Americans Waste 40% of US Food Production

I was reading an article yesterday that gave some shocking and disturbing statistics about the American people.

It said that 40% off all the food grown by farmers ends up in the in the city dump! But people did not throw meat away. Just carbs, fruits, veggies, dairy.

Forty Percent!!

That is just a few clicks away from being HALF of all the food produced!

Something really has to change.

For starters:

• Only buy the amount of food you and your family can eat in a week
• Learn how to properly store food in the refrigerator to maximize loss
• Menu plan
• Fast more often (no food or drink from sunrise to sunset)
• write down each food item you put in the trash

Inshallah I’ll be writing more about each of the items I just mentioned.

Chem-free mosquito repellent

Summer is here and so are the mosquitoes! Here are some alternatives to DEET:

Citronella — most people know about this one. But did you know about citronella essential oil? Applying some to your skin works as well as burning citronella candles. Only buy pure essential oil, not citronella fragrance or citronella meant for the oil burner.

Soy oil — it’s cheap and easy to find. No excuses for not using this one. Apply to the skin.

Catnip — lose the mosquitoes but watch out for cats. Research at Iowa State Uni discovered that catnip is about 10 times more effective than DEET.

Neem oil — visit your local India grocery for this one. Just as effective as DEET and good for the hair as well.

Lavender essential oil — calming to humans, offensive to mosquitoes! Make sure you purchase pure essential oil and not the kind meant for oil burners or fragrances.

Source: www.care2.com

Clean Your Dishwasher for 10-cents

Thru May 29th, Kroger has Koolaid on sale for 10¢ a pack. Winco sells it at this price regularly.

The lemon flavor is great for cleaning out the dishwasher. Here’s how to do it:

• Empty out the dishwasher.
• Pour the contents of one entire pack into the detergent compartment.
• Turn it on.
• Let that Koolaid do it’s thing.

Habitat for Humanity ReStore Store

I just read that Habitat for Humanity has stores! What a great idea!

So, here is how they work. They sell reusable and surplus building materials to the public. Each store has something different. Donated items are re-sold at a fraction of retail prices. The money from sales helps local Habitat organizations and their clients.

Go HERE for USA, or HERE for Canada to find a store in your area:
 

Powered by ScribeFire.

Apples: How to Store/Keep, And A Poem

The next time you see sale on apples, or get a chance to pick your own at a great price, preserve them in your freezer. Once frozen, they are good in pies, smoothies, and other desserts.

Before I get too deep into telling you about apples, let me share a part of a poem about them from Robert Frost:

“And I keep hearing from the cellar bin
The rumbling sound
Of load on load of apples coming in.
For I have had too much
Of apple-picking: I am overtired
Of the great harvest I myself desired.”

Here is a reading of that poem by Frost himself –  Audio: Robert Frost – After Apple Picking

Now, How to Keep Apples:

Freeze Them: 1–Wash, peel, and core. Then slice.
2–Coat with a solution of 1 tsp ascorbic acid and 6 T cold water. Can use lemon juice.
3–Place in airtight container or plastic bag. Can also freeze individually on a baking sheet, them store in a container.
4–Will keep for 10-12 months.

Refrigerate Them:
1–Store in a plastic bag.
2–Will keep 3 to 4 weeks. Can stay for 6 months or more at temps below 40-degrees F but above freezing.

Ripen Them:
1–If too firm or sour, leave out on counter top at room temp to ripen.

Passed along to you from http://stilltasty.com/