homemade

The dying art of making things yourself- homemade!

At a recent fund raiser, there were jars of pickles “put up” by local ladies and some jars of homemade laundry soap.  I never learned how to make my own soap. So, of course, I had to get a jar. On the outside, it was named “Amish Laundry Detergent”- why spend $20 / gal when you can make your own for $.50/gal?  Recipe attached. Fascinating! Besides, if I didn’t want to make this myself, my daughter could enjoy the novelty of it for a fun Christmas goodie.

Recipe:  1 Bar Fels Naptha Soap ( grated), 1 1/2 cup Borax, 1 1/2 cup washing soda ( Arm and Hammer), 5 gal bucket with a lid. In a large pot put 12 cups of water and grated soap, cook on medium heat, stir until dissolved. Add Borax and washing soda, stir until dissolved. Add 8 cups hot water into bucket, add soap mixture, stir. Add 2 gals + 12 cups of water and stir well. Let sit 24 hours, stir again, also stir when needed to keep smooth and mixed.  Use 1/2 to 1 cup per load. Approximate cost $2.50 per 5 gallons.

I could do this. What about you?? Will I ? Not likely, but the secret to success sounded like stirring. And, three ingredients is hardly enough to overtax my memory. Why don’t we make more things at home? Because we would rather have the chemically fortified food and laundry soap provided at a higher cost for the luxury of convenience? It almost escaped me that this glass container the size of a tall cup of pepsi cost me $4.00. I guess that glass container and the instructions were worth the difference. It looks like four cups so 4-8 loads x .50 = $4.00 my money’s worth.:)

The cake was homemade today for a special birthday girl by her mother. I think food cooked with love and gardens raised with love and even maybe soap made with  love- are better for us all. Will we ever know for sure? Does it matter, if we believe it? Make something from your own unique recipes and give it to someone special- soon.