Gearing Up for Spring Cleaning and Homemade Laundry Detergent

So it's just about that time of year again.  Time to brush off the cold winter weather and welcome spring by starting afresh and clean.  I may be one of the few weird people who actually enjoys spring cleaning. I always feel more relaxed and happy in a really clean house.  Plus, I like to get it out of the way early because once it is warm enough to get out in the yard I plan on spending the majority of my free time cleaning up from winter and planting the garden.

I started making some of my own household cleaners maybe a year or so ago, and I really like them.  Especially the laundry detergent.  Not only are they cheap, they don't have those super strong chemical smells.  (That Swiffer wet jet is just obnoxious!) I always like DIY sorts of projects and I have found that this saves us a lot of money over the course of a year.  After all, there are way better things to spend your hard earned money on than cleaning products.

This recipe is all over the internet, but just in case you haven't seen it before, here it is again..  I first saw it at DIY Natural.  Little House in the Suburbs has directions to make it into a liquid detergent if you prefer to use that over powder.

These are the only three ingredients.  You can use any sort of laundry soap you want.  Fels Naptha is popular as is Zote, but you can even use Ivory if you have trouble finding the others.

Grate up the soap. One bar of Zote will yield about 4 cups of grated soap.

Add to a food processor with 2 cups of washing soda and two cups of borax.  Whirl until it is blended well and is the consistency of a regular powdered detergent.  Store in a coffee can and use one or two Tablespoons per load.

And if you want to try your hand at making some more homemade cleaners The Frugal Girls has several recipes.  I have tried the glass cleaner and am very pleased with it so far.

My niece also sent me a recipe for homemade fabric softener, so when I try that I'll post the recipe for it as well.

Photo Credit: www.freedigitalphotos.net

Homemade Garam Masala

Our garam masala jar was getting low.  When I went to purchase another jar at our regular grocery store, they didn't have any.  So I checked at the other store across town when I was in the neighborhood.  No luck.  The two natural food stores didn't have it either.  What used to be a relatively easy spice to find in town is now appears to be completely gone.

Well, there is no way we are giving up our Indian food, so I decided to make my own. I tasted the homemade version alongside the last little bit left in the store bought jar. They are a nearly perfect match.

I just love it when I find another thing thing that we don't need to buy at the store anymore.  I don't have a spice grinder (though I really need to get one) so I made this spice blend out of pre-ground spices.  In our household we go through spices so quickly they never really have a chance to get old and lose their flavor.  This recipe makes about one cup because we use it a lot when we cook.  It can easily be cut in half or thirds.

Homemade Garam Masala
Adapted from Khana Pakana

•3 Tablespoons ground cumin
•3 Tablespoons ground coriander
•2 Tablespoons ground black pepper
•2 Tablespoons ground cardamom
•1 1/2 teaspoons ground cloves
•1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
•1 1/2 teaspoons ground nutmeg

Mix all spices together in a small saucepan.  Toast lightly over medium low heat for about five minutes, stirring often.  Cool completely and transfer to an airtight container.

Okra Refrigerator Pickles

I was hoping to can some spicy okra pickles for the winter, but I didn't plant enough okra this year to harvest several pounds at a time. On average I'm harvesting about 1-2 cups per day.  For the most part, I have been just slicing and blanching the okra and freezing it in quart sized ziploc bags for the winter.

Yesterday I stumbled upon a great looking recipe for okra refrigerator pickles at The Hip Girl's Guide to Homemaking.  This is a perfect method for enjoying small amounts of pickles without all of the work of canning.  I used this basic method and drew some inspiration from the Creole Spiced Okra Pickles in Liana Krissoff's Canning for a New Generation.  The creole style spice blends is a mash up of several recipes I have seen online.  It would be really good rubbed on chicken, shrimp, or fish or sprinkled on top of roasted potatoes and vegetables.

Creole Style Spice Blend

•1 Tablespoon cayenne pepper
•1 Tablespoon smoked paprika
•1 Tablespoon cumin
•2 teaspoons thyme
•1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
•1 teaspoon coriander
•1/2 teaspoon cloves
•1/2 teaspoon celery seed

Mix all together in a jar.

Creole Style Okra Refrigerator Pickles

•about 1/2 pound fresh okra pods, washed and trimmed- enough to pack tightly into 1 quart or 2 pint glass jars
•1 cup cider vinegar
•1 cup water
•2 teaspoons pickling salt, or kosher salt
•hot pepper, optional

Pack trimmed okra and pepper, if using, into glass jars. Top with 1 1/2 teaspoons Creole seasoning. Bring the vinegar, water, and salt to a boil in a small saucepan.  When the salt is dissolved, pour the vinegar mixture over the okra. Cover and store in the refrigerator.  Let the flavors in the pickles blend for a week or so.