MAKE PICKLED GINGER IN JUST A FEW MINUTES

My husband did a fast julienne cut - worked just as well as super thin-sliced.

Do you like pickled ginger - that sweet and sour garnish served alongside sushi at Japanese restaurants? Most of it is made with mature ginger covered by tan, dry skin. The skin is cut off and “pickle cooked”.

Pickled ginger is called gari in Japanese. This kind of garnish punches up many foods and warms our bodies. You can find prepared pickled ginger in pink or white at most Asian markets. It costs more than two dollars for just an ounce or two. I think that's too much and prefer to make my own.

My husband loves ginger and eats as much of it as he can.  He likes it in many forms – as tea, glazed sugar candy, and in all sorts of sweets. But most of all, he likes it pickled it, Japanese style, as sushi ginger. He swears that his good health is a direct result of eating a lot of ginger - along with green tea and garlic.

Did you know that an all-natural version of gari is easy to make  at home?

Since today we're having at-home sushi Sunday, I’m making some right now. My husband is the official veggie cutter  - for ginger and for the sushi veggies. So, I think it’s a good time to share my gari  recipe.  When you see how quick and easy it is to make and how fresh and clean it tastes, you may never go back to the store-bought stuff.

Instructions

Preparation Time: 10 to 15 minutes. Wait another couple of hours before eating.

- 1/3 pound fresh ginger root, peeled and sliced very thin against the fiber (The best pickles are made from the firmest ginger.)
- 1 teaspoons kosher or sea salt
- 1/4 to 1/3 cup sugar, depending on how sweet you like it
- 1/4 cup distilled rice vinegar (If you like, you can use cider vinegar or white wine vinegar instead.)

1) Use an inverted spoon or small paring knife to scrape off the brown skin on the ginger. Then take a very sharp knife to cut the ginger across the grain into super thin pieces.

2) Sprinkle the ginger with the salt and toss thoroughly. Let the ginger sit for 15 minutes. This helps the ginger absorb salt flavor and retain its texture.

3) While the ginger's sitting, combine the sugar and vinegar in a sauce pan. Boil it just briefly and stir until sugar is completely dissolved.

4) After 15 minutes, add the vinegar solution to the ginger and stir it well.

5) Put the ginger and vinegar solution in a small glass jar.

6) Let the ginger sit in the jar for an additional two hours before eating. You'll have a zippy and crunchy pickled ginger. Get ready to enjoy it with sushi. (My husband eats it with just about any kind of food.)

Leftovers can keep in the fridge for a couple of weeks. And don’t throw away the pickling brine. It can be eaten as a spicy dressing for rice or veggies.

TIME OF YEAR TO PLANT A SALAD GARDEN

It’s the end of February and for many of us in the Deep South and Southwest, the heart turns to love - lovely visions - of beautiful veggies growing right outside our doors. That’s just where I am right now. My house doesn't have a lot of space around it but that doesn’t keep me from dreaming about a garden and pursuing those dreams – on a small scale, of course. Also, I’ll be taking care of the garden myself. So, I want to plant just a few kinds of veggies and those that are hardy enough to have a high probability of success. That’s why, at this time, I’m contenting myself with a salad garden.

As of today, I’ve chosen six veggie items for my salad and salsa garden along with marigolds to go on the perimeter to chase away unwanted insects. This is going to be a four-foot, square garden design. Come May, it’s going to be packed – Hopeful Hazel that I am - with loads of fresh salad goodies. And, when I think of a delicious fresh salad, there are some vegetables that I definitely want on my summer table. Small as it is, the size of this garden is large enough to provide a good amount of ingredients for many green, summer salads and salsas.

Here’s what I’m planting in my garden.

Seeds now but a promise of salad bounty all summer long.

Jalapeno pepper plants
Tomato plants
Mixed lettuce plants
Red radishes
Green onions
Cilantro
Marigold plants

As you can see in the photo, all the seeds are of USDA organic and I’ve bought a huge bag of organic soil to plant them in. I found it all at a BIG-BOX Hardware Store. Is it all I could want in a salad garden? Well, of course, not. I’d love to also have green peppers, squash, cucumbers and more herbs. But for space and time reasons, I’ll settle on what I believe is enough - for now.

The area for my garden is very limited, just a strip of yard on the side of the house. So, it will be only one bed about four feet square. And that’s small enough that I won’t have to lean or crawl very far to work the garden. I’m also being very selective about the kinds of veggies I’ve chosen. These veggies require little space so when they produce, they’ll fit in a compact area. The garden will be beside a high wooden fence that will help shade the plants for part of the day, a plus for our usual high temperatures beginning in May. There won’t be any need of industrial fertilizers either. I’ve purchased plenty of organic soil and I’ve started my compost pile at the end of the back yard.

Don’t just dream. Plant that garden.
I hope the plans for my new salad garden start you daydreaming about the possibility of planting  your own veggies this spring. You don’t have to have so much space in your yard – a small salad garden like mine is a good way to begin. Even if you are an apartment dweller, you can have pots of veggie plants on your patio or in window boxes that get a lot of afternoon sun. Also, for some, it may be possible to go together with family or neighbors and plant a community garden on a larger plot of land.

The research and money for planting and maintaining a small garden are minimal. A bigger challenge will be the hours needed to take care of it. When you have your own garden, you need to take good care of the plants, watering, weeding, and looking out for pests. But, if you start out small, you shouldn’t have any overwhelming problems. The rewards are many. You’ll save a lot of money on food costs and the veggies you harvest will be healthier for your family than what you buy at the store. You’ll feel even prouder of yourself, when you use organic gardening methods, compost for fertilizer, and flowers in the same beds to repel unwanted insects. And there are important social benefits of gardening, too – you’ll be able to share your bounty.

Update March 1, 2015
Seeds are now planted in pots. The wait begins for the little seedlings to appear. I've planted a lot more than I can use - if all come up. so. I'll probably have little seedlings to share with friends and neighbors.

Related posts http://grandmasusansalmanac.blogspot.com/2012/08/bound-to-get-raves-summer-vegetable.html
http://grandmasusansalmanac.blogspot.com/2011/04/collect-rain-water-for-garden-use-and.html
http://grandmasusansalmanac.blogspot.com/2011/05/pickling-treasured-way-to-process.html

THE SEARCH FOR A BETTER TABLE SPREAD

I'm always looking for ways to prepare and eat REAL FOOD - or, at least, as close to it as we can get these days when so much of the readily available stuff is full of empty calories and toxins. For my own health and that of my family members, I've learned over the years to make most food from scratch. Among other things, it was important to me to have a healthy and tasty spread for my toast and to put on the veggies.

Store-bought margarine was out because it was made from what I consider non-food contents and loaded with chemicals. Of course, I also wanted to keep within a budget - since my household income hasn't increased more than a smidgeon in five years while food costs have doubled - or it seems that way to me. Am I wrong on this?

