Okay, I've been asked by several people to post a how-to on making Kombucha. So....into the kitchen!

These instructions will make 68oz of Kombucha to drink. (You'll need to hang on to 12 ounces as the starter tea for your next batch)

What you will need:

-Stainless steel pot             

-Glass jar to brew in (size will depend on amount you plan on making)

-Black tea   (5 tea bags)                           

-Plain white sugar (1 cup)

-Spring water 80 ounces + some for evaporation (tap is fine but if you live in the city like I do, you have to worry about chlorine.)

-Glass or plastic measuring cups

-Kombucha Scoby with 12 oz (or 1 1/2 cups) starter tea.

-Paper towels (or paper napkins)

-Big rubber band

-Vinegar to help sanitize utensils, jars, pan etc.

 We start off by washing everything thoroughly. (Rinse really well as soap will kill the Kombucha.) Then splash some vinegar on or in each of the things that will be in contact with your Kombucha. Remember...no metal! You are going to pour at least 80oz (10 cups) of water into your pot to heat. I always add an extra few ounces to cover any evaporation.) I am doubling this whole recipe/process so I have much more water in my pot

 While the water is heating, get your brewing jars ready. (I bought my jars for around 7$ a piece at Wal-mart. I have 4 so I can always have 2 jars brewing, and 2 more ready to go) You need 5 tea bags. I usually suspend them from the sides and then wrap a rubber band around the edge so they don't fall when I pour the hot water in.

Here's my assistant photographer....

If you are using spring water (or good well water) heat it until it's just about to boil. (If you are using tap water, you'll want to bring your water to a boil and leave it boiling for at least 10 minutes to get rid of the chlorine. Make sure to add plenty of water to allow for evaporation!)

Measure out your 80 ounces(10 cups). Pour the measured water into your waiting jar.

 Wait 5 minutes and then pour in your sugar. (This can be a bit tricky...if you pour it in too soon, the sugar can carmelize...if you wait too long it may not dissolve. 5 minutes is usually safe!)

Let your tea steep for about 20 minutes.

Then take out the tea bags and give the sweet tea a stir. We want all of the sugar dissolved and distributed. 

 Cover your tea and let it sit until cooled to room temp. (Feel the jar, if it feels cool, it's probably okay...if it's still warm, leave it alone! This usually takes several hours.)

The realtor called while I was waiting for the tea to cool and my lovely photographer thought it would be funny to take a picture.....

While the camera's out.....here's my little monkeys!

And me....

 The tea has cooled and now it's time to transfer my scoby's to their new home. This is where they "live". I keep one corner of my pantry for brewing and fermenting (As you can see...there's also some kefir in there right now...)

 Your next step will be to remove 12 ounces (or 1 1/2 cups) of sweet tea from your jar. (This will allow room for the starter tea and keep the total amount the same so you have the same ratio...more on that at the end) You can drink  this tea if you want...I personally dump it down the drain as I don't care for sweet tea

 Now you are going to take 12 ounces (1 1/2 cups ) of starter tea....

 and put it in your fresh batch of sweet tea.

(The starter tea is put in to get the ph level of the tea off to a good start....which is necessary to avoid mold. A note on mold...if after watching for several days and you are sure your kombucha scoby is growing mold...looks like what you'd see on bread....throw it out, sanitize your jars and start over. Mold isn't anything to mess around with in this case. I try to keep a backup scoby with starter tea in the fridge...just in case!)

 Next you're going to go remove all jewelry/watches and wash your hands again...rinse them very well  (I even splash vinegar on my hands) Carefully take your scoby....

 and slip it into it's new home of sweet tea.

Here they are in their new homes! The one on the right shows the layers of babies on the scoby. Also, note how they can go sideways....it's totally normal for them to float on the top, on their sides or even rest on the bottom. Mine usually make their way back to the top (They actually have now...24 hrs later)

 Now it's time to strain this past weeks brew into the pitcher. (I always strain it as I pour it into the pitcher and then again as it goes into the glass. There are little brown globs of spent yeast etc. and though it wouldn't hurt you ...might even be good....I personally don't care for texture in my drinks. Just remember you want a plastic or nylon strainer....no metal! :o)

 You'll notice the bubbles...that's normal....kombucha is naturally carbonated!

 And here it is ready to go into the fridge. But before that.....

Salute!

