Image by Magic Madzik

Learning to cook without recipes can be not only a huge time-saver in the kitchen, but a money-saver as well.

Soup is an incredibly versatile food. It can be hearty and chunky, or light and refreshing, vegetable based or full of meats, beans and grains. It can be a meal in itself or a side dish. It can be made using specific, fresh ingredients, or very frugally by putting together the week's leftovers.

Most importantly, it is nourishing and satisfying. When made using homemade bone broth, it is also healing and aids greatly in proper digestion and assimilation of nutrients. Soup should be a standard in every whole food home.

Here is my 5 step process to make excellent soups (95% of the time- we all have our flops!) from scratch, but without using recipes:

1) Start With an Empty Pot and Some Oil

The first step in making any soup for me is to heat up some oil in the pot, with no liquids added. It might be butter if I'm making a roux for a creamy soup, or just some coconut oil or beef tallow to fry up some onions and garlic in.

If I'm making a soup with vegetables in it, like chopped carrots, celery, peppers or mushrooms, I always add these veggies to the oil and onions. Letting them saute for a few minutes before adding any broth or liquids add more flavor to the soup.

Image by whitneyinchicago

2) Use Homemade Bone Broth

I used to think that soup needed those little cubes or cans of store-bought broth to taste good. I was so wrong. Once you get used to using homemade bone broth in soups, nothing will ever taste the same again.

For a tutorial in making bone broth, see this post. For more on how to get just the right consistency to your broth and to ensure that you are drawing the gelatin and nutrients out of the bones, read What Bone Broth Should Look Like.

Add your broth after you've sauteed the veggies for a few minutes. You'll want to bring the soup to a boil as you're tossing in more of the ingredients listed below. Make sure that you cook it long enough for things like carrots or potatoes to cook sufficiently.

If you're making a creamy soup, start adding ingredients only after your roux is complete. Add the broth or other liquids next, and then add any vegetables, meat or fish, beans, etc.

3) Add Other Ingredients

This is the fun part. There are countless ingredients that you can chuck into a soup and it's hard to go wrong.

Here are some of the ingredients that frequent my soups:

• Lots of Veggies- Carrots, celery, onion, garlic, mushrooms, peppers, green beans, chopped greens (spinach/chard/kale), tomatoes, celeriac (celery root), potatoes, sweet potatoes, squash, broccoli, cauliflower, beets, turnips, parsnips, peas, corn...
• Animal Protein- Beef (either stew beef or roast leftovers or even cooked ground beef), chicken (from a roast chicken, cut-up breast, ground), sausages, lamb, turkey, fish (canned fish, or chopped filets), eggs (beaten first and then whisked into the soup)
• Beans and Legumes- Lentils, any type of beans, split peas
• Dairy- Milk or cream, kefir or yogurt, sour cream or creme fraiche, cheese
• Grains- Barley, brown rice, wild rice, tortilla strips, dumplings, brown rice pasta

Sometimes I make soup by cleaning out my fridge. Other times I just start adding ingredients that seem like they would work well together. I might have a specific goal in mind (a seafood chowder, an Italian style-soup, a way to use up extra cauliflower). Any way you approach it, you can make something that will fit the bill.

Image by smittenkittenoriginals

4) Season Your Soup

I tend to think that this makes or breaks a soup. Seasonings can take ordinary ingredients and make them into something really extraordinary.

The key is to try to think of flavors that might mesh well with what you've already got going, and that will mesh well with each other as well.

If you've added a lot of hearty vegetables with beef, you could give it an Italian twist by adding a can of tomatoes, putting in some leftover or frozen beans, and lots of herbs like basil, oregano, rosemary, thyme, etc. A bit of apple cider vinegar or even balsamic vinegar might be nice (just a splash). Garlic is always good.

OR

You could take that same hearty beef and veggie soup, and give it more of a Mexican feel. Add some cumin, paprika, oregano, garlic and onion powder, and some chili or cayenne. Frozen corn is a nice addition. Serve it with tortilla strips or crumbled chips on top, some sour cream, and shredded cheddar cheese. Avocado would also be nice.

