Goober Pea Butter? Really?

Goundnut. Earth nut. Monkey nut. Pygmy nut. Pig nut. And one with which I'm sure we're all familiar...GOOBER PEAS!

The peanut!  But wait, it isn't a nut at all, but a member of the pea family, making it a vegetable.  Who'da thought?

Regardless of all of that, (and my apologies for those allergic as you're probably getting the itch just looking at these pictures), the peanut is very versatile and tasty addition to our pantry.  In fact, as part of the weekly food storage plan put together by our ward's e-prep folks, this week buy a bottle or two of peanut butter to add to your larder.  Be sure it's "smooth" and not "crunchy" as crunchy will go rancid much (much) faster. 

However... if you live in the great state of Georgia, where we produce nearly 1/2 of all the peanuts used in the US (in 2012 that adds up to hefty 6.1 billion pounds) you may even get the notion to make your own peanut butter.  It is soooo much more delicious than the store-bought kind that is full of sugar, bad oils, and sometimes whipped up like frosting.  After years of eating the "natural" stuff myself, the bottled name-brands can taste a little like plastic to me.

As Joy Watkins, of Joy the Baker, says, "This recipe is so easy that I almost feel bad typing it out for you.  In essence, if you throw shelled peanuts into a food processor, with or without a pinch of salt, whirl it up for several minutes, you’ll have the magic of peanut butter in your kitchen."

Find great recipes (just as easy as Joy says) at Joy the Baker (she also has some variations that can make it more kid palatable as you switch them over) and PickYourOwn.org, where you can also find area farms where you can indeed pick your own fruits and vegetables.

Here's a sample of how simple it really is:  About a pound of shelled peanuts, a bit of salt, and a bit of vegetable oil if needed (olive oil changes the taste).   Blend.Blend.Blend.  Store in an airtight container in your frig for weeks (and weeks) or you can even freeze it. 

Do check out the two above sites, or do your own web search (Joy has a awesome recipe for Honey Roasted PNB -- YUM!) and let us know your results. 

Then go make some of these: 

We'll be very happy to taste test them for you. 



georgiapeanuts.com



(Please be sure to share your experiences, tips, suggestions... have you ever made your own PNB?)

Proper Blogging Protocol



etc.usf.edu

 Don't know about you, but I have really come to enjoy many blogs out there.  I, like you, have my special interests, both personal and business, and have really learned a tremendous amount by reading all the information pulled together and shared.  Some are so highly entertaining that I enjoy reading them just for the entertainment value.

For many, blogging is business (and sometimes BIG business).  And many put a lot of time and effort into their blogs to make them interesting, fun, and informative -- and revenue generating.

We started this little "unofficial" blog here to simply share information from the members of our local church unit (called a "ward") among ourselves and anyone else interested.  There is no intention to make money.  So anyone who really wants to share this information is very welcome to do so (although we would ask you give credit to the author of the particular blog post please). 

That said, there is a blogging protocol and we would like let people know that we fully intend to follow it.  One "unwritten rule" is that you don't copy and paste other blogger's content (or even retype their content) without specific permission, and always (ALWAYS) give credit.  The correct protocol is to direct the reader (via links) to the other blog so the reader can gather the information from the source.  Plus have the opportunity to view other insightful or entertaining information.

Again, the goal of this blog is to have our ward members share information and knowledge they have gathered through their experience, but we will have some posts where we will reference other bloggers' sites and provide click-through links.  We don't sell anything, don't intend to, and if we have a link to something it will be a "freebie."  (But we think terrific ones!)

I hope this all makes sense.  If you have any questions please feel free to contact us!

Make it Yourself Dishwasher & Laundry Soaps

Contributed by Katrina Gowen

How many of us wish we could save money at the same time trying to be a little more healthy?  We all know of friends or even family members who have suddenly developed allergies to their laundry soap or other soap they are using and have a tough time finding something that still cleans but won't cost an arm and 10 legs.  

Here are some recipes that might just help you save some money and help with those allergies, not to mention the pocket book if it ever gets to the point where you can't afford store bought soaps.  Fels Naptha at Walmart is $.97 a bar, the baking soda for a big box was around $2-$3, as was the borax and the washing soda.   The following are just a few of the many recipes I found online at sites like Tipnut and Frugal Living.

Dishwasher- Automatic Single Batch

1 TBS Borax

1 TBS Baking Soda

Use this in each soap compartment 

Dishwasher- Automatic Large Batch

1 box Borax

1 box Baking soda

Use enough to fill both compartments

*************

(*Editor's Note:  Powdered laundry soaps work best when you add it to an empty washer and let it fill part way with water so the powder is allowed to dissolve and distribute throughout.  Although your mileage may vary.)

Laundry Soap- Powdered Small Batch
2 cups Fels Naptha Soap (finely grated) – you could also try Ivory, Kirk's Castile or Zotes
1 cup Washing Soda
1 cup Borax

• Mix well and store in an airtight plastic container.
• Use 2 tablespoons per full load.

Laundry Soap- Powdered Large Batch

12 cups Borax
8 cups Baking Soda
8 cups Washing Soda
8 cups Bar soap (grated)

• Mix all ingredients well and store in a sealed tub.
• Use 1/8 cup of powder per full load.

Laundry Soap- Liquid

1 cup Vinegar (white)
1 cup Baking Soda
1 cup Washing Soda
1/4 cup liquid castile soap

• Mix well and store in sealed container.
• I find it easiest to pour the liquid soap into the bowl first, stirred in the washing soda, then baking soda, then added the vinegar in small batches at a time (the recipe foams up at first). The mixture is a thick paste at first that will break down into a heavy powdered detergent, just keep stirring. There may be some hard lumps, try to break them down when stirring (it really helps to make sure the baking soda isn’t clumpy when first adding). I used 1/2 cup per full load with great results.

(*Editor's Note:  And then get creative and display your soaps in beautiful and fun containers like this!) 

 

swoonstylehome.com