Obviously, I wanted to use only "natural foods" in my table spread. That pretty well ruled out industrially processed vegetable oils. There are a lot of problems with those oils. One hundred years ago, most people didn't consume any vegetable based oils. Today, US people consume mostly vegetable oils such as canola, corn, cotton seed and soy. The soaring increase in vegetable oils occurred after the 1950s. That's when the government launched a campaign to convince people to eat industrial oils and margarine and thus, avoid butter and other "artery-clogging saturated fats." According to the theory, then promoted, saturated fats were the cause of so many heart attacks and that dietary change was going to change all that. Well, butter and lard in the diet decreased substantially over the years but the use of cheap industrial oils went through the roof - to a current average of 70 pounds per year per person. (For sure, a lot of this has to do with the meteoric rise of the fast food industry where processed foods and cooking grease and oil are the basis of most of what's served.)

Our collective health, as we are well-aware, has not improved over the sixty or more years since that campaign. Instead, as a nation, half or more of us are overweight and have chronic (diet-related) diseases. Part of the reason that we have so much illness comes from the unnatural oils we are consuming. Vegetable oils contain very high levels of polyunsaturated fats, something human bodies can't use well - leaving us fat but not well-fed. Nutritional science knows that saturated- and monounsaturated fats, in modest quantities - is what we need. Another problem is that polyunsaturated fats are unstable and oxidize easily - during processing, by light exposure while sitting on shelves or, later on, in our very own bodies. Oxidized fats cause cell mutation. These mutations cause cellular inflammation and clog arteries. Is it any wonder that we have so much cardio-vascular disease and cancer?

Well, my answer to this dilemma is to make my own tubs of buttery spread. When I first started making this spread I just used olive oil and butter. Later, I added coconut oil to the mix. That gives it a bit more consistency and a lighter flavor.  I like the combo of flavors. My husband doesn't - says he doesn't need butter at all. So, I continue to use my combo for cooking and he uses only olive oil on bread and baked potatoes. Someday I'd like to follow his guidance - less use of dairy products - but haven't done so yet.

In the meantime, I have my own table spread - one that doesn't have a list of ingredients a mile long and is free of potentially toxic additives. It's super easy to make.


A healthy table spread that's easy to make.

Grandma's Own Not-Margarine Spread  (makes about a pound)


Ingredients (organic and extra virgin varieties are recommended)

1/2 pound butter (two sticks)
1 cup olive oil
1/4 cup coconut oil
dash sea salt (or more if you like it salty)

Directions
Put out all ingredients close to the stove to get warm. When all are soft, take a small spatula and whip them together. You could use a blender or food processor to do this but I find it unnecessary. When there are no more important lumps, you've got your spread.

Press your spread into a clean glass jar. Store it in the fridge. The color of course, will tend to be a bit greenish rather than bright yellow. Once, I put some turmeric in the spread thinking that it would look more yellow but that didn't turn out so good. It looked an even brighter green! Also worth noting - not all olive oils are light tasting so plan to try out a couple of different brands until you find what's best. Beyond that, this otherwise good table spread but may not be the best substitute in baking. You'll probably have to experiment with that to find the fats that work for you.

Closing thoughts
With this recipe you can get along without the use of vegetable oils for your table spread. It is also advisable to stop using them for cooking and baking. I use butter, olive and coconut oil for all kitchen uses. On the other hand, a huge challenge still comes from processed foods. If you look on the label of most processed foods, you'll see "partially hydrogenated corn/soybean/etc. oil" or "may contain soybean, canola, or other vegetable oil". These products are not good for you. Stop buying them.  If you're pressed for time during the week, cook up several healthy meals on the weekend and freeze the portions that your family needs. That way you won't be so inclined to buy quick-cook dinners or stop by fast food places.

COOKING OIL SPRAYS: ANOTHER THING TO THROW AWAY - FOR GOOD.

A lot of foodie-consumer-products are touted to be natural-like and more convenient for you. And some of them are supposed to help you cut calories. The reality is that most of that is just BIG-FOOD manufacturers' hype. Less costly natural ingredients are almost always more healthy and don't have to seriously add to food preparation time. The case in point, here, concerns commercial cooking sprays in aerosol cans. They contain oils, an emulsifier and a propellant to create a fine mist of oil onto a surface making it nonstick for cooking. The sprays are expensive relative to regular cooking oils. They also use many more natural resources - particularly, the aluminum cans.

This post urges you to toss out the oil spray can and get cooking in a healthier way. And, if you still need convincing, here is some more bad news about aerosol cooking sprays.

Unhealthy additives.
The aerosols in use in these sprays tend to be toxic chemicals and, even in tiny amounts, can't be good for your health. Just one glance at the ingredients and you'll know that it isn't pure or natural. Yeah. Ugly things like soy lecithin, mono and diglycerides, dimethylpolysiloxane, dimethyl silicone, and artificial flavors. The long-term effects of eating these chemicals on a regular basis are not well known but can't be good. As to lawful half-truths in advertising, some have simply listed a "propellant" as ingredient. Needless to say, they don't want to have to spell out what substances are in there. But word has it that the usual propellants are petroleum gas, propane, and butane. (Anyone in their right mind would want to avoid propellants.)

Genetically modified foods (GMO’s)
Most of the soy, corn, or rapeseed/canola commercialized in the US is GMO. (And that's as much as 90 percent according to some sources.) For years, scientific studies have shown that GMOs create health risks such as infertility, auto-immune disorders, diabetes, and changes in the gastrointestinal system. GMO foods also contain higher levels of pesticides than conventional crops.

Damage to the lungs
Because the aerosol particles are so tiny, you just can't stand back far enough to get away from them when you spray. So the cook - and any one else nearby in the kitchen - is always breathing in some part of the spray when they are in use. Over time, that kind of chemical exposure is a serious risk for respiratory disease.

Bad for the environment
Most cooking sprays contain propellants, all of which are greenhouse gases. That can't be good for the earth.  And the nitrous oxide, used in some, is particularly bad in that it doesn’t break down easily. That means they create environmental damage for many decades.

Unnecessary packaging
The manufacture of aluminum cans represents huge amounts of resources. Then, after use, most of the spray cans end up in landfills. Only a small fraction get recycled. But those also require a recycling, a process that involves a great deal of heat and electricity.

Help solve the oil spray can problem by not participating in it.
Don’t look to BIG-FOOD manufacturers to do you favors. Now that you know more about them, do you actually want to use cooking sprays? And the same can be said for many other foodie-consumer-products. Real food, in the form of fruits and veggies, lean proteins, whole grains, and good grade oils, bought as fresh as possible and prepared in the kitchen is what's best for you.

You can always do just what has been done for centuries by carefully using the right amount of oil for each type of food preparation. I remember that as a young girl, we used measuring spoons to add the oil. We also spread out the oil with our fingers onto the baking sheets. But, now-a-days, we tend to do our best to avoid such direct contact with the gooey oils. Fortunately, there are at least a couple of good ways to do spread out the oil without skin contact.

Solutions to the cooking spray can dilemma.
If you think you can't live without cooking sprays, there are some really good options to the commercial ones. And these alternative are less costly in the long run, more earth-friendly, and healthier.

