The 7 Best DIY Bluetooth Speakers MUO - MakeUseOf
* This article was originally published here
Sunday, March 20, 2022
Friday, March 18, 2022
Scaling the Work
In this episode, Brandon Gordon talks about scaling the work needed to match the business.
Make farming easier with the Paperpot Transplanter and Other Small Farm Equipment at https://www.paperpot.co/
Follow PaperpotCo on IG https://instagram.com/paperpotco
Podcasts by Diego Footer: Microgreens: https://apple.co/2m1QXmW Vegetable Farming: https://apple.co/2lCuv3m Livestock Farming: https://apple.co/2m75EVG Large Scale Farming: https://apple.co/2kxj39i
Small Farm Tools https://www.paperpot.co/
* This article was originally published here
Thursday, March 17, 2022
DIY Hair Spray: Make This Simple and Natural Homemade Hair Spray
This DIY hair spray is simple and natural. So stop using chemicals on your hair and make this fruit-based homemade hair spray recipe instead!
I was so excited to share this homemade hair spray recipe that I had a hard time conducting an adequate test phase! But after a month of use, I’m thrilled with the results. (UPDATE: I’ve been using this formula for over two years now, and won’t ever go back to store-bought!)
Here’s how and why I make my own DIY hair spray.
DIY Hair Spray Allows Me To Control Ingredients
Nowadays I have very thick, curly, long(ish) hair and need to use a generous amount of hair spray no matter how I style it. (My hair scares Matt if I don’t tame it with at least a little bit of hair spray.) I used to be a fan of maximum hold hair spray, but it left my hair so crunchy my 4-year-old nephew wanted to touch it every chance he got.
Also, the chemicals and cost of keeping my coif looking good frustrated me. I cringe when I think about the chemicals I inhale with cheap hair spray, not to mention that it sits on my hair all day. (Poison control categorizes hair spray as minimally toxic.)
The cost of natural hair spray tends to make me cringe too.
It’s time for something different. It’s time for homemade hair spray.
To my delight, Matt received a basic recipe for DIY hair spray from a DIYNatural reader named Charli. I. Was. Giddy!
I tested the recipe, made a few tweaks, and came up with this wonderful recipe for DIY hair spray.
DIY Hair Spray: Citrus-Lavender
This DIY hair spray is simple and natural. So stop using chemicals on your hair and make this fruit-based homemade hair spray recipe instead!
Servings 9 ounces
Cost $1
Equipment
- 1 funnel (stainless steel)
- 1 measuring cup (glass)
Ingredients
- 1 whole orange (For dark hair OR use lemon for light hair, preferably organic to avoid having pesticides in your hairspray.)
- 2 cups filtered water (or distilled)
- 2-3 Tbsps high proof vodka (or other clear grain alcohol)
- 6-8 drops lavender essential oil
Instructions
- Start your DIY hair spray by cutting a whole orange or lemon into wedges and combine with 2 cups of water in a small pot. Boil over medium-high heat until liquid is reduced by half.1 whole orange, 2 cups filtered water
- Strain liquid through cheesecloth into a measuring cup. If you boiled too much liquid out add water until you have 1 cup. Allow citrus juice to cool.
- Combine alcohol and essential oils in a small bowl, swirl to mix, then add to the cup of citrus juice. (Feel free to experiment with your favorite essential oil or leave them out altogether.)2-3 Tbsps high proof vodka, 6-8 drops lavender essential oil
- Use a funnel to pour your DIY hair spray into a spray bottle with a fine mister and shake to combine ingredients. Shake before each use.
Notes
This is not a maximum hold hair spray that will freeze a prom up-do or 80’s bangs. I can say with confidence that it’s a flexible-hold formula. I was a loyal user of firm-hold hairspray for years before trying this formula, now I PREFER this to my old sprays.
This DIY hair spray formula has been tested on my brunette hair. Use oranges for darker hair, and lemons only if your hair is light-colored. There is a chance the lemon can lighten your hair when exposed to sunlight.
Grab the orange or lemon sitting in your fruit bowl and give this homemade hair spray a whirl!
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DIY Hair Spray: Make This Simple and Natural Homemade Hair Spray was written by Betsy Jabs.