Here are a few more ideas to get you started:

• A tangy Thai influenced chicken soup, with peas, bean sprouts, ginger, garlic, and lemon or lime.
• A warming, root veggie soup, similar to a Scotch Broth. Think carrots, turnips, parsnips, with a beef or lamb base, and some pot barley as well. Onions and leeks, parsley and simple salt and pepper work well to season it up.
• A creamy cauliflower/broccoli soup, using a chicken base, some dry mustard, lots of sea salt, and cheddar cheese.
• A curried squash soup. Try adding onion and garlic, apples, maybe some coconut milk, and of course, curry powder.

Don't underestimate the importance of adding seasonings ON TOP of your soup. A sprinkle of Parmesan or grated cheddar cheese. Fried tortilla strips or sourdough croutons. Creme fraiche drizzled, or a big dollop of sour cream. Fresh herbs like basil, oregano or cilantro strewn across. These are the finishing touches that add so much.

Image by WorththeWhisk

5) Blend It

Yes, really. Blending soup is one of the keys that I have learned for helping flavors to meld together and really bring out the best in each other.

I use different levels of blending depending on the soup. Some soups, like a Curried Apple Squash, would benefit from complete blending so that they're smooth and creamy. Some, like a Chicken Lentil Vegetable is really nice pseudo-blended. Enough to mix the flavors and create a thicker, richer soup base but not so much that you lose the veggie and chicken chunks.

Almost every soup benefits from at least a few quick pulses of a hand held blender, regardless of how smooth or chunky you want the texture to be. I just do it straight in the pot, and there is virtually no extra cleanup. I love it.

Do you make soup from scratch? What types of flavors and combinations are your favorites?

Our Sponsors:

• It Starts at Home: Are we Discipling or Outsourcing the faith of our children? Read It Starts at Home! Then, just nurture them together.
• Moukisac: Your 6 in 1 shopping bag system; compact, stylish, versatile and practical, of course! Made by Canadian mom.
• hope ink: Custom inspirational art for your home
• ListPlanIt: Lists to put your world in order
• Vintage Remedies: Get healthy, naturally
• Just Bumming Around: When only the best cloth diapers (at great prices) will do. FuzziBunz packages on SALE!

More from Keeper of the Home

• “Say No to Kraft Dinner” Recipe Carnival!!! | Keeper of the Home
• You Tell Me: How Do You Make a Whole Foods Diet Work on a Budget? | Keeper of the Home
• You Tell Me: Finding the Time to Cook From Scratch | Keeper of the Home
• “Whatever Ya Got” cooking (a frugal way to use what’s in your fridge) | Keeper of the Home

Photo credit: Sklathill

This is our second contributing writer's post, from Beth Corcoran. I asked her to write on a topic related to cutting down on waste, which is one of the themes this month at Keeper of the Home. I love Beth's easy-going and relaxed approach to using cloth in her kitchen.

*******

The kitchen is probably my favorite room in my house. I spend a lot of time in there every day. After all, with four kids, I have a lot of meals to cook, meals to eat, dishes to wash, and tables and chairs to wipe down. But one day a few years ago, I realized that food was not the only thing being consumed in my kitchen. With all that cooking and eating and washing and wiping, we were also using up a whole bunch of disposable paper goods!

To me, it just seemed to make sense to get away from using disposable paper goods because it would save a lot of money. (Have you seen how much paper towels cost?!) But eventually it struck me odd that our family used and threw away that much trash when there is a perfectly reasonable and easy way to avoid it—using cloth instead of paper. So, a couple of years ago, our family made the “conversion” to have a paperless kitchen. It was a process. I didn’t switch everything over in one day, but once I saw how easy it was, I was eager to adopt more non-consumable alternatives to paper.

There are many ways to cut down on waste in the kitchen. Here are two of my favorite!

Use Cloth Dishrags Instead of Paper Towels.

My husband I both grew up in families where the weekly grocery shopping trip included buying a huge package of paper towels. And if you have grown up in a Western culture, chances are that you did, too! So, I thought that when we switched to cloth dish rags for washing dishes and wiping everything down, that I would find it very inconvenient. And I was sure that I would hear protests from my husband, as well. But I found out that using cloth rags is actually very easy as long as you have a good system for keeping up with them.

