Homemade Cleaners I Use Every Day

Here are the websites I used to find these recipes.  I have used a great many different recipes.  The recipes below are the winners, in my book.

I have posted these recipes before but get a tremendous amount of requests for re-posts, so here you go.  Happy cleaning!

 

Powerful Mold and Mildew Spray

1 Cup Distilled Water

1 Cup Vodka

10 drops Tea Tree Essential Oil

10 drops Eucalyptus Essential Oil

10 drops Lavender Essential Oil

Combine all the above ingredients and pour into a spray bottle. Spray this powerful mold and mildew spray directly on your mold or mildew problem. If it is really a bad problem leave on for 30 minutes or more before you wipe clean.

Pasted from <http://www.rootedblessings.com/powerful-mold-and-mildew-spray/> 

Homemade Orange Vinegar Cleaner

Here is what you will need:

Enough Citrus Peels to fill a large jar

White Distilled Vinegar

Salt, any kind.

Orange Essential Oil-optional

First, eat a lot of oranges.  (Good thing they are healthy for you!)

Place peels in a baggie and freeze them until you have enough to fill a large jar.

When you have enough peels,remove them from the freezer, and place them on a large cookie sheet, peel side up.  Sprinkle with salt.  This will help pull the oils out of the peels. Let this sit for 30 minutes.

After the 30 minutes, place peels in a large jar. Fill jar with vinegar.

Now, this is the hard part, I know, I had to have patience too. Let the mixture sit for 1 month. (or longer!!)

Trust me, you will thank me for making you wait! I gave mine a good shake once a week.

To use your wonderfully scented Orange Vinegar:  Fill a spray bottle with half orange vinegar and half water. (I used a funnel to put the vinegar in the spray bottle,and then picked out the orange peels that fell in, and put them back in the jar.)  If desired, add 20 drops of Orange Essential oil. Shake bottle and then get to cleaning!

When your jar of orange peels and vinegar gets low, add more vinegar.  You can use the peels at least twice before you need to throw them out.

Pasted from <http://www.robynsview.com/2012/05/homemade-orange-vinegar-cleaner.html> 

Laundry Stain Cleaner:

1 part Dawn Dishwashing Liquid (the original blue kind)

2 parts Hydrogen Peroxide

Mix together and pour directly on the stain.

Pasted from <http://moderndaymoms.com/homemade-miracle-cleaner/#>

Great Disinfectant Essential Oil Blends:

1. peppermint and tea tree
2. lemongrass and lavender
3. lavender and rosemary
4. geranium and lime
5. grapefruit, lemon, and lavender
6. tea tree and orange
Read more at http://simplelifemom.com/2014/06/11/disinfectant-essential-oil-blends/#HLZgysfC0qmdlqz3.99


Pasted from <http://simplelifemom.com/2014/06/11/disinfectant-essential-oil-blends/>

ALL-NATURAL HOMEMADE BLEACH ALTERNATIVE

 

Serves: ½ gallon

INGREDIENTS

• ¾ cup 3% hydrogen peroxide
• ¼ cup lemon juice
• 10-15 drops lemon essential oil
• ¾ cup baking soda
• 7 cups water

Instructions

1. Combine all ingredients in a container capable of holding ½ gallon or more.
2. Shake well.
3. Use 1 cup per load, washing with hottest water setting available.

http://dontwastethecrumbs.com/2015/03/diy-natural-homemade-bleach-alternative/

Lavender - A Most Versatile Herb

What Are the Benefits of Lavender Tea?

Last Updated: Jan 21, 2014 | By Solomon Branch

A cup of lavender tea Photo Credit KayTaenzer/iStock/Getty Images

Lavender -- Lavandula angustifolia or Lavandula officinalis -- is a shrub known for its pleasant aroma and bright purple flowers. It is native to the mountainous regions of the Mediterranean, but is now cultivated throughout the world, particularly in the United States, Australia and southern Europe. Used in potpourri, cloth sachets, soaps and shampoos, it is also prepared as a tea, which has traditionally been used for medicinal purposes.

Promotes Relaxation

Inducing relaxation is a traditional use of lavender tea, primarily because of the soothing aroma. The University of Maryland Medical Center reports that scientific studies suggest that inhaling the scent of lavender may slow nervous system activity, promoting relaxation. This can help with anxiety, insomnia, stress and depression. One small study published in the September 2011 edition of the "Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine" found that patients who were treated by inhaling lavender oil experienced significant reduction in stress levels and reduced levels of pain when hypodermic needles were inserted. Preparing lavender tea helps release the oils responsible for the beneficial aroma.