First, you can always buy a hand-pump mister bottle at a big box store and fill it with your favorite cooking oil. But these misters tend to clog up and need a lot of unstopping. (I tried them a while back and decided it just wasn't worth all the fuss.) 

 

Second, you can do what I do now to avoid the use of commercial sprays. I dispense my regular cooking oils - sunflower, coconut and olive oil - with a drip pour spout. I drizzle a few drops of oil into the pan or skillet. If I need a more uniform way of spreading it out - like for baking tins - I use a small silicon spatula to baste the oil onto the cooking surface. I use two bottles - one for regular cooking oil and another for olive oil. The color-coded caps keep me from grabbing the wrong one in a rush.

The little bottles with drip spouts are recycled soy sauce containers. I bought the spatula at a big box store. They work well and clean up perfectly with warm water and regular dish washing suds.
 

EVERYDAY COTTON PLACEMATS DRESS UP WITH A CROCHET EDGE.

Inexpensive cotton ribbed place mats can look a lot better with a bright colored crochet edge. And that's what I did. I edged two mats with leftover multicolor cotton yarn, each with about 3 hours work.

The black mats were dollar store finds. But, at home after an initial wash , I realized that they were really too narrow to serve for table settings . What's worse, the edges didn't want to stay flat after laundering, and I simply DON'T IRON things like tablecloths, place mats, and napkins. I was disgusted. I definitely didn't like the mats on the table. I simply put them away and, eventually, used one as a decoration on a shelf. It looked OK there.

 

But then I reminded myself that I had bought the two and that they were supposed to be place mats. So, I decided to do some mat-improvement strategy. From there, I looked at place mats in an Internet search and found some pretty ones with crocheted edges.

 I wanted a regular edge, not a lacy one, something that could take a lot of wear and wash nicely. That meant a medium weight cotton yarn would be the best bet. So, for the yarn, I chose a ball of cotton yarn with variegated colors - in beige, rose, and magenta. The yarn was a happy find in my yarn stash bag.  And, to my mind, the mats looked very well dressed up with the crochet rows I added. The cotton yarn I used is sturdy and washable and no doubt will be cherry and bright a long time after the mats become faded and limp.

 

Supposedly, the standard sizing for table mats is: 14 in. x 20 in. The ones I made, with edging and all, still came short of the standard and measured in at 12 in. x 18 in. They were somewhat smallish, but, happily, big enough for the undersized dining table that I have.

 

The total cost was $2  for two mats, plus what was something less than a ball of cotton yarn (less than $3 when purchased new). So, the total project cost of two mats was less than $5. I think that's a good price because the nicer store-bought place mats can cost as much as $5 each.

Set a prettier table with dressed up place mats.

I'm pleased with the results of my efforts and I'll probably make 2 more so I can, occasionally, set a 4-person table. ( Luckily, I was able to find 2 more in a quick run to the dollar store. But, as you probably know already, it's always best to buy ALL the materials for your projects at once. Otherwise. you're asking for trouble when you try to locate more of the same materials in subsequent store searches.)

 

Materials

- Cotton ribbed place mat or any mat that has a wide enough weave to allow for easy crochet hook use.
- Crochet hook with a number of about 1.5 (so that you can easily pierce through fabric)
- Cotton yarn
- Scissors

Crocheted border

Pierce fabric about a quarter inch from the edge and knot.

Then do a single crochet, maintaining the quarter inch base, all the way around the mat. Use three passes in single stitch at the corners. (That's a way of easing in the transition from one side to another.)

With that crocheted base, you can add any border you want. There are many good videos that show how to make different kinds of crocheted edges.

I chose to do a four-link chains between stitches on the second row. It looked pretty good after that  row but I decided to continue on. I liked it even better with a third row of chains that connected in the middle of the second row chains.

 

I also made three passes in single stitch to ease in the corners of the second and third rows.

 

Sometimes, it's better to put only a 3-link chain to compensate for differences in stitch spacing. That occurs, now and again, and is especially likely when nearing the corners.

 

HOMEMADE LAUNDRY DETERGENT IS A NO-BRAINER

Making homemade laundry products seems to be easy enough and a lot of blogs talk about ways to go about it. But, like me, you probably wondered if any of that really works? Will the clothes actually be as clean or cleaner than what we buy in those big, colorful boxes on the laundry product isle? 

I decided to find out.

For a while, I’d been collecting recipes for homemade laundry detergent but kept it on the “back-burner” until now. I liked the idea of knowing – for a fact – that what is in my detergent is 100% non-toxic and biodegradable. I was also impressed by the need to save some money on wash days, whenever possible. So, making my own detergent has been on list of things-to-do for a while. And this week, I put it to the test. And, here I am, reporting back from my experiment. 

With just 3 ingredients, you'll have a great wash day product.

What I made was the simplest recipe for laundry detergent I found. It has only 3 ingredients: Borax, Washing Soda, and Laundry bar soap flakes. This mixture washes well with cold or warm water and doesn't tend to form suds or bubbles. It can be used in any kind of automatic washer.

Here are the ingredients and how they work to create a super effective laundry detergent.

Borax, a natural mineral compound cleans and disinfects by converting some water molecules into hydrogen peroxide.

Washing Soda, a high alkaline powder that acts as a solvent to remove stains without causing loss of color.

Laundry Soap, that's the kind of soap that is used to hand wash clothes. When you grate up this soap, it helps eliminate tough, including oil-based, stains.

With the combination of all three ingredients working together, this detergent has great cleaning power. I've tried it, now, on both colored and white clothes and love the results. Best of all, there are no phosphates in this detergent to go down the drain and poison our water supplies. And you can bet that I’m not going back to commercial products.

Want to make some? Here’s what you need.

Box of Borax

Box of  Super Washing Soda

Big bar of laundry soap, grated or flaked (Can use a cheese grater or, easier yet, look for the flakes version at the store.) 

All of these ingredients were found in the detergent isle of our local Big Box store. And good news, the cost for all three products, together, for about 8 dollars. (I estimate that there is a savings of at least 50% when compared to commercial products.

For the 2 quart plastic bucket that I had on hand, I used 3 cups of borax and soda, each, and 3/4-cup of soap flakes.

Mix the ingredients well and store the detergent in a container with a top.

When using the detergent, start up the washing machine and fill it with a some water. Then, add 1/3 cup of detergent for regular wash. It’s a concentrated product so just a little does a fine job of getting clothes clean.

Really, this homemade product is a no-brainer, and I recommend it wholeheartedly  for all eco-friendly people who also don't mind saving some dollars.

SURVIVAL - AT LEAST TO THE NEXT PAYCHECK - DAIRY-LESS, CREAMED SOUP BASE

Let’s be honest…there are times when, potentially or actually, the cupboard is almost bare. Or, more likely, in my case, there's nothing on the shelves that interests me at the moment or fits in with my need for a super quick lunch. Now, I'm not a person who keeps pre-prepared meals in the freezer. So, anytime, when I'm looking for a quick, light meal, I'll think about soup. And I'm not a fan of those salt-laden, canned or prepackaged varieties of soup. So, I either do a fair amount of work to produce  homemade soups or I learn to make my own shortcuts. I tend to choose the latter option, since fixing healthy meals and making life easier are things that I joyfully follow and highly recommend.

