The Frugal Gourmet: how to use, re-use, recycle and recondition your ktchen staples...

[Sachita]

Originally Posted by diamondrose

A friend at work told me that if you put honey on a small cut, it seals the cut and promotes healing and can even help reduce the scaring.

Propolis does amazing things. This is in honey.

[Sachita]

what about apple cider vinegar? I mean this shit is amazing for humans and animals. Also I spend huge amounts of money on electric and humane mouse and rat traps for years. Little did i know that the big bottle of peppermint i use for everything also keeps them away. I put a few oz in a bottle of warm water, spray it around my house and barn and they hate that shit. It works great.

[femmennoir]

I make sachets against moths (I knit and spin and weave so my house is full of wool) with lavender blossoms, cloves, mint, lemon peel and cedar chips and leave them among the yarn and in my sweaters drawers. You can also use eucalyptus (I used to live in Northern California and had a large eucalyptus tree in my yard).
None of my herbs winter well, they stay on my deck, right now under 30 inches of snow, and in the spring I have to replant most of them. Most often my mint, tarragon, various thymes, rosemary and lavender will survive, sometimes sage too. Nothing kills mint! I have dried all my herbs at the end of fall, and I use them through the winter in cooking, vinegars, teas, and sachets.

Elle*

[Gemme]

Old wife remedies, huh?

Let's see.....if you put a few squirts of lemon juice in a bottle of water, drinking it will help decrease bloating associated with salt intake. Also, injesting a little bit of local, unprocessed honey from your region daily will help reduce allergies. And cider vinegar will bring down the glycemic index of potatoes and potato dishes if added to it, which can be helpful for those eating low carb meals and/or diabetics.

[Soft*Silver]

I have two bags of regular sugar, unopened, that are solid as a rock. Is there any way I can soften them?

[femmennoir]

Originally Posted by softness

I have two bags of regular sugar, unopened, that are solid as a rock. Is there any way I can soften them?

Yes! open the bags and put the sugar in a bin with some slices of apples and let a few days pass. If there is a lot of sugar, you may need to renew, taking out the old apple slices and putting in new, but usually a few days do the trick!
Elle*

[I'mOneToo]

That remedy is good for those with days to wait... one method for immediate use is break a chunk of it off (using an ordinary dinner knife, nothing fancy or too sharp in case it goes sideways against my hand) then place it in a large freezer ziploc bag. Zip it, but don't leave too much air in it. Then take a hammer and lightly break it up. Don't pulverize it. If you leave too much air it's like hammering a balloon and can have disastrous results, or may be funny depending on your sense of humor

Then just keep it zipped until it's used up. Might be too cave-man/womanish for some but works for me!

Originally Posted by femmennoir

Yes! open the bags and put the sugar in a bin with some slices of apples and let a few days pass. If there is a lot of sugar, you may need to renew, taking out the old apple slices and putting in new, but usually a few days do the trick!
Elle*

[femmennoir]

Originally Posted by Gemme

Old wife remedies, huh?

Let's see.....if you put a few squirts of lemon juice in a bottle of water, drinking it will help decrease bloating associated with salt intake. Also, injesting a little bit of local, unprocessed honey from your region daily will help reduce allergies. And cider vinegar will bring down the glycemic index of potatoes and potato dishes if added to it, which can be helpful for those eating low carb meals and/or diabetics.

Oh! That is all so interesting! An old wife's remedy from France: drink a glass of lukewarm water every morning, with a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar and a tablespoon of honey! This is a panacea, particularly good for aches and joint pains, but it clears your system and assists you in losing weight.

Elle*