mint box mini oils

start with a cute, little box 

of trader joe's green tea mints.

{save them in another container.}

you'll need three 1/4 dram sample bottles,
and three 5/8 dram sample bottles.

fill with your favorite essential oils.
put them cap-to-cap for the best fit.

this would make a great holiday survival kit.

which six essential oils would you pick?

do you need to make one of these?
i can help you do it!

_________________________________________

i love helping people find solutions

using these pure botanicals

for things like:

better sleep,

pain relief,

emotional well-being,

digestive support,

preventing illness,

basic first-aid,

non-toxic cleaning,

and holiday survival.

they are amazing tools for wellness.

are you curious? let me know.

find more info here.

♥

homemade nail oil

i am ditching nail polish.
i have come up with something better.

my nails have always been weak.

prone to splitting, peeling, and breaking.

a {toxic} strengthening polish

wasn't really making my nails more resilient,

just coating them in a strong layer of synthetics.

i am no longer willing to absorb those toxins

through my nail beds.

after some research & experimenting,

i'm ready to share

my homemade nourishing oil blend

that is actually making my nails stronger.

= nail oil recipe =

in an empty 5mL roller bottle,
combine these pure essential oils:

10 drops myrrh

5 drops frankincense

5 drops lemon

5 drops lavender

3 drops vetiver

top with these nutritious carrier oils:

jojoba

avocado

apricot kernel

almond

calendula

neem

pop the roller top in the bottle 
& shake to combine.

use a buffing block

to gently smooth out the surface,

then apply the oil 

and massage into nails & cuticles

throughout the day & at bedtime.

.................................................

results?

after a few weeks,

my nails are growing without breaking,

and the peeling is non-existent.

i'm ditching polish & not looking back.

♥

p.s. the essential oils i use can be found here.

bulk carrier oils can be found at the boise co-op.

homemade beard oil

last month,

when my bearded brother jon was here,

we made beard oil.

what's that, you say?

what the heck is beard oil, and how does it work?

well...  here's a little huffpost article titled

what the heck is beard oil, and how does it work?

that might help.

here are the two recipes we created

for their aroma & therapeutic properties:

we used these labels.

'that smells nice' & 'that smells better'

on one side of each bottle {since we made two},

and 'beard oil' on the other.

here's a little how-to video

keep those beards {and the skin beneath them} conditioned & smelling nice.

check out the oils i use here.

♥

homemade tamari vinaigrette

{originally posted in 2010 here}

our very favorite salad dressing.

this is the recipe that dean,

missy's husband, taught me eons ago.

{dean is an organic farmer & grows lots of lettuce,

so naturally he makes incredible salad dressing}

the base:

2 cups organic canola oil

1 cup balsamic vinegar

1 cup low-sodium tamari

add, more or less, to taste:

minced garlic {about 4 cloves}

dry mustard {about 1 Tablespoon}

salt & pepper {about ½ teaspoon each}

-----------------------------------------

perfect for csa salad season

 {csa week 2 via instagram}

learn more about earthly delights csa here.

♥

'the works' sauce {it's vegan!}

we're going vegan.

and this is my new vegan sauce.

i'm calling it 'the works'

after emily's favorite vegan wrap

at her local grocery in santa cruz.
emily has been vegan for almost a year,
so this recipe is dedicated to her.

'the works' sauce

makes 2 cups

combine all ingredients and blend until smooth:

1 cup cooked beans {save broth}

{cannellini beans, chickpeas, soybeans}

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup lemon juice

1/4 cup tahini

1/8 cup tamari

1/8 cup apple cider vinegar

1 - 2 cloves garlic

1 tsp spike {seasoning blend}

note:
you can adjust the thickness of the sauce
by how much bean broth [bean juice?] you add.

this sauce is delicious on rice & beans.

make it 'the works' by adding

fresh spinach, purple cabbage, avocado,

salsa & cilantro.

serve in a bowl or in a tortilla.

yum!

it also makes a great creamy salad dressing.

tip:

to make this sauce regularly,

cook batches of chickpeas & soybeans,

combine them & freeze in 1 cup containers.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 

interested in why we're going vegan?

watch this documentary:

{also here}

{it's on netflix right now}

♥

treasury

tex•ture

/'tekstʃə(r)/:

the feel or shape of a surface or substance;

the smoothness, roughness, softness, of something.

☼right here☼

♥

treasury

an owly treasury

huddled together for warmth

cuddly owlets,

tea & coffee & moscow mules,

cozy knitted sweaters...

☼come see☼

and if you have tiny feet

{euro 36 :: us 5-5½}

here's a pair of amazing bryr clog boots

that would match this treasury

and the chilly season to a T.

note: these are regularly $425, on sale for $159.

this is the very last pair.

snap them up!!

♥

earthly delights csa week 18

our final share of the season

tomorrow is the harvest festival.

see a video of last year's festival here.

