Homemade Cleaners and Personal Products Using Essential Oils

(I have recently updated this post to include new info and new recipes.)

            Since we are on the topic of recipes and health, I’m going to share recipes for the homemade cleaners and skin care products that I use.  The first thing that started me on the road to “as all natural as practically possible” was household cleaners.  I didn’t like the chemicals and the strong smells of store-bought cleaners.  And who says that you have to kill all germs with anti-bacterial products in order to have a healthy home?  The way I see it, the only thing we are doing is creating superbugs.  Only the strongest germs survive those harsh cleaners, and there are no other bacteria to keep them in check.  Having the healthiest condition possible is all about a proper balance.  And using natural cleaners tips the balance toward “healthy” while not creating these superbugs.  By making homemade cleaners, I am doing my part in creating a healthier home, healthier bodies, and a healthier environment. 

Raw Peas and Purple Beans

            I love growing peas and beans.  Peas straight from the garden are such a treat.  Every spring, we plant a small patch of them just to eat fresh.  My sons and I will go out and gather a huge pile of them, and then sit on the yard swing and eat peas to our hearts’ content.  In the couple years that I’ve been growing them, they’ve never made it to the cooking pan.  But I don’t mind.  Because watching my children delight in raw peas right out of the garden is one of spring’s true delights.  We look forward to this highlight every year. 

The Greens: Kale and Chard

            This was a pleasant discovery for me – realizing that I love kale and chard.  I never tasted them before I decided to grow them.  But once I did, I realized that I had to have them every year.  A great big bed of them. 

Raising Tomatoes and Peppers

            Here are some practical tips on raising tomatoes and peppers.  As I said, I start them from seed in about mid- to late-March.  I prefer to start them a little on the “too late” side than on the “too early” side because they do not love growing indoors too long.  So if the packet says start 6-8 weeks before last frost, I start them 6 weeks before.  Peppers in mid-March, tomatoes in late March for my zone 5 climate. 

The Herbs in my Garden

            Everyone should plant an herb or two, even if it’s just in a container.  Having fresh herbs is enticing.  It makes you want to cook more because you’ll want to put these plants to good use.  And having herbs makes you feel like a real gardener, like you have a green thumb even if you don’t.  Because most grow very well with only a little care.  And there’s just something about growing a plant that looks and smells good, and that you can cook with, too.  It’s inspiring. 

Roses and Thorns

            Okay, so let’s walk out the back door of the kitchen into the backyard.  As we leave the house, there is a little rickety porch with rickety stairs leading down to the driveway.  The porch used to be enclosed, but some of the windows blew out in a storm and shattered.  And when it rains, the water drips right through the porch ceiling, so it is bowing and bending and ready to fall in at some point.  And yet, we can’t do anything about it right now because we already have other necessary repairs that we don’t have the money to fix.  But let’s forget about the porch as we carefully step down the rotting stairs, being careful not to wiggle the railing too much because that’s barely holding on, too.

            As we step down onto the driveway, the first thing you might notice is the smell of mint.  I did a big no-no, and I planted some chocolate mint (the best kind of peppermint) in the ground, to the left of the porch as you walk down.  Mint is a known bully.  It will spread like the flu.