Our dishrags have come from all over. Some are old wash cloths from the bathrooms. Others are our daughter’s old (and well cleaned!) cloth wipes from when we used cloth diapers. I have also knit and crocheted a whole bunch of dish rags in fun colors and designs. It just spruces up the dish washing experience.

I have a whole bunch of them, and I try to have enough so that I can use several per day and not have to constantly wash them or be tempted to reach for a paper towel. I keep them all in a pretty little basket under the kitchen sink. When I need a new rag, I just reach for the basket instead of the paper towel roll. So there is no extra effort needed.

When I am finished with a rag, I put it in a bowl that I keep on top of my dryer. All the dirty kitchen cloth items go in that bowl. Whenever I do a load of laundry, I just toss the contents of that bowl in the washer, too. (Note: This is okay for me to do because I use gentle, natural cleaners that won’t hurt my clothes. But if you use harsher chemicals or anything with bleach in it to clean your kitchen, you’re going to want to wash your rags separately!) It is really easy to keep up with cleaning my rags, and as a mother of four, I always have enough laundry to do, so I’ve never had to worry about the rags sitting for long periods of time and mildewing.

As a side note, I do still keep a roll of paper towels out for guests that come over—especially those who come over to babysit. A lot of people still feel insecure about using rags to clean up instead of paper towels, and I want to make them feel welcome. But, they are the only ones that use that roll of paper towels, so it takes us months to finish the roll. But I have felt that I didn’t want to sacrifice hospitality just to prove that we could go completely paperless in our kitchen.

Photo credit: evilmidori

Use Cloth Napkins.

Again, this was something that I never grew up around as a child. For us, cloth napkins were for fancy restaurants and Thanksgiving and Christmas meals. But someone gave us a set of cloth napkins as a wedding gift, and that’s what got the ball rolling. Whenever we were first married, I would lay out the cloth napkins whenever I would make a nice meal. All other nights, we would just use paper napkins.

But it was a lot of fun using the cloth napkins, so I ventured out and bought some more. I am ashamed to say, but I probably paid way too much for some fancy cloth napkins. But as our family has grown, I’ve started to understand that we don’t all need matching fancy napkins to have a good meal. Now, I am always on the lookout for good napkin deals. I buy them on clearance, after holidays, at the Salvation Army, or wherever I can find a good deal.

I have lots of different patterns for our every day napkins, and I do have some nicer matching sets that I save for guests and holidays. We keep them all in a drawer next to the table, and when my kids set the table, they always compete to get their favorite patterns. I think it makes for a memorable family tradition. And when dinner is over, my five year old son’s job is to clear off all the napkins and put them in the bowl on top of the dryer. It’s as easy as that!

And I love cloth napkins because, not only does it cut down on trash and wasted money, but it adds color and love to our family table.

I am the mother of four children—two girls and two boys, ages 7, 6, 5, and 2 ½. While not homeschooling or chauffeuring the kids to their activities, I enjoy all kinds of craft projects and learning how to be a better steward of all that the Lord has given me. My blog is stewardshipnotconvenience.blogspot.com.

What ways do you try to cut down on waste in your kitchen?

Our Sponsors:

• It Starts at Home: Are we Discipling or Outsourcing the faith of our children? Read It Starts at Home! Then, just nurture them together.
• Moukisac: Your 6 in 1 shopping bag system; compact, stylish, versatile and practical, of course! Made by Canadian mom.
• hope ink: Custom inspirational art for your home
• ListPlanIt: Lists to put your world in order
• Vintage Remedies: Get healthy, naturally
• Just Bumming Around: When only the best cloth diapers (at great prices) will do. FuzziBunz packages on SALE!

More from Keeper of the Home

• Cutting down on waste | Keeper of the Home
• Organization in the Real Food Kitchen: Ferments Everywhere | Keeper of the Home
• Training Kids to Help in the Kitchen | Keeper of the Home
• Organization in the Real Food Kitchen: Favorite Recipes Lists | Keeper of the Home

Most homes these days aren't exactly set up for storing food in bulk. I long for the days when every home had some sort of a root cellar or storage room suitable for keeping food for the winter. Buying my whole foods in bulk and storing home grown and canned seasonal produce is key to keeping our food costs low, while still eating high quality, nourishing foods. In order to make buying in bulk a reality, I need to have a place to store it.

