The Iowa Farmer's Wife: natural

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Tie Dye with Hollyhocks & Beets

Last week Gammie and my cousin Blair (12 years old) visited and we set to crafting. Raise your hand if you agree that crafting is better with others?!

I've been wanting to try dying something with beet juice (and we've got a fair amount of beets this year) so we dug out a white t-shirt for Sweet P, a onesie for Sprout and two head bands (one for me and one for Blair). In the midst of planning, the Farmer mentioned using hollyhocks. I was skeptical, but gathered dry dark purple hollyhocks from the flower patch in the front of the house.

It took a bit longer than we thought because you need to prepare your items before you dye them. When using natural dyes it helps set the dye.

Here are the steps:
Place items in a large pot of 4 parts water, 1 part vinegar. Simmer for 1 hour. You can begin dying right away or allow items to dry a bit. We let ours dry quite a bit before putting the rubber bands on.

For Beets: Peel and chop beets. Place in a sauce pan with 4 cups of water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until beets are soft. Turn off heat. Strain beets and set juice aside for dying. Eat or compost boiled beets.

For Hollyhocks: Place 1 cup of dried flowers in a small pot with 1-2 cups of water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Turn off heat. Strain flowers and reserve juice.

Place rubber bands on the items in various places.

Dip sections in the dye or place the entire item in the dye.

Allow to dry before removing rubber bands.

Remove rubber bands and admire your work!

NOTES:
The hollyhocks were AWESOME! They created a dark purple hue that I loved. We were really surprised by the golden beets and the color they created. The pink of the regular beets wasn't quite as dark as we were hoping for, but it still came out pretty neat.

I can't wait to do this again!

Sweet P wasn't awake when we did this project, but I definitely think it's something she'd love so we'll be doing it again so she can experience the dying process.

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First Day at the Farm

We've taken plenty of trips to the farm since Sweet P was born. When all of our visitors cycled through, we took each of them out to see why we moved to Iowa. We visited the farm twice during the winter, once Sweet P and I got out. The other time, we stayed snug as a bug in the car.

Yesterday (the weather was fabulous), though, we made our first real appearance on the farm as a family. While we waited for The Farmer to get the garden ready, we basked in the sun, took pictures in the fields, played in her new tent, laid on a blanket under some trees and took a stroll. When he was ready for us, we set up Sweet P with her walking cart (see picture) and I set to work.

If you are not aware, I do not like getting my hands dirty (which is pretty essential for gardening, farm work, etc). I am also not a gardener, I don't think I've ever planted anything and the only yard work I've ever done that I can recall is pulling weeds for money as a teenager. But I am really excited about the new garden and I am even more excited that I get to be a part of it. Getting there is tough with Sweet P in tow, but now that we know what taking her is like--we'll be making a whole lot more visits in the future.

Planting Beets

Okay, okay, so what did we plant? I planted Bull's Blood and Albino beets, turnips and radishes (I can just hear everyone salivating, HA!) while the Farmer planted broccoli, potatoes, kale, sugar peas, cabbage, swiss chard, arugula, lettuce, onions (The Farmer found 100 mini bulbs at Menards for $1.00, are you kidding?!), spinach and bok choy (now I really am salivating). I can't wait until we see results. We'll be taking a trip out next weekend so I can see how the plants are doing. Why did I plant so little? Well, I probably could have done more BUT...

After planting the beets, I opened the turnip package to see the tiniest seeds...EVER (imagine planting a sprinkle). I planted one row, then turned to help Sweet P with something and came back to plant the 2nd row. It wasn't until I was covering them with dirt that I realized I'd planted the 2nd row on top of the Albino beets! ARGH. Then, I accidentally put the extra turnip seeds from my hand in the Albino beets package. ARGH. And finally, while I was replanting the 2nd row, the turnip package blew in the wind dumping all but a few of the seeds onto the ground (I never did find them...tiny little things). But The Farmer was super patient with me and I got it done.

Watering the seeds with Sweet P

With all that, can you really believe I'm the Farmer's Wife?

What's Sweet P Eating?

Yum, leaves

When it comes to Sweet P, I try hard to mix things up for her. As you know, I'm sort of a looney-toon about making sure she eats organic and making her food myself. On Monday I wanted to try a few new things for her. Here's what she had:

Rice and Lentils

1/4 cup cooked organic brown rice

2 tbsp cooked organic lentils

1/3 cup cooked organic spinach

dash of paprika

dash of cumin

1 tbsp yogurt

1 tsp grated organic cheese

Cook the spinach in olive oil (not a lot) in a skillet and then add it to the rest of the ingredients. Mix ingredients together and serve. I burnt the first batch of lentils I made...apparently I didn't put enough water. That happens with beans A LOT in this household. She loved it (she loves most stuff right now, but hey, I take what I can get).

