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Outdoor Skills: Ash Cakes / ‘Stick Bread’ Recipe

02/22/2011 in Cooking, Emergency Preparedness, Food, How To, Outdoor Skills, Recipe, Simple Skills by Evelyn | No comments

Ash Cakes cooking on a camp fireThis super simple recipe is the Traditional “Mountain-man” breakfast food, no utensils, pots or pans required. Ash Cakes consist of equally simple ingredients… make sure you use ‘Baking Powder’ though (rather than Baking Soda). You can also jazz them up by adding toppings or fillings of other things you have handy that are in abundance, see ideas below.

You will also want to use hardwoods any time you cook directly in or on a fire. Hardwoods do not contain resin like your softwoods do, such as pine. Softwoods can impart their resinous flavor into food, which may not be desirable.

You will need:

Evelyn Vincent Evelyn Vincent

Native Plant Landscaper, Gardener, Labyrinth Design, Feng Shui Practitioner,  Aromatherapy / Essential Oils, Big Fan of Nature and Living Simply.

"There is nothing in a caterpillar that tells you it's going to be a butterfly."
~ R. Buckminster Fuller

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Essential Oil Aphid Spray

02/07/2011 in Gardening, How To, Plants, Recipe by Evelyn | No comments

Use this simple essential oil spray mixture recipe to control aphids on house or garden plants.

You will need:

14oz. spray bottle
6 drops Black Pepper essential oil
6 drops Clove essential oil
6 drops Cinnamon essential oil
water

Instructions:

Fill spray bottle with water. Add essential oils. Shake and spray, be sure to get underneath leaves too. It works like a charm.

Tip: I only use Young Living Essential Oils, I have found them to be the highest quality on the market. They are pure, unadulterated, and can be used in many ways that other brands cannot. I was so impressed by the quality I became a distributor about 6 years ago. You can learn more about aromatherapy and essential oils here.

Evelyn Vincent Evelyn Vincent

Native Plant Landscaper, Gardener, Labyrinth Design, Feng Shui Practitioner,  Aromatherapy / Essential Oils, Big Fan of Nature and Living Simply.

"There is nothing in a caterpillar that tells you it's going to be a butterfly."
~ R. Buckminster Fuller

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Make Your Own Homemade Kefir and Save Money

02/02/2011 in Cooking, Food, Health, Recipe by Evelyn | 1 comment

Kefir Starter kitMilk kefir grains are live active cultures consisting of yeast and bacteria which exist in a symbiotic relationship. Adding the kefir grains to fresh milk yields a probiotic drink within 24 to 48 hours. This dairy kefir culture is reusable and with care, will allow you to make kefir over and over again. Once a batch of milk kefir has finished culturing, simply remove the kefir grains and place them in fresh milk.

The taste of finished kefir varies greatly based on the type of milk used (cow versus goat for example) and the length of time it is allowed to culture.  Generally speaking, milk kefir has a sour taste and an effervescent texture.

There are numerous uses for kefir including making a type of cream cheese, adding to smoothies and drinking alone. Kefir can also be flavored after it has cultured and the kefir grains have been removed.

Kefir is a probiotic cultured milk beverage similar to that of yogurt and other probiotics. This means that inside kefir there are literally trillions and trillions of good beneficial bacteria. Once consumed and are inside the body, these good probiotic bacteria will literally clean you up.

Probiotics clean up the most crucial and critical parts of the body like the stomach by providing the body with beneficial bacteria. The stomach is where diseases from bad bacteria, viruses and other ill effecting organisms often spread. By effectively cleaning and restoring your stomach and digestive system to it’s healthy and vibrant state, you will quickly notice your entire body feeling much better.

Save Money: Make Your Own Kefir  Continue reading “Make Your Own Homemade Kefir and Save Money” »

Evelyn Vincent Evelyn Vincent

Native Plant Landscaper, Gardener, Labyrinth Design, Feng Shui Practitioner,  Aromatherapy / Essential Oils, Big Fan of Nature and Living Simply.

