Green Earth Bazaar

Natural Beauty: DIY Homemade Rosewater Recipe

Michelle — Tue, 01 May 2012 02:43:43 +0000

Roses are red… and make a lovely blush pink rosewater!

Attention natural beauty fans! Did you know it’s ridiculously easy to create your own rosewater at home? If you grow your own organic roses or know a kind individual willing to let you take a few flowers, then you can easily turn them into a wonderfully fragrant, skin refreshing rosewater.

Rosewater is great for all skin types, especially skin that’s sensitive or dry {like mine}. Roses are mildly astringent making rosewater a good choice for facial toner and body splash, and for millennia their scent has been touted to be an aphrodisiac – no wonder roses are the top selling flower for Valentine’s Day!

Below you’ll find my method of making homemade rosewater. I use an old fashioned method, which is basically like making an infusion of roses instead of the traditional method of distillation. If you can make tea, you can make rosewater.

What You’ll Need:

Fresh organically grown rose petals – the amount depends on how much rosewater you want to make. I use approximately 10 roses (petals only) and make about 2 quarts rosewater.
Distilled water – enough to cover rose petals by about an inch.
Cooking pot
Coffee filters
Fine mesh strainer ( I use the same strainer that I use to rinse quinoa – its holes are tiny, yet it’s big enough to hold a coffee filter.)
Slotted spoon for transferring rose petals from pot to strainer
Large mixing bowl
Glass jars and/or spray bottles for your finished product

Directions:

Gather your fresh roses and remove the petals; compost the unused portions. Place petals in a collander and rinse well, making sure to remove any tiny bugs that you see. Spread petals out on a clean counter or sheet of parchment paper. This step is optional, but makes it easier to look for any remaining bugs.

Place petals in the bottom of your pot and cover completely with distilled water by about an inch. Gently heat water to steaming (do not boil), and leave rose petals in the pot until all their color has been lost and the water has been infused with it. This can take anywhere from thirty minutes to an hour, so keep an eye on things and give the pot a gentle stir now and then. {It’s amazing to watch the change that occurs to the rose petals, so this could be an interesting project for older children to help with.}

Once your rose petals are done infusing, use a slotted spoon to gently transfer them to a coffee filter lined strainer. Strain all contents of the cooking pot into a glass bowl, gently squeezing the petals to release all of the water and oil from them. Let cool completely.

When rosewater has cooled, strain again into another bowl using the same method as before. This step lets you get out any stray bits your eyes may have missed the first time around. Pour your finished rosewater into glass jars or spray bottles (empty glass spice jars make good containers for this). Keep refrigerated and use withing a week or two. I haven’t found an exact shelf life for homemade rosewater, so exercise good judgement when using – if it doesn’t smell right, toss it.

This recipe makes a great gift, and an excellent warm weather skin refresher! Use it as you would any toner or body splash. Enjoy!

{For other methods of making rosewater visit this page.}

What’s your favorite way to use up your organic roses? Share with us.

Green Celebrities are Bad for the Environment

Michelle — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 18:24:50 +0000

When being green becomes another trendy celebrity must-have.

I recently read a blog post highlighting a couple of well known Hollywood actresses for their environmental work – Jessica Alba and Natalie Portman. I know a famous celeb lending their name to a cause or brand can make a HUGE impact, but that’s exactly what bothers me. In my opinion many celebs have turned eco-friendly ideals and the organic movement into big money. And at what cost to the rest of us?

Living sustainably shouldn’t be trendy – it’s high time we began thinking for ourselves again!

Don’t get me wrong, I know many famous people do great charitable work and without their star power many organizations wouldn’t get as much funding. What I don’t like seeing, however, are people flocking to consume simply because their favorite celeb liked it, bought it, ate it, or “made it”. That’s a big problem in my book – too much over consumption of goods.

According to a World Watch Institute report, excessive consumption is now a global environmental threat, and yes that includes eco-friendly goods too. Just because a product is labeled organic or eco-friendly doesn’t mean it comes to you without some kind of cost to the environment. Do you think those cute vegan shoes made themselves? Or that stunning new eco-friendly maxi dress? And how much of anything do we really need anyway?

The bottom line is this – society needs to stop focusing on celebrities to dictate how we should care for and nurture our world. Living sustainably shouldn’t be trendy – it’s high time we began thinking for ourselves again!

What do YOU think? Are celebrities good or bad for the environmental movement?

Green Living: What’s on Your Eco Bucket List?

Michelle — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 18:27:12 +0000

Live more sustainably. Be more green.

There are many things I’d like to try at least once in my life. Skydiving? No. Bungee jumping? No. Raising free-range chickens? Yes.

I wanted to make a list {because I LOVE list-making} highlighting the practical things in life I would like to accomplish. A set of sustainable goals and dreams to work toward. I call it my “eco bucket list”. It may not be terribly long, but it’s meaningful.

