8:45 pm - 38 degrees - drizzling...
Stopped to watch the elk cross the road. I love off-grid mountain living!
Some people may not know what off-the-grid or off-grid means, so here it is --- The term off-the-grid or off-grid refers to living in a self-sufficient manner without reliance on one or more public utilities. Off-grid living is no longer a one room log cabin in the woods. It's energy independency. You don't have to rely on utility companies, you create your own power. Today, there are more than 180,000 off-grid homes in the US.
Friday, February 27, 2015
Sunday, February 22, 2015
Driveway Repairs...
6:57 pm - 36 degrees - windy...
The lower section of the driveway
has been in need of repair for some time.
That section has not had a good ditch line due to all the large rock. Repairs have been delayed because we needed to
get a larger excavator to dig through the rock.
After the last heavy rains the
driveway was almost impassable.
The rain finally stopped and
the ground dried up enough where Tony and a neighbor were able to do some
repairs to the driveway.
The driveway is looking much
better now, but still needs a few loads of rock.
Cookie Season...
6:29 pm - 36 degrees - windy...
I apologize for the lack of
posts lately. But whew, life off the
mountain has been busy this past month and a half.
On the mountain I am an
off-grid stay-at-home mom. Off the
mountain, I am the President of the Booster Club (similar to PTA) at our children’s
school and a Girl Scout troop leader to 18 amazing young ladies.
We have been busy making lots of cookie posters.
Picking up, sorting, and delivering cookies.
And now we are doing booth sales, booth sales, and more booth sales!
Of course we need to buy a few boxes for ourselves, plus a few extra boxes to make Samoa Cupcakes {click here}.
Love Girl Scout cookies and what it allows our troop to do, but can't wait for cookie season to be over.
Thursday, February 5, 2015
Immune Boosting Elderberry Syrup...
9:00 pm - 43 degrees - raining...
The past week and a half has
not been fun. Cold and flu season hit
our house hard this year. We have been
battling colds, flu, strep throat, ear infections, ruptured ear drums, sinus
infections...you name it, and it feels like we’ve had it!
I have been
searching for different ways to help boost our immune systems because let's
face it, it doesn't matter what we do - constantly washing hands, sanitizing
everything, quarantine - we keep getting sick. Uhg!
Do you know what elderberries
are? We have both red and blue
elderberries here on the mountain {click here}.
I knew that I could harvest the blue elderberries and use them to make
jam, jelly, pie, syrup and tea but what I didn’t realize was how good they are
for you!
You can turn these tiny little
blue berries into an amazing little liquid called Elderberry Syrup that is
delicious and boosts your immune system, making it ideal for the cold and flu
season.
Hippocrates is said to have
called it his “medicine chest”, and for thousands of years it’s been revered in
folk medicine for its healing properties.
Now studies are starting to confirm what tradition has long held:
elderberries are a delicious and effective way to support immune function
during cold and flu season.
Why elderberries? Elderberries contain a flavonoid called
anthocyanin, which has antioxidant and immune boosting properties. They are also a good source of vitamin C,
betacarotene, vitamin B6, and iron.
Elderberry syrup has also shown
to help reduce cold and flu symptoms along with nasal and sinus congestion
relief.
“Elderberry
syrup is a proven remedy for preventing and recovering from the flu, colds,
excessive mucus, sore throats, and contains large amounts of antioxidants,
potassium, beta carotene, calcium, phosphorus, and vitamin C Source”
See, good stuff!
Making your own elderberry syrup only requires
a few simple ingredients and can be made in about 45 minutes, start to
finish. The result is a syrup that’s
delicious (so kids easily take it), immune-boosting, and can last for a couple
of months when stored in the refrigerator. Here
is a recipe...
~Elderberry Syrup~
3/4 cup dried elderberries {buy here}
3 cups water
1 cup raw honey*
1-2 tablespoons freshly grated
ginger (optional)
1 cinnamon stick (optional)
1. Add water, elderberries,
ginger and cinnamon stick (if you are using them) to a pot and bring to a boil.
2. Once boiling, reduce the
berry mixture to a simmer. Allow to simmer for 30 minutes.
3. After 30 minutes, remove
from heat. Using a potato masher, mash
the berries (still in the juice mixture) to remove any extra juices.
4. Strain to remove the berries. Allow the liquid to cool to just slightly
warm (not hot) and stir in the honey.
5. Transfer the elderberry
syrup to a jar and store in the refrigerator.
{*NOTE: Because this recipe
contains honey, it should not be used by children under one.}
How much should you take? Even though elderberries are valued for
therapeutic purposes, they are a food.
They are used to make jelly, pies and wine, so there isn’t really a
specific “dosage” for them. However,
here are some guidelines that have been traditionally followed: To support immune function throughout cold
and flu season children are usually given 1 teaspoon per day, while adults
usually take 1 tablespoon. During
illness, the frequency increases to every 2-3 hours until the symptoms resolve.
Don’t want to make your own? You can find pre-made elderberry syrup online
{click here}.
Wednesday, February 4, 2015
Backyard Herb Garden...
6:55 pm - 43 degrees - cloudy...
Every year I have grand
gardening plans. But then life gets in
the way and I get distracted by things that “need” to be done instead of the
things that I “want” to get done.
But this year nothing is going
to stop me; I’m going to put in a backyard herb garden.
When a recipe calls for fresh
basil, I want to be able to skip the poor substitute of dried basil. A last-minute dash to the grocery store for
some overpriced wilted basil is out of the question since it would be over an
hour and a half round trip. I want to be
able to walk outside and pluck a few tender leaves off of the basil plant
growing in my very own herb garden whenever the need arises.
I have the location picked out
that fits the basic requirements of a successful herb garden - well-drained
soil that is neutral to slightly acid and at least five hours of sunlight a
day.
I have the herbs that I want picked
out - Basil, Chamomile, Chives, Garlic, Lavender, Mint, and Parsley.
Now I just have to figure out
what design/layout I want. Below are
some pictures of backyard herb gardens I found online to use as inspiration...
photo source: megahowto.com |
photo source: harfay.com |
photo source: makinghomebase.com |
photo source: motherearthnews.com |
photo source: savingbydesign.com |
photo source: twopeasandtheirpod.com |
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