"There is nothing in a caterpillar that tells you it's going to be a butterfly."
~ R. Buckminster Fuller

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Parting with Our Things: what to keep, what to sell

12/05/2010 in How To, Reflections & Discoveries, Thoughts, What Matters Most by Evelyn | No comments

The attachment we have to our things is an interesting one. Sometimes I wonder where they are derived from; is it good marketing or our own thinking that we need these things. Whatever the origin the fact remains that we all have way too much stuff in our homes and in our lives.

We’re getting ready to move to an eco-village that’s off-the-grid and sorting through our things, what to keep and what to sell, has taken on a new meaning. Some things it’s easy to make a decision on; get rid of it or keep it. Other things aren’t so easy. Like keeping the flat screen TV, is it practical? On the one hand no, because we won’t have cable TV again. On the other hand, yes, because we can watch DVD’s… is it worth it to keep for occasionally watching a movie???

The kitchen appliances, KitchenAid standing mixer with all the attachments, Bosch washer and dryer (which is amazing in terms of energy efficiency, I’ve never seen anything clean so well with so little water and electricity), electric waffle iron, Dyson vacuum, and so forth. Discussing which to keep and which to sell. We ended up deciding to get rid of almost everything because even though many of these things were energy efficient there are equivalents that don’t require any electricity.

We made up our minds that we would keep things super simple, bare-bones. We need our computer because I have a Young Living Essential Oil business and build my business mostly through having an internet presence. Curt on the other hand, maintains my website and makes websites for others. OK, so three of our computers get sold (a Mac G3 and G5, and a Sony Vaio), the money we get from them goes towards a more energy efficient Mac Mini that we will share… that alone will be interesting since we’ve never shared a computer before, we’ll just find a fair way to deal with it though. Continue reading “Parting with Our Things: what to keep, what to sell” »

Evelyn Vincent Evelyn Vincent

Native Plant Landscaper, Gardener, Labyrinth Design, Feng Shui Practitioner,  Aromatherapy / Essential Oils, Big Fan of Nature and Living Simply.

"There is nothing in a caterpillar that tells you it's going to be a butterfly."
~ R. Buckminster Fuller

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Maintaining Your Garden Tools

12/02/2010 in Gardening, How To, Maintenance, Selecting, Tools by Curt Siters | No comments

It is very important to maintain your tools by keeping them clean and free of rust, properly adjusted and sharp. You also need to do some repair if the metal is deformed like the point on a pick (it tends to get blunt when striking rock) or the tip of your spade.Garden Tools

Supplies and tools needed:

  • Files – several different sizes and shapes
  • Screwdrivers
  • Hammers
  • Saw sets
  • A bench vise
  • Steel wool (several grades from rough to fine)
  • Medium to Light oil – such as 3-in-1 oil
  • Sharpening stones and slip stones – I recommend water stones as they don’t clog easily
  • Grinder – I recommend a bench grinder and not one you use with a drill
  • Soapy and fresh water
  • Shop towels
  • Metal Polish
  • Linseed Oil

General Procedure

  1. Clean the tool with soap and water and towel dry. Let air dry in the sun a little longer to be sure it is dry
  2. Make note of any and all damage
  3. Disassemble if possible – keep track of bushing, nut and bolt locations for re-assembly
  4. Use steel wool and 3-in-1 oil to remove any rust
  5. Use files and grinders to remove any damage and restore the tool to its original shape or restore the edge
  6. Some edges only need filing but others will need sharpening so proceed with the stones to make the edge razor sharp
  7. If the tool initially had a polished finish polish the surface now
  8. Apply a light coat of 3-in-1 oil to the metal parts to keep moisture at bay
  9. Apply varnish or linseed oil to wood parts to keep the wood in good condition
  10. Re-assemble if you had to dis-assemble

Shop Plow & Hearth’s Selection of Garden Tools & Supplies – Click Here!