While I just love cooking, and mostly don’t mind making things from scratch, sometimes it just isn't going to happen that way. That's when having stand-in, dried ingredients in a jar makes all the difference. Having this in the cabinet gives me a sense of comfort and abundance. I know I can survive in all kinds of odd circumstances - such as a short food budget,  emergency food shortages, or just plain laziness - and come out smelling like a rose or, at least, like a savory-smelling bowl of my favorite cream of veggie soup.

The recipe that I'm sharing with you uses dried rice flour as a dairy substitute and fine ground polenta as a thickening. While, these products are industrial, at least I choose and highly recommend the organic brands. And by using these products as prime ingredients, I can make my own prepackaged mix and avoid paying bigger bucks for organic, processed soups from the store.

This dried soup mix really is super easy. Put all the dry ingredients in a bowl, whisk together, and store in an airtight container. So, it can be another of your survival staples sitting on the shelf. And it's a only an arm-length's grab from there - to which, of course, you'll need to add the cooked veggies with their broth, a bit of oil, and put these ingredients to a boil. You'll have a delicious, homemade soup in record time. The same can be done for casseroles when combined with less liquid and popped in the oven to bake. This same recipe, when dressed up with a square of bandana material like that shown in the drawing, makes a quick-to-put-together and easy-on-the-wallet gift for others.

Creamed Soup Base Mix
 
2 cups rice flour, organic is better
1 cup polenta, organic is better
1 tablespoon  brown sugar
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast (This is not bread yeast.)
1 tablespoon  sea salt
2 tablespoon dehydrated onion flakes
½ teaspoon powdered garlic (not garlic salt)
½ teaspoon dried basil
½ teaspoon dried parsley
½ teaspoon of chilli powder
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Mix all dry ingredients together with a whisk. Store in an airtight container.

Combine about 3/4 cup of  mix to 4 cups of boiling water, depending on desired soup thickness, in a saucepan. On medium heat, bring to a boil. Cook and stir repeatedly for 10 to 20 minutes depending on the veggie, until thick. Cool.

For Cream of Red Lentil
Use water, 3/4 cup of dried red lentils, and a teaspoon or two of olive oil, and boil for 20 minutes or until tender.

For Cream-of Mushroom Soup
Use water; 1 cup diced mushrooms, and a teaspoon or two of butter to mixture and boil about 15 minutes or until soup thickens.

For Cream-of Celery or Carrot Soup
Use water, 1 cup thin-diced, celery or carrot and a teaspoon of two of olive oil. Boil for 20 minutes or until tender.

Related posts
ROASTED VEGETABLE SOUP IS A MEDLEY OF SUMMER ABUNDANCE
SPROUTS SHOULD BE PART OF YOUR SURVIVAL KITCHEN
REDUCED SODIUM DIET: WORTH TAKING WITH MORE THAN A GRAIN OF SALT. 
TAKE POSITIVE AND PEACEFUL ACTIONS TO CONFRONT FOOD SHORTAGES
COOKING-UP GOOD FOOD FROM DOWN-HOME RECIPES 
 

DIY SHAMPOO & SHOWERING SCRUB - GIVE IT A TRY

Years ago, in Mexico, a couple I knew told me that they had given up using soap and were showering only with water. Not only were they soap-free at that time, during a rather arduous 4-day aikido camp, but had been doing it for almost a year. They said that, for them, washing with soap - hands included - caused the skin to lose its natural resistance to germs – and, what’s more, that body odor resulted from frequent use of soap and water.  My husband (wasn't then, is now) and I laughed at that possibility. But we were forced to admit that this couple didn't stink any more than the rest of us – what was more than a bit, I must say, with all due respect to our training group, after  back-to-back two-hour training sessions. Nevertheless, our immediate thought was that the no-soap thing must be some leftover custom from the 60’s, even though the hippie era was over by at least a generation at that time. On the other hand, I have to admit that ditching the soaping-up routine was intriguing to me.

At the time, my husband and I couldn't imagine taking a no-soap shower - something we thought was highly imaginative and possibly unhygienic. But a number of years have gone by and now,  speaking for myself and not necessarily for my husband,  and I have had to question many things that we used to do in an almost robotic way just because somebody told us we should be doing it. Also, I read that a large number of regular people now live soap-free. Deciding to go without commercial soap for bathing and, possibly, for shampooing has finally ended up on my list of things to try. So far, I'm in my second week of no-soap showering, and it's all good, thus far. No shampoo hair care - without passing through a really itchy scalp phase - may still prove to be tricky. Time will tell.

It seemed to me that the most common reason people were using so much soap was because they'd been told – by constant commercial reminding - that they needed it. And, maybe all those harsh chemicals really messed up our bodies' skin oils balance. That might be the reason for so many skin problems that we are seeing at this time. Could it be that our supposed “need” for antibacterial solutions was somehow related? I wasn’t sure but decided that I would continue to hand wash with soap at most of the recommended – before food prep, after toilet - times of the day. (I never carry or use antibacterial products, except when traveling, when I can’t be sure to have sufficient water for hand washing for hours at a time.)

We’ve been programmed as super-consumers to wash our body every day with soap, wash our hair with shampoo most every day, and buy expensive products for all of this. Maybe it’s our over-use of hygiene products that caused us to smell bad in the first place? We've probably hyper-sensitized ourselves to body odor because of all the perfumed stuff that we’ve been using. When you “overkill” on ridding yourself of smells from natural oil, the body compensates by producing more oil, and you often end up with a bigger problem in the long run. Then, we find ourselves needing more specialized products to correct the problems we, ourselves, produced. All this, and not to say anything about the “need” for dermatologists to “fix” whatever skin problems we haven’t been able to solve.

Trying out the no-soap routine

Anyway, as to my initial self-convincing arguments, I’ve always had the idea that we, as sensible people, wanting to live healthy and sustainably, don't need a bunch of commercially marketed products rubbed on our bodies every day of the week. Anyway, two years ago, I stopped shampooing my hair every other day, something that I did faithfully for decades, in favor of once every 10 to 14 days. It seems that shampoo cleanses your hair but, at the same time, strips out all the natural oils. That causes the scalp to produce more oil to replace the natural oils. You end up washing your hair often because it gets greasy right away.

My results with less frequent shampooing have been acceptable, but I’ve also found out that, to cure occasional scalp itchiness, I need to do 100 brush strokes of my shoulder-length hair several times a week. I never could get the habit of brushing 100 strokes every day, as was recommended in the hygiene books in the middle of the 20th century. Later, that kind of rigorous brushing routine was totally lost - disclaimed - as an unnecessary custom when people started washing hair weekly or more often.

By the way, I haven't done any kind of hair dye for almost a decade. And I have gray hair that I’m proud of. My underarm care - without soap - remains the same. I use nothing at all or a bit of talcum powder when it’s really hot outside or when I’m going to be under some kind of foreseeable physical or emotional stress. From my experience, smelly feet, caused by wearing boots and closed tennis shoes, are best overcome by using clean, dry cotton socks and a bit of talcum powder inside the shoes.