Digestive Issues

Another common traditional use for lavender tea is for digestive issue relief, including nervous stomach and indigestion. Modern studies suggest that this may be a valid use. One study published in the November 1997 edition of the "Journal of Ethnopharmacology" found that the smooth muscle -- in the intestines responsible for moving food through the digestive system -- of rats would relax when lavender oil was applied, indicating that humans may be affected the same way. Another study published in the November 2004 “Life Sciences” journal reported that lavender oils protected against the formation of gastric ulcers in rats and relieved indigestion.

• Convulsions and Spasms

A convulsion occurs when a muscle contracts and relaxes rapidly involuntarily, causing the body to shake. A spasm is similar, but it usually results in a muscle staying contracted. Lavender oil has been found to be a benefit in reducing both spasms and convulsions. A study published in the July 2000 "Journal of Ethnopharmacology" found that rats given a small dose of lavender experienced reduced convulsions and spasms, which was thought to be a result of the lavender blocking the calcium channel -- a key part of the muscle contraction process.

Other Uses

Lavender tea has other traditional uses, although many of them are not backed by scientific research. Other traditional ailments lavender tea may treat include migraines, colic, loss of appetite, toothache, acne, nausea, vomiting, cancer and even use as a mosquito repellent.

Safety Concerns

Lavender tea is relatively safe, according to MedlinePlus, but it can cause issues, particularly if you are taking medications that depress the central nervous system. Medications that might cause problems when taken with lavender tea include barbiturates, chloral hydrate and CNS depressants, often referred to as sedatives. If you have any type of allergic reaction, such as a rash or throat closure, discontinue use of lavender tea.

Rosemary Tea

What Are the Benefits of Rosemary Tea?

Last Updated: Jan 08, 2014 | By Amy Myszko

Rosemary tea. Photo Credit Szakaly/iStock/Getty Images

Rosmarinus officinalis is an evergreen shrub native to the Mediterranean region and is commonly used as a spice in a number of ethnic cuisines. With its pungent aroma, rosemary has been used as a flavoring agent as well as for its medicinal qualities for hundreds – if not thousands – of years. Rosemary tea may help support digestion, promote cognitive function and act as an antioxidant, protecting the body from heart disease and cancer.

Brain Booster

Elderly adults. Photo Credit Comstock/Stockbyte/Getty Images

Rosemary has shown promise in supporting circulation to the brain and in potentially preventing diseases like Alzheimer's. Along with increasing peripheral circulation, rosemary contains a constituent called carnosic acid which is a potent antioxidant that may protect neurons from free-radical damage, according to a report in the August 2008 issue of the “Journal of Neurochemistry.” Another study published in the “Journal of Medicinal Food” in January of 2010 demonstrated that small doses of rosemary enhanced memory speed in elderly adults.

Digestive Support

Digestion. Photo Credit Rrrainbow/iStock/Getty Images

Traditionally, rosemary has been used to calm digestive distress and indigestion, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center. Rosemary is approved by the German Commission E as a safe and effective herbal treatment for dyspepsia. Master herbalist Susan Weed also suggests rosemary to treat spasmodic digestive complaints like gas and gall bladder disorders.

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Hair Help

Long, strong hair. Photo Credit David De Lossy/Photodisc/Getty Images

Rosemary oil has been widely used to support hair growth and prevent alopecia, according to research published in the "Journal of the American Medical Association Dermatology" in 1998. Weed states that rosemary tea can also be used as a wash to support scalp health and hair growth. She suggests brewing a full ounce of dried rosemary in a quart of water overnight to use as a post-shampoo hair rinse to stimulate hair growth. Rosemary tea can also be mixed with borax and used as a natural dandruff solution.

Precautions and Warnings

Avoid rosemary during pregnancy. Photo Credit Stockbyte/Stockbyte/Getty Images

While the use of herbs to treat common complaints has long historical roots, it is best to discuss herbal therapies with your doctor or other qualified health care professional. Rosemary should be avoided in pregnancy – at least in large quantities – due to its uterine-stimulating properties, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center. Use as a spice is considered safe for everyone, but large doses of rosemary may cause vomiting, spasm, coma or fluid in the lungs. Rosemary may interact with some pharmaceutical drugs like blood thinners, ACE inhibitors, diuretics and lithium. Always consult your doctor before using any herbs if you are taking pharmaceutical medications.

