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Homespun Aesthetic

Sharing my love for the beauty of handmade

DIY Tutorials

Make Your Own Strawberry Jam

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My mother and I make our own preserves each year. We like to make enough for our extended family, as well as little gifts for my girls’ church & school teachers. We make pear, peach & strawberry preserves, but strawberry is by far our family favorite.

20130523_114622 (2)Amazin’ Acres Farm Market is a local, family run business. During the fall, they have a very well-known corn maze, pumpkin picking, hay rides & anything to do with fall festivities. My oldest daughter went there this past fall for Kindergarten Fall Festivities.

During the spring/summer, they allow folks to come pick their own strawberries for $9/gallon, or choose from pre-picked berries for $11/gallon.

My mother, daughters, & I (while babywearing my 3 month old son) recently went picking. Amazin’ Acres Farm Market doesn’t use pesticides and chemical on their produce, which is something I love about them.

My mom & daughters.

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My oldest daughter, Hannah Kate.

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My youngest daughter, Taylor.

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When we got home, I began preparing the strawberries for strawberry jam (not freezer jam).

How to make Strawberry Jam:strawberry jam

Prep Work:

~Bring boiling-water canner, half-full with water, to a simmer

~Wash jars and screw bands in hot, soapy water; rinse with warm water. Pour boiling water over flat lids in saucepan off the heat. Let stand in hot water until ready to use. Drain well before filling.

~Wash, cap & slice the berries

Making the jam:

~Crush the berries up (using a potato masher works best for me; do NOT puree!)

~Measure 6 cups of the crushed berries into a saucepan.

~Measure 4 cups of sugar into a bowl

~Take ¼ cup of sugar from previous bowl of sugar & mix it with 1 box of SURE-Jell into a small bowl. (Using SURE-Jell lets you use 4 cups of sugar, instead of 7).

~Stir in this mixture into the saucepan with the 6 cups of crushed berries & add ½ tsp of margarine to reduce foaming (if desired)

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~Bring mixture to a full rolling boil on high heat, stirring constantly

~Stir in remaining sugar & return to a full boil for exactly 1 minute, stirring constantly

~Remove from heat & skim off any foam

~Ladle quickly into prepared jars, filling them within 1/8 inch of the top

Finishing:

~Wipe jar rims and threads & place the lid and band in place tightly

~Place jars on an elevated rack and lower into canner. Water must cover jars by 1-2 inches (add boiling water if needed)

~Cover & bring water to a gentle boil for 10 minutes (I do 15 minutes because I live in a high elevation)

~Remove jars and place upright on a towel to cool completely

~After jars cool, check the seals by pressing the middle of the lid with finger (if lid springs back, it is not sealed & must be refrigerated)

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~Let stand at room temperature for 24 hours & then store unopened jams in cool, dry, dark place for up to 1 year.

 

Would you eat your placenta?

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It’s true, I’ve become one of…them. The moment I considered cloth diapers I joked around about how crunchy granola I was becoming but I never in a million years thought I would even give a second thought to consuming my placenta. Before you click away in a hurry thinking I’ve gone bonkers, hear me out.
Placentas have been used in traditional Chinese medicine since the 1500s. It’s even become customary for the placenta to be prepared for the new mother in Italian, Vietnamese, Chinese and Hungarian cultures.

So aside from the fact that it’s been done for hundreds (if not longer) of years, what would even make the placenta appealing to consume?

encapsulating your placenta
  • First off, the placenta is packed full of rich nutrients. After all, it sustains the life of your baby in utero.
  • It can help balance postpartum hormone levels.
  • Helps the uterus get back to its pre-pregnancy state.
  • Boosts energy levels.
  • Increases milk supply.
  • Reduces healing time and postpartum bleeding.
  • Helps to replenish iron levels to avoid an iron deficiency. I’ve also heard from other ladies that the placenta pills can help with postpartum depression, or baby blues, which would make sense given that low iron levels can contribute to mood change and depression.
Although you can choose to have someone encapsulate it for you, there are methods to process and do it yourself. Generally, you will see diy methods that include using things like a steamer and dehydrator. Well, I couldn’t get my hands on them and after doing some research, came up with a few tweaks to still get the job done using materials we already had on hand.
Talk with your hospital or birthing center about their policies concerning the placenta. Some places will hold it for you until you are discharged and some will allow you to keep it only if you provide a cooler and a way to get it home and refrigerated within 24 hours.
The first thing you’ll want to do is thoroughly rinse the placenta..then rinse it again. You want to pay extra attention to getting out every bit of blood and clots that you can. Gently massage the placenta as well as the “tree of life” veins around where the cord attaches to the placenta. Once you get it rinsed thoroughly, remove the amniotic sac and umbilical cord. Because we started the process at night, I then stored it in the refrigerator overnight in an airtight container with just enough water to cover the placenta.
In the morning I removed the placenta from the container and once again rinsed with warm water. At this point you want to steam the placenta. I don’t have a steamer basket because I’m still young and broke and we’ve managed to eat well while cooking foods using other methods. Instead, I took a tin pie pan and poked holes in the bottom of it. I then wadded up 3 balls of tin foil to approximately the same size. Arrange the balls of foil a saucepan large enough to fit the pie tin, arrange tin on top and put in placenta. If you want to avoid your house taking on an odd aroma, you can slice some lemons and add a cinnamon stick or two in the faux steamer basket with placenta.
Steam for 20 minutes and after turning placenta, steam on other side for 20 minutes.
Once you have finished steaming the placenta, let it cool and rest.
I really didn’t smell anything other than the lemon and cinnamon which was more of a light but fragrant holiday scent. Although, if you really want to know what to expect, it smells  just like cooking any other organ you might prepare for dinner–liver, heart, etc.
Slice the cooked placenta into thin strips. The thinner the strips, the quicker and easier it will dehydrate.
Place on a foil lined cookie sheet. You could also use a dehydrator at this stage, but we didn’t have one so I decided to just process it in the oven. Cook for 4 hours at 200 degrees F.
Once the strips are completely dried, grind using either a spice grinder, food processor, or something similar that will grind it into a powder.  At this point you could put the powder into a jar and incorporate it into smoothies or something but honestly, the thought of consuming it in a way more primal than capsules did gross me out a bit.
I was lucky enough to be able to borrow a capsule pill maker thing from my in-laws. It made it fool proof to make the pills and was a pretty quick process. I just had to take apart the capsules, place the ends in each part  then fill, close and place in a jar for using as I need them.