* This article was originally published here
Monday, March 14, 2022
Farming Doesn't Have to Be Full Time
In this episode, Curtis Stone talks about how you don't have to farm full-time if you want to farm.
Make farming easier with the Paperpot Transplanter and Other Small Farm Equipment at https://www.paperpot.co/
Follow PaperpotCo on IG https://instagram.com/paperpotco
Podcasts by Diego Footer: Microgreens: https://apple.co/2m1QXmW Vegetable Farming: https://apple.co/2lCuv3m Livestock Farming: https://apple.co/2m75EVG Large Scale Farming: https://apple.co/2kxj39i
Small Farm Tools https://www.paperpot.co/
* This article was originally published here
Saturday, March 12, 2022
Ponzu Sauce Recipe: A Japanese Umami Condiment and More
Ponzu sauce is a savory sauce with an umami flavor (pleasant savory taste). Often served with sashimi it also makes great marinades and more.
In the fall and winter, I think about comfort foods. One of those is a stir fry made with all those abundant fall vegetables. I looked high and low for something new in flavor and found it in ponzu.
What is Ponzu Sauce?
Ponzu is a savory sauce made for foods that are umami, which is Japanese for “pleasant savory taste.” It is considered by some as one of the five senses, but it seems to go deeper than that as being a totally separate taste sensation. Ponzu sauce is often used in umami dishes such as sashimi and shabu shabu. I’ve been using it for chicken marinade and grilling sauce and salad dressing.
Ponzu consists of soy sauce, citrus juice, vinegar, and dashi, a clear broth often used for soup stock. You can make your own by simmering kombu, a type of kelp, and bonito, a dried fish. After simmering for 30 minutes or so, solids are strained out and the broth is used. I make a batch of it and freeze it in ice cube trays. Then when I need it, I can take out 3 cubes or so and make my ponzu. It also comes pre-made for convenience. (Find it here.) You can leave out the dashi, but some say it’s critical for the umami sensation.
Easy Ponzu Sauce Recipe
Ingredients
- ½ cup lime juice – you can use any citrus, but I’ve found that lime has the best flavor (find organic pure lime juice here)
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar (like this organic brand)
- 2 tablespoons mirin, or 2 tablespoons brown sugar (find mirin here)
- ⅓ cup soy sauce (find organic soy sauce here)
- ⅓ cup dashi, optional (learn to make your own here – most commercial dashi has MSG added)
- a few flakes of chili pepper (find organic chili pepper flakes here)
Directions
Simply combine all ingredients in a small bowl. I like to simmer mine together for about 15 minutes to mingle and concentrate the flavors. Then I strain it to get out the pepper flakes. Store it in a jar in the refrigerator for up to a month. There are several ways to use it. Here are a few ideas:
Ponzu Sauce Chicken
Take a medium chicken and cut it into pieces. Place all the pieces into a glass bowl and cover with ponzu. Roll the chicken pieces around to be sure all of them are covered in ponzu. Cover and refrigerate for a few hours. Don’t let it sit for more than six hours as fresh citrus juice can “cook” the chicken. Take the chicken out of the bowl after a few hours and place it on a baking sheet. Bake for 30 minutes at 350°. Larger pieces may take longer. The chicken can be eaten just as it is or you can use it in stir fry. I like to grill my chicken if it’s nice enough outside. The brown sugar in the ponzu makes a nice brown color on the skin.
Ponzu Salad Dressing
I love a light salad dressing that is full of flavor. Ponzu sauce makes it easy.
- ½ cup ponzu
- ¼ cup oil
- ½ cup chopped fresh herbs
Stir all of the ingredients together and pour over your salad. I use whatever herbs are in season, usually fresh oregano, basil, dill, and thyme. The oil can be almost any oil. I like the flavor in sesame, but you can use olive or hazelnut or whatever you choose.
Ponzu Sauce Stir Fry
Stir fry can be almost anything. This time of the year I use a lot of squash and root vegetables. My dinner tonight consisted of butternut squash, onions, mushrooms, sunchokes, corn, beans, peas, parsnips, and broccoli. We had a nice crop of late broccoli and have harvested over 30 pounds of sunchokes (Jerusalem Artichokes) so far. I cut everything up and have it ready in bowls so I can put it in in order of how it cooks.
