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~ For people who are passionate about respecting the earth, walking in nature, observing wildlife, local diet, making do, repurposing, organic gardening, foraging for wild plants and fungi, natural health, scrumptious healthy cooking, renovations, DIY, crafting, raising children simply and mindfully, taking time for stillness, and living in harmony with the seasons.

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Category Archives: reuse

making sauerkraut at home

25 Monday Nov 2013

Posted by Delena Rose in cook, thrift store finds

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

cabbage, crockery, sauerkraut, stone crocks, thrift store finds

pork & sauerkraut

It has been years since I had homemade sauerkraut and I was really missing and craving it! I had been searching thrift stores, garage sales and antique malls for years for a large stone crock so that I could start making my own here at the cabin. I did find a few but they were too pricy at $50-$60 dollars per crock (in antique stores). Finally, just a few months ago, I found these two crocks at a thrift store in Edmonton. I paid $7.99 for the large one and $6.99 for the smaller one. Hooray! I was on my way to some homemade sauerkraut!

stone crocks

I did not grow cabbage this year so I had to buy the cabbage. For this batch I used green cabbage. Try to buy organic if you can as they are more flavorful. I thought three cabbages would fill the large crock but once they were pressed down they only filled the crock up to a third! Next time, I will use six cabbages per batch of sauerkraut.

Sauerkraut combines the health benefits offered by all cruciferous vegetables (a category which includes cauliflowers and brussel sprouts as well as cabbage) with the probiotic advantages derived from the fermentation process.

Cabbage offers a host of health benefits. It is high in vitamins A and C. Studies have shown the cruciferous vegetables can help lower cholesterol levels. Cabbage also provides a rich source of phytonutrient antioxidants. In addition, it has anti-inflammatory properties, and some studies indicate it may help combat some cancers. However, this already helpful vegetable becomes a superfood when it is pickled.~Natural News

cabbage1Sauerkraut

green cabbage (or the cabbage of your choice)

salt (I used sea salt but some recommend pickling salt)

Quarter the cabbages. Remove the tough outer leaves and inner core, then slice the cabbage very thinly with a sharp knife or with a mandolin.

Place the sliced cabbage into your stone crock and add one tablespoon of salt per head of cabbage. Mix thoroughly. If you like, you can leave the cabbage and salt to sit overnight before crushing, or you can crush right away. Crush the cabbage well with a wooden utensil or anything heavy and clean. You should notice a lot of juice being released by the cabbage.

cabbage

Place a plate over the cabbage making sure that the plate is fully submerged under the juice. Weigh the plate down with something clean and heavy. Cover the crock with a clean, dry cloth to keep insects and dust out. The juice and cabbage will rise a bit as fermentation begins so be sure and leave ‘room to grow’.

sauerkraut

Check the sauerkraut at least once a week and remove any mold that starts to form. (The mold is completely normal so do not be put off by it.) The sauerkraut will be ready by the fourth to sixth week, depending on how strong you prefer it. I harvested mine after four weeks.

Measure the sauerkraut into four-cup measures and freeze.

Three heads of cabbage yielded six four-cup measures.

There are many different recipes for sauerkraut and I look forward to experimenting with this healthy, tasty food!

Enjoy!

sauerkraut

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the herb and tea garden gets a planter box and a new look

04 Tuesday Sep 2012

Posted by Delena Rose in cabin living, garden, restore, reuse

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

deck, garden, herb and tea garden, peppermint, peppermint tea, planter, planter box, stain, stain deck, trellis


Do you remember this restoration project from last spring? Below is the extreme ‘before’ shot of this little promising patch of garden in the front yard taken last May. I spent a week lovingly moving stones, enriching the soil and planting a variety of perennial herbs and teas.

