For all you wood stove keepers, here is the perfect gift~
Pro-Woods, Wood Stove Bouquet 
also known as fire starter for those of you confused about the bouquet part.
Found in a wood near you, unless you live on the prairie or in the big city.
Had to show you what we do for a travel mug. I posted a new MADE IN USA item on the blog a few blogs back called the Cuppow. BPA free lid for a mason jar.
But, if you already have straws, jars & plastic lids, you can drill a hole in your lid & you are good to go
Lemon Balm is a calming herb. Reduces stress~ It is in the mint family & grows amazingly fast. The aroma is so wonderful which helps with the calming effect.
Make tea using a large handful of leaves, stuff them into a quart jar & pour boiled water over the leaves filling the jar. Leave to steep about 8 minutes. Do not exceed as it tends to turn bitter. Pour into your picture, add sweetener & stir, then fill picture with water to dilute. Chill & serve over ice. Or enjoy it hot.
The picture shows the fresh washed herb in the colander, the spent leaves in the jar & the tea in the pitcher before sweetening & diluting. The bag shows the leaves in an air tight bag ready for the freezer. I had to gather all my Lemon Balm to avoid the possible frost, so I grabbed it all & preserved it!
Ways to use Lemon Balm~ flavor butter, sugar, ice cream, great with fish.
How to preserve: Dried in a dehydrator, or on trays in a hot car out of sunlight (remove before sun goes down), for long term storage over winter. Fresh leaves are the best for tea. Tincture fresh leaves for highest quality tincture. For an easy essential oil, take fresh leaves, place in clear jar with oil of choice (coconut, jojoba, almond), cover fresh leaves with oil. Place lid on jar, tighten and put in a window or outside in the sunshine for 6 weeks, shake daily. Strain and you have essential oil for many uses. Use with salves, lotions, etc.
Avoid lemon balm if you are on thyroid medicine…not sure why but if you are on the medicine I am sure you know why. It says it is an inhibitor of the medicine so you don’t want to do that. It is a very safe herb otherwise.
This still fresh on my mind I must put down in words. It has been a frightful day, one of much prayer & hard thinking. A messy & frustrating day to say the least.
I woke this morning & noted my milk cow attempted to get up off the ground & she could not. I dressed quickly telling the family & off downstairs, grabbing my coat & boots & heading to the barn/stall. She was down. Knowing so little about cows being not yet a year owning a cow had my mind in a whirl. I did know it was not normal. The calf was bawling which was obvious to me he had not eaten & was very hungry.
We tried helping poor Ethel for several hours. We tried our new bucket with nipple to give the calf some nourishment to shut him up if nothing else. He would not take it..we got a little bit down him but it was by force.
I got out all my homeopathics for what I thought was milk fever or being lame. She got lots of herbs~nettle, plantain, echinacea, comfrey, oat straw, alfalfa.
Homeopathics~ phytolaca, arnica, mag phos, ipecac, every fifteen minutes. We managed to help her crawl bit by bit to get out of her stall into the sunshine which we praise God for it being warm & sunny today. Cold & rainy or snowy would not have been a good mix.
I read some more information & gathered some vitamins & minerals, C, Magnesium Oxide, & copper. I added to it diatomaceous earth, azomite, molasses, apple cider vinegar & managed to get her to lick the bowl clean. Now we are in a wait & see mode.
We got from the vet some Calcium gel which she seemed sickened by~she had that look in her eyes as if she would puke, but got it down. Most of it anyway. She went back to her hay & about three hours after her getting up laid down. In my panic, which is normal for a cow to do, but since she had trouble this morning I didn’t want it to be another episode. I sent husband to TS to get the recommended I.V. and Calcium Gluconate and will see how that goes! never having done such this should be interesting!
I write this so we can get a good source of help from other’s who have had to experience such an episode. How to prevent it & what to do in case it happens to someone else.
I sure need support & much of it is too far away to have someone else come help. Money is an issue at present as income is at a halt so this adventure is yet another trial we must go thru & on the other side use for future reference. We have had several of those the last couple years with dogs & chickens. Things we learned!
The I.V. not put in the vein but into the peritoneum (a layer of skin) not on the surface but more deep. The needle is proof it needs to go down into, not like a vein needle that stays more near the surface skin. The following are the instructions we were given by a friend who is a farmer that helped us to accomplish this task. A neighbor who has done intramuscular injection came to help & she is the one who did the needle jab & got it done right the first time. I told her I am so glad she came because I probably would not have done it so well. It helped having the confident person doing it. I know now I can do it if I had to again.
