More Healing Wounds Naturally On The Homestead..

  The other day our pony, Bella, decided to tangle herself up in her rope and cut a pretty bad rope burn on her hock. When she is not in the pasture, she is our 'sustainable' zero turn, lawn mower. We let her graze in other places not fenced by keeping her on a 100ft rope, so she can get around as she pleases. Well, somehow she got tangled and had a pretty bad wound that needed attention. We've always been able to treat our animals wounds, so this wasn't new, but the main concern I had was infection. Also in light of the new Veterinary Feed Directive, I am thinking more about sharing our natural remedies for animals and people. I would like to share what we do to help you when antibiotics are not required or even accessible.

  Here, in the picture my daughter is pouring an herbal oil infused with Comfrey, Plantain, Ginger, Cloves, Tumeric, and Jewelweed. *It is very important to have the children involved and to teach them as you go, so they too will be qualified to handle any situation that could arise. They may need it one day. We applied this oil to the wound, after cleaning with peroxide and iodine. The open wound is healing after only two weeks because of this herbal infusion. Comfrey is the prime source for healing tissue, the others work at keeping it clean, drawing out impurities, and are highly antibacterial. I am now applying our Happy Hocks. An essential oils remedy I first created to help wounds and foundering in horses and ponies. You should NEVER put essential oils on an open wound, it will burn like h*ll. Your patient will also not be able to trust your skills after that. So wait until the skin or a scab has formed to create a buffer to the wound. It consists of Litsea Cubeba, Fir Needle, Bergamot, Lavender, and Tea Tree essential oils. Any time there is an issue with hooves, or hocks, this is our natural go-to remedy and has proven effective numerous times. I'll address each herb and why I choose it later in this article. I'll do another on essential oils for wounds care and emergency situations. *We use peroxide while the wound is still open or fresh, and then iodine to follow. I know a new school of thought has risen about using peroxide, but it is a must when cleaning homestead wounds. Also at pulling out any objects that are stuck in the body. My daughter cut her foot and got an infection, after treating it naturally we were seeing that it was very serious, and had to take her to the doctor. Who of course told us not to use peroxide. After the week of antibiotics, she still had an infection. This was a clear sign that something was IN the foot. My Mom, a nurse, said "You need to be using peroxide and that foot would have been healed by now. Something is in it and only peroxide will pull it out." So I did, and within 30 of applying it, the stick that was jammed up her heel, came oozing out! I grew up using it, and all the medical persons I know still use it, against the modern "Don't Use Peroxide" shouts of our days. So in light of that I am going to share with you a breakdown of what we normally use and why. I give a lectures around the southeast, and if you can, try to make one. I love explaining God's design for nature and how it was created to be useful to us. I spoke at the Memphis Botanical Gardens just a few weeks back on wild and domestic herbs and how to use them for health and happiness on the homestead. These herbs mentioned are a main stay on our farm, I enjoy teaching about how to use them, so if you are able to attend a speaking even I give, please comment below or find my facebook page, Homestead Moma and let me know if you tried my methods or suggestions and how they worked for you.

  To make your herbal infused oil (I make a lot and keep it on hand), you will need all the herbs mentioned above. Gather them WITHOUT washing because you do not want to introduce water. It will cause mold and bacteria growth in the oil mixture. Tear and bruise into pieces and cram your jar full. Then cover to the rim with Organic Olive Oil. Set into the crock pot of water, to keep on very low about 48-72 hours. Only let the water be half way up the jar, so it doesn't get into the jar of oil.

  After 48 to 72 hrs. your oil has been infused with all those herbal properties you need. Just remove jar, wipe clean and strain through a sheet, pillow case or cheese clothe.

  Now you're ready to deal with any wound that arises, be it animal or people. This is especially designed for open wounds so do not add any essential oils to this. Here is the list of herbs and oils I use and why I choose them.
Comfrey: It is stiches in bottle. Proven to regrow skin cells and add in repairing damage to skin, this is something I grow LOTS of. Keep on hand and you'll not regret it. Even a wound that has been stitched up or glued back together can benefit. It will aid in the quick regrowth of tissue of any kind and even promote hair regrowth and lessens scaring. (I know personally)
Plantain: It is nature's drawer. Like magic, it will help to draw out infection, poison, stinging, pain, and objects. Not quite as potent as peroxide for initial cleaning, but very effective to keep on wound.
Tumeric: The best inflammation reducer on earth, as far as I know of anyway. :)
Ginger: The ultimate in pain reduction. If you can, keep this in the house or grow it to have at a moments notice. Highly anti-bacterial, anti-septic, and anti-viral. This herb/spice is not only effective at helping stomach upset, it is the best pain reducer I have EVER used. (Used after birthing)
Cloves: The highest ORAC carrying food on earth. ORAC is the ability to fight damaging free radicals. These free radicals are what damages tissue and causes aging. It is the highest in anti-septic, antibacterial, antiviral, and anti-fungal properties of an known herb. It has the greatest ability to numb pain of any herb. It is also why the benzocaine/novacaine family of medications was made originally from this herb. Highly used still today for tooth and mouth infections. Greatest germ killer around!
Jewelweed: Another good one for soothing pain, irritation, sting, and burn. This is an awesome remedy for bug bites, stings, and poison ivy. It is often found in the same area as poison ivy. *Again proof of doctrine of signatures. I'll touch on that later.
  Healing wounds in a situation where antibiotics are unavailable, or you cannot reach a doctor is a must for basic survival skills. In summary, our pony never had to cost us a huge vet bill, because we were able to (had the knowledge and skills) remedy the situation ourselves. In our society we have become too dependent on others for our basic needs and if we do not try to learn and pass the knowledge other generations have had, we will regret it. Other cultures, other generations, and other countries still hold natural healing in high esteem, because it works! Americans disregard for knowledge and skills may prove costly. I hope we never have to be faced with a day that we cannot access modern medicine, but the truth is I have many times been able to keep our family out of an ER, or keep down the costs of healthcare for us and our animals, just because of having 1- knowledge and 2- skills. If that day does ever happen to you...are you capable of caring for yourself or those you love? I hope you find my articles helpful and encouraging. Don't forget to like our facebook page as well. This is where I post a lot of helpful tips for the homestead as well.
Much love and blessings, Melisa

You're staring famine in the face!

  *Update, I have been reinstated to FB, but because of this article I was blocked from FB for two weeks, had many other problems and have had my ad account over charged by both FB and Google by a total of almost $600. I was able to recover only $150. So, I am no longer on that very biased and often censored social media money trap. I removed myself. :) I also have had the scroll down removed from this blog's admin page so I cannot get to edit this article without majorly doing some work!!! My two videos talking about this on Youtube are also blocked from being monetized. Someone doesn't like this info getting out or this article! Read on to find out what it's about. Funny thing is, I think I'm the only person on the web so concerned about it. I have heard no one else touch on the subject that could leave America starving. How did we get to a point that only .70% (not even 1%) of our WORKING POPULATION is in farming?!?! Remember those tricky numbers played with unemployment? Well, it's also going on with the amount of farmers too. Just keep reading, your food depends on it.
 
I am an avid gardener, animal lover, homesteader, and wild herbalist. I rarely get on the 'you should be freaked out' ban wagon. However, I have just caught wind of a very dangerous regulation, called a directive, that is going to: 1- raise food prices, 2- decrease animal health, and 3- will possibly put the few American farmers that are left out of business. Click here to read the bill for yourself; then I will explain why this is soooo scary.