Not Just Rabbit Food: 5 Tasty Ways to Eat Carrot Tops

- The Kitchn

Here's one more way to cut back on kitchen waste: try cooking with your carrot tops! We've been seeing these nutritious greens popping up on restaurant menus and food blogs in all kinds of interesting ways: whizzed into pesto, blanched and dressed with sesame seeds or snipped into a pretty salad of shaved carrot coins.
And yes, despite what you may have heard, carrot tops are edible. (Even Harold McGee agrees.) You might already be tossing them into stocks, but how about showcasing their herbal, earthy, subtly carrot-ish flavor in one of these recipes instead? Their texture can be a little tough, so go for the leafy tops rather than the stems, and blanch them if needed.

Carrot Top Recipes to Try Grilled Cheese with Roasted Carrots & Carrot Green Pesto at Happy YolksMoroccan Carrot & Chickpea Salad at 101 CookbooksRoasted Carrot & Black Bean Tacos with Cilantro & Carrot Green Chimichurri at RosemarriedCarrot Greens with Sesame Dressing from Melissa ClarkVelvety Carrot Soup with Carrot Top Pesto at Sunset

Have you ever eaten carrot tops?

Top 10 Health Benefits of Lemongrass

Lemongrass, also called fever grass, is a perennial plant with thin, long leaves that is indigenous to many Asian countries. As the name implies, lemongrass smells like lemon, but it tastes milder and sweeter. This herb is used in various Asian cuisines as a flavoring agent due to its potent flavor. 

Thank you to the folks at Home Remedies 

Nutritionally, lemongrass is a good source of vitamins A and C, folate, folic acid, magnesium, zinc, copper, iron, potassium, phosphorus, calcium and manganese. It also has minute traces of B vitamins.

Along with its culinary uses, lemongrass is useful in alternative or complementary remedies for a wide range of ailments.It has many beneficial medicinal properties including analgesic, anti-inflammatory, antidepressant, antipyretic, antiseptic, antibacterial, antifungal, astringent, carminative, diuretic, febrifuge, galactogogue, insecticidal, sedative, and anti-cancer properties. The leaves, stems and bulb of lemongrass are used in various treatments.

Fresh and dried lemongrass are readily available in the market. You can also get lemongrass essential oil and supplements.

Lemongrass tea is most often used in home remedies for various health issues. You can brew the tea by steeping one teaspoon of fresh or dried lemongrass in a cup of hot water for about 10 minutes. Strain, add any desired sweetener and your tea is ready. You can also buy ready-to-use tea bags.

Lower Blood Pressure Naturally With Hibiscus Tea

Grow your own blood pressure medicine by adding a few hibiscus plants to your garden.

October/November 2011

Mother Earth News Lower Blood Pressure Naturally With Hibiscus Tea

By Michael Castleman

The calyxes surrounding hibiscus flowers pack a blood-pressure-lowering punch. And you can grow them yourself! 


SOUTHERN EXPOSURE SEED EXCHANGE

Recent studies show that hibiscus tea can lower blood pressure as effectively as some standard hypertension drugs can. Hibiscus is widely consumed around the world as a ruby-colored, lemony beverage (it’s the main ingredient in Red Zinger tea). Hibiscus is safe and, unlike most blood pressure drugs, rarely causes side effects. Plus, hibiscus plants can be grown in much of the United States, so you can actually grow your own blood pressure medicine.
Hibiscus (Hibiscus sabdariffa) has been used to treat high blood pressure in both African and Asian traditional medicine. In 1996, researchers in Nigeria confirmed this age-old wisdom by showing that hibiscus flowers reduced blood pressure in laboratory animals. Soon after, researchers in Iran showed the same benefit in people. After measuring the blood pressure of 54 hypertensive adults, the researchers gave them 10 ounces of either black tea or hibiscus tea for 12 days. Average blood pressure decreased slightly in the black tea group, but decreased a significant 10 percent in the hibiscus group.
Since then, several additional studies have confirmed this effect, including two that tested hibiscus head-to-head against standard blood pressure medications:

• Scientists in Mexico gave 75 hypertensive adults either captopril (Capoten; 25 milligrams twice a day) or hibiscus tea (brewed from 10 grams of crushed dried flowers — about 5 teaspoons per 1 to 2 cups water — once a day). After four weeks, the herb had worked as well as the drug, with both groups showing an 11 percent drop in blood pressure.
• In another study, the same researchers gave 193 people either lisinopril, (Zestril, Prinivil; 10 milligrams per day) or hibiscus (250 milligrams in the form of a capsule). After four weeks, the herb had worked almost as well as the drug: Blood pressure decreased 15 percent among those on the drug, and 12 percent among those taking hibiscus.