Now for some more info...I us a 10-10-15% ratio when I make k-tea. Meaning 80 ounces of water-8 ounces of sugar-12 ounces of starter tea. Once you are experienced at making kombucha, you can play with these numbers a bit but this is what I use. If you are starting out with for the first time, you can start with 32 ounces of water-2 tea bags-3.2 ounces of sugar and-4.7 ounces of starter tea. If you want to make a bigger batch than you have starter tea for, you can add distilled vinegar (white, apple cider or white wine),  to make the amount needed. (Some people say you can use just vinegar on occasion as a starter if you have somehow run out of regular starter tea.)

Places to get scoby's and starter tea...from friends or family if possible! With every brew you'll have a new baby that can either be kept together or passed along (I've already gotten several family members going on k-tea from my "babies") If you need to purchase them, there are several places on-line you can buy from and there's several sellers on E-bay. I have had excellent luck with this seller and you can also purchase strainers etc. from him. (Hi Mike!) He also has a wonderful website with additional info here.

I hope you've enjoyed this how-to on making kombucha and though I am by no means an expert, please feel free to ask any questions you may have! Kombucha is such a wonderfl, healthy and frugal (when made at home) drink for your family...it's worth the time and trial & errors!

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If you've never heard of Kombucha...let me just fill you in! Here is a link to some basic info on kombucha, but bottom line, there are sooo many health benefits. I drink kombucha tea (or k-tea) for several reasons....

-metabolism, appetite control, weight-loss

-digestion

-liver function, detoxification

-immune system booster

-sleep better

-much less painful menstrual cramps

to name a few.

 It's so simple to make, inexpensive and it tastes good (kind of like sparkling cider) All you need is plain old black tea and white sugar! Now we don't usually use white sugar in our home, but the kombucha seems to like it best so I do buy it just for this.

Though it's often referred to as a mushroom, kombucha is actually grown with something called a SCOBY (symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast) and with each brew, a new scoby is "born". You can keep these babies or give them away to friends and family (which I've been doing a lot lately!) Then each of those babies will produce new scoby's that can be passed on! So it really is the gift that keeps on giving. Not only giving continual health benefits, but giving new cultures to be passed on. How cool is that!

Now, I am by no means a doctor and kombucha tea is potent stuff....it may not be for everyone. I urge you to take the time and do the research (the internet is a wealth of knowledge.) There are so many testimonies out there of kombucha curing ailments from cancer to eczema.....but you know your own body and it's conditions. You are the best judge as to what will benefit your families health. Personally, I plan on this being part of our daily healthcare regiment from now on!

The next time I make it (Tuesday) I'll try to take pictures of the process to share with all of you.

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When I was growing up, summer school meant that you had flunked out of your regular classes. For us, it just means business as usual!

Bottom line, when I've given the kids the summer off in the past, behaviors, attitudes, and retention of materials they've learned all go down the drain. So now, we take a couple of weeks off to re-group and then dive right back in.

We'll be starting back our new school year in one more week and I have to say...I'm so excited! We'll be starting a new Weaver Volume...#5, Interlock with the littles, Spelling Power, Rod & Staff English 5, and continuing with MUS Intermediate.

This year looks like so much fun with so many interesting topics....I'm really looking foward to it!

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Menu planning...

So having said all that Here's the next two weeks menu plans:

Tuesday: Chicken veggie soup(in crockpot Nourishing traditions stock) w/ cornbread

Wednesday: Chili, salad and cornbread

Thursday: Homemade pizza's (fresh mozzarella) and salad

Friday: Birthday party (for me  the big 3-0! :o)

Saturday: Meatloaf (in roasting oven), baked potaotes, green beans, and corbread

Sunday: Roasted chicken and veggies (using roasting oven like a crockpot)

Monday: Legume stew or soup, salad and fresh bread

Tuesday: Chicken veggie soup (Nourishing Traditions broth recipe) w/ cornbread



We have almost everything for these meals in the pantry or freezer already!! ;)

I really like to utilize my crockpot and roasting oven in the summer. They help in keeping the kitchen cooler and also making my day a little easier!

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I've deleted most of my old posts, (leaving the how-tos behind for anyone that still uses them:o) 

It's time to start fresh again here! I'll be writing about nutrition (including Kombucha and Kefir) whole foods, frugal living, homeschooling my wonderful children, environmental issues and re-usable resources....the list goes on! There's so much I'm interested in right now and am really looking foward to sharing it with all of you!  

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Here's another how-to, this one is on how to make a 2 ring, baby sling carrier.

The one that I'll be showing you is one I just made for my sister in law Ashley. She's due next month and I have her shower to go to next Sunday. These slings make a wonderful inexpensive EASY!! present that will be used over and over. I have four little ones and especially with my two babies, having a sling comes in really handy!

