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Homemade Citrus Vinegar for Cleaning
By Brenda Hyde
This gentle but effective vinegar is also fresh smelling and a wonderful
homemade alternative to harsh chemical cleaners.
Fill a glass quart jar with the peelings (remove any of the white
pulp) of any citrus fruit-grapefruit, orange, lemon, lime, etc. Cover
the peelings with white vinegar, cover and allow it to sit for about
2 weeks. Occasionally shaking the jar. Remove the peels, and you
can strain it as well. Use this vinegar in any of the following ways:
Pour into a small dish, and set in a room to absorb odors.
Make an all-purpose floor cleaner by mixing 1/2 cup to 1
gallon of water.
Glass Cleaner: Combine a quart of water with 1/2 cup of the
vinegar and add it to a spray bottle. Use as you would glass
cleaner.
Linoleum floor cleaner: Add 1 cup citrus vinegar with two
gallons water of water and mop as usual.
To clean ovens: Spray or pour the vinegar on burned or soiled
areas. Close the oven door and allow it to sit for 2 hours. Wipe
clean with a sponge or rag that has been moistened with warm
water. You may need to repeat.
Brenda Hyde is a freelance writer living on ten acres in rural Michigan with her husband and three kids. Stop by and visit her garden blog, Garden of Grace & Whimsy, and her photography blog, A Dance of Words & Photos.
SeptemberLady "Born and have lived in Southern MD most of my life. My husband and I just finished building a new home on the family farm, where I hope to retire in the near future.
My interests: Doll collecting, cookbook collector (especially old ones), antiques, family/friend get-togethers, cooking/baking, flower and vegetable gardening, bird-watching."
Memorial Day: Backyard Grilling Memorial Day signals the start of barbecue season. Everyone wants to light that fire and charcoal that first meal. A few tips might pre- vent your entree from becoming a "Burnt Offering."
Read these tips for plenty of grilling ideas, make this year's barbecue perfect!
Growing and Using Garlic Chives Garlic chives, Allium tuberosum, is a hardy perennial (Zones 3-9) that will grow to about 12 inches high. The stems are skinnier and flat, instead of hollow as are regular chives, with greenish white blooms that are about an inch wide and not as rounded. They bloom in the summer rather than spring. The bloom stalks grow much taller than the leaves, sometimes up to 30 inches.
The stems and blooms are both edible and have a mild garlic onion taste. I've noticed many writers will list this as primarily as an Asian herb, as they are also known as Chinese chives, Chinese leeks, ku chai (China) or Nira (Japan), but it has many other uses as well!
The Perfect Porch Swing Perhaps it is the soothing rhythm or the reassuring creak of the porch swing that attracts us. Perhaps it is the companionable silence or quiet conversation. Or maybe swings simply remind us of more genteel times.
Although porch swings can be purchased in a wide range of materials, the most common are wicker and wood. You can also make your own porch swing from one of the myriad of woodworking patterns available at garden centers, hardware stores, or on the Internet.
Memorial Day: Backyard Grilling
Growing and Using Garlic Chives
The Perfect Porch Swing