Added to all this, I'll share with you some personal history that provides more arguments in favor of the no-soap experiment.

You may have heard or remember that regular people didn't bathe every day until the middle 1950's. Did they stink? Well, some did but not as many as might suppose. In our family, back then, young girls were taught to bathe – no showers at the time – 2 or 3 times a week, when possible, and to wash the hair once every 2 weeks. Liquid castille soap was a usual shampooing item. Women and girls used a rinse of eight-to-one, water to vinegar, solution after washing.  This kept the hair healthy and relatively oil free. Vinegar contains acids and enzymes that kill the bacteria that lead to dry crust conditions causing dandruff and other scalp conditions. The DIY vinegar hair rinse, used at that time, seemed to be an adequate treatment for the usual 2 weeks between shampoos. At least, no one I knew had any major scalp issues.

Anyway, since the first days of this month of October, I’ve not used any soap while showering. Do I stink? No, I definitely don’t. I still shower daily for about 5 minutes, the same time I did when I used soap. Amazingly enough there was no adjustment time. From the first day, I felt squeaky clean. My dry skin is gone, and the hard to exfoliate rough skin on my legs is disappearing. As to the no-shampoo experiment, it’s only now time to wash my hair, and I’ll let you know later about this, later.  

Now, before you think that you can just enter the shower, rinse off and jump out clean, think again! You can’t be lazy and just stand there under the shower. I believe that it's important to rub a soft washcloth with  some kind of DIY non-soap scrub, all over your body, the same as if you were using soap.

Make your own DIY showering scrub

You'll need –

Sea salt

Apple cider vinegar (ACV is best but you can use the vinegar that you have on hand to get started)

Olive oil

Instructions (You can vary the proportions of  the 3 ingredients however you like.))

-          Take a large mixing bowl and pour in 3 tablespoons of 100% sea salt.

-          Mix in 4 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar.

-          Stir the paste together until the salt is blended in a consistent texture.

 -          Pour in 2 tablespoons of olive oil.  

-          Stir the mixture until uniform. 

-          Pour the scrub mixture into a bottle – plastic is always safer to use in the tub. Fasten the lid tightly. 

-          To use the scrub, stand in the shower stall and shake up the mixture. 

-          Turn on the shower and put a dab of the scrub solution on your washrag. 

-          Use just as you would soap. (I usually end up diluting this mixture, somewhat, with a combination of shower and washrag water.)

-          Rinse yourself thoroughly afterwards to remove any leftover salt and oil.

It’s possible that the same scrub mixture will work OK for hair washing, too. Try it and see how it works for you. That's what I plan to do. Just like shampoo, it’s important to shut or just barely open your eyes to avoid eye irritation. No bubbles are produced but scalp cleansing occurs, nonetheless, according to reports. See notes below.

If you tend to have oily hair, you can prepare a baking soda paste for the scalp instead of using your DIY scrub. (I’ve read this, but not had to resort to it - yet. It certainly seems worth trying.) The somewhat thick scalp-scrub paste is made with baking soda and water, along with a couple of drops of olive oil mixed up in a small bowl just before hari washing. You use this paste just like shampoo.   Rinse hair and scalp twice - once with the vinegar solution, mentioned above, and again, with just water.

Note (added later the same day)
After shampooing with the DIY scrub, my scalp seems to be good and clean. Hair smells good and is soft with the oil acting as a conditioner. I did have to add water to the mix in order to get the "shampoo" feel as I massaged the mixture on my scalp. I rinsed my hair thoroughly under the shower and didn't use a vinegar rinse.

2nd note (added three days after the DIY scrub head wash)
Sadly, it turns out that the DIY scrub, while doing fine as a body wash, hasn't been as successful as a shampooing method. My hair is greasy - back to the drawing board on that question. I think it would be better to use only a couple of drops of olive oil with those proportions of vinegar and sea salt. I'll be trying that out soon...

3rd note (2 and a half months later). Still showering & shampooing with my concoction. Has varied just a bit. I use less olive oil. All that wasn't necessary for my skin type & definitely oiled up my hair too much.

4th note (2014) Now lathering up hair with a healthy (I hope) regular soap bar - the kind that, according to its label, doesn't have sodium laurel sulfate or parabens in it - and thoroughly rinsing with my DIY without any olive oil.

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SUMMER OK'S A HINT OF CLEAVAGE, BUT NOT A LOT MORE THAN THAT

It’s not even summer yet, but the weather is steaming hot in most of the US. So, fans and air conditioners are humming and bare shoulders and shorts are seen most everywhere. For some women, hot weather also means the lowering of the necklines so that a lot of feminine anatomy is displayed. These women say that cleavage display is fashionable and sexy. But, for others, revealing so much chest borders on indecency. Grandma believes that what she calls “street clothes” should cover the crease between the breasts. On the other hand, the summer clothing to be bought at the stores doesn’t have much fabric at the top. Scarves and camisoles are traditional accessories that solve this problem. Here’s another solution for summer, a clever cleavage hider, that you can knit for yourself.

Before, you read on, I need to mention that Grandma is not some prude, and by no means favors such things as modesty panels or other coercive means of forcing women into restrictive dress codes. But for some of us, enough is enough. And, by that I mean summer heat aside, it’s not a good idea to show off too much of your body. Women say that they want to be accepted as full members of society but dressing as a sexual stereotype isn’t a good way to get respect. A deep cleavage may get you stares and call calls, but it isn't a good way to get people’s respect. Of course, those women who have chosen surgical breast augmentation apparently revel in being sexual stereotypes. Most of them will still want to show off (at least) a part of what money can buy.

Today, Hollywood starlets and actresses for TV glamour ads – cars, liquor, personal electronics, etc. – often do extreme bosom baring, and fashion experts urge women to play the part of “Ms. Cleavage Galore”. They’ve even created a National Cleavage Day. Although this “holiday” was touted as a way to symbolize women’s independence and power, it turns out that the inventors of this event were the makers of Wonderbra and Cosmopolitan . So, likely as not, it was just another commercial trick to applaud consumerism and sell products.

Make your own knitted cleavage hider. 

You can be fashionably dressed without falling into ill-advised clothing choices. A mere hint of cleavage is all we need for summer attire, and even that may not be such a good idea in the office, school or church. For those of you who understand the wisdom of common-sense dressing precautions, there are a few commercial cleavage hiders out there. But there’s a cost involved, and it's wise to make some of the things we want instead of purchasing them - especially, if it can be completed in one afternoon with a single ball of yarn. (And, many of us who have boxes of leftover yarn in the closet, anyway.)

So, here it is - Grandma’s cleavage hider. It’s made like a light-weight kerchief and could even be used as such. It takes only a few hours to complete, and you may want more than one in different colors. And keep this pattern in mind as a quick gift for a friend.

