February 26th - Upcycled Organization - Myrrhmade Love Where You Are Challenge Day 26!

   

February 26th - Welcome to day 26 of the Myrrhmade Love Where You Are Challenge! 

Come on in and join us!

My Favorite Canning and Food-Preservation Books - 2020

 

Pictured here: recommended food preservation books and jars of food I've canned so far this year. Reviews and details below!

Jars pictured from left to right contain applebutter, apple sauce, maple-sweetened bread and butter pickles, roasted pepper and tomato sauce, blueberries in honey syrup, honey-sweetened bramble jam, and maple sweetened strawberry preserves.

Zucchini Flour - how to make it and a couple of recipes!

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It's zucchini season everyone! Yes, I'm still excited. I've processed more than 30lbs and have more to go, and more on the way! 

Over the years I've tried freezing, dehydrating, drying, dry canning homemade zucchini chips, making zukenoodles (zucchini noodles), and I have a recipe for zucchini relish I may try this year.

What's really exciting though, is zucchini flour! 

Furlough Foodie Fun

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So, there's a lot of reasons to be angry about the government shutdown, but I'm not going to get into them. What I am going to get into is gushing a bit about some of the marvelous things we've been making from scratch.

Bigger On The Inside - New Fridge from BuyNothing

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For our March Decluttering Challenge we moved along countless things through our local BuyNothing group.

WIPWednesday - Inkle weaving April 26th, 2017

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Creating is my passion, my sanity, my sense of being "up to something", my way of contributing a little bit. I always have a few projects going, many left to the side for months or even years before I pick up the best and carry on. Here's some of what I'm working on this week:

I was recently given an Inkle loom (for making straps, ribbons, laces, etc) by a dear friend. 

March Decluttering Challenge - Week 4 and Final

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I know I know, it's April.

But when you haven't cleaned up, you still have to finish the job.

unrelated but beautiful picture

We finished strong! More than doubling our goal number!

Homemade Cheese Popcorn - SaturDIY April 1st, 2017

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First of all, this popcorn is no joke.

It's DELICIOUS.

Our girls love cheese popcorn, cheese puffs, and more.

I'm not a huge fan of the extra ingredients, the price, and certainly not the large plastic bag that will sit in the landfill forever. Our snacks are not that important.

Here's a Closer to Zero option, additive free, and delicious for those crunchy-cheese-snack cravings. 

WIP Wednesday, March 29th, 2017

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Creating is my passion, my sanity, my sense of being "up to something", my way of contributing a little bit. I always have a few projects going, many left to the side for months or even years before I pick up the best and carry on. Here's some of what I'm working on this week:

We're still getting rid of thing for our Decluttering Challenge where we've more than doubled our number since last week! I'll post a final post after the last of the month. Here's what else we've been up to:

Last July I posted about buying "not so perfect produce" and having spent $5. 

This past week we spend $22.50

March Decluttering Challenge Week 3

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Another week into our March Decluttering Challenge, and things feel like they're starting to shift. We've decided to extend the challenge past the end of March and keep going until we really feel like there's little else to move along.

Here's what we've moved along this past week:

March Decluttering Challenge Week 2, 2017

Yesterday we celebrated Pi day by having Spinach Pie, Cowboy Pie (shepherd's pie with beef), strawberry rhubarb pie with fruit from the freezer, and a chocolate porter pie - think chocolate mouse pie with a hint of porter flavor. Yum!

We also celebrated a snow day with hours of shoveling.

In spite of all of that,

Here's what we've moved along this past week:

WIP Wednesday, March 8th, 2017

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Creating is my passion, my sanity, my sense of being "up to something", my way of contributing a little bit. I always have a few projects going, many left to the side for months or even years before I pick up the best and carry on. Here's some of what I'm working on this week:

Divided Mason Jar Tote Bag Insert - Satur-DIY February 25th, 2017

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A couple weeks ago, I took an old "gift with purchase" bag and retrofitted it to carry mason jars. 

When I go grocery shopping I always bring at least a few jars to buy products more cheaply by getting them from the bulk bins. Not wanting glass jars to smash together, I looked around online for a solution. You can find cheap plastic wine bottle bags or really high end custom divided bags. Neither were a good solution for me, so I came up with my own.