This was Sweet P's first experience with cheese. The Farmer and I had a discussion about cheese for Sweet P because I know there are a lot of kids out there that try cheese and then only eat cheese and not much else until they are 12. I know this because Auntie K was one of those kids. So I came up with the idea that we would only feed her cheese mixed into things and never as a food on its own. We'll see how that goes. Ask me again when she's 12.

If you haven't tried beans with your baby, they are a great source of fiber and protein (especially when paired with rice which makes a complete protein). And I'm pretty sure your baby will like them.

Going Green Tip of the Day: Natural Living Expo

If you live in Des Moines, you should definitely check out the Natural Living Expo going on tomorrow and Sunday (March 27 & 28). It's Iowa's showcase of natural and green living. Admission and parking are FREE! There are over 120 vendors ranging from cloth diapering to chiropractic care (including our chiropractor who will be one of the speakers). Come hungry because you don't want to miss the Organic Valley Cafe by Fresh Cafe and Market. Sweet P, some other munchkins and their mamas and I ate at Fresh Cafe and Market today and it was both healthy and yummy! They even provided purees for the munchkins!

We hope to see you there!

Baby Smoothie

I've been wanting to make Sweet P a smoothie for awhile now, but just hadn't gotten around to doing it. But today was the day. And let me tell you, she loved it. I was a little nervous because she doesn't like a few of the things I put in it as stand alone foods. But after today, we might be trying sweet potatoes and apples again really soon!

I tasted it and it definitely doesn't have to be just a baby smoothie, it's great as an adult smoothie, too! So what's in it?

What you need:

1/2 c organic plain yogurt (I still can't find whole fat, so I use low-fat 2%)

1 frozen cube pureed sweet potato (organic)

1 frozen slice of steamed apple (organic)

1/2 banana

1 tsp agave nectar (organic)

dash of cinnamon

scoop of probiotics

My blender was occupied by hummus, so I made her smoothie in a mini food processor (the sweet potato didn't crush all the way, but it wasn't a big deal). You can also use frozen fruit you buy at the store. I just happened to have cubes of pureed food that she won't eat.

As you can see, she drank it right up! She didn't finish the entire glass so I put it in the fridge and got it back out for lunch. It was thicker so I fed it to her with a spoon, so if your baby isn't straw ready...use a spoon!

Going Green Tip of the Day: Sign this Petition!

Remember back in November when I posted about the Million Baby Crawl and toxic chemical policy reform? This is a way to make sure our voices (or signatures) are heard!

My friend Holly, the Integrative Mom, posted this link about The Kid-Safe Chemicals Act which "would require that all chemicals be proven safe for children before they can be sold." The Environmental Working Group (EWG), an organization that "uses the power of information to protect human health and the environment" needs our help. With our help we can let Congress know that our toxics law needs reform. The EWG website also has a lot of great information on the effects of many chemicals including BPA, cosmetic chemicals and flame retardants.

So what you are you waiting for? Go sign the petition!

Going Green Tip of the Day: DIY Cleaning Products

Making your own cleaning products is easy and inexpensive! Most of what you need you probably already have in your kitchen. This may not be new for a lot of people, but if you know about it and don't do it...you should! What you need:

Baking Soda

White Vinegar

Lemon Juice (optional)

I clean my kitchen (my sink cleans up fabulous!) with this including the kitchen floor! All I do is sprinkle baking soda where I want to clean, drizzle white vinegar (and lemon juice if I'm using it) on top and let it fizz. After sitting for 2-3 minutes, use a wet or dry cloth and scrub a dub dub! The one downfall is that you may have to go over it again with another cloth to make sure you cleaned up all the baking soda. It can get gritty. My challenge is to start using this in the restrooms. Are you up for the challenge? Remember it's easy and inexpensive!

Going Green Tip of the Day: Nix Processed Foods

Again, this tip falls in the Health category as well. I know that in the fast pace of life processed foods are sometimes the easy out. But think of how well you'd be treating your body and the environment if you stopped eating processed, packaged foods. An apple is much less waste than a granola bar that comes wrapped in foil packaging in a cardboard box. In fact, if you composted your apple you'd have no waste at all! (More on composting in another post). And I don't even need to tell you how much healthier an apple is than whatever it is they put in granola bars. So for today, ditch the processed foods and go for something natural (like a piece of fruit or stick veggies).

This is a tough one because virtually everything we eat (besides produce) comes in some sort of packaging. Avoid buying items that are frivolously packaged (like individually wrapped prunes, really? is that necessary?) and try to pick fresh food when possible. Buy choosing fresh you are working towards a healthier you and a healthier planet. So next time you're at the supermarket, take a look at what processed packaged food you buy and try to nix at least one. And before you purchase a certain brand check out whether it will be easy to recycle. What have we nixed lately? The Farmer and I have nixed cereal. Yep, that's right. Cereal. I'll tell you more about that in the Health Challenge next month.

