOver pan or a deep non-stick skillet that can go in the oven, place apples, water, sugar, butter, cinnamon and salt.  Cover and cook over medium heat until apples are soft and sauce has thickened. 
• Cover the fruit with the sheet of puff pastry, folding corners toward the inside of the pan. 
• Bake for 20 minutes.  Remove from oven, place plate over pan and invert onto the plate.  I like to serve this with a scoop of cinnamon ice cream. 

Blueberry Vanilla BakeOver

Ingredients:

4 cups blueberries

2 Tablespoons water

1/2 cup sugar

3 Tablespoons butter

2 Tablespoons flour

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

dash salt

1 sheet puff pastry

Instructions: 

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. 
• In a BakeOver pan or a deep non-stick skillet that can go in the oven, place blueberries and sprinkle flour evenly over them.  Add water, sugar, butter, vanilla and salt.  Cover and cook over medium heat until blueberries are soft and sauce has thickened. 
• Cover the fruit with the sheet of puff pastry, folding corners towards the middle 
• Bake for 20 minutes.  Remove from oven, place plate over pan and invert onto the plate.  I like to serve this with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. 

My kitchen smells lovely of cinnamon and apples right now and that brings me domestic happiness.  Time to settle down with a bowl of potato soup and enjoy the football game.  Half-time will be dessert time!  I'm so glad you came by to visit :) 

Tomorrow we Make Every Monday Matter.  I hope to see you then!  

Peace be with you, 

Star Schipp

This post may contain affiliate links which means if you make a purchase using one of those links, I may receive compensation at no extra cost to you.  It is a great way to support your favorite hobby farm blogger.  Thank you!   

 

Want to know the secret to having fresh, homemade bread everyday? Check out this Saturday Skills post....

How can a nation be great if their bread tastes like kleenex? ~Julia Childs

Today's Saturday Skill is how to have fresh baked bread whenever you like - even every day if you want and it does not require hours a day in the kitchen.  In fact, it can take about five minutes of active work and the results are wonderful.  There is nothing more comforting than freshly baked bread - the aroma, the crust, the taste and the beautiful way a pat of butter melts just so into lovely little golden rivers filling up the tiny holes in the slice.   It is a memory like no other - and one you will not get from store-bought slices in a plastic bag.  

Over the past couple of Saturdays, we have talked about baking bread with baking powder, yeast and sourdough and I hope you have tried your hand at a loaf of two.  This week, I'm outlining how I always have bread dough in the refrigerator ready to bake.  I use the method described in the book The New Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day  by Jeff Hertzberg and Zoe Francois. The book has many recipes but the peasant and the pizza dough are the ones I use most often. 

So how can you have fresh bread everyday?  You mix up the dough and you can store it for up to 2 weeks in your refrigerator.  When you are ready to bake, slice of a portion of the dough, shape it, let it rise and bake.  Ta-da!  Fresh bread and you didn't even get flour on your apron...well, except for that day when you mixed up the dough.  

If you get in the habit of making a batch or two of the dough on the weekends, you can have fresh bread with every weekday dinner if you like.  Even if dinner is a rotisserie chicken from the take-out stand, a loaf of warm bread makes it seem like dinner is the gift that it is - to share a meal with those you love in a nurturing, life-giving way.   

Rather than posting the recipes here, I am posting some links on making bread the 5-minute-a-day-way because I want you to get out there a discover how great this method is. 

5 Minute Artisan Bread 

Olive Oil Pizza Dough

Grab your apron, gather together your yeast, salt, sugar, water and flour and mix up a batch of dough to make a loaf of bread today AND next week!  

I hope you have enjoyed the Saturday Skills series on bread baking and I'm so happy you joined today.  Tomorrow is Sunday Cooking and I'll post some dessert BakeOver recipes.  I hope to see you then :) 

Peace be with you, 

Star Schipp

This post may contain affiliate links which means if you make a purchase using one of those links, I may receive compensation at no extra cost to you.  It is a great way to support your favorite hobby farm blogger.  Thank you!   

5 Reasons to Use Milk Paint

A fresh outlook is like a fresh coat of paint.  It doesn't cost much, but sometimes it makes a huge difference.  ~ Susan Gale 

I'm remodeling a little house on our property to be a farm school where I can offer classes on all these things I have been blogging about - and I am absolutely thrilled about it.  Right now, of course, it is in the planning stages...what to do with the items that are stored there now, will the furnace work, will the plumbing still work...lots to figure out.  But, I'm gathering photos and dreaming.  

One decision to make is going to be what kind of materials to use in the remodeling process.  I'm going to use as many low VOC, green, sustainable products as I can.  One of those products is going to be Milk Paint.  

Milk paint is one of the oldest forms of paint there is.  According to RealMilkPaint.com, artwork on cave walls from thousands of years ago were made with paint made with milk.  It is a testimony to the durability of milk paint that those cave wall paintings are still around for us to see. 

Milk paint is made with skim milk, hydrated lime and pigments.  Hydrated lime is made from limestone.  It is a bonding agent and what will make the paint work as paint.  You can make this paint yourself with milk(there is a recipe in Milk Cow Kitchen by MaryJane Butters) or buy it in powder form from www.RealMilkPaint.com and mix it with water.  The colors are stunning! 

So, that is where you can buy it or where you can find instructions to make it.  But, why would you use Milk Paint instead of regular paint?  

Here are the 5 Reasons I Choose Milk Paint

• The protein in milk (casein) dries to a durable finish
• Milk paint does not have fumes like regular paint does 
• Milk paint can be discarded into your compost pile!  You cannot do that with regular paint.
• The colors are beautiful. See some here  
• I love the idea of making it myself 

Have you ever used milk paint?  I would love to hear your experiences.  Now just to decide which colors I want for our farm school.....

I appreciate your visit today and look forward to our Saturday Skills post on bread baking when I'll share how I keep fresh dough in my refrigerator all the time so I can bake more bread easily.  I hope to see you then.  

Peace by with you, 

Star Schipp 

This post may contain affiliate links which means if you make a purchase using one of those links, I may receive compensation at no extra cost to you.  It is a great way to support your favorite hobby farm blogger.  Thank you!