“If you can’t get her to a vet, you will either need to get someone to administer the calcium gluconate for you, or do it yourself. If you are going to do it, go to Tractor Supply and buy 4 bottles of calcium gluconate and an IV set. Lay the cow on her left side. Push the IV needle quickly and forcefully into her right side behind the ribs and a few inches down from the spinal processes. The needle needs to puncture her peritoneum, not just her skin. Open a bottle of calcium and connect the tube to it, then hold the bottle up high so the solution flows into her side. It will take a few minutes, don’t rush it, but you need to make sure it is flowing. Give her a second bottle, then watch her for an hour or so. She should regain her strength in a while. If she isn’t making any progress in 2 hours, I would give at least one more bottle of calcium, maybe two. You can’t overdo the calcium.
We do not know what was wrong with our milk cow, I was told if she had milk fever she could not have gotten up on her own without the I.V. but she did get up after I gave all the above vitamins, minerals & homeopathics. She was standing while we did the I.V. because how do you make a cow get down once she’s up. I did not want her back down in case she couldn’t get back up. I know standing is a good sign. She is still doing great two days later with no signs of having been down for the several hours giving me a new awareness of fear!
This is not the kind of blog I like to write, but information good & bad is how we make our decisions.
what a little research will tell you.
Because of the limited availability of proper stomachs for rennet production, (really? we nearly feed the world & we have no calves available for stomachs..they kill many young ones for the tender meat. what do they do with the stomachs? oh I so don’t want to tell you what I think, its ground up & fed back to the cows in the feed lot? I hope its not so!) cheese makers have looked for other ways to coagulate the milk since at least Roman times. There are many sources of enzymes, ranging from plants, fungi, and microbial sources, that can substitute for animal rennet. Cheeses produced from any of these varieties of rennet are suitable for lacto-vegetarians to consume. GMO-Microbial rennet (see below) is used more often in industrial cheesemaking in North America today because it is less expensive than animal rennet, whereas cheese from Europe is more likely to be made from animal rennet due to tradition.
Aren’t we a sad case of cheap!!!
In 1999, more than half of US hard cheese was made with genetically engineered chymosin and it has most of the global market share for rennet, approximately 80% to 90% of commercially made cheeses in the US and Britain were made using GM-based rennet, the most widely used genetically engineered rennet is produced by the fungus Aspergillus niger. Don’t you feel safe using this stuff! not!
Milk can also be coagulated by adding an acid, such as citric acid
Citric Acid
In this production technique, which is still the major industrial route to citric acid used today, cultures of A. niger are fed on a sucrose or glucose-containing medium to produce citric acid. The source of sugar is corn steep liquor, molasses, hydrolyzed corn starch or other inexpensive sugary solutions. After the mold is filtered out of the resulting solution, citric acid is isolated by precipitating it with lime (calcium hydroxide) to yield calcium citrate salt, from which citric acid is regenerated by treatment with sulfuric acid.
NOTE…the corn steep liquor is likely genetically modified corn.
Prior to the fermentative process, ascorbic acid was isolated from citrus fruits. The juice as treated with lime (CaO) to precipitate calcium citrate, which was isolated and converted back to the acid.
In 2007, world wide annual production stood at approximately 1,600,000 tonnes. More than half of this volume was produced in CHINA. Folks…do we trust China? isn’t it amazing how we come full circle to the influx of damaging products from this place. We have been duped far beyond anything we can imagine.
When rennet is listed on a cheese label, you may not be getting what you thought.
**This item is currently out of stock. We recommend Liquid Vegetable Rennet and Vegetable Rennet Tablets as substitutes.**
2 oz. bottle liquid animal rennet for cheese making.
Ingredients: Veal rennet, sodium chloride brine, acetate, propylene glycol, caramel color, sodium benzoate, potassium sorbate.
It is time we get back to doing it the old fashioned way. For our health’s sake.
Get back to local, knowing where it is coming from & how it is made. I am one farmer, small as I am who is going to do all I can to do it right & safe. Making my own rennet to make my own cheese so it is safe to eat. Hard work never hurt anyone!
I have another wonderful company to add to this MADE IN USA list, WeatherTech is playing their add during the super bowl for 2015 so if you missed it, here it is today, just before the superbowl airs it.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/cars/2014/02/19/weathertech-floor-mats-made-in-the-usa/5293453/
This blog has been updated promoting what a wonderful country we are that still make stuff in our country! If you know of other’s please comment here so those who might want to know of another great business to support can find it too.
Many of the people I know helped to give me this list. I am not that knowledgeable of all the Made in USA places. I did search many of the sites & was sure to link it if I liked what I saw believing other’s would like to know it as well.
I cannot vouch for all the sites. There are so many~ so who would have guessed! We are still geniuses, or creative & know how to market. We can beat this foreign reliance if we want to.
