I have often seen bars of laundry soap on store shelves and wondered what they were for. I have Laura Ingalls Wilder images of a happy washerwoman skipping through a field of daisies down to the creek with a basket of laundry, and whacking a dirndl against a rock, furiously rubbing it with an oversized chuck of soap and rinsing it in the bubbling brook. Or maybe the bar of laundry soap is used as a pre-wash; applying a vigorous rub with the soap on a stubborn stain before throwing it in the machine. 

The main use appears to be using the bar on a stubborn stain, as mentioned, before tossing it in with the wash. Wet the spot, moisten the soap and rub the bar into the stain.

Another use for the bar soap is to supplement your powder or liquid soap by grating a little of the bar right into the wash. Some folks recommend grating as much soap as they desire right into some hot water and letting it dissolve before adding to the wash.

I talked to veteran campers who bring a bar –or half a bar-of the soap with them when they go into the country for extended trips. It doesn’t take much room or add much weight to the ol’ backpack, you can use the same bar over and over, and there is no packaging to deal with, which is great when you are in the middle of nowhere and don’t want to lug around an empty carton or box or bottle.

But the most intriguing use for bar laundry soap  just may be using it as a base to make your own, homemade liquid laundry soap. There are numerous “recipes” for homemade soap, most of them use a base of borax and soap, and they are all economical and somewhat environmentally friendly. Linda Laundry Soap, for example, is made in Italy and described as “a natural laundry soap that can be used on any type of fabric.” And of course, if you make your own liquid laundry soap out of it you can use the laundry bottles over and over.

don’t get carried away with the DIY stuff and go back to the pioneer days in your laundry room!

Here, gleaned from various sources, is how to do it!

In a large pot on the stove combine:

about 8 cups of water

1 bar of Linda laundry soap grated

1 cup Borax

1 cup washing soda

–use a dollar store grater for grating the Linda soap - it’s hard to clean afterwards so don’t use it for food!

–Over low heat and stirring often mix the contents until they are completely dissolved for about 20 minutes. Leaving it on the stove longer won’t hurt it — but any shorter and you may not have it completely dissolved.

Add this mixture to a 5 gallon pail and fill the pail till about 2/3 full with hot water. Stir using a whisk, immersion blender or a hand mixer. It should turn into a gel by the next day when it cools completely or it may look a bit watery like cottage cheese but either way it cleans your clothes very well. You can re-blend it if it bothers you. That’s all there is to it!

Use about a heaping tablespoon per load. If the clothes are particularly greasy or dirty use a little more. The cost is about five cents per load.

Here is another post with a similar recipe, complete with pictures!

The story of the youngster leaving the farm, abandoning a lifestyle that has been in their family for generations and moving to the city is not a new one. And it is still happening, now more than ever, on an increasingly alarming scale.

Did you know that within ten years, up to seventy five percent of farmers are expected to retire? How will this affect the food landscape? Are there enough young people going into farming to replace them? How will our food be grown and managed?

These and more questions are examined in the thought provoking documentary, To Make a Farm, screening at the Royal Theatre in Toronto on, June 21, perhaps fittingly, the first day of summer.

Named one of the most popular Canadian films at the Vancouver International Film Festival, To Make A Farm has also been screened to favourable reviews at the Big Sky Documentary Festival in Montana, the Santa Cruz Film Festival, and Available Light Film Festival in Whitehorse, Yukon.

The films examines the lives of five young people who are reversing the trend; despite having no background in this difficult profession, they have given up their lives in the city and have become small-scale farmers, facing challenges and set-backs on an almost daily basis, learning the ropes, adapting to the demands of this most important and demanding discipline.

One of the subjects of the Film, Tarrah Young  of Neustadt, Ontario will be at the Toronto screening. Tarrah and her husband Nathan were motivated by environmental concerns to  become small scale farmers, and have found the experience to be challenging, rewarding and deeply personal, requiring what Tarrah describes as an almost spiritual dedication to the land and animals. With fellow panelists, director producer Steve Suderman and Audrey Macdonald, a second generation farmer born in Jamaica and incubating at FarmStart’s McVean property, Tarrah will be part of a panel discussion after the show, discussing the film, answering questions and engaging the audience with their “getting started” stories and their hopes for the future.

