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"If man has no tea in him, he is incapable of understanding truth and beauty." (Japanese Proverb)

While I type this blog I am sitting sipping some cherry tea.  I have an incredible love for tea, even though for years I avoided it.  My cup of tea has inspired me to write a blog (or two or three!) about my love of tea.  For the next couple of Wednesdays look forward to some blogs about types of teas, tea products, and perhaps more! 

For today I plan on sharing some tips I have discovered about the uses of tea.  To read more than I’ve written here, you can check out this website.

1.) A tea bag works well as a compress on swollen, puffy eyes.  Especially chamomile tea.

2.) Chamomile tea is a natural sleep aid.

3.) Tea bags that have cooled can be applied to sunburned areas of skin.

4.) Tea "sachets" made with plain old black tea make a perfect addition to your refrigerator.  They help to keep odours to a minimum!

5.) Chamomile or peppermint tea makes a very soothing footbath.

6.) Tea is excellent to feed your plants!  Give them an occasional drink of tea instead of water, or add wet tea leaves into the soil.

7.) Try marinatng your meat in tea. 

8.) Sprinkle damp tea leaves over the ashes in your fireplace before cleaning it out.  The tea will help to keep the ashes from rising and getting all over the place while you lift them out.

9.) A wet tea bag can soothe shaving cuts.

10.) Apply a cool wet green teabag to the area where a shot was had.  It will help to soothe the pain.

11.) Use warm teabags on your eyes to soothe pinkeye infections.

12.) Place warm teabags on canker sores or blisters to draw out infections.

13.) Wash your face with tea to cure acne.

14.) Cold, wet teabags will soothe beestings and insect bites.

Do you have any tips or tricks for household uses of tea?

I came across a fascinating video on someone’s facebook page, about the state of feeding kids in the USA.  Although I’m from Canada, this video is still relevant!! 

Please click on this link and watch the video.  It’s 20 minutes, but it’s interesting. 

What are your thoughts?

We have a dear elderly lady that lives behind us and she has an AMAZING garden!  She even has kiwi trees!  Today while Peter was out checking on our garden she offered to give us a huge bag-full of fresh plums from her plum tree!  They were quite ripe though, so I needed to find a way to preserve them for us throughout the winter, because even though I’d like to, we just can’t eat 200 plums in one sitting! :)  This is what I did to preserve my plums:

1.) Wash all of the plums in cool water.

2.) Lay them out in a single layer to dry.

3.) Create a juice mixture to preserve them in.  You can do 1 of 2 things: 1.) Use plain fruit juice.  There is no preparation for that! or 2.) Mix 1 cup of honey (or maple syrup) for every 3 cups of water.  If you do this mixture, then you need to heat them in a pot until the honey or maple syrup dissolved.  Let it cool to room temperature.

4.) Halve and pit the plums.  Once you have enough for a ziploc freezer bag, mix in 1/4 cup of lemon juice, and stir them around to make sure they all have a covering so that they don’t go brown.  Then spoon them into a ziploc bag with a slotted spoon.  Pour your juice mixture over the plums until they are just covered. 

5.) Seal the bag well, getting rid of all the air.  Lay them flat in the freezer to freeze so that they are easily stackable!

They should stay "fresh" in your freezer for up to 1 year! 

On another note, our garden has been producing great broccoli and I have a recipe set to share tomorrow using it!  We also are enjoying fresh beans and peas in a stir-fry tonight!  Yum! 

How does your garden grow?

One of the best ways to save money is to purchase produce when it’s in season.  This might mean that you only eat seasonal fruits and veggies, or it might mean that you stock up on certain fruits and veggies and can/blanche them to use year round.  Whatever your plan is, here is a list of when produce is in season:

January: Oranges, grapefruit, tangerines, lemons, papayas, cabbages (red, white, green), leeks, broccoli, cauliflower.

February: Oranges, grapefruit, lemons, papaya, broccoli, cauliflower.

March: Pineapples, mangoes, broccoli, lettuce.

April: Pineapples, mangoes, zucchini, rhubarb, artichokes, asparagus, spring peas, broccoli, lettuce.

May: Cherries, pineapples, apricots, okra, zucchini, rhubarb, artichokes, asparagus, spring peas, broccoli, lettuce.

June: Watermelon, strawberries, cantaloupe, cherries, blueberries, peaches, apricots, corn, lettuce.

July: Watermelon, strawberries, cantaloupe, blueberries, peaches, apricots, kiwi, raspberries, plums, cucumbers, tomatoes, summer squash, corn, green beans, lettuce.

August: Watermelon, strawberries, cantaloupe, blueberries, peaches, apricots, kiwi, raspberries, plums, cucumbers, corn, eggplant, tomatoes, summer squash, green beans, lettuce.

September: Grapes, pomegranates, eggplants, pumpkins, tomatoes, spinach, lettuce.

October: Cranberries, apples, pomegranates, grapes, sweet potatoes, pumpkins, winter squash, broccoli, spinach, lettuce.

November: Cranberries, oranges, tangerines, pears, pomegranates, pumpkins, winter squash, sweet potatoes, broccoli, mushrooms, spinach

December: Pears, oranges, grapefruit, tangerines, papayas, pomegranates, sweet potatoes, mushrooms, broccoli, cauliflower.

Year-Round: Bananas, celery, potatoes. 

Last week we had some ant problems in our basement, and so I was on the hunt to get rid of them.  We used the traditional raid and sticky ant traps, but I also came across a natural and frugal homemade alternative!  I have put it in my basement to try it out, and it has worked so well!  It had appeared that the ants had disappeared, but as soon as I put out the homemade trap the bowl was crawling with ants!!!  They only went to the bowl and then immediately went back to wherever they live in my basement.  It took about 24 hours and since then I haven’t seen any.  They all seem to have eaten my delightful concoction! Check out the link to see how it’s done.

Peter and I have been on a quest to become more "green", "natural" and "organic"!  Of course, it’s not easy.  I’ve switched over most of my bath and beauty products to be natural.  We’re now on the journey of moving into more organic foods.  I try to purchase a few vegetables and fruits organically.  You can check out this link to see which ones are best to purchase.  We’re trying to grow our own garden so we get lots of pesticide-free produce that way!  

Now we’re in the process of choosing meats to purchase organically.  Right now we can’t fully commit to purchasing everything organically, but we can start small.  I found this website which suggests that pork and chicken are the worst meats for hormones, etc. and so purchasing them organically are the best.  We personally don’t eat pork and so that doesn’t really impact us.  But we are considering starting purchasing organic chicken.  

What is your experience in purchasing organic food?  Do you have specific items that you particularly purchase organically?