I fear however, that many will see the “cost” of some items & think, heck, I can go to blank Mart & get it cheaper~ but friend, remember, we are trying to stop this trend, or you would not be reading this. Yes, it does cost more if it is made in the USA, because it is the reality of it all. It costs to make stuff. Did you know that much of the items not made in the USA are done with slave labor? That means, the top guys make all the profit! The workers are not treated well & many are forced to do the work for pennies! That is not an understatement. This is why we must get back to buying local~ to keep our own country from going the way of foreign reliance & to keep the slave labor from destroying other countries. If we don’t buy, they don’t need workers~ It’s up to US~
So, here is the “incomplete” detailed list~
I have clicked on all these sites below, or have purchased some of the items from them to have recommended them here, but there will certainly be the one that slips thru that I did not check. Do your homework & enjoy shopping! Keep this for future reference~
Locally we have a business that sells local crafter’s items. Look to your town to find these as well. Or, start your own store…we live in a college town & that helps as they often have crafts to make & sell. But certainly not required. Just let others know so you have a great business. Better yet, comment here & post it for other’s to read all about it~ periodically I will add the new ones you send me to this list. Keep them coming~
http://madeinusaforever.com/davaallnabea.html ~ beeswax furniture polish
FOOD
http://www.sloggers.com/5002-tall-boot-flowers.shtml~ these are beautiful & good price water proof boots! Made in USA
SOCKS
http://www.rocknsocks.com/socks/over-the-knee-socks.html?limit=all
They will make you a pair of socks from your own fiber! COOL *** http://www.zwool.com/fiber-processing/socks/
wool socks http://www.sportsmansguide.com/net/cb/3-prs-guide-gear-16-wool-blend-rubber-boot-socks-olive.aspx?a=552743 ~ the first 7 on this page are made in USA..then more are scattered ~but this page will change as new ones are added. Effective December 2011
http://www.stillmadeinusa.com/toysngames.html#Dolls ~***a note about this company…they do not have just toys…they list garden supplies, lawn care, lawn furniture, grills, home spas, hot tubs..etc..quite extensive. They also tell if items that used to be made in the USA are now made somewhere else..so no guessing on your part~ stuff for your pets! including horse feed.
safe pet food. http://www.canidae.com/index.htm ~I found our local dealer ~search your area for a dealer. oh, btw, its not cheap..but it will be safe. Remember the china scare of the damage done to all our pets kidney’s out there due to the harmful ingredients in the stores bought food. This feed would have prevented such.
http://geniusbabies.ecomm-search.com/search?keywords=Made+in+USA&x=0&y=0
***Brown Craft paper duckbrand.com*** ~I inquired of their Made in USA products, here is their response~Dear Ms. Cahow:Thank you for e-mailing ShurTech Brands. We appreciate your interest in our products.Many, but not all, of our products are made in the USA. We are constantly striving to source as many of our products as possible from the USA and still maintain our low prices. If you have a UPC code from a specific product, we could look it up and see where it is made. If you have any questions, comments or suggestions, please feel free to call us at (800) 321-0253, Monday through Friday, between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time; or visit us on the Web at www.duckbrand.com.
Thank you for your inquiry. I hope you find this information helpful.
Sincerely,Consumer Relations RepresentativeShurTech Brands, LLC
http://www.etsy.com/shop/MaryAnnsWorkshop ~vintage made items & vintage decor, linens, vintage chenille bedspreads, vintage chalk ware, roseville pottery, vintage cookie jars,
Sportsmans Guide sells a slew of Made in USA, from hunting supplies, clothing, shoes, bedding, kitchen ware, down comforters, camp stoves, military canteen’s, knives, ammo, beds, furniture, etc. type in the search bar Made in USA and it will bring up all they offer. http://www.sportsmansguide.com/net/search/eSearch.aspx?SearchTerms=Made%20in%20USA&eMode=
Amla, Emblica officinalis, also known as the Indian Gooseberry
Amla powder is from the dried and ground fruit of the Indian Gooseberry tree, Emblica Officinalis. Amla contains natural tannins, vitamin C, ascorbic acid, and acts as a natural astringent. Amla has been used for tanning and dying hides as well as a cosmetic and folk remedy. Amla grows in central and southern India, Burma, and Ceylon.
I get mine here ~ http://www.bulkherbstore.com/Indian-Gooseberry-Powder
Here is what wikipedia has to say about it ~
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phyllanthus_emblica
Cassia~
I turned gray too early. My younger children were often mistaken for my grandchildren. I had to do something. I did go the gray route, but did not like how it paled me. I looked unhealthy. So I wanted something safe & natural. No skunk stripe. Cassia promised to be the answer. I use it & love the golden color of my hair..it is soft as it also conditions & no more gray. It has taken my hair in the back of my head & brought back the true brown color & the gray is now blonde/golden. All mixing very nicely & not unnatural looking. I will never go back to the gray unless I cannot get hold of the product. Its a safe way to treat & color your hair. I get mine here
I have a new site where I am going to continue getting my cassia. It turned out amazing. see picture below. You have several choices in color. This brand was far superior to all that I have tried so far. The cheapest for the amount. a whole pound for $6.50. I am part of a coop where we get enough orders for free shipping so it may be a little more than this. The color was wonderful comparing to the other brands. More grainy & left residue that keeps falling out, but I will deal with the trade off for a cheaper & better outcome.
http://www.herbco.com/search.aspx?SearchTerm=Henna+Leaf+
at this site they say 100 grams colors/conditions short gray hair. I use the 100 grams in four uses. So I stretched it out & it works to divide it up in smaller amounts.