How does hibiscus lower blood pressure? Recent research suggests a combination of reasons: It has diuretic properties, it opens the arteries, and it appears to act as a natural angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor, which means it slows the release of hormones that constrict blood vessels. In addition, hibiscus boosts immune function and provides valuable antioxidants.
Dose recommendations vary from about 1 teaspoon of dried “flowers” (technically, the calyxes surrounding the flowers) per cup of boiling water up to the 5 teaspoons used in one of the Mexican studies. Steep five to 10 minutes. If you have high blood pressure, you should own a home blood pressure monitor. Take readings before different doses and retest an hour later to see what works best for you. Check with your doctor prior to taking hibiscus if you’re currently on medication to lower blood pressure — often a combination of an herb and a lower dose of a pharmaceutical provides the same benefit.
As with all medications, allergic reactions or other side effects are possible. If you experience symptoms shortly after ingesting hibiscus, stop taking it until you talk to your doctor.

Grow Your Own Hibiscus

Hibiscus is a perennial tropical plant, so you may think that growing it in the United States would be limited to the Sun Belt and Hawaii. Not so, says Ira Wallace, owner of Southern Exposure Seed Exchange in Mineral, Va. For American growers, Wallace recommends the ‘Thai Red Roselle’ variety of hibiscus, which thrives as an annual as far north as New Jersey.
This beautiful hibiscus has dark green leaves that develop red veins and undersides as they age. The stems and branches are also dark red. Wallace’s plants in Virginia grow to 4 feet high and 3 feet wide.
In temperate zones, this variety of hibiscus should be started in pots at the same time you would start tomatoes. When seedlings are 3 to 4 inches high, transplant them to a sunny spot. Space plants 3 feet apart in rows 5 feet apart. This variety appreciates a soil rich in organic matter, but too much nitrogen will delay flowering until late in the season — possibly too late to harvest many flowers.
At Wallace’s farm in central Virginia, ‘Thai Red Roselle’ begins to flower in late July to mid-August, and continues until frost. She covers plants with row covers during early light frosts, which allows for harvesting well into October.
The flowers are best harvested when fully grown but still tender. They can usually be snapped off by hand, but if stems have hardened, use clippers. Harvesting early and often increases production. On Wallace’s farm, production ranges from 1 to 2 pounds of fresh flowers per plant. It takes 10 to 12 pounds of fresh flowers to make 1 pound of dried flowers for tea. For home gardeners, this means three to six plants should produce half a pound of dried flowers for blood-pressure-lowering tea, and lots of tender young leaves for a delicious addition to salads. Find more hibiscus growing advice from Wallace in How to Grow Hibiscus.

SMALL MEASURES: GARDEN HAND SALVE

SMALL MEASURES

Design Sponge

No doubt about it, I like digging in the dirt. Now that spring is officially upon us, and the weather is behaving accordingly, I’ve been working with all manner of soil and compost and manure and more. Seeds have been planted, weeds have been cleared, and mulch has been spread. All of which has taken a toll on my hands. Even when I’m wearing gloves, my hands still come out calloused and worn. Which is why I turn to my homemade garden salve.

You can whip up this salve with just a few simple ingredients and about 10 minutes time in the kitchen. This all-natural salve can soon be moisturizing your own hands, or those of a dirt-digging friend or loved one, as it makes a great gift (Mother’s and Father’s Day are coming!). Not only is it deeply emollient, the lavender, rosemary, and tea tree oils used in it all contain antibacterial properties, great for putting the kibosh on any organisms encountered while toiling the soil. Lather up before you put your gloves on, and then again later, after you’ve worked the dirt and washed up. Dig in the dirt, and then dig this salve! –Ashley English

This recipe makes about 3/4 cup of salve, so you can go with either an 8-ounce container for a large amount of salve, or spread it out over several smaller containers, such as 1 and 2-ounce sizes. The salve works best within 6 months of making it, and will keep for up to one year. For the beeswax, you can use either small pastille (pellets) like those pictured here, or grated beeswax from a solid block.