Here are a few preview clips from this important and captivating documentary. Tickets for the evening are  $12.00 in advance and can be purchased online, $13.00 at the door. Doors open at 6:30 pm and the screening begins at 6:50.

Edible plants make beautiful container gardens when you mix colours and textures.

Growing edible plants can be as simple as filling a container with a 4-pack (or three) with gorgeous leafy greens instead of impatiens. In a few weeks you can scissor off some of the bounty to add to a summer supper or salad. It’s a replenishable feast; and one that is as attractive as a planter filled with flowering plants. Using ornamental, edible plants means they are never out of flower.

In the containers above, textures and colours range from the frothy, airy foliage of bronze fennel, to the smooth waxy sheen of a red cabbage, while bright green parsley makes a striking contrast with red lettuce leaves.

Haskap berry bushes are in garden centres now, including Fiesta Gardens.

Haskap berries are a wonderful new kind of berry (Lonicera caerulea,) which is similar to a blueberry but is actually a member of the honeysuckle family. They are also commonly called Honeyberries. A delicacy in Japan, the word Haskap or “Hasukappu” comes from the language of the Ainu, an ancient people from Hokkaido island.

the Ainu meaning of Haskap is “little present at the end of the branch” rather than “perpetual youth and longevity”. Perhaps the best is to combine it to “A little present of perpetual youth and longevity”

These new berries have a kiwi-like texture with a unique flavour blend that some describe as a mix of blueberry and raspberry. Like most dark purple fruits they are high in antioxidants, and are also a good source of vitamin C. Berries of all kinds are very good for you, and this is one little present you can grow in your own garden.

The sight locally grown of asparagus in our grocery stores is a sure sign that the growing season is well under way. No longer do we have to settle for –or avoid– droopy forlorn stalks trucked in from Mexico and California, the recent excellent weather means we can feast on this perennial favourite harvested nearby only a day or two ago.

Though fashionable foraging foodies fawn over fiddleheads and rave about ramps, the regal asparagus has always held a position of high esteem in the culinary world. Prized in ancient Egypt, Syria and Spain, it also graced Roman tables during the Feast of Epicurius, is included in the oldest surviving recipe book, Apicius’ De re coquinaria from the third century, and so desirable that the Emperor Augustus reserved the Asparagus Fleet for transporting it. Centuries later, Louis XIV built greenhouses for it, and Madame de Pompadour munched on its “points d’amour”

And who among us, when we were in our  green goddess salad days, has not sat down to a feast surf and turf with a side of steamed asparagus smothered in Hollandaise, or casually punctuated a salient point while twirling a tender stalk, acutely aware that it is permissible –if not expected– to nibble this illustrious vegetable with one’s fingers?

Whether steamed, sautéed or grilled on the barbeque, this is a quick cooking veggie. Even a minute too long on the fire will render it soggy and sad. There is a reason that Caesar Augustus coined the term “faster than cooking Asparagus”

My chariot is faster than cooking asparagus!

We love to grill asparagus but if sticking indoors, prefer a pan sautee method rather than steaming, and one of the simplest methods to cook it is provided by Edna Lewis courtesy of Saveur. This preparation is so simple, straightforward and delicious, you will never go back to steaming it again.

Edna Lewis’ Skillet Asparagus

2 lbs. asparagus

2 tbsp. unsalted butter

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. Rinse asparagus in cold water and trim off tough ends of stalks. Put butter in a heavy skillet with a tight-fitting lid and heat until butter is foaming. Lay asparagus in the pan and shake from side to side to coat asparagus gently with melted butter; cover tightly and cook over medium heat for 3 minutes. Check asparagus and turn as needed to make sure the stalks cook evenly and don’t burn.

2. Continue cooking 5 minutes longer, or until asparagus is tender but still crisp and bright green. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve hot.

So get in on a little history. Grab a bundle of Asparagus and cook it up while it is still fresh and readily available.