Here we go.....

You'll need

Fabric (amount=size and that's really up to you)

Sling rings

Thread to match your fabric

Sewing machine (totally optional. I did my first sling completely by hand and it's lasted for years)

You start by buying whatever fabric you'd like to use on the sling. 100% cotton is a really good choice. I chose 100% natural, unbleached cotton for the one I'll be making. You have two choices,  chose a narrower fabric or cut it down and hem the sides when you get home. Either would be fine. For Ashley's sling I chose a width of 38" and won't be hemming the sides. The next thing to do is figure out the yardage you need. My sister in law is very chesty and I'm going to make hers with 2 1/2 yrds of fabric. The beauty of a ring sling is that it can be easily adjusted to fit the wearer. To much fabric just creats a longer tail. (Which is awesome for rainy days, to have extra fabric to throw over the baby as you run to the door. Or when you are nursing to have extra fabric to drape over yourself for privacy)

Now for buying the rings that you will be needing. You can check your local hardware store or home improvement store. What you are looking for are 3" steel rings. I've also found them online at Ebay.

You can wash your fabric before or after with this project (but definately before it's used on any baby) Shrinkage isn't really too much of a factor here.

You're going to start by taking one end of your fabric and folding it over 1/2 an inch and pressing it flat. Fold it another 1/2 an inch and iron it flat again. Then sew the hemline closed with your machine. (Make sure your hem is folded into the rough side of the material)

Next, go to the opposite end of the fabric and fold your fabric exactly in half, and iron. Make sure you are folding the rough side of the fabric together. You really only need to do this to the top 1-2 feet) Now open the fabric and lay it flat. Fold each of the sides in, to meet the crease that you made while ironing. And iron smooth.

Now, you're going to fold each of the sides back in to meet the center and once again iron it flat.

Do the exact same thing one more time.

Now you're going to sew a seam straight across the fabric about 5 inches from the end.

Make one more seam 6 inches in (1inch from the first) Now, take the raw end of the fabric and fold it in 1/2inch and press it.

Fold over another 1/2 inch and sew it closed. 

Now you are going to slide your rings onto the fabric and fold the fabric over the rings to match up the end of your fabric with the the seam you had made 5 inches in. Now sew the seam closed. I go over this seam a couple of times to make sure it could hold even a heavy toddler.

Now I stitch from the edge of the seam I've just made towards the rings to close the gap in front of the rings.

Here's what the finished end looks like.

And here is the finished sling.

I hope that all makes sense!

 I hope this how-to was helpful and if anyone has questions, either leave it in the comments or private message me.

Blessings all,

Kelley

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As I've been sharing pictures of the wool longies I've made, there have been several requests for me to post a how-to. So here ya go! :O)

What you will need to begin:

Wool sweater (preferably lambswool)

Matching thread

1/2 inch elastic

Sewing machine

Scissors

Common Pins

(Rotary cutter is nice but not necessary)

Some basic info to start with.

Wool longies are usually used in place of a plastic diaper cover when one uses cloth diapers.

When properly felted and lanoized, they work better than regular covers! And they are made from natural fibers that breath..so less diaper rashes! We use longies in place of 'jama bottoms, tights and pants.

Here's some info on lanolizing:

"Lanolin is the natural waterproofing on sheep's wool. This natural lanolin is what makes the wool "waterproof". Wool absorbs about 30% of it's weight without feeling wet, which means "overspill" gets absorbed by the wool and, ta da! No leaks. Just let the wool air dry between uses, and you can go for weeks between washings. Wool doesn't get smelly like synthetics do. The lanolin on the wool cover gets used up by the urine as the cover air dries, so after a while you will need to restore lanolin to the cover to maintain the cover's effectiveness. Getting lanolin back onto the wool is call Lanolizing. Some people do a short water-only soak or rinse prior to lanolizing to rinse out any residue first. Some like to lanolize their covers inside out, butI do not notice any difference in the results either way."

 I buy most of the wool I use at thrift shops. We have a few Salvation Army thrift shops in this area that run half-off family days on Wednesdays, this is when I usually buy my wool (as well as any other clothing my family happens to need)  I've paid anywhere from .99-4$ a sweater. (One time I paid $8. The sweater was beautiful and brand new...that is the one I made the purple striped skant out of:O) When you figure you get at least one pair of longies and possibly many more items for your family, that's really inexpensive!!