Garden Hand Salve
Makes: 3/4 cup

The Goods:
-10 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
-1/4 cup beeswax (pastilles or grated wax)*
-3 Tablespoons virgin coconut oil
-8 drops lavender essential oil
-8 drops tea tree oil
-8 drops rosemary essential oil
-1/2 teaspoon Vitamin E oil

*I sourced my beeswax pastilles from Mountain Rose Herbs.

The Deal:
1) Place about 2-inches of water in the bottom of a small pan.
2) Put a pourable heatproof glass or metal container in the middle of the pan (I used a Pyrex measuring cup).
3) Add the olive oil, beeswax, and coconut oil to the container.
4) Bring the water to a boil, and stir with a wooden utensil until everything has melted (I used a wooden chopstick to stir).
5) Once everything has liquified, remove the pan from the heat. Add the lavender, rosemary, tea tree, and Vitamin E oils. Stir to fully disperse.
6) Carefully pour the oil into the container(s).
7) Once the oil has cooled and solidified, label and date. Store in a cool place out of direct sunlight.

What about you? How do you care for your hands when it comes to outdoor work? I’d love to know. Happy growing!

*Images and styling by Jen Altman.

Sapote: soft & sweet by John Valenzuela, April 2009

There are several different fruits called 'Sapote', a name derived from the Aztec word zapotl meaning 'soft and sweet'. There is a botanical family named Sapotaceae which has several genera with species that are edible and choice, mostly originating in the Americas. Also in this family is the interesting miracle-fruit (Synsepalum dulcificum) from Africa, known for its ability to make anything, even lemons, taste sweet. Sapotacea family plants usually have a milky sap, seeds with a dark shiny shell, and often have shiny dark green leaves with fuzzy undersides. Many seedling varieties have elongated fruit, sometimes with a nipple. Selected varieties are chosen for a round shape for easier packing, in addition to selecting for productivity and flavor. There are other unrelated species of fruits that are also called sapote- all are soft and sweet.

• Mamey Sapote (Pouteria sapota)
  is so popular throughout Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean, it is the national fruit of Cuba. It is a large fruit that looks like a faded tan, small foot ball- not too pretty to look at. This thick, leathery shell of a skin makes it hard to tell when the fruit is mature on the tree, and ready to pick. Fruits are 6-9in, 2-4lbs- pretty big for one person to eat (I have though). Its flesh a delicious sweet potato or pumpkin pie taste, its texture is thick, heavy and dense, somewhat like an avocado- not really juicy. The seed is often 4 inches long in an average fruit. There is also another, unrelated, large orange fleshed fruit called the Mamey Apple (Mammea americana).
• Chico Sapote, Sapodilla or Nispero (Manilkara zapota)
  is much smaller (2-3 in) thin skinned fruit that is also tan in color, and ripe when soft, it is very sweet- like maple syrup (one of the sweetest fruit I have ever tasted, second only to cherimoya) and juicy, with a slight pear like granular texture, and thin flat seeds the size of a nickel. While in an indigenous village on the coast of Mexico, I saw men carry huge blocks of 'chicle' harvested from wild chico sapote trees up in the mountains. The milky sap of the trees is tapped like rubber trees are, boiled down into large blocks, hiked down the mountain, and sold in pieces chipped off of these large blocks- the original chewing gum.
• Yellow Sapote, Eggfruit or Canistel (Pouteria campechiana)
  Is golden yellow, elongated and thin skinned, containing flesh with a texture and color that very much resembles hard-boiled egg yolk! The flesh has a dry, flaky, melting texture that is sweet with very faint mango, apricot flavors.
• Abiu (Pouteria caimito)
  is a fruit of the Amazon jungle, bright yellow in color, the thick skin is full of sticky sap. It also has an elongated shape, with flesh that is clear white, juicy, and sweet with vanilla and caramel flavors. Selected varieties have a round shape for better packing.
• Star Apple, or Caimito (Chrysophyllum cainito)
  native to Central America and Caribbean, is either dark purple or sometimes green in color, with a similar sticky sap in the skin and juicy sweet flesh as the abiu, but the star apple is not as flavorful. The tree is quite ornamental with leaves that have a satin bronze color on the underside, held by long arching branches. There is a wild relative found as a weedy non-native tree in Maui called 'Satin Leaf' (Chrysophyllum oliviforme) with small, edible, olive sized fruit.