  To begin with this bill advocates an 'oversight' concerning antibiotics that before farmers never had. It dresses up the regulation as a good thing, because it will regulate antibiotic use in feed for food producing animals. However, it will also regulate ALL other antibiotics (except a few) deemed "Medically Important". This means, that in order for a homesteader or farmer to treat an animal for a disease, infection, or injury...they MUST now call a vet. Whereas before, all "Medically Important" antibiotics have been kept on the feed store shelves and the farmer could treat sick animals without a large vet bill. This will all change now. Can you imagine what it is going to cost now to treat 40 to 100 cows with a runny eye? Often this is a beginning sign of RBI, a pneumonia-like condition, that if not caught early can destroy a herd. So calling a vet, will take time and money that most farmers DO NOT HAVE. Calling a vet to treat several animals would raise the bill by thousands. So, your food prices will go up! It's called the Veterinary Feed Directive, but this name is very misleading. It does make a new regulation to remove antibiotics from feed, unless you have a prescription.  It also removed life saving antibiotics from public use for animals, unless you also have a prescription. Not many vets are large animal vets anymore, and those that are, charge a hefty fee to drive out on a farm call. Our vet charges $150 to $200 just to come out before any treatment is given. If you still don not think it is targeting the medically needed antibiotics, here is a quote from the website, " Now, the agency is moving to eliminate the use of such drugs for production purposes (i.e., growth promotion and feed efficiency) and bring their remaining therapeutic uses in feed and water under the supervision of licensed veterinarians." This last part is crucial...THEIR REMAINING THERAPEUTIC USES IN FEED AND WATER. That covers all life saving antibiotics as well as ones used for growth. Have you ever thought about how you might track down and inject a pasture of cows on a daily bases? It is impossible! Factory farms can do that, because the cows never see the light of day and are standing in their own sh** in very small quarters. But the real farmer with cows or animals in a pasture, cannot do it and someone is trying very hard to put the VERY FEW that are left out of business. And for those of you who say go natural, hmmm that isn't possible at this point. Farmers (the majority) do not have the skills, knowledge or time being so under paid, over regulated and over worked to figure out natural medicine at this point. It's just like you driving 30miles a day to work, then someone comes along and takes your car and your told just walk to work. You cannot even understand how upsurd this is. I know a lot of these farmers and they are so mild mannered and easy going, but this is going to cost the last of them all they have. Many have expressed to me how they will go under. Farming is the hardest job on earth. It's unaffordable and just plain destructive to pull the rug out from under them this way. Oh, and yes, you will go hungry when all this comes back around. Yes. those regulations WILL come back around to the people and food that was there last year, will NOT be there. *My vet says even injectables are included, although they will transition over later. 
  Many farmers who treat several animals must use powder put into food or water, because to inject several on a daily bases is a lot of work. IT's impossible for animals on 100acres of pasture! Not all animals will be happy to be shot with a needle continuously either. It would be dangerous to deny small farmers the easier way of using a water soluble powder to treat a large number of animals at once. By putting into feed or water, the sick animals are treated without trouble or a large charge. This is going to cost everyone. Farmers must pass on their costs to consumers, and when food prices go up, the farmer (who cannot compete with big corporations) will go out of business. The fewer farmers, the less amount of food is being put into circulation. Then because of supply and demand, the bigger corporations can raise prices and no one is left to compete. Here is another quote, from the FDA, questions page.."What will this mean in practice? Answer: Once these changes are fully implemented, it will be illegal to use these medically important antibiotics for production purposes, period. Instead of having unrestricted over-the-counter access, animal producers will need to obtain authorization from a licensed veterinarian to use these medications for therapeutic uses — for prevention, control or treatment of a specifically identified disease." Notice that word "fully"...that means even shots or any "medically important antibiotic will go out of reach for farmers and homesteaders!!! So affordable and safe access to antibiotics will be no longer available to the homesteaders and small farmers and this is good?!? Just so long as it seems to have a good sounding cause, like antibiotic resistance or adding oversight to unrestricted use. Try adding cost and regulation as well as a national registry of animals to over worked and underpaid farmers and killing the self sufficient homestead movement at the same time.
  Again, from their own mouths, it is clear...you will need a prescription to treat your animal for disease, (therapeutic uses)! So basically all antibiotics are going to be off the shelf and given only under very strict guidelines and costly measures. *That means more sick animals, less food in circulation and many farmers/homesteaders will give up or go under. See the list that even includes injectables that will go into transition from OTC to needing a VDF (prescription). All the "medically important" antibiotics will be unreachable by the common farmer! Wake up folks.
  Let's look at this in a very real way. I and many other people I know, have had to treat an emergency on the homestead, and haven't had the money to call a vet on the spot. My animals do not eat antibiotic-laced feed, but have had to receive a life saving antibiotic only a handful of times. Calling a vet 45 minutes away, and costing as much as the animal is worth, is not exactly affordable or promoting good animal husbandry. In fact, it's promoting sickness and possible death among those animals in the food supply when the farmer cannot afford a vet. Many sick animals are still processed into food although they aren't well or have died of sickness. This will only increase. Sounds yummy, huh? No! While the factory farms will still have the ability to lace their food with the antibiotics that are indeed causing antibiotic resistance, because their vet is on payroll. No need to worry, you'll still be getting the antibiotics from the animals coming from the factory farms.
  So how is this absurd bill getting passed? It is claiming to add oversight (the vet) to all animal care. It also claims to remove the antibiotics for safety because of the antibiotic resistance that is becoming a problem. Well, couldn't they just remove the antibiotics in feed? Yes, they could, but they are putting ALL antibiotics under "judicious oversight". As well as leaving the door open to factory farms to still use antibiotics in the feed, by simply saying they will need a prescription. All factory farms have vets on their payroll. So do you really think that the vet is going to turn down the factory that pays his steady income from the prescription it wants ? See, the antibiotics in feed help to add weight to the animals. It is used like a steroid. It fattens up the animals quick. So the factory farms will still be able to put antibiotics into the feed because they have vets on call. However, small farmers and homesteaders will lose the ability to treat and care for a sick or injured animal cheaply and quick. So masked under the "removal from feed" please read the bill and pay close attention to words like "Judicious Oversight", "Medically Important", "need a prescription to treat, prevent or use therapeutically for any sickness or disease". Again, this is no joke, and cause and effect will raise the costs of food to a level that you cannot imagine. If the cost of caring for an animal doubles, so will your food prices. You should contact your representatives now to find out why this thing got shoved into law, without even the consent or knowledge of most farmers. The costs of vet oversight to give life saving care to an animal will put most into a position to loose everything they have. And could cause our delicate food supply to take such a hit, most small farmers will have to give up and quit. Famine anyone? But I think that is exactly the reason this was pushed through without anyone knowing until months before becoming effective. Most of us cannot even imagine how few farmers there are left in America. It is a very scary number! America only has .25% of it's populace in farming. Oh, yes. NOT EVEN 1%! While Russia has a robust 10%, and China 33%, we here in America are staring famine in the face, by regulating our farmers to death and out of work. Not even 1% of our population is farming, while at the turn of the previous century (in the early 1900's) 90% of America was farming. Click on the link below, to see the 'tricky' numbers. *Notice that the US numbers are tricky, it combines farming, fishery, and forestry to get it's already low number. It also uses only the 'working population', while other countries includes the entire population! Below link is the comparison of the three major  world 'Super Powers'. Russia, China, and the US. It is a joke how few farmers we have left. The accurate number without tricks, is about .25%. And if you look at the link, you will see the US ranks third to the bottom, in the entire world for farming. We are only beat by two countries (the smallest countries in the world) for last place. Vatican city and another small island are the only two that have fewer people in farming than the US. Yes, we have the fewest people in the entire world in farming for a country over a few miles wide. *Also note most farmers here in the US grow crops that you cannot eat such as GMO corn, cotton and soy. You're staring famine in the face! Check it for yourself.
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/fields/2048.html
United States: farming, forestry, and fishing: 0.7%
manufacturing, extraction, transportation, and crafts: 20.3%
managerial, professional, and technical: 37.3%
sales and office: 24.2%
other services: 17.6%
*note: figures exclude the unemployed (elderly, children, and unemployed are not counted) roughly 1/2 of the population.
 (2009)
China agriculture: 33.6%
industry: 30.3%
services: 36.1%
 (2012 est.)
Russia agriculture: 9.7%
industry: 27.8%
services: 62.5% (2012)
They listed .7% as the amount of farmers, in the US but only included 'the working population' to manipulate that high figure. Again that is more accurately .25%, NOT EVEN 1%! As they say, "No Farmers, No Food"! The hammer is about to fall and your still worried about the joke of an election..