This basic divided bag has been so lovely to use every time I've shopped since. I've even discovered that the 1/2 gallon glass milk bottles fit! 

Here's how I did it:

Homemade Sauerkraut and EcoJarz Fermenter Review - Satur-DIY, February 11th, 2017

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Homemade Sauerkraut Satur-DIY and EcoJarz Fermenter Kit Review

**Disclaimer: I have been given the fermenter kit to review but have not been compensated in any other way. I receive no commission on sales. All opinions and experiences are my own.**

In the fall, I received a glorious box in the mail from EcoJarz. Along with my order of more small-mouth drink tops and stainless steel (rustproof!) jar bands, they slipped in a few things for me to review. A couple of small-mouth PopTops (review here) and one of their new Fermenter Kits.

The kit contains a recipe booklet, bubbler airlock, a stainless steel lid with grommet and silicone seal, and a stainless steel jar band. The band alone is worth the kit! 

January No Spend Month - Week Four and Final

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January 2017 

No Spend Month

How our family is spent as little as possible this month.

We spent $20 a week on food, fun, and frivolities. We used up what we had, bought few essentials, and lived well.

Here are the glory details of Week Four and Four and a half!

Yes, glory details. Because I'm (still) clever.

January No Spend Month - Week Three

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January 2017 

No Spend Month

How our family is spending as little as possible this month.

We are spending $20 a week on food, fun, and frivolities.We're using up what we have, buying a few essentials, and living well.

Here are the glory details of Week Three!

Yes, glory details. Because I'm (still) clever.

January No Spend Month - Week Two

January 2017 

No Spend Month

How our family is spending as little as possible this month.

We are spending $20 a week on food, fun, and frivolities.We're using up what we have, buying a few essentials, and living well.

Here are the glory details of Week Two!

Yes, glory details. Because I'm (still) clever.

January No Spend Month Week Two

January No Spend Month - Week One

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January 2017 

No Spend Month

How our family is spending as little as possible this month.

Here are the glory details of Week One!

Yes, glory details. Because I'm clever.

(Closer to) Zero Waste Holiday Season - Five things to improve your holidays

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Another installment in our (closer to) Zero waste series:

(Closer to) Zero Waste Holidays

As we approach the darkest day of the year, many are busy buying and making presents, decorations, treats, and feasts. 

Our home is no different.

Whether you celebrate Solstice, Yule, Christmas, Hanukkah, New Year, Kwanzaa, or any combination of those and others, here are some easy things you can do to lower the environmental impact of your celebrations, keep a little more money in your pocket, and have less trash for anyone to deal with afterward. 

1.) Reuse ribbons, paper, and even make/find reusable wrappings! 

An oldie but a goodie here on myrrhmade. 

T-shirts, pillow cases, pieces of fabric, or simple cloth bags make great reusable gift wrap.

The wrapping can even be part of the gift.

Beginner's Guide to Buying from the Bulk Bins

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So you're interested in getting closer to Zero Waste, you want to reduce your grocery bill, reduce the amount of wasted food and packaging you have to deal with? You want to lower your environment impact and help keep our world cleaner and our bodies healthier?

Did you know that the individual transport and packaging can make the same items cost up to 20% more? Sometimes even more that that!

Did you know that you don't have to buy large quantities to save big at the bulk bins? If you only use a little bit of something, you can buy just a little bit. Keep it sealed in an airtight container it'll keep for longer!

Want to save money and reduce waste while living in an apartment with a hardly any cupboard space? 

Buying from the bulk bins and storing in clear glass containers or jars actually cuts down on the amount of space taken up by packaging - plus you can actually see what, and how much you have! 

Once you figure out what you like and use, you can save even bigger by buying more of what you know you'll use.

You've seen the bulk food bins, but how the heck do you get started? 

Photo courtesy of www.brattleborofoodcoop.coop

Beginners Guide to Buying from the Bulk Bins

Even if you're a seasoned pro, you might find some tips in here. And if you have any other tricks, please share them with the rest of us in the comment section below.