A pattern for a knitted cleavage hider

Materials

- 1 ball of a soft, sport-weight yarn - microfiber or cotton yarn

- Size 6 knitting needles

- Size 5 double pointed knitting needles for i-cord

- Yarn needle to weave in the ends

Abbreviations

Knit (K), YO (increase by yarn over), Kfb, (increase by knitting in the front and back of stitch), Kbf (increase by knitting in back and front of stitch). You can find good instructions for i-cord knitting on the Internet.

Instructions

One size fits all. Gauge is not so important.

Cast on 3 stitches.

Row 1: K all (wrong side)

Row 2: K1, YO, k1 YO, K1.

Row 3: K.

Row 4: K1, Kfb, knit to the last stitch, Kbf, K1.

Repeat rows 3 and 4 until piece measures about 8" deep and 12” long, measuring from point to upper edge. You can stop before or continue with the same pattern if you want it shorter or longer, depending on your chest size.

The final rows can be just the same or a decorative variation. I did a row of purl, 2 rows of rib, and then, another row of purl before binding off.

I-cord straps
With the double pointed needles, pick up the final stitches from each of the 4 top rows. Then, in the first round, decrease one of the middle stitches to knit a 3-stitch i-cord. Pick up 4 stitches on the other extreme and knit this i-cord in the same way. Each cord should be at least 10” long.

To create a flatter, woven look, you can increase and decrease on each subsequent i-cord round (3/2/3/2, etc.)

Wear the cleavage hider under your shirt or dress with i-cords tied around the bra straps.

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LEARN TO MAKE SMART, THRIFTY AND EVER SO USEFUL TIE QUILTS

In my last post, I wrote about bucket lists – a way to go about reaching some of those very personal, lifetime goals that all of us have. Now, usually, I don’t share my own most intimate goals in this blog. But, now and again, I do. And, even if I don’t mention them, my readers probably can guess what some of them are. Anyway, here goes a bit of personal stuff. One of my life-long desires has been to be a skilled needle worker. As you can see from my posts, lately, I’ve been working on knitting – and, pleased to add, doing this a little better. Another of my secret goals is to be a quilter. But, I spend a lot of time knitting and really haven’t a lot of patience – or good eyesight - for long hours of detailed quilt work. So, this post is about a technique called tie quilting that doesn’t require so many elements and works up fast. A tie quilted cover can be done in just a day or two.

Maybe you've heard about tie quilting. At least, those of you who are past fifty or have some rural background, somewhere, probably slept under one – whether you remember it or not. It’s the kind of quilt my grandmother made. We called her Maw Maw T. Raised in the Appalachian countryside, Maw Maw T. was a busy woman who lived in the city most of her married life, and as such, didn’t have a lot of time to do detailed needlework. So, when she needed an extra cover she made quilts held together with ties instead of endless stitches.

Now, Maw Maw and (Gran) Daddy T. raised a family of 4 children, plus more than a few nieces, nephews and others who lived for short periods with them, during the Great Depression. Back then, the last thing that any reasonable person wanted to do was throw out used things that had the possibility of being repurposed into something else that was serviceable. Among Maw Maw’s many "make-do" talents was transforming old sheets and blankets into curtains and drapes - window draft stoppers - and cozy tie quilts. Those tie-quilts held up very well – even better than most hand-stitched quilts do, at least better than the modern versions, I’ve seen. A couple of her tie quilts may still be around today but I don’t have one, anymore. Sadly, the only one I had – a small floor quilt/mat made for a baby, I believe - was stolen along with a box of linens and covers many years ago when I traveled by train through Mexico. Maybe my sister or a cousin still has one. (I’d like to know about that. Comments on this, anyone?)

But back to reminiscing, Maw Maw T. used to fill these tie quilts with improvised batting that included such things as torn and raveled blankets and quilts, worn-out clothing, and even flour sacks. Depending on the kind of the batting, some of these quilts were summer-weight and others were quite heavy. I used the small one that I lost years ago as my yoga mat. (Having used a collection of blankets and commercial yoga mats after that, I never again had a mat that I cherished as much as Maw Maw’s tie-quilt.)

Now, Maw Maw T. not only used blankets for the batting, but also sometimes as quilt backing. She'd tie the top material to a blanket and then attach the whole thing to another blanket. That created a double-thickness cover that really kept you warm. Back then, the bedrooms were unheated, but we slept warm under a bunch of cozy quilts, topped off with a duck or chicken feather comforter. The warmest quilts had a batting of old army blankets. The material on the top and bottom was soft and the harsh-textured army blanket was enclosed – so much nicer for the sensitive skin of little folk.

And, so to get back to my topic, if you have a few old blankets – something like those ugly, felted from use wool blankets or some pilled, polyester blankets with the satin bindings, get them out. You’ll find them to be great repurposing items and a lot cheaper than a roll of batting.  Not-so-attractive blankets are also an easy “find” in yard sales and thrift stores. And best of all, this project is great way to show off a few charming vintage sheets. You’ll be surprised at the speed and ease that covers and sheets that have been gathering closet dust can be made into lovely tie-quilts.

What you'll need for your tie-quilt
•Dense weight –about 300-count - cotton sheets. You'll need one or two of them, depending on how you’re putting your quilt together (2 sheets and a cover or 2 covers and a sheet).
•One or two blankets. The hidden, middle layer cover can be stained or a bit holey or even an old worn-out quilt. The front and back layers should be in good condition. All layers should be about the same size and everything pre-washed in warm water.  The backing cover needs to be several inches wider and longer than the top two, so that part of its outer edge can be folded over the front.
•Good sewing scissors
•50 or more large safety pins
•Heavy crochet thread
• Large embroidery needle
•Tapestry needle
•Thimble
•Strong, sport-weight wool or acrylic yarn, either a coordinate or contrast color

Instructions
Cutting and pinning
Cut front and batting (center) piece to the same size. Use a clean floor space and lay the bottom cover or sheet out flat, right side down. Tape the corners to the floor. Lay the blanket or old quilt on top of the bottom cover, right side up. Line up the edges so that the top layers are least 2 inches from those on the bottom. Trim 3 sides of the bottom layer to extend 2 inches beyond the top parts. The fourth side will be the longer, head-of-the-bed part of the quilt, and it should be trimmed to about five inches. If your quilt is supposed to be a floor mat or some decorative piece other than a bed cover, then all four sides should be trimmed to 2 inches.

Place safety pins all over the blanket, pinning all three layers together at roughly 4-inch intervals. Begin at the center and work out so that any the work will be even without the need of tiresome basting. Make sure that the blanket lies flat as you pin. Then pin along all four edges.

Tie-quilting
Thread the yarn on the tapestry needle. Use the thimble and make sure the needle passes all the way through to the bottom. Start in the center of the quilt and make a 1/3-inch-long stitch through all 3 layers. Leave about 2 inches of yarn sticking up for the tie. Knot the threads. Just take hold of the 2 threads and pass the right over left, tug lightly, then right over left, tug lightly, and then left over right, pull tight. Trim the threads to 1/2 inch after knotting. Go out from the center, stitching and knotting with about 4-inch intervals between ties. Just be sure the ties line up visually. You don’t have to be too precise in this process. Don’t do any knots where the binding will be sewn on.