Your children need to be exposed to germs!

Yes, you read that right and this is one of the many reasons I raise my children on a farm. They need germs! Your children should be getting a decent amount of germ exposure. If not, your child's immune system cannot function properly. Immunizations are in fact the man made imitation of God's way of subtle exposure to germs to strengthen the immune system. So if doctors apply this thinking, why shouldn't you? However, in God's way of immune building, there are no needles involved. It's as simple as cleaning a chicken coop or climbing a tree. The facts speak for themselves here. As our society has become obsessed with cleanliness, our sickness has increased. I am speaking for the state of most of America; we are able to clearly obtain scientific data to back this up. Here (click here to read for your self) is one of many articles quoting the results of the study group, who published their findings in Science Magazine. It clearly shows the correlation of increased allergies and asthma to be directly linked to lack of exposure to germs such as you would find on a farm. The original article sites specifically the exposure to dust from cow manure. It produces a protein called A20 that prevents allergies! We as Americans have moved away from farming and living in agricultural settings. In turn, we are reducing our ability to strengthen our immune systems and are suffering for it. You should make it a point to let your children get outside and play. We purposely do not entertain our children with electronic babysitters so they will do what comes naturally to them, and that is to go outside and explore the creation around them.

  We know that when a child is exposing themselves to sunlight, they are getting vitamin D, a much needed nutrient. We also know that skin absorbs 70% of whatever is comes onto contact with. So are your children coming into contact with nature? Or are the lathered in plastic containing lotions, synthetically processed clothing, toxic soaps and shampoos, and constantly touching plastic and EMF carrying electronics? Do they go barefooted and play outside? Do you criticize them for getting dirty? Think about all the daily opportunities to encourage healthy living in your children. Do you do that? Or are you always worried about cleanliness and have sick children? Let them go play and have fun in nature, they way God designed them to learn and play. Do you have animals around? If not take them to a farm as often as possible and let them get dirty. Have them collect eggs and clean a chicken coop. God originally designed man to do these types of activities, and as the children are exposed to hard work, animals, and nature, they become healthier and happier people. Don't stop them from getting a little dirty; get outside with them to bond with them! Work in the dirt, milk a cow or goat, chase some chickens, grow a garden and do what God intended us to do and our families health will be better for it.
 God Bless
 Melisa

Using Essential Oils in Your Organic Garden, and How To Create A Sustainable Micro Eco-System (Homestead)

 I recently wrote an article for the Union Co. Mississippi Green Magazine and wanted to share it with those of you who are interested in natural homesteading.

  Have you decided that now is the time to start avoiding chemicals in your lawn and garden? Have you discovered the power of nature in essential oils? Do you want to kick the chems, but not sure what could be used as a substitute for things like fertilizer, pest control, and disease control? I garden with 6 children in tow, and my first reason for gardening is their health. The foods offered in most stores are of course heavily sprayed with chemicals for pests, fertilized with chemicals, and even planted in the ground where pre-emergence herbicide granules are tilled into the soil. Some plants are even being genetically modified or injected to carry the pesticide in the plant, so they can say it isn't sprayed. Hmmm. Do you really want to consume that? At some point you should begin to wonder exactly how far this can go, before we, like the honey bees, get close to extinction. Did you know that in China, because the almond trees are injected with such potent pesticides and chemicals, the honey bee is almost extinct and people are now hired (or made) to hand pollenate the almond and fruit trees using q-tips and tooth brushes? Just how far can a society go before the damage is irreversable? As a child my father always told me, "The elevator goes all the way to the bottom floor, but it's up to you when you get off." I've decided to do just that. There is an awakening taking place. Millions of people are choosing to stop the madness and embrace the ideas of using the God-given natural forces in creation to better our lives. These organic and natural items are often at our fingertips, and usually very inexpensive. From composting to using essential oils there are so many options now available. I suggest you start now, doing simple things that will wean your home off the chemicals for a healthier lawn, garden, and family. I like to think of it as creating a micro-ecosystem of health in my own yard, a place of life and vitality!  It is more cost effective to begin looking at the home as an entire cycle rather than compartmentalize each aspect, such as gardening, animal care, ect…. Living green is done best when we can embrace the idea of all these aspects and make each work to support the other. It is what most are calling modern day homesteading. Creating your's can be done in small steps. When God made man, he put him right in the garden he created and there was not a chemical one for Adam to use, so he had to rely on natural and organic means of survival. My thoughts are this: if he can do it, we can too! It takes a little work to get started, but you will be greatly blessed by your efforts with loads of fresh, healthy fruits and veggies for you, your family, and your friends. The vitamin D you will be absorbing has now been shown to be a beneficial nutrient in the fight against cancer. Also consider this, your skin absorbs 70% of what ever it comes in contact with. This includes minerals and nutrients in the soil. Yes, you are actually soaking in vitamins and minerals when working outside in the dirt and sun through your skin. So, get outside and let those young'ins run barefooted; it's really good for them! Maybe the exact placement of mankind in a garden setting had a healthful purpose after all!
  Here are some things my family and I have put into action that work, save us tons of money, and are healthier options to typical store bought plants, fertilizers, and other chemicals. I hope you will be able to use these 'hands on' techniques to your benefit. Gardening was created by God to be done within a family/friend setting and really many hands make light work. If you can, get those you love on board to a healthier home life. 
 1- Start your own plants from seed or buy locally produced plants. They will be better acclimated to grow in the weather they are started in. Also many companies are spraying the tiny plants with chemicals known as  Neonicotinoids, that are outlawed in many countries. These chemicals are used to control aphids and other seedling killers, but are known to kill honey bees. My personal thoughts are if it 'kills' anything, I really don't want it around my family. Last I checked, Bonnie Plants inc. did not spray theirs with any insecticide. They are also semi-local, coming from Arkansas. They are an awesome southern plant company. You can call and ask them questions anytime, as I often do. Many New Albany and Oxford greenhouses and nurseries are the best growers as they are producing those things best suited to our region. We also need to support those local businesses first. Here are some other places and their web addresses where you can find awesome heirloom and hybrid seeds that I have always had good success with. I grow heirloom mostly, as I have seen the hybrids to be much weaker.
Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds: rareseeds.com
Seed Savers Exchange: SeedSavers.org
Territorial Seed Co: Territorialseed.com
Totally Tomatoes: Totallytomato.com
For Fruit:
Arkansas Berry: arkansasberryandplantfarm.com
and for best prices on bulk supplies checkout greenhousemegastore.com
Angel Wings Nursery in Byhalia, MS not on the web but located off Hwy 178 near the Victoria Exit. I know they start many of their own plants and do not have them shipped in.

