Soap Nuts are one of earth's truly sustainable natural soaps - a laundry soap and fabric softener made by Mother Nature! Soap nuts contain saponins, a natural soap, and are harvested from trees in India and Nepal, where locals have been using the soap nuts for centuries as a safe and effective way to clean their clothes.

In actuality, soap nuts are a fruit - of the Rittha tree (sapindus mukorossi), also known as the Chinese Soapberry tree. When ripe, the fruit falls from the tree and is harvested to remove the inner fruit from the outer shell. The shells are then dried in the sun, using no chemical or manufacturing processes. They have a protective waxy coating that contains the saponin.

When soap nuts are added to the wash, the saponin acts as a water surfactant, reducing the surface tension of the water and releasing the dirt and oils from the clothes.

For use in the laundry, place 2-3 whole soap nuts (or 4 -6 halves) in a re-usable cotton bag and place it in your wash. Double the number of nuts if using cold water or if you have particularly dirty clothes.

Soap Nuts can be reused 2-3 times if you wash in warm water - twice that if using cold water, by simply allowing them to air dry between use. They are also low-sudsing, making them ideal for use in front load washers.  Plus, soap nuts will eliminate the need for fabric softeners.

You can also place your bag of soap nuts in your dishwasher cutlery tray to clean your dishes.

For an all-purpose liquid cleaning solution, put  7 or 8 nuts in a sauce pan, bring to a boil, and let simmer 10 minutes. Once cooled, remove the nuts and strain for an eco-friendly cleaning solution that will last for about 3 months – longer if you keep in the refrigerator.

This liquid is ideal for use in spray bottle because of its low-sudsing characteristics. It can be used to wash your hair, clean floors, carpets, bathrooms, cars, pets, etc.

Once the soap nuts have been used to their potential, simply add them to your compost.

Soap nuts are multifunctional, environmentally-friendly, sustainable, bio-degradable, renewable, hypoallergenic, anti-microbial, and phosphate-free. Check them out in Canada at;

http://www.buysoapnuts.com/
http://www.morethanclothdiapers.com/soapnuts.html
http://www.lyndhurstnaturals.com/
http://www.fluffybottombabies.ca/item_94/Ecoideas-Soap-Nuts.php
http://www.earthsberriesoapnuts.com/

Homemade relishes and pickles are an excellent way to extend your enjoyment of this year’s bounty – long after the harvest. The key to successful pickling and preserving is not so much talent as it is the ability to follow directions.

Check out these tips about pickling, then give it a whirl yourself.

1. Pickling is not just for cucumbers! Beets, green tomatoes, squash, beans, corn, peppers, mushrooms, asparagus, and many others are ideal for pickling and taste fabulous.
2. Fruits can be added to relishes to really jazz up the taste. Peaches, apples, crabapples, and pears can pair nicely with various veggies. Be inventive!
3. Freshness of ingredients is critical! Use only good quality, fresh fruits and vegetables. If you do not start with good ingredients, your product will not be as successful.
4. Spices impact the flavour of pickling solutions significantly. Some of the more common spices include mustard seeds, allspice, caraway, cinnamon, celery seed and peppercorns. Curry powder, nutmeg, turmeric, dried chilies can also be used.
5. Herbs impart a truly unique flavour to relishes. In addition to good old dill, herbs such as rosemary, thyme, tarragon or chives, can be used to lend subtle flavours to pickles.
6. Apple cider and white distilled vinegar are not always interchangeable. Use the one asked for in your recipe. Apple cider vinegar is milder and offers a different flavour than white vinegar.

For directions and recipes, try these websites; PickleThis.com, ThatsMyHome.com, CanadianLiving.com, RecipeLand.com

“Humour is a rubber sword - it allows you to make a point without drawing blood”
~ Mary Hirsch

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From little spats to short-lived umbrellas, share these interesting facts with family and friends. Did j’a know that…

• A zebra is white with black stripes.
• In 1924, a Ford automobile cost $265.
• The average life span of an umbrella is under two years.
• All the planets in our solar system rotate anticlockwise, except Venus. It is the only planet that rotates clockwise.
• Catfish are the only animals that naturally have an ODD number of whiskers.
• Most North American automobile horns beep in the key of F.
• An anteater is nearly 2 m (6 ft) long, yet its mouth is only an 2 ½ cm (1 in) wide.
• The Earth spins at 1,600 kph (1,000 mph) but it travels through space at an incredible 108,000 kph (67,000 mph).
• The Poison Arrow frog has enough poison to kill 2,200 people.
• A baby oyster is called a spat.