Not in the Sapotaceae family:

• Black Sapote (Diospyros digyna). Ebony family and persimmon genus. Looks like a dark green flat 'Fuyu' persimmon, with a very dark brown flesh, chocolate mouse texture, and somewhat mild or bland taste.
  

Some more cold tolerant sapotes from the tropical highlands that are successfully fruiting in California:

• White Sapote, (Casimiroa edulis, also not in the Sapotaceae family)
  from the Mexican highlands, has five fingered leaves with apple size, green smooth fruits that may mature to a gold color, has thin skin that holds very sweet, smooth, pudding like flesh with vanilla, caramel and sometimes lemony flavors. There is a related species, the Wooly Leaved Sapote (Casimiroa tetrameria) that has a mint like flavor. The seeds may be from 1 to 4 in number and resemble thumb size orange seeds, which it is related to- both are in the Rutaceae family. The seeds are reported to induce sleep. It is somewhat common in Southern California, but could be more widely planted throughout the state, since it is as hardy as a lemon tree.
• Lucma, Lucumo or Mamon (Pouteria lucuma, synonym Pouteria obovata, Sapotaceae)
  is a sweet starchy fruit from the highlands of South America, which is dark green and the shape of a spinning top. Mature, ripe fruit has yellow to golden flesh being somewhat dry in texture, high in carbohydrates and minerals, and is often dried, powdered and stored, then later blended into smoothies. The flavor is maple and caramel-like in nature.
• Green Sapote or Injerto (Pouteria virides, synonym Calocarpum viride)
  I first tasted this fruit in its native homeland of Central America, in the mountain villages around Lago de Atitlan, Guatemala. At the elevation of 5400 ft, it was too cool for papayas but a good climate for banana and coffee plants. I had eaten seedling varieties of green sapote I also had mamey sapotes and chico sapotes there found in the marketplace and found the green sapote the best, kind of mid-way between the two. I like the green sapote better than either: It is a medium (one serving) size, it has a beautiful thin skin that turns from green to golden orange when mature and soft to the touch when ripe. The texture of the flesh is like a sweet potato, a bit juicy and smooth. Seeds are one half thumb size, and are reportedly are edible, roasted like nuts in Central America. 'Makawao' and 'Frankie's' are named varieties.

On the island of Hawai'i, I had lived and worked in an orchard with 180 varieties of fruit, which had 125 trees of the Pantin and Magaña varieties of mamey sapote (Pouteria sapota). Being familiar with the wonderfully rich sweet potato/avocado taste of the mamey, I would say the green sapote is even better tasting, with a slightly more moist/juicy texture. While the green sapote is similar, even better, in taste to the very tropical mamey sapote, the green sapote prefers to grow 'upcountry', at higher, cooler elevations in the tropics.

The Ultimate Goal

A permaculture homestead

by TIMBER PRESS on APRIL 28, 2015

in DESIGN, FOOD, GARDENING

One of the outdoor feel-good spaces where Jessi can spend time with family and friends.

An inside look at how (and why) Practical Permaculture co-author Jessi Bloom turned her property into a permaculture homestead.

MISSION, VISION, GOALS

Mission

To create a sustainable environment that is functional for a family, and the family’s landscape business, which builds resilience and stability in the lives of those involved.

Vision

The property will become a lush homestead full of functional elements such as perennial food systems, animals grazing naturally, and colorful demonstrations of sustainable living from which people can learn. The landscape will contain a mixture of delicious food plants and stunning ornamentals that also support wildlife. The air will be abuzz with beneficial winged creatures such as dragonflies flitting about the water features, hummingbirds sipping nectar, and honeybees from the hives pollinating crops. A veritable Noah’s Ark, this property will support a wide array of ecstatic pets and livestock, which will help maintain the landscape and support the inhabitants. The music of moving water will evoke a sense of peace and contemplation wherever one goes on the property. Verdant rain gardens will capture and clean excess stormwater that isn’t used for irrigation.