♥

earthly delights csa week 16 & 17

our share, week 16

our share, week 17

in addition to this,

casey let me know that there were

two heaping flats of unclaimed tomatoes

at the end of pick-up.

i went back & got those, as well.

my freezer is filling up with

frozen tomato bricks.

♥

pickles

lacto-fermented or salt-water pickles.

i had never heard of them

until amanda from our csa

made some a couple weeks ago.

i understand that this is the old-fashioned way.

let me know if you've tried this because

i am almost certain i'm doing it wrong.

read more here and here.

♥

treasury

it's been busy around here,

so naturally, i built a treasury.

[pretend that]

it's the weekend

[all week long]

pretend with me

[right here]

 ♥

earthly delights csa week 14 & 15

playing catch-up a bit

our share, week 14

{from august 26}

potatoes

anaheim peppers

jalapeño peppers

rooster spur peppers

tomatoes

eggplant

tomatillos

ground cherries

summer squash

basil

onion

magic garlic

beans

cucumbers

watermelon

muskmelon

carrots

---------------------------------

our share, week 15

{from septemper 2}

this was 'farm hands day'

and i helped to bring in this harvest

tomatoes

carrots

anaheim/numex peppers

hot peppers

eggplant

ground cherries

squash

onion

magic garlic

cucumbers

basil

muskmelon

just 3 more weeks left!

♥

earthly delights csa week 13

our share

plums

carrots

rainbow chard

jalapeño peppers

tomatoes

antohi romanian peppers

gernika peppers

eggplant

tomatillos

summer squash

ailsa craig onion

magic garlic

beans

cucumbers {lots of lemon cukes!}

genovese basil

melons

------------------------

our hearts are breaking for casey & her family.

her mother, julie, passed away on august 9th.

read all about her awesomeness here.

♥

zucchini crust pizza {gluten free!}

we have lots of zucchini this time of year.

such a blessing.

and thanks to abby,

i just learned how to turn it into pizza crust.

this is a game changer.

the crust is grated zucchini

with most of the water wrung out

with an egg and a 'flour' and spices.

i consider this less of a new recipe

and more of a new skill,

but here's the recipe abby found:

{keep in mind i didn't measure anything & it turned out great}

zucchini crust pizza

2 cups grated zucchini

1 egg

1 T oil

garlic

3/4 - 1 cup almond flour 

{↑ you could use any flour}

oregano

salt & pepper

---------------------------------------

preheat oven to 400°

put the grated zucchini in a colander.

salt it & allow to 'sweat' for a bit.

then gather it into a clean towel

and literally wring the water out.

in a large bowl,

combine zucchini, egg, oil, garlic,

almond flour, oregano, s&p.

mix until a 'dough ball' forms.

on a baking sheet lined with parchment,

use your hands

to flatten out the dough ball,

pressing it into the shape you want.

i pressed mine quite thin.

bake it for about 20 minutes,

or until the edges & bottom are golden.

at this point, i flipped mine over

and baked for about 5 more minutes

to get it nice & toasty on both sides.

note: a nice step,

but leave it out if you're pressed for time.

remove it from the oven

and add your toppings.

we used homemade tomato sauce

fresh basil & grated parmesan.

{fresh mozzarella would be incredible}

pop it back in the oven for a few minutes

but keep a close eye so it doesn't burn.

this was so good that

i immediately made a second one.

the 'crust' alone is so delicious:

soft & 'doughy' but with crispy edges.

it is the best gluten-free 'bread' i've eaten.

it could be used as flatbread in any recipe

or served alongside hummus.

next, i'm going to try a sage butter version.

♥

homemade granola

today, i made a big batch

of really delicious granola.

it's so easy,

and so much more affordable

than even granola from the bulk bins.

i read through these granola recipes:

the kitchn

3191

analog beauty

smitten kitchen

lucid food

then adapted the batch to our tastes

and what we had on hand.

my ingredients
dry:

4 1/2 cups rolled oats

2 cups chopped pecans

2 cups sliced almonds

2 Tablespoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

couple pinches of salt

-----------------------------------------

wet:

3/4 cup brown rice syrup

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup olive oil

2 Tablespoons vanilla

--------------------------------------------------

add about halfway through baking:

1/2 cup shredded coconut {sweetened}

1/2 cup shredded coconut {unsweetened}

--------------------------------------------------

add at the end of baking

{bake just a few minutes}:

2 cups golden raisins

my method

preheat oven to 250°

in a big roasting pan,

mix dry ingredients,

then add wet ingredients.

bake for 30 minutes to an hour

stirring often {every 10 minutes},

watching for browning,

& testing as you go.

my 'test' is to scoop out a small spoonful,

then allow to cool.

once the granola is crunchy when cool,

it's done.

store in an airtight container.

♥