  Always check your local farmers market, nurseries, and green houses for plants as we should support our local community growers! Plants started and sold by local folks should also have become acclimated to the current weather, humidity, and so on and have the potential to do better than any grown in a huge greenhouse in other climates. Coming from other places can also bring diseases into your yard and garden that you didn't have before. For this reason I avoid buying plants, trees, and bushes from big corporate stores except for Bonnie Plants. If you cannot find a certain plant locally, try ordering from a nusery online that is near enough to you that the climate is similar. On ocassion I have bought a plant at a big store, but only if I can evaluate it very closely.
  After the season has begun producing it's fruit, don't forget to save your own seeds. Saving seeds from your own garden is very beneficial to stopping disease, because the more acclimated your seeds/plants become to your soil, the more disease resistant they naturally become to that enviroment. This is why disease resistant strains are becoming harder to find without hybridization. I recommend trying to start your own heirlooms and regrowing those from your own seed to produce a sturdy for your own garden. We as a people have culled the garden seed and plants to mainly store bought hybid varities that may introduce disease rather than adapting to become resistant to it in our own areas. It's much like the over-use of antibiotics. There needs to be bio-diversity in the garden to continue to allow nature to carry out it's designed ability to survive. Adapting to it's surrondings are important to how plants continue to live and evolve in an ever changing world. Too much domestication actually can produce weaker plants and could possibly contribute to the spread of disease because most of the plants are shipped in and not grown in the local area. A plant's DNA has the ability to unlock disease resistance, like 'turning on' a light switch. However, if not allowed to be used it will fade out to a degree. Much like the blind fish who live in deep sea caves. The information not being using on the DNA sequence is turned off, and then may become altogether unusable in the next generations.
  Simply put, the varities that are culled cannot be diverse enough to cover every disease, they also must be babied in order to live and produce food. This can also be very dangerous. When farmers and gardeners only plant a few varieties, certain diseases they are not resistant to can come through an area and easily wipe out a major portion of plants. All those that are not naturally resistant will die and could produce a famine. Think about the Irish potato famine. It does happen! We save and replant some of our own seeds every year to strengthen our own varieties. Some of these plants thrive, while others die. This is how certain varities grow even better, stronger, and learn to resist disease. It will become an asset to your garden to produce a seed/plant varity that will thrive in your own unique soil and weather conditions. You'll also save money this way. However, the only way this can be done is with heirloom types. Hybrids usually revert back to one parent type. So although we have grown both, I only save the heirloom seeds for next years replanting. Hybrids must be bought again each year for purity.
  2- Organic fertilizer is a lot cheaper and easier than you think. You can make your own organic soil if you are planning a  small garden, using raised beds, or container gardening. Mix 1/4 sand, 1/4 peat moss, 1/4 yard dirt, and 1/4 manure. You may want to add compost and lime to this to make it more nutritious. Work in supplements from the kitchen, such as powdered egg shells, milk, and coffee grinds, as you are able. You want to create that eco-system that is sustainable (mostly self supporting) by using what you have. Organic fertilizer is right at your finger tips. For instance, way before spring and summer I save every eggshell from every egg I crack. The shells either go crumbled to the chickens for the calcium and grit they need in their gizzard, or get dried out for plant fertilizer. This is a simple way to use what is right at my finger tips (free) without paying the high price of organic fertilizer. I set the eggshells outside to dry and then powder in the blender to add to my 'breakfast for the plants' recipe. It adds much needed calcium to the tomato, pepper and eggplants. I also use up the coffee grounds this way. Veggie scraps feed the chickens while the chickens feed us. By feeding them scraps and letting them free range, you can also drastically cut back a feed bill. I buy feed but only use it sparingly. If you have any animals, use them to turn up the dirt and poop right where your going to be planting. In the off season, plant something to draw them to the garden. This last fall, we fenced in our garden area, planted Winter Rye Grass, and turned the cows into our garden yard to "fertilize" the garden organically. Chickens can be used the same way. They love the cheap green things, so for them, we planted Lettuce, Turnip Greens, and Rye Grass. You can use Mustard Greens or Kale also. They are let out into the smaller unfenced garden planted with these greens, to "have at it". They have had a blast out there scratching and adding manure for us to till into the soil come spring. If you know of someone nearby who has animals you can always offer to clean out a barn or carry off a load of manure. We have made this a family project to do on weekends. Cow manure is best, because their complex stomach system breaks down the grass seed. Horses have a simple stomach and cannot breakdown the grass seed so make sure you use cow manure. Other wise you will be planting grass seed into your garden. These are a few very inexpensive ways to organically fertilize and begin your own organic eco-system.
  Lime is another all natural "must" in southern gardens. The soil in the Mississippi is usually very acidic, so you should consider adding some lime every year. It's natural (comes from mined lime stone) and very inexpensive. Another way to increase your crop production rate is to add bees to your yard. In many cases you can even have bees in a city or suburb. Check with your local extension office for any guidelines. I do know Mississippi offers a program to pay you back half of your investment if you set up a honey bee operation in the state. This is because our population of bees is extremly low. Their presence benefits the entire community and state by aiding crop production and farming. Interested in bees? Ask somone currently selling honey at the New Albany Farmers Market or contact the Mississippi Bees Keepers Association for more info at mshoneybee.org

*Here is the my recipe for 'Breakfast for the Plants' using all natural ingredients:
4 Cups Dried Oats (just what you eat for breakfast) put into blender to powder
1 Cup Epsom Salt
2 Cups Organic Sugar
12 to 18 dried Egg Shells, powdered
1/2 Cup dried and powdered used Coffee grinds
Mix into a gallon Jug and add 2 Tablespoons to soil at plant roots once a week. Mix into soil so roots arent directly touched and possibly burned by salts. If using on potted plants, use only 1 Tablespoon per weekly dose.
  3-Pest Control. Here are the things we have found very helpful at controling pests. For most garden plants such as tomatoes, we place a few marigold seeds betweeen each plant and that controls all tomato worms period. This works for peppers and eggplant pests as well. For ground and root problems, we have released beneficial nemetodes bought from Garden's Alive. These will actually help rid the soild of the root destroying nematodes. Chickens are one of the best pest control items you can use. They will scratch and search them out. Be it worms or creepy crawly bugs, they are not picky eaters! The best and most powerful pest control spray I have ever used is this one I make using essential oils and neem oil. I make it in the gallon spray jug and shake very well as I spray. It is as natural as you can get and safe for the children to use. This is a big deal because all my children like to learn to operate the sprayer. I want to know they are safe and allow them to feel welcomed to help me in the garden. Children need to feel loved and not shooed away, so using a natural spray is one way I can get their involvement and bond with them in the garden. This spray also seems to greatly help with blight and other diseases. I have no scientific study or evidence to back this up, but I have noticed to does seem to slow the progression of fungi on the tomato plants. Most all essential oils are naturally anti-fungal, anti-bacterial, anti-microbial, and anti-viral. I am quite sure this is why using an essential oil formula is not only beneficial for repelling pests, but alsocontrolling diseases naturally. I swear by it! Spray at evening (after dinner) so the bees are not affected. At that time they have already returned to the hive for the night. Also spray the under side of leaves, as the bugs will 'hide' under there.