The tasks of everyday living will be fueled mainly by the sun, both directly and indirectly. A conservation-based approach to energy will showcase that living within our ecological means does not feel like a life of sacrifice. Exploring this landscape will awaken a sense of adventure with new outdoor rooms and sacred spaces to discover around each corner. Visitors will find a space to disconnect from the hustle and bustle of everyday life and connect with nature directly. The spaces essential to a working farm and landscape company will be colorful and fun, while allowing for right livelihood. These will be balanced by nooks dedicated to luxuriant relaxation. Any time of year, one will be able to use the sense of taste to experience what a productive landscape can really provide.

Goals

• Animals: Lay out rotational grazing paddock system to accommodate livestock by 2001.
• Vibe: Construct at least one outdoor feel-good space for family and friends by 2001.
• Structures: Build house and all essential outbuildings, enabling us to live and work on-site by 2003.
• Stormwater: Eliminate all stormwater runoff through the use of infiltration strategies by 2005.
• Fertility: Produce all mulches and fertilizers necessary to support the landscape on the property by 2005.
• Food production: Grow all essential produce consumed by residents and guests by 2012.
• Energy: Achieve 80 percent energy independence for the house by 2015.

____________

Adjacent to Jessi’s kitchen, herbs and other edibles in containers are used daily. A color theme ties it all together and makes it a good place to relax. The flowers, mason bee house, and hummingbird feeder provide for wildlife close to home where the family can enjoy them.

The barn at Jessi’s is colorful and flanked by pots with edible plants. Photovoltaic panels and a rainwater catchment system meet the building’s needs for electricity and water.

The first annual garden Jessi created required protection from rabbits. She created a gabion-style fence with scrap materials that also absorbs extra heat to keep the area slightly warmer on cold nights.

_____________

IMPLEMENTATION PLANTING

Phase 1
Soil fertility—build compost bins, plant biomass-producing plants
Build annual food garden area
Infrastructure—construct buildings (barn, home)
Build play area for children
Fence secondary pasture for grazing animal rotation

Soil fertility development is a priority for this project, so fast-growing plants will be planted immediately and animal manure composting systems will be developed. The barn and animal housing will be the first element to be designed in detail and implemented.

Phase 2
Plant southern property lines for perennial food production and privacy
Water catchment systems—attach cisterns to all buildings and dig pond
Build greenhouse with aquaponics system
Develop more annual food garden space
Develop pasture and forage systems

Water catchment systems are another priority to take advantage of the rainfall, so a collection tank will be placed with each rooftop as it is built. With this rainfall harvest, more plantings can be put in. The greenhouse supports more growing activity and helps to extend the season so seeds can be started earlier in the spring.

Phase 3
Install energy systems such as solar technology
Develop nursery
Remodel shed
Develop forage zones for poultry and wood production
Develop forage zones in pastures
Install natural swimming pool

All of these tasks are last in the phasing because the foundation needs to be ready for them. The construction of buildings comes before the installation of solar. The shed and additional forage zones are lower in priority due to their proximity to the home but also to allow time to figure out what types of animals are easiest to care for on the site.

Anytime
Perennial food plants will be incorporated every fall, while in the springtime annual plantings will be done with a consistent but minimal effort due to lack of time in the busy growing season.

______________________________________________________

Jessi Bloom is an award-winning ecological landscape designer, professional horticulturalist, and certified arborist. She is lead designer and owner of N.W. Bloom—EcoLogical Landscapes, known for innovation in sustainable landscape design, construction, and maintenance. Her best-selling book Free-Range Chicken Gardens has been praised for being informative and inspiring, changing the way people integrate animals into their landscapes. Recognition for her work includes awards from the Washington State Department of Ecology, the American Horticultural Society, Pacific Horticulture magazine, Sunset magazine, the Washington State Nursery and Landscape Association, and the Washington Association of Landscape Professionals. You may also be interested in the author’s own Web site, nwbloom.com.

Dave Boehnlein serves as the education director at Bullock’s Permaculture Homestead on Orcas Island, Washington. He is also the principal and a founder of Terra Phoenix Design, where he helps clients around the globe achieve their sustainability goals through integrated master planning. His freelance teaching services are highly sought after by universities, nonprofits, and other organizations. In addition, Dave is passionate about plants, especially weird but useful ones. Ultimately, Dave just wants to make the world a better place and eat really good fruit while doing it. You may also be interested in the author’s own Web site,terraphoenixdesign.com.

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