Trash Panda DIY

Cornelian Cherry Dogwood (Cornus mas) Harvest time (Seattle):  Late August through early October Flavor: Real tart with nice floral and red fruit overtones Uses: Jam, jelly, syrup, and flavoring fruit butters or leathers Harvest method:  Individually by hand, and it's kind of a pain in the ass. You usually don't need a ladder to get a bunch, and you don't need more than a few cups of them to add flavor to your preserve or fruit leather Trash Panda believes in using what's at hand, and man are cornelian cherries on hand this time of year.  Cornelian cherries are kinda hard to miss - they look like bundles of little red jewel berries covering a small tree. And often on the ground all around said tree. Cornelian cherries are not quite  ripe when they're bright red. They're almost ripe when they're deep red, and have just a little give to them instead of being hard like the bitty little ruby bullets. I have read that they are only truly ripe once t...

There's no reason to spend a lot of money on organic cleaning products when you can just make your own non-toxic stuff from cheap, easy to find ingredients. Trash Panda's housecleaning basics are below. BAKING SODA // Tub and Sink Scrub // Air Freshener Just sprinkle it on and scrub with a brush or damp rag to remove dried-on crud, soap scum, etc. This will work on pots and dishes too Leave a bowl out to absorb odors, or dissolve some baking soda in water and pour down a mysteriously stinky drain Does double-duty* deodorizing and scrubbing when cleaning toilets. Let the baking soda sit a bit after you scrub for extra deodorizing CASTILE SOAP // All-Purpose Cleaner, De-Greaser & Soapy Friend Use when you need suds, great for dish soap (handwashing only) All Purpose / Tile & Vinyl Floor Cleaner: Mix 1/2 cup castile soap to 1 gallon warm water, add 1/4 cup lemon juice for a fresh scent. Safe for all surfaces. Double the soap and lemon juice for a strong clean...

Unfortunately you can't really make your own essential oils unless you're prepared to build a still, and I’m not doing that. But since you have to mix essential oil with a carrier oil most of the time anyway, why not skip a step and infuse your carrier oil with the delightful herb of your choice? Most of the methods of infusion listed below are taken from "101 Easy Homemade Products for your Skin, Health & Home" by Jan Berry of The Nerdy Farm Wife blog. The 'Sure I have a yogurt maker or wood-stove handy!' method (and the exact measurement route) is taken from "Pacific Northwest Medicinal Plants" by Scott Kloos. Infused Oils Four Ways Supplies: Clean glass container (I like Ball canning jars, myself) Dried plant matter* Skin-friendly oil (Olive, sunflower and coconut oil are easy to find) Steps: Fill your jar 1/4 to 1/2 full of crumbled or roughly ground dried plant matter, then the rest of the way with your oil of choice. If...

I feel like posting about this is almost cheating, because it's so simple. But I hadn't heard of it til I read about it in "The Bust DIY Guide to Life" and "Make Your Place: Affordable Sustainable Nesting Skills", so Trash Panda's going to spread the good news. Bust DIY & Make Your Place's Super Simple Shampoo and Rinse Scrub your scalp and roots with a little baking soda Rinse right away with hot water Rinse with a little vinegar - I recommend either using a little spray bottle to spray a bit on, or use it diluted at least 1:1 with water and pour it on with a cup or something Rinse with hot water again That's it. ______________________ Review Hair cleaning power:   Felt only sort of clean in shower, but hair & scalp felt nice and clean when dry Recommended for:   Straighter hair types and more oily scalps Ease of making:   Beyond easy - just take it out of the box/bottle really Cost:   about $0.05/ounce for both baking ...

It is fall in Seattle and the apples are coming ripe. Soooo many apples. Pressing cider is kind of a pain in the ass, and so is baking pie, so what the fuck are you supposed to do with all these apples? I don’t know about you, but I make apple butter. Fruit butters are fruits cooked down into a spreadable paste and maybe spices and sweetened. With apples it’s as if you cooked down applesauce some more. More fiber-y tree fruits like plums, apricots and pears also work for fruit butter. Trash Panda’s Real Easy Apple Butter INGREDIENTS: Apples, water (or maybe Apple Cider or Apple Cider Vinegar)  Optional : Tasty apples spices like cinnamon or nutmeg, sweetener of choice TOOLS:   Knife and cutting board, slow cooker or just a big pot Optional but real useful: something to blend everything up at the end (i.e. immersion blender) or something to sieve out the bits you don't want in there (i.e. food mill) STEPS: Core and cut up a bunch of apples, enough to fi...

When I found out that none of the tool libraries nearby had a cider press, I thought I was going to have to give up and buy one.  Then I read about  the three bucket cider press on the Practical Self-Reliance Blog . Yes, I tried it. And yes, it works. Really well. Practical Self-Reliance's Super Easy 3 Bucket Cider Press Parts (food grade plastic plz!): Cider Catcher: a large bucket (Trash Panda used a good sized Tupperware storage container) Apple Mash Presser: a slightly smaller bucket (TP - 3.5 gallon bucket) Apple Mash Platform: a bucket that is slightly smaller than the slightly smaller bucket (TP - 2 gallon bucket) Clean cotton bag for holding apple mash (TP - pillowcase) You'll need some apple mash - I'll talk about how to make that in a sec. Also some containers to pour the pressed cider into, and some filters (fine mesh or cheesecloth) to pour the cider through so you can catch any little bits that get through. VERY IMPORTANT: Choose presser ...