I started with the squash and a few tablespoons of coconut oil. Next, I added parsnips and broccoli. The onions and parsnips were added next and then the rest after that. I throw on a bit of sea salt and cracked pepper. I don’t use much salt as the ponzu is salty. When everything is almost tender-crisp, I throw in the chicken that I pre-cooked with the ponzu sauce. Once it’s all hot, I pour about a cup of ponzu over and bring it up to a boil. When it’s boiling, I add a cornstarch and water mixture. Just take a few tablespoons of cornstarch and mix it into 1.4 cups of cold water.
Add some of this mixture to the boiling ponzu and stir through the stir fry. Add more cornstarch if necessary to make a nice sauce. Serve hot with a side of rice, or try quinoa for a nice change.
More Condiment Recipes
Check out our other condiment recipes.
How about you?
Do you have a favorite ponzu sauce recipe? Share your experience!
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Ponzu Sauce Recipe: A Japanese Umami Condiment and More was written by Debra Maslowski.
* This article was originally published here
Friday, March 11, 2022
It Just Takes Time to Build a Customer Base
In this episode, Chris Gilbert talks about how building a customer base takes some time.
Make farming easier with the Paperpot Transplanter and Other Small Farm Equipment at https://www.paperpot.co/
Follow PaperpotCo on IG https://instagram.com/paperpotco
Podcasts by Diego Footer: Microgreens: https://apple.co/2m1QXmW Vegetable Farming: https://apple.co/2lCuv3m Livestock Farming: https://apple.co/2m75EVG Large Scale Farming: https://apple.co/2kxj39i
Small Farm Tools https://www.paperpot.co/
* This article was originally published here
Thursday, March 10, 2022
How to Get Rid of Ants Naturally with Homemade Ant Bait That Works!
Knowing how to get rid of ants naturally is easier than it sounds! You’ll learn how to make homemade ant bait, diatomaceous earth, and more.
I take pride in my advanced detective skills, and I apply them to almost everything! For example, figuring out who ate a sticky snack on the couch, who wore muddy shoes in the house, and most importantly, where is the entry point of the army of ants invading our house?
When the ants invaded, I figured out how to get rid of ants naturally. And here’s how we did it!
How to Get Rid of Ants Naturally
Having ants everywhere outdoors doesn’t bother me. But when I see them treading upon the kitchen countertops I spring into action. Therefore, in the past two spring/summer seasons we have successfully rid our house of two different types of ants. Also, we decided it was time to show you how to get rid of ants naturally!
Identifying Ants
When learning how to get rid of ants naturally, detective work is an integral part of eradicating them. Furthermore, finding the most effective treatment for ants depends on the specific type you have invading your house. To explain, each species has different behaviors, preferences in food, and eradication solutions.
Some ants are specific to the region, so we only have experience dealing with certain types. So in this article, we’ll cover remedies for odorous house ants and carpenter ants. In addition, read the end of the article for tips that may work on other species.
Finally, for help identifying these ants, see the images here or here.
Odorous House Ants
You will find these ants anywhere you have sweets laying around.
Odorous house ants will leave a chemical pheromone trail wherever they travel. If you kill them, other ants will simply follow the trail and show up in the same places. For this reason, kill the entire colony.
When you see the first few ants, you can sponge them (and the surrounding area) with soapy water to eliminate the pheromone trail. Immediately work to figure out where they’re getting into your house, and begin placing homemade ant bait at the entry points.
How to Get Rid of House Ants
Homemade Ant Bait
Borax will kill odorous house ants, and powdered sugar will attract them.
Make a homemade ant bait by thoroughly mixing one part of borax with 3 parts powdered sugar.
Fill tiny containers (such as bottle caps) with this homemade ant bait and place them as close to the place where you suspect ants are entering your house. If you see trails of ants, place small containers of the mixture directly in their path. This prevents most of them from traveling all around your house if they have easy access to this sugary treat.
(Have pets or kids who might get into this powdery mixture? Try this instead: mix one cup of warm water with ½ cup sugar and 3 tablespoons of borax. Soak it up with cotton balls and place them in shallow dishes near ant trails.)
Resist the urge to kill all the ants you see. They will carry the bait back to the nest, unable to differentiate between the borax and sugar, and the borax particles will eventually kill the entire colony. The more homemade ant bait carried back to the colony, the fewer ants you will have.