Ginger Snap Tea – Bulk Herb Store. I make these teas from Bulk Herb Store. No MSG or coloring’s or artificial flavors. Simple & healthy, but so very delicious & amazing. Going to make this one in the morning. It might just become my favorite even better than the Black Spice Chai…mmmmmmm
It has been a while since I have posted and some may wonder where I have been. Life took a different turn but healing has taken place & I can write again.
I wanted to add more on the Ginger Snap tea and what I do with it, as well as the Pumpkin Spice Tea. I have started making a cold version adding the tea mix with peppermint & a small amount of black tea with bergamot flowers. Adding sweetner and chilling is our new drink. It is amazing in its flavor when water is just plain boring. Make some for your health with the treat as a bonus~
as requested by some here is the email I sent which came from another friend~
Christmas 2011 — Birth of a New Tradition
As the holidays approach, the giant Asian factories are kicking into high gear to provide Americans with monstrous piles of cheaply produced goods — me rchandise that has been produced at the expense of American labor. This year will be different. This year Americans will give the gift of genuine concern for other Americans. There is no longer an excuse that, at gift giving time , nothing can be found that is produced by American hands. Yes there is!
It’s ti me to think outside the box, people. Who says a gift needs to fit in a shirt box, wrapped in Chinese produced wrapping paper?
Everyone — yes EVERYONE gets their hair cut. How about gift certificates from your local American hair salon or barber?
Gym membership? It’s appropriate for all ages who are thinking about so me health improvement.
Who wouldn’t appreciate getting their car detailed? Small, American owned detail shops and car washes would love to sell you a gift certificate or a book of gift certificates.
Are you one of those extravagant givers who think nothing of plunking down the Benjamines on a Chinese made flat-screen? Perhaps that grateful gift receiver would like his driveway sealed, or lawn mowed for the summer, or driveway plowed all winter, or games at the local golf course.
There are a bazillion owner-run restaurants — all offering gift certificates. And, if your intended isn’t the fancy eatery sort, what about a half dozen breakfasts at the local breakfast joint. Remember, folks this isn’t about big National chains — this is about supporting your home town Americans with their financial lives on the line to keep their doors open.
How many people couldn’t use an oil change for their car, truck or motorcycle, done at a shop run by the American working guy?
Thinking about a heartfelt gift for mom? Mom would LOVE the services of a local cleaning lady for a day.
My computer could use a tune-up, and I KNOW I can find some young guy who is struggling to get his repair business up and running.
OK, you were looking for something more personal. Local crafts people spin their own wool and knit them into scarves. They make jewelry, and pottery and beautiful wooden boxes.
Plan your holiday outings at local, owner operated restaurants and leave your server a nice tip. And, how about going out to see a play or ballet at your home town theatre.
Musicians need love too, so find a venue showcasing local bands.
Honestly, people, do you REALLY need to buy another ten thousand Chinese lights for the house? When you buy a five dollar string of lights, about fifty cents stays in the community. If you have those kinds of bucks to burn, leave the mailman, trash guy or babysitter a nice BIG tip.
You see, Christmas is no longer about draining American pockets so that China can build another glittering city. Christmas is now about caring about US, encouraging American small businesses to keep plugging away to follow their dreams. And, when we care about other Americans, we care about our communities, and the benefits come back to us in ways we couldn’t imagine. THIS is the new American Christmas tradition.
Fig leaves have medicinal properties. There is a milky juice that comes out of the leaves & stem that can be used externally to heal warts, bites & stings. The milky juice is toxic though so be careful not to ingest it. Don’t lick your fingers etc.
Test on small patch of skin to be sure you do not have an allergic reaction.
fig leaves also have been shown to lower the body’s triglyceride levels. Which help in heart health & obesity.
Read more at livestrong.com
To make fig leaf tea, simply boil fig leaves in water for at least 15 minutes. A home remedy for bronchitis involves boiling water with three fig leaves and piloncillo, an unrefined sugar (known as Mexican sugar). A home remedy for ulcers involves chewing and swallowing two whole fig leaves daily.
NaturalNews.com says the fig leaves are best known for treating diabetes so check it out & decide if its for you.
Berry Brew uses fig leaves dried. For the recipe on how to make the tincture, & order the herbs, go here Bulk Herb Store
juswingit 