Are you guilty of these 2 common water-wasting faux pas…

Fix Leaks Promptly! It is estimated that leaky faucets and toilets waste more than 10% of household water. Check your water meter when no water is being used in the house. If it's moving there's a leak. A dripping tap is an easy source to spot. But not so obvious is a running toilet – it can waste 9 L (2 gal) a minute.

Check toilets by adding food colouring to the tank without flushing. After 10 minutes, look for colour in the bowl, a sure sign of a leak. This is usually caused by a worn flapper valve - easily replaced – and well worth the effort.

Dishwasher Savings When using your dishwasher, don't rinse dishes beforehand. It’s rarely necessary and omitting the rinse step can make for an average 90 L (20 gal) savings annually.

Build a Salad – Rosemary, age 7, says, “I know all a lot about vegetables all ready, and I’m only going into grade 3! See if you know what part of the plant all the vegetables that go into a salad are.”

Extreme Science Videos – Noah, age 11, says, “You gotta check out these syck videos. They show some amazing animals. Be sure to see the Giant Mekong Catfish one. I’d sure like to catch one of those at the cottage.”

Ultimate Guitar – Alex, age 13, says, “This site has over 300,000 guitar tabs and is always being updated with new ones. It has lots of bands to pick from and has videos and news, too.”

Brain Bashers – Roxanna, age 9, says, “I just love optical illusions. This site has a whole bunch that are so cool. Your brain plays tricks on you. Or you can play tricks on your brain. Be sure to check out the Funny Cow.”

‘Finding the sand’ is the average golfer’s worst nightmare! Many people have absolutely no confidence they’ll be able to get the ball out in one shot – if at all!

But there is a consistency to a sand trap shot that, once learned, can make a sand save a given for even erstwhile golfers. Simply follow these tips – shared by many pros around the world as basics for hitting successfully from the sand;

1. Open both your stance and clubface. Rotate the clubhead a little clockwise (for RH players) to increase the loft. Rotate your left foot counterclockwise and to the left to open your stance. This position will allow the club to slide under the ball and sand, lofting the ball up so it lands softly.

2. Hit the sand not the ball. Ideally, you want the club face digging in anywhere from 1 to 6 inches behind the ball depending on the situation. Think of it as hitting the sand out of the bunker with the ball on top of that sand. The more sand you take, the shorter distance the ball – and sand – will travel.

3. Follow through. Resist stabbing at the ball on bunker shots. A full follow-through combined with the last tip, and your ball will pop up and out of the sand trap – with a lot of spin on it so it won’t roll too far after it lands.

4. Practice. Find a range that offers bunker practice and  spend time practicing shots from all the various areas of a trap, aiming at pins – imaginary or real – close and far, downhill and up. See what happens when you take too much sand – and too little. Get a feel for the distance.

Rule #1; Stuff breaks!

Rule #2; You must always have glue on hand to fix things that break.

Try this tip-times-two to help you ‘do’ the glue;

1. Avoid a lost cap and the inconvenience of standard glue containers by keeping your glue in an old mustard bottle – the plastic, squeeze bottle with the twist top. It's free and airtight.

2. When gluing cracks or joints, penetration of the glue is essential. Apply a little glue to the crack/joint, then use a straw to blow the glue deeper into the crevice. Clamp the item tightly and allow it to dry thoroughly before using.

“I used to desire many, many things, but now I have just one desire, and that's to get rid of all my other desires.” ~ John Cleese

“Acting is all about honesty. If you can fake that, you've got it made.” ~ George Burns

“My wife's a water sign.  I'm an earth sign. Together we make mud.” ~ Rodney Dangerfield

“A man should never plant a garden larger than his wife can take care of.” ~ T.H. Everett