Other posts you may enjoy:

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Curt SitersCurt Siters

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Shoals Creek Village - a new build intentional community.

My Eco Oasis - the hub for what will be a network of many ecovillages.

Big fan of living simply

Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.  ~Albert Einstein

Man's heart away from nature becomes hard.  ~Standing Bear

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Essential Oil Body Powder Recipe

09/07/2010 in Aromatherapy, How To, Recipe by Evelyn | No comments

This essential oil body powder recipe has a sweet exotic scent. When therapeutic-grade essential oils are used it can be quite beneficial for the skin too. I use and recommend Young Living Essential Oils, they’re pure and unadulterated; find them at my aromatherapy website.

You will need:

1oz. cornstarch or rice flour
5 drops orange essential oil
3 drops sandalwood essential oil
3 drops coriander essential oil
2 drops ylang ylang essential oil
1 drop patchouli essential oil

Directions:

Put the cornstarch or rice flour into a glass jar, then add the essential oils, stir well. Tighten the cap, allow to stand for 24 hours. Puff over your body using a powder puff.

Evelyn Vincent Evelyn Vincent

Native Plant Landscaper, Gardener, Labyrinth Design, Feng Shui Practitioner,  Aromatherapy / Essential Oils, Big Fan of Nature and Living Simply.

"There is nothing in a caterpillar that tells you it's going to be a butterfly."
~ R. Buckminster Fuller

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Outdoor Skills: What I Learned While Taking a Wilderness Survival Class

08/24/2010 in Emergency Preparedness, How To, Our Mountains, Outdoor Skills, Reflections & Discoveries, Simple Skills, Thoughts, What Matters Most by Evelyn | 2 comments

Evelyn in a Debris HutThis past spring I had taken a class that I have been wanting to take for some time, ‘Wilderness Survival.’ I was very excited that it was nearby and the instructor had a great deal of experience. The class was with Richard Cleveland, founder of Earth School: Nature Awareness and Self-Reliance, in western North Carolina.

I made the 45 minute drive to the location of the class in the Smoky Mountains of western N.C. The morning was warm and sunny, perfect weather to participate in a class of this type. I had read everything on Richard’s website and had spoken and emailed him several times before the class so I felt like I was off to meet a new friend in person and learn what he had to teach. The other students showed up on time, all eager to get learning and experiencing.  Continue reading “Outdoor Skills: What I Learned While Taking a Wilderness Survival Class” »

Evelyn Vincent Evelyn Vincent

Native Plant Landscaper, Gardener, Labyrinth Design, Feng Shui Practitioner,  Aromatherapy / Essential Oils, Big Fan of Nature and Living Simply.

"There is nothing in a caterpillar that tells you it's going to be a butterfly."
~ R. Buckminster Fuller

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Simple Living Skills: Acorn Bread Recipe

08/04/2010 in Cooking, Emergency Preparedness, Food, Health, How To, Outdoor Skills, Recipe, Simple Skills by Evelyn | No comments

This recipe came to me via my friend Richard Cleveland, teacher of primitive living skills in western North Carolina. Check out his site, LoveTheEarth.com, and sign up for a class or two, they’re highly educational and loads of fun!

Self Reliance Tip of the Month by Richard Cleveland Ripe acorns

Acorns ! Acorns are very abundant this year. I’ve gathered several baskets of them. Why? To make acorn bread of course ! That’s right, acorns can be made into a delicious and extremely nutritious bread. It amazes me that people ignore this abundant food source. It does require some preparation though. Here’s how you do it… Continue reading “Simple Living Skills: Acorn Bread Recipe” »

Evelyn Vincent Evelyn Vincent

Native Plant Landscaper, Gardener, Labyrinth Design, Feng Shui Practitioner,  Aromatherapy / Essential Oils, Big Fan of Nature and Living Simply.

"There is nothing in a caterpillar that tells you it's going to be a butterfly."
~ R. Buckminster Fuller

Follow Me on Pinterest

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