Once your quilt is completely tied, trim the backing (three sides) to 1.5 inches beyond the edge of the top pieces. The top part should be trimmed to 4 inches. (If you’re making a floor mat, make all 4 edges the same width.) Fold all edges in half and turn them over the top and pin them in place. Square off the corners. Hand sew with crochet thread or machine stitch the binding in place. You’ll be through faster than you can imagine!

Whether your new tie quilt is a thin, summer weight throw or a heavy, keep-a-body-warm cover, you’ll be pleased with the results. And there’s no need for all your quilts to be designer beauties. It’s just fine for them to be well-put-together, utilitarian items. That's what traditional quilting was about - worn materials set to good use instead of being thrown out. And your tie quilt will surely be smart, thrifty, and just right for some bed or other place in your home.

There’s a lot of beauty in quilting, and this tie quilt project is something that even a total beginner can do. So, if you’re hesitant about beginning to quilt, try making a smaller version - a cuddly tie quilt for a baby. That will give you the practice and confidence you need to do bigger projects.

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JUST IN TIME - A CHRISTMAS GIFT OF HOMEMADE CRANBERRY RELISH.

Can you believe that Christmas Day is almost here? Well, ready or not, it's nearly upon us. And, as you know, GrandmaS is always looking to share helpful tips and to encourage her readers to simplify most everything. Not surprisingly, then, that quest for simplicity includes what we do in the holiday season.

Hopefully, by now, you’ve finished your major holiday purchases. But there may still be those people in your life that need a gift from you, and you’re short on ideas and on cash. Good news! There is still time to get into the kitchen and whip up something delicious that would be  a well received gift by most anyone on your list – male or female, young or old. And. who wouldn’t love to receive a homemade treat? So, this holiday, add a last-minute personal touch to gift-giving by making festive foods to share right out of your own kitchen.

The taste of something homemade will be more appreciated than anything bought in a store. Remember, as GrandmaS always says: It’s the thought (and time and effort) that counts, and Christmas is a religious holiday that shouldn’t be confused with a consumerist extravaganza. Most important, food gifts are great because they please almost everybody and can be made with just a few dollars. And it’s fun to pack cookies, quick breads, fruitcake, and other treats in jars or metal tins, and decorated them with brightly colored cellophane and ribbons. Don't care for sweets? Soup mix in a jar, flavored vinegars, seasoned mustard, and all kinds of spices are also thoughtful gifts for cold winter nights.

Even a simple recipe - layering the ingredients, attaching a gift card, and decking it out with ribbons or yarn - will be a most attractive gift package. It’s also nice if you a attach a recipe to your gift along with instructions for its storage life and a list of the ingredients to alert anyone who may have a food allergy . Also, it’s essential to have it packaged in some way that allows for its easy transport to someone’s home. 


My husband and I have been invited to eat Christmas Eve dinner with friends at their house, and I’m going to arrive with a dish of Christmas red and green cranberry relish. I'll place the relish in a  white serving bowl and set it on top of some fresh green lettuce. That will make it look even more festive. And I’m also preparing a pretty jar of the same relish to share with my hosts as an impromptu gift.

Recipe for Christmas Red and Green Cranberry Relish

Ingredients (enough for 3-½ pint jars)
 cups of fresh cranberries
1 cup of orange juice
1-cup of sugar
Dash of salt
1 cinnamon stick
1 tablespoon of shredded lemon peel or 2 tablespoons of brandy.
1/3 cup of green candied cherries (If you want an spicier mix of flavors, try substituting dill pickle relish for the candied cherries.)

Directions
Wash and drain the cranberries.

In a stainless steel pot, combine juice, sugar, salt, and cinnamon. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Cook for 1 minute. Add the cranberries and bring to boiling; reduce heat. Boil gently over medium-high heat for 5 or more minutes or until the skins pop and the contents begin to thicken a bit.

Remove cinnamon stick and stir in the lemon peel. Cool completely.  Place the green candied cherries or dill pickle relish on top. Spoon the cranberry relish into jars. Refrigerate. Make it the day before you plan to give it to whoever it’s destined for. Be sure to tell them to keep it covered and stored in the refrigerator for no more than a week. As an option they can freeze it, jar and all, and thaw it out – to be used right away, any time in the next 6 months.

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HERE’S TO YOUR GOOD HEALTH IN 2012 & BEYOND!

Well, as we all know, 2012 is just around the corner. So, whether you’re looking forward to it or have been frightened by vague rumblings about great changes - and maybe disasters, our next year on this planet is going to be 2012. So, whatever it may bring - for better or worse - it’s good to get ready. We can do this best by being healthy and helping others to stay well, too. And that advice is good for any year to come. Here’s my short list of things for you to think about as you prepare to stay well in 2012. All these activities are Earth-friendly and none rely on any sort of consumerism. The goal is for you and yours to be as healthy and useful to others as possible without putting any extra burden on our planet's resources.

Prayers and meditation do a body good
Whether our problems in 2012 are already well known or new to us, we need to be ready to deal with whatever comes. To do that, stress reduction techniques are essential. People who regularly meditate and pray have a brighter outlook and can better face stressful situations. So, plan for meditation and/or prayer to be a part of your daily life. Whether it’s meditation, prayer, reading the Bible, or reading some other inspirational book, just taking a few minutes of your day can clear your mind of a lot of external things. This, in turn, allows us to open our minds and trust in higher powers to bring us peace and guidance. Try to set aside some 15 minutes a day to get quiet, clear your mind of day-to-day worries, and ask for the help that you’re needing to overcome stress and lead a better life. Beyond that, be grateful for all the blessings received. Feel thankful for every single day. This feeling of gratitude benefits our health, increases our sense of connectedness and gives us the psychic energy we need to be friendly and kind to others.

A healthier diet will make a difference
Eating healthy means reducing the proportion of dietary sugar, fats, and meat and eating more fruits and vegetables, topped off with lots of water. You probably already know that eating plenty of produce - especially green vegetables, fruit, nuts, and beans - every day gives the body those necessary anti-oxidants to fight off disease and stop premature aging. Fresh produce also provides the fiber needed to regulate cholesterol and maintain proper bowel function. So, emphasize fruits and vegetables in your meals and snacks, and eat some green leafy vegetables every day.

Water is fundamental to all life, and our bodies are made up of 60% water. People who drink more water during the day report fewer physical complaints and higher energy levels than others who say they drink less water (and usually more coffee and soft drinks). So, aim for drinking at least eight, 8oz. glasses of water a day, and, for health and lower energy use, no plastic bottles, please. Take plenty of filtered water with you in a stainless steel reusable bottle whenever you go out.

Get a move on early and late
A major part of staying healthy comes from daily exercise. Do stretching exercises for at least 20 minutes in the a.m. and take a half hour walk at midday or late afternoon.  Exercising right when you get up is ideal. Set the alarm and get up 30 minutes earlier and start a stretching routine. Stretching helps you maintain strong joints and keep a good posture. Whether it’s yoga, gi gong, or old-fashioned calisthenics, get a move on in the morning and feel better all day.