My Eco Bucket List

Grow more food! I’d love to grow at least 95% of the food we consume. {We do eat beef and chicken on occasion and I don’t think I could raise cows and chickens to eat!}
Keep chickens for fresh organic eggs.
Keep a couple cows for fresh organic milk.
Have at least one bee hive in our back yard.
Plant more herbs and native plants {instead of so much lawn} around our property for bees and other beneficial critters.
Learn to can and preserve the foods we grow.
Churn my own butter. I did this once when I was seven. I loved it!
Learn to knit. – I’ve begun working on this one…slowly.
Take the time to learn to crochet – again. It’s true that if you don’t use something you lose it.
Get my sewing machine out and use it to make practical stuff like clothing, and fun stuff like pretty throw cushions.
Make my own soap at least once. I’m crazy about Dr. Bronner’s soaps and haven’t felt an urgent need to make soap yet.
Make my own eco-friendly candles.
Make handmade incense.
Make homemade vanilla extract.
Make a beautiful handmade quilt.

Life is full of wonderful new experiences and new things to try. I know my list will continue to grow with me as I journey through this beautiful gift we call life!

I would love to know what YOU would add to your own eco bucket list! Share your goals for a more sustainable life with us. Leave us a comment and connect with us on twitter using the hashtag #ecobucketlist.

How to Garden: Celery Plant Update

Michelle — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 16:34:13 +0000

Organic Celery Still Growing…

This is my celery plant after one week of being planted in the ground. I can’t believe it’s from the same bunch of wilted celery I nearly chucked into the compost pile!

Love Quotes: Friendship

Michelle — Sun, 25 Mar 2012 00:02:22 +0000

“Love is friendship set on fire.” ~ Jeremy Taylor

Natural Beauty: DIY Beauty Recipes Made with Almonds

Michelle — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 20:08:25 +0000

Get naturally glowing skin with these simple almond based beauty recipes!

Almonds are great for the skin! They’re highly emollient and make a great addition to face and body care products. Almond meal makes a wonderful gentle exfoliant suitable for all skin types, while sweet almond oil is a highly nutritious oil that easily penetrates the skin. Sweet almond oil works wonderfully on dry, inflamed, or itchy skin, though any skin type can benefit from it. I love using it on my skin after a warm shower or as a base oil in my favorite sugar and lip scrub recipes.

Here are some easy homemade almond based beauty recipes for you to try.

Honey Almond Scrub – More of a face mask than traditional face scrub made with almond meal.
Apple and Almond Body Scrub Recipe – A great body scrub recipe for extremely dry, rough skin.
How to make Cocoa Almond Whipped Body Butter – A great video tutorial on making whipped body butter.
DIY Rose Almond Body Oil – A great way to use up your fresh cut roses (make sure they don’t have any nasty chemicals on them first).

Four great recipes to get you glowing from head to toe! Enjoy!

Do you use almonds in your natural beauty skin care routine?

How to Garden: Culinary and Medicinal Herbs Resources

Michelle — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 20:37:17 +0000

Interested in learning about culinary and medicinal herbs? Check out these great resources!

I’m a firm believer in food as medicine. Herbs add great flavor to the foods we love, give us beautiful hair and glowing skin, and help to heal us when we’re sick. These wonderful plants are useful, tasty, and make a great addition to any garden.

Here are some of my favorite resources for all things herbs. Enjoy!

Internet Resources:

The Herbal Highway - I listen to this free weekly radio program hosted and produced by Karyn Sanders all the time. It’s great for learning how to care for, use, and grow medicinal herbs. This link is to all of The Herbal Highway’s show archives available for free online – a priceless learning tool!
The American Herb Association – The American Herb Association promotes the understanding and ecological use of medicinal herbs and aromatherapy.
The Herb Society of America – Lots of great herb information, beautiful photos, and useful tools like their essential guide for beginners.
Herb Companion Magazine – Lots of herbal information – blogs, a magazine… It’s an entire community for herb lovers!

Books:

Eyewitness Companions: Herbal Remedies - I borrowed this book from my local library and loved it so much I had to buy a copy for myself. It’s a great resource for learning what herbal medicine is and how to use medicinal herbs safely. It contains many beautiful photos too.
The Good Herb – This book by Judith Hurley has lots of culinary recipes for each herb discussed throughout the book, as well as some herbal remedies too. A very interesting and useful book for any herb lover.
The Little Guides: Herbs - A great companion book to the Eyewitness Companions: Herbal Remedies book. This book gives information on how to grow many herbs, as well as a few recipe and craft ideas. Lots of pretty photos and illustrations too.

