Chickens and cleaning, no not cleaning chickens.

I have my first locally raised Chicken in my refrigerator ready to go into the oven this afternoon. I seasoned it and put it in the oven bag breast side down as per the instructions of the lovely Laura from Goose Pond Farms. Not only are these chickens far better quality then the ones int he store but we are supporting a local farmer! Moving more toward locally grown food is a big goal of mine this year. We are no longer getting our veggie delivery after many issues with them we decided the local farmers markets will be a better option for us since we have more control over what we will bring home.
Spring cleaning. Lets talk chemicals! I've been trying to stay away from store bought cleaners and keep hearing the same thing from people over and over again. How do you know it's really clean? How do you get the really grimy stuff off the bottom of the shower? Are you really saving money?
Here is a list of things that you should have on hand for cleaning:
Vinegar (I buy the large bottles at the grocery store or Costco)
Lemon Juice
Sea Salt
Baking soda (large bags are available at Costco and probably Sams club or BJ's)
Borax (found in the laundry aisle)
Peroxide (found in the pharmacy section with the bandages)
Cleaning rags (I use old washcloths)
Spray bottles(2 and can be found at the Dollar Tree or any store with a cleaning supply aisle)
A cheese shaker jar ( this isn't imperative it just makes life a little easier, I found mine at the Dollar Tree)

Disinfecting spray: One spray bottle fill with vinegar the other peroxide (do not mix them in the same bottle) When used together , spray one then the other and wipe, these work as well as any Clorox cleaner and are far safer for your family then the chemical cleaners in the Clorox spray.
Laundry soap: I'm still working my way to just baking soda and borax. Half a cup of each will replace your laundry soap.
Fabric softener: Get yourself a downy ball and put vinegar in it and toss it in just like you would fabric softener. It will soften the clothes and not leave residue on them. No your clothes will not stink when you take them out!
Shower scrub: I use baking soda sprinkled on (from the glass cheese shaker jar) and then pour some vinegar (bout 1/4 of a cup on top of the baking soda. Let it foam up and then wipe it clean with the rag. For stubborn spots use a 1:1 ratio of lemon juice and sea salt for a scrub.
Toilets: Shake some baking soda pour in 1/4 cup vinegar let it foam up then use the brush to scrub and flush. Done! If you feel like that just isn't enough follow with 1/4 cup of peroxide. On the outside I spray vinegar and peroxide and wipe.
Sinks: Just sprinkle baking soda scrub with a wet rag and rinse. Follow with a spray of each vinegar and peroxide and wipe for germ killing.
Counters: Vinegar/peroxide spray and wipe.
Dishwasher: I have not found a combination for a cleaner yet but you can fill the rinse agent compartment with vinegar :) it works great!
Floors: I have a steam mop but if you do not you can use a 1/4 cup of vinegar to 1 gallon of water to clean your floors.
Now if you do not like the smell of vinegar and feel it's just too much you can put a few drops of your favorite essential oils in the spray bottle. (Sometimes I tend to go a little overboard on the vinegar and the hubs doesn't like it)

It's been a while....

I wanted to post about Thanksgiving. I haven't had a chance. We had only one dish that wasn't from scratch. (green bean casserole) Everything else we consumed we used fresh ingredients and made ourselves. The Turkey was from a local farm, free range and our first attempt at fresh. I did well with it but cooked it at too high a temp so it wasn't as good as it could have been. Dan made fresh bread a few days before that I used for stuffing (yes we made everything). Many of our veggies came from our local and organic delivery service. All in all it was a great dinner and I look forward to making more like it. I wish I had taken pictures.

Fall veggies ROCK!

Sweet potatoes, squash, beans and more. My kids are eating them!! It's fantastic. Our Grow Alabama veggie box is definitely broadening our horizons. I've been good about trying new things. We got Turnips this week...not sure what to do with them yet but I am thinking about a veggie soup. I have tons of tomatoes, beans, yellow squash, okra and turnips sounds like soup to me :)

On another note: a local mom is hosting a get together to teach some of us how to make laundry soap. I'll ask her permission and post the recipe later this week.

MMMM Chili!

So I got something called Purple Hull Peas in my veggie delivery last week. I had not a clue what they were till I saw them. They aren't a pea but a bean. Wanting to know what to do witht hem I googled it. (gotta love google) after finding a few recipes I decided that I would use them in my chili today. I Love having a crock pot meal. So easy to do. I put it all together this morning. The Purple hull peas are many different colors so it's looking fantastic. I'll take a picture and post it later.

Okra experience

Ok so being that we are not a southern family Okra is not a food we have ever eaten much less cooked. So I went to my trusty allrecipes.com and typed in Okra and came up with a simple recipe to try out.

Very basic, 6 ingredients. Turned out ok but we decided next time it needs more spice. Not bad for our first try.
We had this with broiled flounder.

INGREDIENTS

• 10 pods okra, sliced in 1/4 inch pieces
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 cup cornmeal
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil

DIRECTIONS

1. In a small bowl, soak okra in egg for 5 to 10 minutes. In a medium bowl, combine cornmeal, salt, and pepper.
2. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Dredge okra in the cornmeal mixture, coating evenly. Carefully place okra in hot oil; stir continuously. Reduce heat to medium when okra first starts to brown, and cook until golden. Drain on paper towels.

Eggplant Disaster!

Ok so admittedly the only way I have ever had it was as Eggplant Parmesan. (Not one of my favs) Dan got one a few days back so lat night I thought Oh I can saute it and put it with pasta and sauce. YUM! NOT! I had no idea it was like a sponge. It soaked up every bit of oil and turned out not so yummy. My poor kids! So moral of the story... Grill it! Brush it with some oil and garlic and toss it on the grill.

Today is the day we get our first delivery of Grow Alabama. Here is the list for this week:

1. tomatoes
2. eggplant
3. purple hull peas (shelled)
4. mixed green beans
5. Okra
6. new potatoes
7. mixed bell peppers
8. Winter squash
9. cherry tomatoes
10. apples

Now to find some yummy recipes to make with all that. :)

Our First steps

Well other than the day to day organics and cooking at home that we have done we have officially signed up for Grow Alabama. We will get local grown produce and fresh eggs once a week. Today I will customize our first box and tomorrow we will pick it up. This is going to make us step outside our box and try new foods and recipes. I will post some of those recipes here. It's our goal to try to decrease our grocery budget but eat better. Join me on our journey.

Our children are now taking immune system boosting vitamins and probiotics. Since it's cold and flu season and we do not get flu vaccines we have started them on the following: Vitamin D 3 2000IU, Probiotics 1 Billion parts, Omega 3-6-9 1000 mg and when they seem to need an extra boost Emergen-C. We are trying to be sure the kids get plenty of rest and eat well too so they have strong systems to fight off any nasty germs that may attempt to invade.

Follow along. I'll be back tomorrow with pictures of our first veggie delivery.