Here is another view of the ‘before’ stage. Please note the old, weathered stain on the deck and pay particular attention to the open area where the top of the garden meets the deck…Here is an ‘after’ shot taken last May. I had the garden all finished and planted but notice the deck and the open space at the top of the garden still needed to be addressed. Also, notice how the color of the old stain seems to blend in and downplay the beautiful deck…

This past summer as I was making my way around the huge deck with my paintbrush and can of stain, B asked me what I was planning on doing with this big, empty, unproductive space? I told him that I’d eventually like to build a planter box there for mint. While I continued staining, he instantly began working on it…
B leveled the soil and then built this beautiful planter box mainly out of scraps and repurposed wood from the shed.

Once the planter box was finished he decided to take it a step further and address the empty space under the deck with some of the left over trellis from the patio project…

I love how clean this area looks now and notice the that by this time I had caught up with staining the deck in this area.

Here is another angle. The dark stain on the deck rails is a really nice contrast to the wood grain of the cabin. Instead of blending in it pops right out and frames the view quite nicely. Next year, I’d like to add a few large bright red clay pots in a variety of sizes to the concrete area for a splash of color.

Once again, here is another ‘after’ shot. As I write this, the planter is now bursting with peppermint that is waiting to be harvested and dried for peppermint tea. What was once a neglected, uninspiring spot in the garden is now productive and beautiful and adds to the ‘curb appeal’ of the cabin. The best part is that the new additions look as though they have always been there!

Stay tuned to see a neglected corner of deck turned into what I like to call, my restful Zen deck…

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spring planting… and the greenhouse gets a new door!

13 Sunday May 2012

Posted by Delena Rose in garden, restore, reuse

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

French door, glass door, greenhouse, greenhouse made from old windows, new door, restoration, spring planting, spring plants

At last! At long last, the greenhouse has a new French door! Let me remind you of what the greenhouse looked like last year before I tackled the restoration project:

I don’t think that the greenhouse had been used in quite a few years. Of course, I immediately fell in love with it!

Here is the ‘almost-finished’ project last spring. The last thing it needed was a new door. The old is was hollow and had a family of bats living in it. All summer long, whenever I was working in the greenhouse I could hear them scratching away in there.

Not too long ago, my wonderful friend B found this French door in his sister’s garage. As it was no longer needed he brought it over to the cabin, cut it down to size and moved the door knob from the old door to this new door.

Installing it was a challenge as there wasn’t a single straight or level line in this ramshackle building! Thankfully, B was up to the task with chisels and planes! Once the door was installed, I applied two coats of primer, two coats of exterior black paint and a bead of black exterior-grade caulking around the windows, inside and out (again, using painter’s tape on the glass for this task to get a perfectly straight line).

I spent yesterday afternoon vacuuming cobwebs and washing the entire building inside and out. Then polished up the windows and installed a small hook and latch to keep the door from blowing open (the latch of the old knob doesn’t always catch). As you can see, the glass door will let in much more light. I will build a few bat houses to install nearby as I really do appreciate them.

Finally, I planted the plants! This year I put in cherry tomatoes, two types of roma tomatoes, many herbs (especially basil), and a variety of salad greens in the back as they don’t mind partial shade. I also reserved an small area for my friend E who is going to have her own bit of garden space and will plant some of her own seeds next time she comes over.

Now onto the Medicine Wheel garden project where today I am building raised beds…:)

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Anita makes bags

19 Monday Dec 2011

Posted by Delena Rose in buy local, eco-living, handmade, repurpose, reuse

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Calgary artist, craft ideas, crochet ideas, reduce landfill, repurpose, reuse, reuse plastic, shopping bags, things to do with plastic bags

 I recently met a very creative woman named Anita who makes the most wonderful bags. Along with the shoulder bags featured in the pictures here, she also makes clutch bags, make-up bags and wallets. Each of the bags is Anita’s own design and even the crochet stitch that she uses is unique.