*Natrual Homemade Pest Repellent For Plants:
Fill jug with one gallon of warm water (not hot)
Add 1/2 teaspoon of dish washing liquid
.25 oz Lavender
.50 oz Citronella
2oz Neem Oil
Shake well as it needs to stay suspended during your spraying. Because oil and water do not mix, you have to shake it often in order to keep it suspended. Most suspension ingredients are chemicals and cannot be added without adding some amount of risk, so I find it no biggie to just shake it as I spray. If you find yourself wanting a purely organic bought item, you should give DE (Diatomeceous Earth) a try. It comes in powder form, like many other pesticides and must be sprinkled on. Diatomaceous Earth is an off white talc-like powder that is the fossilized remains of marine phytoplankton. When sprinkled on a bug that has an exoskeleton it compromises their waxy coating so that their innards turn into teeny tiny bug jerky. But it doesn't hurt mammals. We can eat it. It's in lots of grain based foods because lots of grains are stored with diatomaceous earth to keep the bugs from eating the grain. It must be ordered online, because I have not seen it any stores in Mississippi. Another wonderful product for bugs with an exoskeleton such as aphids, squash bugs, and beetles, there is an awesome product called Kleen Green Naturally Enzymes. Only availible online, it can also can used at a very diluted ratio of 1.5oz per 32oz (1 quart) of water. It should only be used on mature plants,
not newly sprouted seedlings as it could burn the young plant. It's like manure, an awesome natural product, but too much or used on tender plants could be harmful. I use it with our Lavender, Orange, or Fir Essential Oils as a household cleaner as well. It can also be used on animals for fleas, ticks, and mites. The website is Naturalgenesis.com For worms, catapillar and the like: I have only one word, Marigolds. We plant them all around and they have kept our garden FREE of bad worms on most all plants in the garden. I have a Youtube on this. Check out the channel Homestead Moma for exactly how we do this.
  You will also be needing to invest in a good natural/organic pest repellent for those people and animals you love. Here is a recipe you can use to make your own. Increase or decrease amount as you see fit.
*Natural Pest Repellent For People and Animals:
Using a dropper place the following essential oils into a roll on, small 2oz spray bottle, or dropper vial:
5 drops Lemon Grass, Lemon Eucalyptus, or Peppermint ( Your choice )
15 drops Citronella
5 drops Lavender
All Food Grade, 100 % Pure Essential Oils are found by clicking here.
Mix all the essential oils with 1.75 oz of a liquid (organic is best) cooking oil and put into a small container to use while outside with the kiddos, grandkids, and other friends and family.   We also make and sell natural/organic pest repellents safe for people, planet, and animals. I designed them for my own children's use while working with me in the garden. We also use on them on our family and animals. You can purchse our natural pest repellents and/or these and other Food Grade essential oils from our webstore at Homesteadmoma.com They are certified pure and lab tested for top quality. I use what I sell, so I only sell the best for an affordable price! When using essential oils, be sure they are pure, or they will not be as effective as they should be. All companies promise purity, however lab work is the only way to be absolutely sure of what you're getting. Do be careful when using pure essential oils, and if you ever get them into the eye area, wipe with a food grade cooking oil to remove. Essential oils gravitate to fatty acids and therefore will be plunged deeper into the body if you wash with water. However, they will come out of the flesh or tissue if you use an oil to remove.
4- Disease Control. This is a tricky one for everyone in the gardening community. We have had great success with double planting. This was accidental one year, but as it turned out the fall crop seemed to be pretty large and the plants had much less disease (fungus) than the spring plants. They kept producing until frost killed them. Because the south is nothing more than a humid sweat box in spring and summer, we cannot expect anything less than some disease issues. So if succession planting (plant some now, then some later) is not a workable thing for you, try the organically approved spray Actinovate. This was recommended to us from Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds as the very best. This will be our first year to use it but have heard nothing but great reviews. I do use sulfur (lightly) as a dust and use wood ashes (also lightly) from the wood burning stove when seedlings are still in my greenhouse as they are both natural bug repellents and help to control diseases as well. These two items are both full of micro-nutrients the plants can use. There are also a few natural copper sprays that come highly recommeded offered by Gardens Alive or found in you local garden section at the store. For an all natural recipe that cost little to nothin' and is a good preventative and moderate at deisease control try this.
*Baking Soda For Blight and other Diseases:
3 Tablespoons Baking Soda
1 Gallon Water
1 Tablespoon Liquid Cooking Oil
1/4 Teaspoon of Liquid Dish Soap
Mix all in a gallon sprayer shake well. You need to shake as you go to keep emulsified. Spray tops and undersides of leaves and until dripping. I find it best to spray for disease at night for best results, as that's when the humidity really works on the plants. Never spray in the heat of the day as the sun and chemical mix could scorch the plants.
5- Weed Control. Last but not least, weed control will also be a very important part of gardening. You can use an easy, cheap, and organic way to control your weeds by covering your garden (after plants are about 1 to 1&1/2 ft tall) with straw. The plants need the micronutrients in the dirt, so I do not advise straw bale gardening, but a thick 6 inch covering with straw will strangle out most weeds just as well as using a weed killer or plastic covering. Make sure to use straw and not hay as you will be planting grass seed into your garden. Mulch or compost around each plant or worked into the bed's top layer will also keep the weeds from choking out the plants and help hold water. If needing to control weeds in a very big area you can fill your gallon sprayer with vinegar and spray away, just as you would use a chemical spray. Vinegar is totally natural, very inexpensive, and effective at killing all plants. Just be careful not to get it on those plants you wish to keep. Another great form of weed control is good ole fashion work. Yes, you and those you love should get out and grow together, pull weeds together and make memories sweating together. You cannot buy that, and it's organic!
  If you would like to ask me any questions about gardening, homesteading, or using essential oils, you can contact me by going to our website, homesteadmoma.com and using the 'Contact Us'
form. Follow our family's homesteading adventures and glean more organic gardeing tips by liking our FaceBook page, Homestead Moma. Signup for our email newsletter at Homesteadmoma.com. or check out the You Tube channel for more tips, Homestead Moma  I hope your garden season is fabulous, fun, healthy, and blessed!

Healing Wounds Naturally On The Homestead

I always keep a jar of Comfrey oil on hand in our house, for wounds. It is one of the most powerful herbal remedies I have ever used/made. Comfrey is also called "Knit Flesh". Get it? It helps skin and other tissue including muscle, to grow back together quickly. I have been using in my home on little issues we humans have like cuts or something you didn't need to go to a Dr. for. Then we got a puppy. The dog being a playful puppy, got ahold of a loose chicken one day and gave her a slice down the back (all skin was off and muscle tissue was all that you could see). I was sure it would kill her. I didn't want to loose her, so I decided to try the comfrey oil and lay the skin in place where I could tell it went. Some muscle was still exposed under her wings and on her lower back. I soaked the girl completely and we made her a nesting box with food and water in our little brooding cage. I said to the children we should say a prayer for her and hope for the best. I really didn't expect her to make it. So we left her alone, you could tell she was in shock, and just daily brought her food and water. It was earlier in spring do new green grasses were coming up, so we gave her those as well. I checked on her in a week and the skin had grown back almost completely with very little muscle still showing. I poured the rest of the oil on her and checked back in another week. Viola! She was healed and only missing a few feathers after the second week check. We went ahead and left her in the brooder cage another week so she would be as good as new when we reintroduced her to the flock. I was so shocked I snapped a picture at the second week check so you can see for yourself exactly how good she looked, only missing a few feathers. She had almost no skin on her back at all! The kids were even very shocked. Of course the praying was just as important. I hope you may be able to plant and keep Comfrey on your homestead. It really helps for wounds when you don't have a vet around.

To make Comfrey Oil, simply gather from your plant or used dried herb. Fill a pint jar full of fresh herb or half full of dried herb. *Do not wash herb before using in oil, because you will introduce bacteria into the oil. You may want to add some Ginger for pain and Tumeric for calming immflamation. Cover completely with Organic Olive Oil and let sit in a crock pot with water half way up the jar. Simmer on low or keep warm for 48hrs. The oil needs to sit for about 48hrs to absorb all the healing properties from the Comfrey and any other herbs you added. *NO WATER can get into this oil or it will mold. It must remain oil only.  So when you pull out of the crock pot wipe jar completely. After that just strain out with a pillow case, sheet, or cheese clothe. Your oil can also be then turned into salves or used straight. This is an awesome skin oil that can be used for cuts, scrapes, bruises, and burns. Hope you found this helpful.

 

 

 

Make Your Own Survival - Homesteader's Soap Recipe *Milk Version Too!