It's particularly good for you to exercise outdoors. By spending just a fraction of your time outside – walking, jogging, bicycling, etc., especially during the daytime hours, you promote both mental and physical health. So, grab your reusable water bottle and head outside to stay fit among the marvels of nature. Sunlight affects moods positively and stimulates the body produce melatonin, a substance that boost the immune system and helps achieve proper restful sleep.

Make a green-action plan
Take this opportunity to talk to your close family and friends about what you'll be doing next year to reduce your impact/carbon footprint on the Earth. Make a list of things that you could do. Categorize these activities in three columns - Reduce, Reuse and Recycle, and then, try to think of ways to add them to your lifestyle.

Your goal for next year should be to cut back both your overall energy use and your trash production by 50%. There are all kinds of library reading materials and Internet blogs that can show you how to save energy, reduce your trash output, and salt away a little money in the process.

Stay connected with others in important ways
As humans, we form families, raise our children, and identify ourselves as part of circles of friends, neighbors, religions, clubs and other groups. Connecting with other people and forming close bonds of trust nourish both our emotional and physical health. In the past several decades, many people have become increasingly cut off from others, leading them to feel depressed and isolated. While the Internet helps in some ways to connect people, it just isn’t enough. What really matters for mental health are opportunities for positive, day-to-day interactions with all the physical components of voice, touch, and face-to-face communication.

That brings me to a more specific recommendation for 2012. It’s my opinion that you would do well to learn an art or craft that you can perform on behalf of others. I’m talking about a service that you can do to benefit other people without the use of specialized equipment or dependence on outside energy sources. Call them domestic arts or survival skills or whatever, it’s important to know such things. For example: how to do simple carpentry without power tools, cut hair with only scissors and an ol’time straight razor, cook from scratch over a wood fire, cultivate a small garden, make or remake clothes from what’s on hand, etc. And, of course, I don’t mean that you should necessarily learn a whole set of skills; the point is that real connection among people involves constructive help, and helping means a lot more when it’s person-to-person, without the need for modern technological interventions. Now’s a good time to choose a skill that you like, study how to do it better, and put your talent to practice by helping others.

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REDUCED SODIUM DIET: WORTH TAKING WITH MORE THAN A GRAIN OF SALT.

Most people think of healthy diets as those with fewer calories and less saturated fat and sugar. But not so many are aware that they are eating too much salt. On average, an adult in the U.S. now consumes about 3,400 milligrams, about one and a half teaspoons, of sodium each day, while health experts recommend no more than 1,500 milligrams of salt a day, or two-thirds of one teaspoon.

And salt is a cause of many ailments. To name some: heart disease, high blood pressure, and tissue swelling. And there is also evidence relating salt to cancer, diabetes, dementia, kidney disease, and osteoporosis. Sodium also boosts insulin production, leading to weight gain. Approximately 90% of US adults will develop hypertension over their lifetime. In fact, high dietary salt alone kills about 100,000 people each year (Michael Jacobson, executive director of the Washington, D.C.-based Center for Science in the Public Interest).  What’s even more scandalous, 97 percent of children and adolescents are eating too much salt for their body weight, and physicians are now seeing quite a bit hypertension in children and teens.

Where does all that sodium come from?
More than 75 percent of sodium in our diets comes from processed foods, junk snacks, soda pop, and restaurant foods. Even fresh meats, especially pork and poultry, are injected with sodium. The rest is the result of over salting during food preparation or use of the table salt shaker. While sea salt is often recommended because of its mineral content, it has the same amount of sodium as table salt and kosher salt.

What can we do?
- Salt in the diet, in general, is linked to the number of calories consumed, so eating less food is one way to lower sodium intake.

- Eating an abundance of fresh fruits, vegetables, and (unsalted, please) nuts provide potassium and magnesium, minerals that reduce the effects of sodium and lower blood pressure.

- Read food nutrition labels. Watch for foods that, per serving, contain no more than 15% of daily sodium allowance. Try to eat the amount mentioned on the label as one serving. Eating a bigger serving will increase your salt intake. Disodium phosphate, monosodium glutamate (MSG), sodium alginate, sodium nitrate (or nitrite), and sodium benzoate are also salts.

- Eat at home and prepare your meals with as much unprocessed food as possible.  Fast food places and even better restaurants put large amounts of salt in their food. On those occasions when you eat at a restaurant, ask the chef to hold the salt on your entrée and side dishes.

- Kill the craving. Stop eating salty foods for just a little while, and likely as not you’ll find that your cravings start to disappear. Hide the salt shaker in the cabinet – thereby thwarting the temptation to reach for it. Yes, we can train our taste buds. Each taste bud has about 100 receptor cells, and each cell lives about 2 weeks. Then the cell is replaced. When you consistently cut back on sodium for two weeks, your taste buds will adjust to their new reality and be perfectly satisfied with less salty foods.

- Drink at least eight 8-ounce glasses of filtered water a day. Carry your own small thermos of water when you go out. If you must drink bottled water, choose a low sodium one.

- Halve the amount of salt that your recipes suggest, and add salt near the end of the cooking process or just before eating. Seasoning will still be detected but less salt will have penetrated into food. Lemon juice activates the same taste buds as salt. Other non-salty seasonings include: herbs - fresh and dried – especially fresh pressed garlic, red and black pepper, and chili powder. Add hot sauce or salsa at the table - this also heightens taste without so much salt.

- Dilute the sodium in foods. For example, start with the canned soup as a base and then add fresh or frozen vegetables such as potatoes, celery, onions, greens, and carrots. You’ll have more soup and a less sodium per serving. Canned vegetables, beans and pre-made salads are also often salty. They can be drained and rinsed removing a lot of salt. Add about half of the flavoring packets to packaged macaroni and cheese or ramen noodles and mix vegetables with these foods. Wash sodium from the surface of canned olives and pickles.

Recipe for a reduced sodium seasoning
Some commercial reduced salt seasonings are really excellent but they tend to have big price tags. Others are cheaper but contain some chemical ingredients. So, preparing healthy seasonings at home makes sense. Here’s my recipe for basic seasoning made from all natural ingredients - guaranteed to spice up your meals, while cutting your salt use in half. Use it for cooking and keep a shaker of it on hand (but not on the table), when someone needs a bit more seasoning on their food. You can also make up some extra batches and fill pretty glass or ceramic canisters with your seasoned salt to give as gifts. Your friends and family will appreciate it.

Ingredients
1/2 cup ground sea salt
2 Tbsp paprika
1 Tbsp ground black or cayenne pepper
2 Tbsp garlic powder (not garlic salt)
1 Tbsp dried parsley flakes
1 Tbsp ground dried grated lemon peel
1 Tbsp turmeric
Options: Less or more of any of the above, along with the amounts you choose of kelp (for natural iodine), onion salt, dill weed, celery seed, oregano, sage, etc.

Instructions
Mix all ingredients together and store in an airtight glass or ceramic container. Makes 1 cup. Use within six months.

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