What makes these gorgeous bags extra special is that they are 100% made from plastic shopping bags. Anita starts by collecting the shopping bags and many of her friends help her by saving bright, uniquely colored bags for her. Then she cuts these into strips. Each large bag reuses 50 plastic bags and takes about 10 hours to make (smaller bags take a little less time). Anita crochets these using a double strip of plastic, which explains why her bags are so strong. You can easily fill a bag with canned goods at the grocery store and the bag will not stretch or break. The lovely variations of colors in the designs come from the actual plastic bags.

I love these bags! It is inspiring how Anita takes what we consider a ‘waste product’ (headed to the recycling station or worse, the landfill) and turns it into something very useful and beautiful. These artful bags remind me of the designer beach bags I saw in Hawaii for sale in every tourist shop.  As Anita’s bags are waterproof and lightweight they are perfect as swim bags, grocery bags or book bags for library visits. If they get dirty they can be hand-washed with soap and water and hung to dry.

Anita is based in Calgary and charges $10 per large bag, $5 for the clutch and make up bags and $1 for the wallets. If you are interested in purchasing any of these bags, you can reach Anita by email: abholmes@shaw.ca or if you like any of the shoulder bags pictured here, email me at delena@cabinorganic.com and I can mail or drop off the bag(s) of your choice. I see Anita about once a month now so I can easily pick up any orders if you live in the Edmonton area.

Thank you for sharing your great idea and your gorgeous bags with us, Anita!

 

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second-hand treasure: my gypsy purse

03 Wednesday Aug 2011

Posted by Delena Rose in reuse, thrift store finds

≈ 8 Comments

Tags

auctions, flea markets, garage sales, reuse, saving money, second-hand, thrift store, used

Buying secondhand is exciting, fun an important part of an eco-conscious lifestyle.

For as long as I can remember, I have always enjoyed second-hand shopping. Since the days of my early childhood, it has always felt like an exciting treasure hunt. One never knows what will be found on each visit: a vintage beaded purse, an eclectic pair of chairs to go with that bistro table at home, a beautiful linen tablecloth that has never been used, a new fish tank for your child’s bedroom (which will cost less than the fish who will live in it), or that perfect pair of designer jeans that fit just right and only cost you five bucks (which you paid for with spare change).

Sometimes we have to no choice but to buy new, but keep in mind that there is a high cost involved. Every time we purchase a brand new item, materials have been mined and extracted from the earth in order to manufacture them. Water and energy have also most likely been used in the process, and toxins and pollutants have been released into the environment.  Please watch The Story of Stuff by Annie Leonard. It is a 20 minute animated video, which talks about the life cycle of ‘stuff’ and is very though-provoking!

Not too long ago, thrift stores had a reputation for being dingy, smelly places where only poor people shopped. The stores always seemed to be located in a rough part of town where ‘well-off’ people regularly donated their used goods but would never dream of buying anything second-hand. Even the word, ‘second-hand’ had a negative connotation and was equated with ‘used, hand-me-downs, shabby, worn out, broken, scrap, junk, garbage, trash, and charity’.  People who bought second-hand were thought of as poor, needy, inferior, low-income, low-class, unemployed, smelly, dirty and having no fashion sense.

Today, peoples’ attitudes have changed.  We no longer have the need to buy everything brand new. It is more socially acceptable, even ‘cool’, to shop second-hand. We now use words like ‘vintage, retro, eclectic, pre-loved, memorabilia and resplendent repurposing’. Second-hand shoppers now come from all income brackets and are simply people who enjoy hunting for bargains and bragging about their savings to their friends and family. Some people are fascinated with older things and love collecting items that already have a history and a story to tell.

One of my own magical thrift store finds was an eclectic antique teacup and saucer covered in burgundy flowers with blue centers. I just loved the unique shape of the cup. It was very masculine in its design and looked like it belonged in a dark, cozy library. I could almost smell the leather and hint of cigar smoke whenever I used it. Sadly, I lost it in a move and am currently looking for more pieces of this china. I have also bought countless good books (I have hundreds of them) in new condition. Last fall, I found a brand new suede winter coat ($15.00) that looks exactly like the one Cameron Diaz wore in The Holiday (now I just need the tall leather boots to match and I won’t pay over $10). Lately, I have been wearing new and comfy brand-name flannel shirts ($2.99 each) while berry-picking or working out in the yard.  And just yesterday, while in the city, I found this ‘gypsy’ purse ($6.99). It is brand new and exactly what I was looking for. It was the inspiration for this post promoting second-hand shopping.