March Challenge: Going Green

photo credit: www.genexe.com

I was going to make this month the Health Challenge, but at the last minute changed my mind when I realized March has St Patrick's Day...so why not Go Green! this month? I'll share with you a few things we do already to go green and then challenge myself to a few more! But don't worry...I won't leave out the Health Challenge (look for it in April, when we Iowans can get outside more often).

But before we get started on March let's talk about February. How was my challenge? Eh, hard to say. We had a few crazy nights in February with Sweet P being sick and heading to the ER at 12:45am so I can't say it went fabulous. I will admit, though, that I have definitely been going to bed earlier (maybe not at 10pm every night, but earlier). I've also challenged myself to get up a bit earlier too. So with that challenge out of the way (but I'll still try to go to bed early), let's head into March!

Oh glorious March. I can't tell you how long I have waited for you (3 months to be exact). I have a feeling March is going to be great. I'll do my best to post a Go Green tip of the day and if you try it, tell me how it goes!

Today's Go Green Tip: Recycle Cardboard and Paper

This is for all you non-recycler's out there (which I hope there are few). If you don't recycle ANYTHING, start small. Start recycling cardboard and paper. It's easy. Find a box or plastic tub and start filling it up with paper. IKEA carries great stackable recycling bins to use for your recycling. We keep ours inside by the door. You will be AMAZED at how fast it fills up. Look for a place in your town/city where you can drop it off or have them pick it up. If you aren't currently wheeling out your blue trash can to the curb...get to it! That includes the toilet paper roll.

Product Review: Babyganics

A few weeks ago I ventured into BabiesRUs. They were having a pretty big sale (unfortunately, it was pretty picked over) and I found Babyganics for BOGO free. I don't know about you, but I am a sucker for BOGO free deals. Not BOGO 50%, not Buy 2 get one free, but BOGO free (you don't see it much any more). I'd never tried Babyganics products before and was looking for a wipe to clean up Sweet P's spot at the counter. I wasn't disappointed.

Babyganics were made by 2 dads who were pretty much germophobes. I bought The Grime Fighter wipes (which is where the Babyganics link will take you). Here is the list of ingredients per their website: Plant Based Cleaning Agents (Coconut, Palm Kernel, Corn and Sugar based surfactants), Soy Ester (Soy based), Filtered Water, Water Conditioning Agent, Preservative (less than 0.05%)

Those are ingredients I can pronounce! The wipes work great on counter tops (kitchen or bathroom), table tops, high chairs, cribs and more. They did a good job cleaning up the food that turns to cement when it hardens (like bananas) and made me feel like the table top was really getting cleaned...without harsh chemicals. While these are fragrance free, the only negative I have is the smell. I'm not particularly fond of it, but I'd trade a not so great smell for chemicals any day!

The Remedy

Cold and flu season. Yuck.

My cold always starts with a tickle in my throat and then moves to my sinuses. When I was pregnant with Sweet P, I swear I was congested for a month. One of my midwives told me I might be sick the entire pregnancy. "Excuse me?" That didn't fly so I went in search of home remedies. Here are a few for you to try.

*Drink hot/warm liquids (and lots of them!). I drink hot tea in the mornings (and throughout the day if necessary). Here is the concoction that I came up with to use.

1 tea bag (I use lemon or peppermint)

1 tbsp apple cider vinegar (this stuff works WONDERS)

pinch of cayenne pepper

a few drops of lemon juice

tbsp of honey (makes it all taste halfway decent)

I heat the hot water and put in the tea bag. Let is steep for a few minutes and then add other ingredients. Drink while it's hot.

*I swear by Simply Saline (so does my mom). It's non-addictive nasal spray and it works! I use any time I feel congested (or fell congestion coming on). I also spray a little on a Q-tip and use in Sweet P's nose.

*On top of hot liquids, drink lots of water!!!

*Drink Emergen-C. A lot of people say Airborne, but when I was pregnant I called the midwives to check on Airborne (because you know all that stuff has "consult your physician if pregnant" written on it). Airborne has a lot of Vitamin A which is not a vitamin that is good to have in multitudes. Emergen-C has the vitamins you need and if anything you will only get an excess of Vitamin C--your body flushes out any extra Vitamin C.

*And last, but not least. I just started using Natural Creations Cold/Flu Comp. They are homeopathic drops that I use for both Sweet P and me. They taste TERRIBLE, but they do the job.

That's what we do around here to keep the bugs away. What do you do to stay healthy?

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