  This is a repost of a previous one that I have updated and revised for ease and for newbies to my blog. It is one very important post for those just waking up to the reality that life throws curves and those that know how to handle it often do better than those that don't.
  It's very easy to make your own soap for survival and all you need is three basic ingredients and some utensils. This recipe is going to involve electricity but you can do it without it. I'm going to lay this out so it is as easy as possible for those who have never done it before and who cannot get to a class. I will be teaching how to make this basic soap in a class titled "Basic Soap Making for Survival With and Without Electricity" at the National Preppers and Survivalists Expo in Baton Rouge in March of 2017. If you can come, you can see how truly easy this can be and I'd love to have you!
  A lot of people out there would love to learn how to make a pure natural bar of soap and in a survival situation, you may need to make it yourself or do with out it. I have heard soldiers and others who were not able to get soap who placed it up there with food for one of the things they desired in a worst time.  I do have soap making kits available as well for those who would like the convenience of having all needed ingredients to come premeasured and together in one order.
  So here is my recipe for a basic plain ol' lye soap, free of nasty chemicals, fragrances, dyes, and preservatives. For those who are interested and would like to get started but don't know where to find ingredients, I have listed websites and put together a basic kit with a hand crafted, industrial strength mold you will never need to replace or worry about buying again. You can also use a plastic (very good grade) mold that will not melt. That is everything except a cooking pot, plastic or glass pitcher, good weighing scales, and stick blender that you can find at many retail stores. I put the kit together so it would be a little easier to get started and understand than when I first got started years ago for my own children's needs.
  Many of you have probably heard the "scare" tactics commercial soap companies used for years, that says lye or homemade soap is harsh or even dangerous. Well, that couldn't be further from the truth. ALL SOAP IS LYE SOAP. Many companies will disguise their soap's lye ingredient as Sodium Talloate or some other form used to describe the saponification process using lye and fats like tallow. Again even liquid soap is lye soap. Most liquid soap uses Potassium Hydroxide.
  Old fashion lye soap is probably THE VERY BEST SOAP you will ever use. Plain or Milk are the best. It is ALL we use in our house from hand washing to dishes. It NEVER breaks out our skin and NEVER over dries. With all the chemicals in commercial soaps, my children break out and itch constantly. So here is an all natural soap base that you can use to make many different versions. At first stick to the basic soap and master it. Then, when you're confident, add other ingredients like goats milk. We have a lot of skin issues and our homemade lye soap has NO CHEMICALS, and helps with our skin problems like eczema and acne. So here is my basic lye soap recipe that is Chemical Free and NOT Super Fatted. I have chosen to use more of an old fashion soap that is not super fatted because super fatted soaps usually do not set up right. They will separate and go rancid easily. They also do NOT clean as well. My basic soap is safe for even using on teeth in place of tooth paste. Although tooth paste sellers would probably disagree, because it will hurt their sales. For more on that topic, google the name Dr. Gerald F. Judd. You will be surprised at his findings, and how easy/cheap good dental care really is.
  I have studied the use and making of homemade soaps extensively, as well as making it for it our home and for business for about 12 years now. I am confident we have reduced our exposure to toxic chemicals and helped our skin heal from many issues. I know we have saved tons of money I the process. I love my basic soap and hope you will too.
  For those of you who would like to purchase a totally pure soap, instead of making it for yourself, you may find it here..

   This basic soap has only 4 ingredients and leaves a wonderful smell behind if used in laundry. Lard, Lye, Water, and Peppermint Essential Oil. *You can use this basic recipe for any soap, milk as well. Just replace water with a milk (goat, cow, sheep, ect.). Also make sure the milk is frozen at least half way. The lye gets to be around 400 degrees, and will quickly cook the milk, so it MUST be partly frozen or you will have cheese, not a smooth milk for soap. I do also use this recipe with Organic fats other than lard. I do not use Coconut Oil as the base fat, because of the 'detergents' in it. If not using Lard, use Organic Fats like Coconut, Shea or Mango. Also a solid fat will render a better soap, do not use a liquid only as it will not set up.  Lard is cooked down without chemicals to render a tallow or fat usable. It is also what most homesteaders used for years and years. It really makes the best soap, plenty of suds, and hard bars that last for a LONG time. These bars will last about 4 to 6 times loner than a commercial bar! I am not kidding. They really go far and the lard is why. What about other oils? You can mix and match oils, but using a large amount of liquid oils with this recipe or any others will sometimes cause separation when trying to set up. I don't like having to babysit it. I want to walk away and not be surprised when I go back to check on it. You can use some liquid oils but not as the majority. Don't try changing the basic recipe until you have more experience. Then you could play with it a little, just so long as the total fat used is 3 lbs and 6oz total. I have put together a kit for those beginners who would like the industrial strength mold and ingredients all prepared in an easy to use and understand way..
  When getting started you should also wear apron, safety goggles and gloves to protect yourself and the product. Also lye gets very hot, so stainless steel or glass utensils are best. Very sturdy plastic will work, but with plastic there is always the risk of melting or small particles coming of into product. *Sturdy plastic only and pick utensils carefully to make sure they can hold up. When using metal for soap making, ONLY USE REAL STAINLESS STEEL. Other metals break down with lye exposure!
Utensils needed:
Steel shafted stick blender (In a survival situation you will be stirring a while, in place of the stick blender)
Steel Pot big enough for recipe ( for this recipe, 10 to 12in round and at least 4 inches deep)
Sturdy Plastic Pitcher that will not melt with high heat of lye
Stainless Steel Ladle
Kitchen Scale (Good One costs about $50 or more. A digital is not a must, and in a survival situation it will need precious batteries you could use elsewhere so I keep an old fashioned weighted scale in my kitchen I bought from the Amish)
Candy Thermometer (You do not have to have this, it helps but is not a must.)
Soap Mold (not thin plastic) A sturdy Tupperware like container or steel mold or dish will work. You can find them at crafter stores online. Mine is a 12 & 1/2in by 10in rectangle. Mine precuts bars by shaping into individual bars with a divider. If your mold doesn't individualize bars you will need to cut using a straight edge and good knife when soap is firm but still somewhat soft, like cutting a block of cheese. Make sure you can flip the big soap out of the mold to cut it. Make sure your mold will allow for this.
Basic Soap Ingredients:
This recipe makes fifteen 5oz bars, so it's a larger recipe than most people use. You may need to adjust based on your mold.
3 lbs & 6oz of Lard *(makes the best soap with a good price, regular coconut oil contains detergents I do not want on my skin or my family's)
9.5oz of Lye (Sodium Hydroxide)
24oz Water Or Frozen Milk (at least half way frozen)
2oz Peppermint Essential Oil
*Vinegar, this is must to stop a lye burn instantly if you get it on the skin. It is acidic and lye is alkaline so it stops the burn on contact. A jar of pickles will do in a pinch!

  First label pitcher as LYE PITCHER so no one will drink from it. Then begin by weighing fats (Lard) and place total amount of fats in pot on medium heat to melt. Let melt and place on an eye that is not hot to cool and wait on lye mixture. *In a survival situation, you will make the lye mixture (water and lye crystals) and then pour into solid lard, to melt it that way. You will most likely NOT have electricity so the heat of the lye water can melt the lard for you.

  Next, weigh and add water or partly frozen milk to pitcher, and place in sink surrounded by a little cold water. This will help cool down lye mixture quicker. *If using milk, it will be better to even place ice in water around pitcher to help the milk not curd. When using milk, it will turn light brown or orange, this is OK. It is because the lactose (milk sugar) is carmalizing. Then weigh and add lye to pitcher SLOWLY. Go slow so no splashing occurs. NEVER add any liquid such as water to lye crystals, because of the possible volcano like effect. (*This is what people were doing with the drain cleaner in the 80's that caused blindness. They ran the sink water onto the drain cleaner containing lye. It then erupted on them.*) Always add the lye to the liquid and stir slowly and then let sit to cool. I open my kitchen window to let fumes escape and turn on a box fan. Remember to keep your vinegar handy, just in case it splatters at anytime in the process.

Once cooled to a temp around 150 F or (*in a survival situation just make sure it's not steaming anymore*), you can then pour lye liquid into melted lard, or fats. Using your steel ladle to stir as you go.

 Once the lye liquid is all in the pot with lard, blend with steel shafted stick blender.

Once it's beginning to firm up a bit, (or temp is about 125 F) add your Peppermint Essential Oil and blend once more. KEEP YOUR FACE BACK. The Peppermint will produce a strong fume as it is incorporated into heated soap.

If I am in hurry, I don't use the thermometer for my basic lye, personal soap. If I'm making a specialty soap or for selling, I do. But for this recipe it isn't a must and in a survival situation you probably will not have one on hand. Just let soap get thick and creamy a bit before adding essential oils or heat could kill their volatile properties. After you've mixed in the Peppermint well, pour into mold. This is a big mold my husband welded for me. Make sure your mold is on a towel or some surface that will not scorch because the heat of soap will transfer to surface through the mold. Also it will be heavy, so think about how to pick it up and where to put it when your finished. Sturdy handles come in handy.