As our society becomes more eco-conscious, living a simple, environmentally friendly lifestyle is now encouraged and even applauded. Also, during times of economic recession, being frugal, reusing, repurposing and saving money is just using our common sense. In Canada and the United States, resale is now one of the fastest growing businesses in retail. No longer dark and dingy, the thrift stores of today are brightly lit, well organized and the clothes and items have all been washed.

Buying second-hand is not just limited to thrift stores. You can shop for used items at auctions, online (Ebay, Yahoo! Classifieds!, Kijiji, Freecycle, Craig’s List and Preloved in the UK), garage sales, flea markets, pawn shops, used book stores, markets and bazaars.

Currently there are many books published on using second-hand goods to decorate your home, including topics such as ‘flea market style’, ‘Shabby Chic’ and decorating with ‘found objects’.  In her fun and uplifting talk, ‘Wearing Nothing New‘, designer Jessi Arrington, admits that she is ‘outfit obsessed’ and encourages expressing your own unique style using thrift store finds . There are also many blogs written around the theme of second-hand shopping, such as centsationalgirl, and thingsifoundatthethriftstore, to name a few.

When shopping second-hand, you can often find unique, high-quality and inexpensive clothing, furniture and other household items. If you are crafty and have a good imagination, there are endless opportunities to be creative: a brightly colored shirt could be cut up and sewn into a quilt, a linen tablecloth could be sewn into some natural cushions (just add some wooden buttons), visit My Repurposed Life to see how a coffeepot can be turned into a lamp; or blueroofcabin to see how an old door can be turned into a banquette.

Second-hand shopping is especially helpful if you have growing children. You can find new brand-name clothing for a fraction of the price as well as toys, books and games.

Also consider second-hand pets. Adopt a rescue dog (or cat or rabbit or guinea pig or hamster or bird) from your local animal rescue society instead of buying a brand new puppy from a puppy mill. (I found Lucy through nasap.) Your pet gets a second chance at a good, loving life and you get a loyal, grateful pet. Both Lucy and I highly recommend this!!!

And don’t forget to donate items that are no longer useful to you to your local thrift store! Declutter. Dejunk.

cabinorganic’s top ten reasons to buy second-hand

  1. it protects the environment

by preventing useful goods from becoming waste in the landfill and requiring no new resources or energy to create

2. it is a way of buying ‘local’

as goods were not transported far to get to you

3. it builds community

by supporting the charitable organizations that operate many thrift stores (i.e. Salvation Army offers meals, shelter, job training and spiritual guidance to the needy; Goodwill offers job rehabilitation for adults with special needs; some are run by churches or hospitals)

4. it stimulates the economy

during periods of recession, second-hand buying increases; you save money while still getting ‘retail therapy’ and quality goods

5. it promotes de-junking and de-cluttering in your own life

you don’t feel bad donating it back later when the item is no longer useful to you, because you didn’t pay an arm and a leg for it

6. it gives you a chance to be creative

if you are crafty you can use a used item for a project

7. you find unique, one-of-a-kind goods that you may not be able find new anymore 

8. it saves you money as used goods costs much less!!!

9. it is part of living a simple, intentional, eco-conscious life

10.  it is FUN

The thrill of the hunt, getting a good bargain and finding just what you need and paying so little for it is so satisfying. And you really never know what you will find. My friend, K, was recently telling me about many of her thrift store finds, including some beautifully tailored wool suits that she once bought for her husband (you can’t find that quality material anymore) and the full length seal skin jacket that she bought for herself! Happy second-hand shopping, everyone. I’ll let you know when I find my teacup and saucer!

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