How to make your own dishwasher powder that works is so easy. Like the laundry powder I was dubious but this stuff is great. It is not a by product of nuclear waste so it will not take off baked on food or clean burnt pots (the best way to clean a burnt pot is to put a thin layer of water on the bottom then leave it outside for the whole subzero winter. When you have completely forgotton about it and find it in the garden months later, bash out the ice and it will be clean! My mother used a similar theory but buried them in the garden.)
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Dishwasher Powder
- 1 cup borax
- 1 cup washing soda
- 1/4 cup citric acid
No plastic. Cheap as. And just before I start a load of dishes I throw in a glug of white vinegar. And like the home made laundry powder, it is very effective. No artificial scents. Just clean and shiny. I must apologise though as I have been making this for ages and I just keep forgetting to tell you about it! Bad miss c.
Daisy was her normal self yesterday.
By morning she was noisy, giving everyone the leery eye, trying to lean over the gate and steal the lambs food (she was on a restricted diet), teasing Queenie out the back, giving lots of milk and generally back to her old self. Thank you so much for all your comments and advice yesterday. The consensus is that it probably was a mild bloat, she did not look bloated but she certainly was in trouble, by this morning all her bodily functions were back in order and you and I have breathed a big sigh of relief.
I
I have begin to amalgamate the sheep flocks again. Minty was introduced to Mama’s babies yesterday morning and Meadow was invited across in the afternoon. Today I shall bring in Mia but she is bigger and less patient now so I will be watching. So will Mama. There is plenty of room outside but they do tend to crowd into the big pen. So far so good though. Once Mama’s flock is back in order all we have to do is wait for spring and they can begin to go out to the fields in one hour increments. We don’t want bloaty sheep either.
The Duke of Kupa and Author have been inspecting next year’s wood.
I asked Triple T and John what they would choose: a cloudy day with no wind or a sunny day with wind. Hard aye. Bearing in mind that wind here is like Wellington. Gale force and constant once it starts. I would still take the sun with wind. After this dark winter I will take all the sun I can get. The native Illinoisians both chose cloudy with no wind which is a good choice for the moisture in the soil. What about you?
I have discovered that if I strain the kefir through a cheese cloth I make a very good sour cream. A soft cheese. Just like a thickened greek yoghurt. Perfect for on top of just about anything.
I There is another way of making kefir cheese and I shall try this today, you strain it then pop it in the oven on very low to seperate. I read about this ages ago so I shall have to go in search of a recipe.
Kefir does not like to work in the light so until I find a nice pottery jar I cover my glass jar with Vivs tea cosy. Now, if you have a moment – pop over to visit Viv. As you know she is an alarmingly talented poet but maybe you did not know that she has a ridiculously talented husband Jock. Go look. The Duke of Kupa has been immortalised in thread. Beautiful.
Do you see my cardinal? He has come back – soon he will disappear for a couple of weeks then he will return with his wife. He does this every year.
Have a lovely day. All is well on the farmy for the moment. We can relax – don’t relax too much though. Life is like old glass remember.. it looks solid but it is constantly changing in there, fate is making decisions for us. I hope we are ready for the next challenge. I hope it is a good challenge with sun in it!
It is 18 (-7)and blowing a gale out there but time I got out into it.
Have a lovely day.
celi
ps. Oh almost forgot to tell you. I tried to felt some of my wool the other day. Naturally it was a failure (not patient enough) so I dried the tattered results anyway thinking they would be useful for something. Yesterday I laid the holey sheets one on top of the other and walked about the house thinking there must be something I could use it for. In the end I just laid them flat on my own pillow and put the pillowcase back on top. By bed time I had forgotton I had done that and OH what a soft and cosy surprise. Hairy MacLairy radiating warm and cosy through the cotton onto my cheek.
c
The Kitchen's Garden 
72 responses to “How to make dishwasher powder and Daisy: back to normal.”
Good Morning,
Hooray for Daisy and her happy tummy and feisty attitude.
Life long central Illinoisian here and I vote for 1 day of windy sunshine, then we need to conserve soil moisture. I don’t like constant strong wind (would never be able to stand living on the western prairies), it annoys me and makes it hard for me to sleep, but the gloom of constant cloudy days wears on my soul.