Where to Purchase Herbs and Seeds:

Mountain Rose Herbs – Lots of organic and fair trade herbs and herb related products. Great prices and a beautiful website and blog too!
Seeds of Change – 100% certified organic, GMO-free seeds and other gardening supplies. A beautiful website worth checking out.
The Cook’s Garden – They offer seeds and plants for gourmet gardeners. A beautiful website with lots of useful information and beautiful plant photos.
Territorial Seed Company – They offer all kinds of vegetable, flower, and herb seeds. Gorgeous plant photos and instructional videos too.

How do you use your herbs? In foods? Beauty recipes? Medicinally? Share with us!

DIY: How to Re-Grow Celery

Michelle — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 07:00:32 +0000

Don’t toss that celery end into the compost pile, re-grow it!

You know that end piece from the celery bunch that you probably compost? Did you know you can grow a new celery plant from it? It’s so easy you may never need to buy another bunch of organic celery again!

All you need to do is cut off the end from your bunch of celery and place it in a sunny spot in a shallow container with a little water. Plant your celery within a couple of days and be sure to give it plenty of water. Celery plants are a cool weather crop so you may want to check out specific growing requirements for your region.

This end of celery is from a bunch that had wilted in my refrigerator. I thought I’d try growing it since I needed to cut the end off anyway, and after a couple days on a bookcase in my kitchen it had new growth on it! I put it in the ground today, and fingers crossed, it will continue growing.

I was inspired to give growing celery a try after I saw how simple it was. This is a great way to save money on organic celery and a great addition to any sustainable kitchen garden. Happy growing!

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DIY Project: Aromatherapy Eye Pillow for Yoga and Relaxation

Michelle — Sun, 18 Mar 2012 07:00:13 +0000

Relax in sweet smelling comfort with this easy DIY project!

I practice yoga at least three to five times per week, and while lying in savasana (relaxation pose) I’ve felt like something has been missing. In order for me to completely relax during relaxation pose I need something over my eyes to give them some gentle pressure to help relax the muscles. Placing the palms of my hands over my eyes does the trick, but then I’m unable to fully relax my upper body. I’ve seen eye pillows for yoga practice before, so I was confident I could find some tutorials for making one online.

After a quick Google search I was in business. I found a really simple scented eye pillow project on fitsugar. I gathered my materials and in no time had a wonderfully fragrant eye pillow that I can use while practicing yoga. Since I used peppermint in my herbal recipe I can place it in the refrigerator and use it to help ease my migraine and tension headaches too!

Here’s what you need:

One piece of 7″ x 10″ fabric – I used material from a skirt that’s become too big for me
3/4 cup or 1 cup flax seed
4 tablespoons dried herbs

I used 2 Tbs. peppermint, 1 Tbs. chamomile, and 1 Tbs. lavender – any combination you prefer will work, but remember some herbs are stimulating while others are better for relaxation. I chose peppermint so my pillow could double as a natural headache treatment, not specifically for relaxation. Always remember to use caution when using herbs and essential oils. Some herbs/oils are not suitable for pregnant women, epileptics, or people with high blood pressure or other health conditions. Always do your homework first!

Directions:

Cut material into a 7″ x 10″ rectangle and fold cloth in half so that the inside is facing up (so that it’s inside out). You should now have piece of cloth that is 3.5″ x 10″.

Sew around the edges leaving one opening at the top for adding in the herb mix.

Mix flax seeds and dried herbs together in a bowl and gently spoon mixture into the opening of the pillow. Sew up the end and voila! A scentsational herbal eye pillow for your yoga practice or anytime you want to relax in sweet smelling comfort. Enjoy!

Need to buy herbs online? Check out Mountain Rose Herbs.

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DIY: Give New Life to Wilted Celery

Michelle — Sat, 17 Mar 2012 07:00:39 +0000

Before you toss your wilted celery into the compost pile, try this fool proof trick for bringing it back to life.

We eat a lot of organic celery in my house and sometimes it wilts before we get an opportunity to use it all up. It ends up getting thrown into the compost bowl I keep on my kitchen counter which makes me feel incredibly guilty. So instead of throwing out an entire bunch of celery that wilted right away (maybe it was stored too close to something that made it wilt?), I decided to search online for tips on reviving wilted celery.

My Google search led me to Honey and Spice, where I quickly learned I didn’t have to throw away good money and celery every again! All you need is a large glass or two and some water – it’s that simple!

Cut the end off of your celery and place the remaining stalks in a large glass. Fill the glass with water and wait a few hours or even over night. The longer the celery is in the water the better. We were amazed to see how quickly the celery began to firm up. We let it sit in water over night and ate some of it the next day – you’d never know it was ever headed for the compost pile!

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Green Earth Bazaar

Natural Beauty: DIY Homemade Rosewater Recipe

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Green Celebrities are Bad for the Environment

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Green Living: What’s on Your Eco Bucket List?

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How to Garden: Celery Plant Update

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How to Garden: Culinary and Medicinal Herbs Resources

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DIY: How to Re-Grow Celery

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