Before going out to the shops, you need to measure your children. You need their waist (measure around their waist) their rise (measure from front to back. Belly button, between the legs and to the top of the diaperline above their bum) and you need the length.(This is the inside part of their leg from the crotch to the ankle) I also get a thigh measurement.

Now you have your measurements and can set off to search for wool. What you are looking for is 100% wool. (Some blends would work but could tend to wick the moisture out from the diaper and then you end up with a soggy child:O) I prefer lambswool as it is the softest and least itchy. Pay close attention to patterns, colors etc.and that it has a tight weave. Make sure it's something that will work for your child. Now you get to measure (or at least eye-ball it as my Dad says) The sweaters arm length needs to be longer than your child, hip to ankle with a bit extra to allow for shrinkage from felting. (Though many times wool sweaters end up at thrift shops due to being shrunk and if thats the case...you're ahead of the game!:O) If it's too long, that's okay. You can shorten them later or just roll the cuff on the longie to allow room for your little one to grow. (This is always my choice)

Once you've brought your wool home, it's time to felt it. Felting is when the wool fibers shrink or tighten .Think back to that beautiful wool, or angora sweater that you accidentally threw in the dryer......that's actually what we are trying for here. Felting happens because the scales on the wool swell, rub against each other and bind together, creating a denser, shrunken fabric. Wash the wool in hot water and dry in a hot dryer(without detergent.) and the wool should felt nicely. This can be repeated if the wool hasn't felted as tightly as you'd like it to be. The tighter the weave, the more waterproof your longies will be,***** though you need to be careful not to overshrink!***** :O)

(I'll include a link on wool care and how to lanolize your wool at the end of this how-to.)

Now you're ready to begin! Here's the sweater that I'll be using.

The first step is to remove the arms from the sweater. Lay the sweater flat and cut from the underarm seam straight across to the outside of the arm.

The next step is to split the seam of the arm. Refer back to your babies measurements. Take the rise, divide it in half and then add one inch. That is how far down you want to split the seam. (Example: If your child has a 20 inch rise, divided in half it would be 10 inches, then add 1 inch to allow for the waistband. You'd need to cut 11 inches of the seam in this circumstance) 

Then you will do the same to the other arm. This is what you should end up with.

Now turn the both pieces inside out and match up the seams. I'd recommend the first time making the longies that you pin the seams together. Especially if you have a pattern or stripes to match up.

(This is the time you will need to cut down the size of the arms if they are too large for your baby. Though I've never had to do it, measure your baby hip to hip. Now measure the pinned arms  from hip to hip. If it's significantly larger, you can cut some of the width from the wool where you've pinned the seams. If you really want to avoid this, just keep an eye on the width of the arms when you are shopping for your sweater. Childrens sweaters work well for little babies, womens for a medium size and men or XL womens for toddlers I've found.)

Now you want to sew the seam from front to back. I use a small straight stitch to keep it as tight as possible. This will keep it from unravelling. You can also go over the crotch area a few times as this is the area with the most strain.

This is what it looks like after the seam has been stitched.

Next you are going to fold the top of the waist band in about an inch. Again, your first time you should pin. Make sure you have room for your elastic to slide through. I start at the back seam and work my way around, leaving a 1 inch gap. (This is where you'll slide your elastic through)

Next you are going to take your elastic and put a safety pin on the end. I use a diaper pin just because they are large and easy to thread through the opening. DO NOT CUT YOUR ELASTIC UNTIL THE END!! I made this mistake my first time and cut it too short :O)

Thread the pin all the way around your waist band and back out the same opening. You can remove the safesty pin and stitch the end of the elastic to the inside of the seam.

Next, pull the elastic to the width you need for your child. (Refer back to your babies waist measurement, just remember elastic stretches!:O)

Zigzag stitch this piece of elastic together.

Now you can cut the excess elastic and stitch the opening in the waistband closed (Some people prefer to leave it open to have access to the elastic. It's very easy to change elastic to accomadate a growing child or the next baby needing the pants.)

Here are my finished pants.

These are a little bigger than I was planning but that's okay as my monsters will quickly grow into them! :O) I hope this how-to was helpful and if anyone has questions, either leave it in the comments or private message me.

Now for the care of the wool...There is a fabulous company called Green Mountain Diapers and they have a video on how to wash and lanolize the longies. I use what they recommend, Eucalan baby wash and Lansinoh lanolin and have had wonderful results every time.

Save your leftover wool pieces. I've been using mine to make regular slip on diaper covers, shorties (the shorts version of the longies using the body of the sweater) hats, mittens, and soon a wool piece quilt! The possibilities are endless. Have fun!

God bless,

Kelley

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