I love The Crazy Sheep Lady’s little felted sheep, I really want some like them. But I can hear my husband saying but you don’t like sheep, you like cows, why buy toy sheep? Well I like sheep when they are someone else’s sheep. I just don’t like to care for live ones long term. And rams, don’t like them as I have had some rather unpleasant experiences with them.
Hopefully the weatherman is right about the sunshine for the next few days and it would be lovely if they were wrong about the temperatures.
It is just fiercely cold today and worse tomorrow, but i will not moan about mornings in the 20’s again.. i do agree about the moisture in the earth, at least this long dark month is good for the soil, when it does warm up the plants will be very well hydrated, stress free and the pasture might just Spring forth!! morning jeanne.. c
Poor Daisy! The 2nd, 3rd and 4th pictures look like they are screenshots of a great American movie. What a great place you have! And I LOVE the old car by the barn. This is all so charming and utterly cool!
John calls the old car.. Cow Art! .. laugh!! lovely to have met you.. welcome to the farmy! c
I hope everyone has seen BABE. Celi, you would really really really enjoy it. All of your favorite characters are the stars.
I have seen babe but SO long ago that i am sure I should look again! c
[…] snowing today, and we are expecting about a foot. Since I am stuck in the house, and since Cecilia reminded me of an incident from my past, I thought I would share a story. Of course that story […]
Your advice on washing a pot has inspired my to recount an incident from my past. http://jomegat.wordpress.com/2013/03/19/bachelorhoo/
And that led to another.
Hmm I like sunny days, hate the wind and don’t enjoy endless grey wet days … what a conundrum (sp?) 🙂 glad to hear Daisy is better again today. Happy farming, wishing Spring on its way to you. Laura
putting the pan outside is ok if you have lots of them,,,otherwise if you only got one and it was burnt you would not be able to cook again until Spring……you are the most unconventional person I think I have ever met ..that is why I enjoy reading you so much. My hugs and kisses for daisy seem to have worked…What a gal of a cow!!!
I am thrilled to be called unconventional and luckily it was my mother in laws pan, I only have three little ones the rest are for stock or cheese!! However any excuse not to cook!! c
I must have sun, lots of sun…I will take the wind and the sun, I will take the wind and freeze cold and the very weak BUT STILL THERE SUN. I have an extremely hard time without the sun. 😦
Linda
http://coloradofarmlife.wordpress.com
http://deltacountyhistoricalsociety.wordpress.com
I am a sun person too.. freezing to day, but at least it is sunny! c
Oh give me sun!!! The trouble with Van and OXON is that we usually get the rain, or storm with rain, or gale with rain, or___fill in the blank___with rain. These two days of sun have been absolute heaven. Back to rain this afternoon. I’m so glad Daisy is fine today. I was really feeling lost and frightened for her and for you yesterday. You and the farmy have become so dear to me. 🙂
Love your tales of rural life. And I like the idea of homemade dishwasher powder, will give it a go. Had a very burnt pan recently that I soaked in bicarbonate of soda and vinegar paste – it did need lots of elbow grease but ended up remarkably sparkling.
Hi there. I’ve nominated you for Versatile Blogger Award! Check it out in my blog what you need to do to accept it (^-^)
A much better day, Yea!
I think I would choose cloudy with no wind, just. We had an unusually August-like windy Sunday just gone – odd for March. We must change back from daylight savings soon as it is very dark in the mornings. No matter were you are I think the change in seasons is welcome just for the opportunity to partake of different clothes and menu. Loved the pic of Author sussing out the woodpile for mices 😉
Author is a sweetie.. c
Thanks for the dishwasher powder “recipe” will be giving that a go for sure. So glad Daisy is back to normal 🙂
OK, this is really weird, and maybe it’s just me, but did anyone else notice (maybe I had too much wine for dinner) that in the picture of the Duke of Kupa, the muddy field behind him actually looks like THE actual OCEAN? Or at least a great body of water. I know there’s a worthy metaphor in there somewhere….the prairie in grass often looks like waves, doesn’t it? So why shouldn’t the mud? Am I nuts?
No you are not nuts at all, in fact i am thrilled that you say so. many people say to me how can you live so far from the sea, how can you bear it, and i say sometimes the prairie looks like the sea and at night i can imagine i am looking out across a dark Bay.. isn’t that great that you see what I see too! have another glass for me Charlotte..(I always want to write Carlotta but I know you don’t like that too much).. laugh.. c
I’m having a heart laugh over that last comment! I DO hate being called Carlotta. You wise clever woman, you.