More Tips for House Ants
Spray vinegar near baseboards, in any cracks, and on countertops where they may be traveling. You can allow the vinegar to dry on surfaces or wipe with a clean cloth – this eliminates their chemical trail and will deter some of the stragglers. Repeat several times a day. (find white vinegar here)
Practicing good sanitation practices is one of the best ways to make your home less attractive to ants. Keep spills, crumbs, and garbage cleaned up in the kitchen. Be sure to store all food – especially sweets – in tightly sealed containers or zip-top bags. They will get into things like jars of honey that have drips on the side or around the lid, so sealing the jar in a zip-top bag will protect it.
The ants will choose more desirable bait (like spilled soda or cookie crumbs) over this natural bait, so learning how to get rid of ants naturally means keeping your place clean!
Carpenter Ants
You will find Carpenter ants around homes in wooded areas. They don’t carry the homemade ant bait back to their nests, so you have to kill them at the source. This means you have to do a little detective work to find the nest(s). Don’t bother using the borax/sugar bait – they’ll just feed on it like little piggies at a trough.
They will typically live outdoors very close to the house, and eventually, enter your house in search of food and water.
How to Find the Carpenter Ants Nest
Carpenter ants live in wood and tunnel through it. The best clue to look for is small piles of very fine sawdust – the remains of the wood they have chewed through. You will typically find carpenter ant nests in moist wood in foundations, decks, woodpiles near your house, trees, gaps between boards, etc.
If you take some time to figure out where ants are entering the house, you can usually track them back to a nest. It’s easiest if you kill all the ants in sight, then watch for new ants to appear to determine their general entry point. This may give clues to holes that need to be sealed up, rotting foundations where they’re living, or cracks under doors they’re traveling under.
How to Get Rid of Carpenter Ants Naturally
Diatomaceous Earth
The best natural remedy we have found for eradicating carpenter ants is Diatomaceous Earth (DE). DE is completely natural and organic. It is made from tiny skeletal remains of algae-like plants.
DE is lethal dust for insects. Its microscopic razor-sharp edges will cut through the body of insects, drying them out and killing them. If ingested by carpenter ants, it will shred their insides. There are different types of DE, so keep in mind you must get food grade DE for pest control. (You do not want the DE that is sold for swimming pools – it has a different make-up.)
Food grade DE is completely safe to be used around kids and pets and can be sprinkled around the home and yard without posing a threat. Find food-grade Diatomaceous Earth here.
How to Apply the DE
In order to get rid of a colony of carpenter ants, DE must be injected directly into the nest. We used a medicine dropper to squirt dry DE into cracks where we found them nesting. You can also use a bulb duster gadget to spray it into cracks or holes. And remember, DE must be reapplied after it rains.
You can also mix the Diatomaceous Earth powder with water and apply using a spray bottle (either a small bottle or the pump-action yard sprayers). Simply mix 2 Tbsp of powder per quart of water and spray wherever you have problems with ants.
The best advice I can give to get the most out of your DE treatments is to stay on top of it! This pesky ant species may relocate their nests and find new ways into your house. If you see a resurgence, put your detective hat back on and find that nest.
How to Get Rid of Ants Naturally: Other Tips
Here are some remedies DIY Natural readers (thanks Y’all!) have used to treat ant problems:
- Some ants like protein and grease. Mix a spoonful of peanut butter with 1 tablespoon of sugar and 1 teaspoon of borax. Using a plastic straw, tap the end into the mixture repeatedly until the straw is full of the mixture. Cut the straw into ½ inch pieces and place them next to ant trails.
- Put a few drops of peppermint essential oil on a cotton ball and place it in areas ants are crawling around. (find 100% pure essential oils here)
- Sprinkle cinnamon (being careful not to get it on things that will stain) near entry points.
- Some ants dislike baby powder. Sprinkle around the perimeter of the house or indoors where ants are entering your house.
- Rub a little Vaseline near the areas they are entering the house.
Note: we also have a great article on how to get rid of aphids naturally.
(photo credit to Diane Jabs)
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How to Get Rid of Ants Naturally with Homemade Ant Bait That Works! was written by Betsy Jabs.
* This article was originally published here
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