*You may want to decrease recipe (by making only half) if you have a smaller mold or increase if needed. Last but not least, *place out of the way of those who might think it is cake batter or pudding.* Lesson learned, I now put on the frig covered with a towel to set up. It will take about 12 to 24hrs to set up. Sometimes, the humidity in the air will cause this time to speed up or slow down. Like candy making, the weather really seems to effect the process. You will then need to slide soaps out from between dividers with GLOVES on. Lye is still caustic. Then set on a glass or plastic tray to cure for two weeks. Metals other than steel reacts with the caustic lye and will cause issues. After that your soap is ready to use.

*This was written for educational purposes and I am NOT responsible or liable for any damages, reactions or adverse effects from someone using this or any of my personal recipes. I am also not responsible for the product you create.* I urge you to be careful, and remember to try your first lye soap making without anyone else around. I hope you found this helpful! You can find our handmade soap at Homesteadmoma.com

Recipes for Super Soap, Super Salve, and Ice Cubes - Use on Poison Ivy, Bites, & Stings!

  Jewel Weed is the very best wild herb for Poison Ivy. It has been used topically for this and other skin ailments for centuries. Funny thing is they usually grow together. If you've studied at all on medicinal herbs there is an old idea called the Doctrine of Signatures. I believe this is about as true as you can get when really evaluating herbs in their natural surroundings. The idea of finding the "cure" right next to the cause is ironic to me. This happens a lot in the wild if you know what to look for and is proof of an Ultimate Intelligent Designer. So anyway, here are some really great uses for this weed as well as how to preserve it for later. Ok to start with, gather now for poison ivy, bug bites, and stings later. It is a weed that most people will discard from their flower beds. You can google it or search all the characteristics out in a Peterson's Field Guide if you need more confidence about what it looks like. I have a picture here, but it hasn't flowered yet. The flower is a delicate hanging yellow flower. It is also called a wild Impatient. So it grows best in shady areas. Yet you can find some in sunny spots.

  Soap: Use a basic lye soap recipe but substitute the liquid with a Jewel Weed puree. Add any other herbs you would like to this basic puree. I like Ginger (for pain), Turmeric (for inflammation), Cloves (anti-everything and for pain), and Plantain (draws sting and infection). So you're just using this as your liquid in the basic soap. Freeze up a bit before making the soap so it doesn't totally scorch with lye. Throw in your favorite skin healing essential oils for more power. If you would rather purchase a bar of ours click here.    

Homestead Moma’s Super Salve Tm

Any Salve Begins With The Right Herbs

Collect the following herbs:

Comfrey, also known as knit flesh. Actually regrows cells and works to rejuvenate the cells structure. Good on cuts, scrapes, bruising, and scares.

Cloves, an antibacterial, antiviral, antifungal, antimicrobial, and antiseptic.

Wild or Domestic Ginger, for pain relief.

Plantain, for drawing out infection, swelling, thorns stingers, and the like.

Tumeric, although not wild, huge in helping to reduce inflammation and swelling.

Wild Winged Sumac, this increases the antibacterial content and healing power.

White Oak Bark, extremely helpful at healing infections, stopping bleeding, and tightening skin. High in astringent tannins. Very good at fighting infection.

 Salve: You’re going to fill a pint jar full of fresh and/or dry herbs and cover with oil. I prefer Organic Olive Oil. I load it full of as much herb as I can, but still leaving room for the oil. Simmer the pint jar full of herbs and Organic Olive Oil for 48hrs on low to warm, not hot in a crock pot half full of water. You could also use a pot of water on a very low burning wood stove. If it gets too hot, the heat will over cook the healing properties that are “active” at working on and aiding the healing process. So watch it. After 48 to 72 hrs of mild heat, strain through cloth and warm oil with equal amounts of bee's wax and 2 Tablespoons of Organic Coconut Oil. You’ll usually get 8oz of herbal oil from simmering a full pint. So that is about 8oz Organic Bee's Wax, 8oz Herbal Infused Oil, and 2 Tablespoons heaped of Organic Coconut Oil. Allow to blend and just before you pour into containers add your essential oils. I add 1 teaspoon of each Lavender, Peppermint, Tea Tree and Ylang Ylang. Litsea Cubeba is added at 2 teaspoons full. It is the ultimate antiviral and antifungal essential oil. It cannot be topped. Current studies have found it very effective in eliminating Athlete’s Foot. These are chosen for their skin healing and antibacterial properties. Pour into your containers ready for those you love to come in hollering about all those bumps, bruises, stings, and poison ivy. This will be a Super Healing Salve as long as you don't over heat it. Remember to simmer on low to warm throughout process. Again you can purchase at Homesteadmoma.com

  Jewel Weed Ice Cubes (not for eating)! You don't want to eat! It is like Poke Weed, and needs to have the tannins cooked and poured off. This is probably what makes it so potent against Poison Ivy. It is this "first cook and pour off" that helps the poison ivy subside. Though technically you don't cook it, you simmer it slow and low.  My friend let me weed her garden and shared her secret for instant summer Poison Ivy relief. All the Jewel Weed I could handle and one recipe I did not have. Ice Cubes ready to go from the freezer when those little people come calling. So easy, you just fill crock pot full of Jewel Weed and cover with all the water it will hold. Looks like you're cookin' turnip greens for dinner. Simmer on warm to low for 24hrs then strain off herb. Pour infused water into ice trays and freeze up cubes for later. After frozen, pop out and place into freezer bags and label so no one puts into their glass on sweet tea! Rub directly onto skin for any relief of outside drama: bites, stings, and Poison Ivy. Remember they are not to be eaten, but unless someone has an allergy to it, it shouldn't do harm if someone does put it in their mouth.
  Dry it for later use: simply lay out on a towel out of direct sunlight. Keep temps moderate. I just lay out on the dining room table. You can tie together and hang upside down like you see in pictures. I prefer to lay out so I can be sure it's not rotting. Move or toss around to keep aired out and keep the bottom from getting moldy. It dries out pretty quickly. Or you could use a dehydrator to use as a dry herb in later remedies. Herbs, just like foods, are always best the fresher they can be used. It seems to me they are more powerful in their healing abilities. However, dried herbs are very potent as well. When using dried herbs the average amount will be half of what you would use fresh, because they have now been concentrated as dried. Hope you found this helpful!