Placenta capsules should be stored in the refrigerator while you are taking them. Keep capsules dry. Store any remaining capsules in the freezer for long-term use. Placenta capsules will last at least 1 year if stored properly and possibly longer.

So, have you ever consumed your placenta, do you know someone who has, or is it something you would even consider?

 

DIY Light Tunnel For Your Kiddos

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You know those lazy days you spend just lounging around your house? Well, although we’re not usually lounging at home, we do have a nice amount of downtime since we run our businesses from home. Pair that with an anxious toddler and you’ve got the perfect mixture for a tantrum unless you can find a way to keep them entertained.
I especially love when I get a random strike of genius for a fun toddler approved activity. In this case, my hubby and I spent absolutely no money and about an hour of our time to create something Natalia could keep entertained with for a solid 2 months.
light tunnel
Before you begin making your own light tunnel, you’ll need to gather a few things. 
 
-A large box. We actually used the box that the baby’s car seat was -packaged in. Open the top and bottom to create a “tunnel”.
-A knife or screwdriver for punching holes in the box.
-A strand of Christmas lights.
Using the knife or screwdriver, make holes in one side of the box. You can choose to do a completely random design or have them be even spaced in lines. We chose lines just because I figured it would be easier to navigate the strand of lights that way. Once you have all the holes you want, simply stuff the bulbs of the lights into each hole.Okay, okay. You’re probably thinking this doesn’t look like much, right?
To a 2 year old, it’s a thing of absolute magic. 
If you can convince your daddy to join you, all the better. 😉
Of course, we didn’t stop at just the tunnel. The tunnel was added to an existing homemade playhouse that Jake also made from boxes. We happened to get our post office order in the next day which consists of boxes and boxes of envelopes, boxes, and other packaging material.
You can see the larger “play house-like” section on the right side of this photo. You can also see where the tunnel was added. Jake then took the boxes (of boxes) and created a maze from the other entrance of the playhouse. It spanned our entire living room.
It really just goes to show how a few household items can create a magical memory for your children. (Not to mention save your sanity a bit by providing them with entertainment so you can do other things.)

DIY Cloth Diaper Safe Diaper Cream

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I have spent A LOT of money on diaper creams. I have always had to purchase one that was “cloth diaper safe”, and since they run approximately $10.00+ for a tube/jar, it can get costly. Therefore, I decided to make my own.

The ingredients you need are:
1/3 cup coconut oil (I use raw, organic coconut oil)
1/4 cup shea butter (sometimes I add more to help make it more paste-like)
1 tbsp calendula flowers
1 tbsp chamomile flowers

1 tsp arrowroot or zinc oxide powder (this is optional, but these powders add an additional drying power for really bad rashes)

To begin, you will need to heat up a couple inches of water in a small sauce pan. Melt your coconut oil in a double boiler top (or a class bowl will work) above the boiling water. Once the coconut oil is melted, add the calendula flowers and chamomile flowers. Keep the heat going on low/medium for at least an hour (or until the oil has started to turn yellow and smells like the calendula and chamomile). Remember to check the water level OFTEN! It evaporates off quickly so it’s important to keep an eye on it, and add more water as necessary!

Next, carefully strain the flowers out of the coconut oil, where there are no visible particles from the flowers left. Then use a small blender (I have even used a fork before) to blend together the coconut oil, shea butter, and arrowroot or zinc oxide powder (if you used this ingredient) together. You can add more of the arrowroot or zinc oxide powder if it needs to become more paste-like. Store in a glass jar with a lid and use as needed. I recommend using a liner in your diaper.

Why do I use these ingredients?

Coconut Oil, used alone, is effective for treating rashes because it is anti-fungal, and it soothes the skin. Calendula is known for speeding up the healing of skin, as well as having antibacterial properties.
Shea Butter, when raw, has yeast-killing and anti-fungal properties. Shea butter is extremely soft on the skin (one reason it’s used in so many lotions). Shea butter is high in vitamins A & E. Naturally, its anti-inflammatory.
Arrowroot (or zinc oxide) because it has a drying property, which helps in the healing process of a rash.

 

Have you made your own diaper creams?