Why The Healthy Mom's Are Getting Fat

I hesitate to write this down, because people tend to twist the words of others when they don't like what is being said, but here goes nothin'. So I have seen myself at times and am now really seeing other healthy Mom's gaining weight, as most people do in there 30's. Many of us are watching closely what are families eat, and get a fair amount if exercise. So why are so many health conscious Mom's packing on the pounds? Well, I can tell you why this one thing isn't being mentioned, even whispered to consumers. It would hurt sales, especially those that rely on 'health guru and fad pushers'.
  I will speak from experience, observation, and medical research. Diets most healthy Mom's follow today are very high in fats and low in carbs. The one reason for the pound packing is a very simple but important thing doctors, guru's and those 'in the know' are not telling you. You must work like they worked if your going to eat like they ate.  WORK, did you get that? Most modern Americans cannot understand that our culture is totally void of that idea of what real work it takes to put food on the table. In order to give myself and my children a REAL perspective of this we grow, not everything, but a lot of our own food. It is very hard to get up and out in the garden, shell nuts, or pick and peel fruit. From weeding to hoeing, to harvest and canning, WE WORK. Probably not as much as they used to in the old days, or even as much as we need to be to equal a good aerobic workout. I just want to at least put forth the effort to try doing things different. I am not saying we are better than anyone else or that we have it all worked out. I am just trying to make some changes in our home to impart an understanding of good old fashioned work being what it really is, a good thing. Our bodies actually need it. Here's a good example: I spoke with a woman from the Caribbean recently who said her family, before industrialization, would harvest and make their family's own Coconut Oil and other products from the wild nature around them. I am sure not many people here in our country even know how to do something like that much less would exert that amount of energy to do it. We go through the check out with bags of nuts, real butter, yogurt, cheese and Coconut or Olive Oils. All are very healthy for someone like my Caribbean friend who from sun up to sun down NEEDED those life sustaining oils to carry her and her family through each day in the tropical heat. They had no sickness or disease what so ever. It isn't only what you eat, it's how you obtain it. My family has been blessed to be able to work together on some projects but nothing even on that scale. In a manner of speaking we Americans don't 'have' to work very hard to put food on the table, and that is our diet downfall. I do purposely garden with my children to show them many life lessons. It's work, and it's supposed to be. It's also a time in their lives they are making memories about things that will help them understand bigger FOOD and LIFE pictures.
 When we take for granted what ease of living can do, we suffer for it. I am just as guilty as the next guy, but resolved many years ago to change that. You should really think about not just the milk, cheese, or butter, but the "Who, What, How, When, and Where" also. Are you in that equation at all? That is really what it boils down to when diet is involved. Did you make that yogurt or butter? How many calories (or how much energy) would it take from you to feed your family a week supply of butter or yogurt if you or your family had to make it? Did you have to sweat for it? No one will argue that people through out time have had to work much harder without the ease of modern machines, to get food on the table. Whether you eat Paleo, Primal, or Makers Diet, you must recognize that many people are getting into eating the way of our ancestors, but NOT working like them. No matter your religion or beliefs, you cannot excape that fact. You do not have to be of any certain religion to look back on history and realize that WORK is the one single variable of the equation most of us are not putting in any more. All tribes of all peoples had to physically labor to provide food for their family and community. It was survival. It was also a good thing to bring people together and form bonds.
I believe the Bible when God said "cursed is the ground for thy sake" part of Genesis 3:17 and "In the sweat of thy face shall thy eat bread". Genesis 3:19a  Don't think that little bit of 'for thy sake' was meaningless. It is hard work bringing food to the table, but it is for our betterment and overall health that it is work. I have learned that going to the store really gives us a false idea that anything we desire can be obtained with very little effort. After having milked cows, made butter and cheese, grown gardens and so on, I realize that nature has it's way and you don't always get a 'full basket' so to speak. Connecting to your food supply and having a real understanding of the work and enjoyment it is, is reward enough to keep at it even when it's not all peachy. Most people will spend thousands of dollars to be apart of a sports team, but not really think about the family team. That family or community team WORK is what is missing today from our diets, as well as a dose of reality.
  When we shop at the stores, we are grabbing bags and bags of nuts that are full of 'good' fats, without having to exert any or very little energy to obtain that food. If you had to actually go gather, crack or shell them to eat them you would be burning calories to help offset the amount of fats you are getting, as well as spending precious time with people you love, or who are apart of your community. See it's a very important part of the food process to have to actually work to get it to your family. When you are not involved, not only may your health show for it in many ways, you may end up with having to choose from bad or worse options that you could have prevented by getting physically involved (dirty).
  Americans seem to avoid dirt and sweat like the plague. We have gotten a little to big for our britches so to speak. Both sweat and dirt are so good for you. People pay big bucks for them both. Clay and mud baths, as well as sauna rooms are found all over the world. Scientists and researchers gather soil daily to discover new and various types of micro organisms that are beneficial right from
the dirt we work hard to avoid. Many Pediatricians will tell you that if children were allowed to
play outside they would be healthier and have better immune systems, therefore also reducing
their need for antibiotics. Why aren't we listening? Is dirt really that bad? No, and it is almost
crazy how germ-a-phobic we as a nation have gotten, because as we have become more germ-a-phobic, we have also become sicker. Go figure. Many pharmaceutical medicines have their "Genesis" or beginnings in the soil. Studies for years now have shown that the skin absorbs about 70% of whatever it comes into contact with. The soil is loaded with vitamins, minerals, and micro organisms
that build up our immune systems for a robust health.
  At the time of the Revolutionary War, America was one of the tallest and healthiest groups of
people. We are now one of the shortest (a sign of poor nutrition), fattest, and sickest. The biggest change that we have had is to an industrialized (physically disconnected) diet. Also note that usually
with a change (decrease) in stature also comes a decrease in brain size. Hmmmm
 Ok, so is anyone getting it? We were hard wired, as well as the earth's soil, to work in providing the foods we and our family eat. Yes, actual physical work that is good for us. I hope you are getting the link here that is so very obvious. If God said to man, paraphrased from Genesis, " I am putting you here, in the garden and you have to work and toil in it 'for thy sake', and while your there your skin will even be able to absorb vitamins and minerals from the soil. Also you will be exerting energy while working, in order to remain healthy, as you harvest the food you eat.", why are we to be going about it any other way?
  I challenge as many of you as will listen, "get out and grow together". No diet guru, hospitals, or drugs needed. Before you or someone you love is another statistic. Remember it's what we were meant to do. It is hard, but SO worth it. You can start small, and just enjoy yourself. You don't have to grow/raise everything you eat, try a small garden. Learn as you go and be willing to mess up as you go. Find a friend or family member to do it with. Involve your children or grandchildren. You'll never forget the first time they say "Look what we did!" I LOVE working to grow and then harvesting that hard work with "them", my WONDERFUL CHILDREN! He who created us, put us in a garden, not a grocery store. I am not saying you cannot shop at grocery stores; this is a disclaimer so nobody can twist this message that way. I am just trying to encourage you to put your self where God originally put you, working in a garden, possibly with your family or those you care about and see if your overall health and happiness aren't the better for it.

No More Mastitis, Naturally

  Mastitis is a burden to both people and animals and this is how I have dealt with it naturally. I had severe swelling and pain in my breast that would not go away. I also had been on an antibiotic that did not help clear my infection, so I decided to try something else. I had already used a very similar version of this for chest colds in our home, so after reading that onions could possibly help, I whipped it up and in a matter of hours the pain was gone. I also made it into a salve for our milk cow which combined with peppermint helped us keep her clear from mastitis also. First I chopped an onion and sautéed it in liquid cooking oil, Safflower or Olive Oil. Once transparent, stop cooking. Let sit and cool a minute. While still warm, not hot enough to burn, but warm I wrapped in cheese cloth and placed on breast in bra. I stuck to chest with tape. Within about 30 minutes my pain was gone. I did leave on about two more hours to make sure all goodness was at work and absorbed.  I had no more pain, redness, swelling after that. Bam! It was gone. So then I just had to try on our cow.

   Now for Betsy our milk cow, who seemed to be getting mastitis lightly on and off around this same time. We had tried using utter injections of antibiotics. They did work, but we couldn't drink the milk for 5 days and I wondered if this couldn't be somehow causing her to become antibiotic resistant because it seemed the mastitis would return soon. So I cooked up some onions, chopped and sautéed again. This time about 2 or 3 and in more Safflower or Olive Oil so I would be able to have a good amount to use. I again cooked until onions were transparent and let sit until cool, and this time strained them from the oil. I added a little peppermint and basil essential oil to the onion oil. Only a few drops of each are enough, don't over do. Both of these are stimulating oils and will help the utter get things flowing. They are both very high in antibacterial and anti-viral properties. Peppermint will burn if you use too much so I made sure it wasn't.  Then to make a salve or "utter balm" I melted the same amount of bee's wax pellets as onion/peppermint oil. I then added 2 Tablespoons of Coconut Oil to the wax and onion oil to help it to spread softly onto utters or into hands. Poured all into a jar and kept in milking stall. We then used this as our milking balm instead of the other stuff bought over the counter. It kept her clear and no more antibiotic injections were needed.  I do remember her getting mastitis about 2 more times after I made it, but it would be when Husband was milking and he didn't like the minty feeling of the homemade stuff, so my daughter or I would just go back to using the homemade onion/peppermint balm and give a 'good massage' to her utter and it would clear back up no problem. This is just my own experience and now will use my onion/peppermint balm only for milking!