Time to get creative! What are some of the types of places that bulk food can be stored?

In the Pantry

This is my recently re-organized pantry. It's not huge, nor is it a walk-in (my dream pantry!), but it's actually amazing just how much I can fit in it when I keep it neat and tidy.

I utilize the space very thoroughly, taking into account the height of different containers and jars, and storing things all the way to the very back. If I have something like jars of tomatoes, I can keep them mostly along the back and then a row of them coming up to the front, so that I can just take the front one. I don't need to see them all. When I have extras of items, I keep them in the back to preserve space up front, and I can dig for them when I really need them.

Having a lot of containers does help to keep it tidy and make the storage space well-utilized. I have quite a few older Tupperware containers for dry goods. I also save all of my 1 Gallon honey tubs to reuse. Glass jars are fantastic for storing so many pantry items. Large ziploc bags make it in there when I have nothing else to use. The white basket in the center holds all of my bags of bulk spices, and it contains the chaos that is my spices very well.

On Top of Kitchen Shelves

No, it isn't the prettiest sight, aesthetically speaking. It's beautiful to this frugalista, though. The extra foot or two above my kitchen cupboards allows me that space that I need when everywhere else is overflowing.

I try to keep it tidy at least by using my 1 Gallon containers, and some other storage containers and bags. I use it mostly for grain and sweetener storage, as well as home canning in the fall when my kitchen is bursting at the seams with harvest goodness.

I have on occasion (yes, really truly) heaved an entire 25 lb bag of grain up there when I wasn't ready to open it. Definitely not so pretty, but it served it's purpose until I was ready to divy up the grain to smaller containers.

In Drawers

Last year we acquired a gorgeous antique bankers filing cabinet. It sits in my living room as a display piece, because I didn't know what to use all of the itty bitty, and some oddly shaped drawers for.

Recently I've begun to use them for kitchen storage. They are currently holding all of my bulk herbs. In the summer, when I start dehydrating garden produce like crazy, that's where my extra bags and jars will go.

We don't all have a cabinet full of little drawers, but perhaps you have dressers that aren't being fully used, empty bathroom cupboards, or some other space that you haven't known what to do with. When in doubt, fill it with food!

In the Garage

This is the bin of garlic from my garden last summer. I grew enough to last us a full year (including some to plant, and some to giveaway- I grew a lot of garlic!). This bin sits in my garage, where the cool temps help to keep it fresh longer.

I have another larger Rubbermaid bin that also sits in my garage. It is full of bags and containers of steel cut organic oats which I buy 25 lbs at a time, as well as Sucanat that I bought in a 50 lb sack (which made it half the price of buying it in smaller amounts). We keep the smaller containers and bags in the large, sturdy bin just to avoid rodent problems and to ensure that the food stayed untouched.

In Closets

I wish I had a picture to show you some of the things I've stored in our master bedroom walk-in closet. My favorite was a big tub of spaghetti squash from my garden two years ago. I've also stored cases of hemp milk, and some canned goods. No, it's not a large closet, but I needed space and it did the trick.

Many people have far larger closets that we do, and if you keep it wel -organized, that might be a really great place for storing bulk dry goods, like baking items, grains, or canned goods.

In the Laundry Room

Obviously not suitable for everything, due to some of the warmth and moisture from the washer and drier, some things can be stored just fine in the laundry room. Canned goods should keep well in a laundry cupboard, unless your laundry room is especially humid for some reason (the lids might rust then). Sealed bags of rice pasta, unopened jars of spaghetti sauce or apple cider vinegar, or bulk honey. There are lots of things that could still work in the laundry room.

In the Freezer

I think this goes without saying as a perfect place for storing many bulk foods. For more on keeping your freezer well organized, see this post.

When All Else Fails...

My 5 gallon tub of coconut oil, that has nowhere else to go. My kids think it's a fun little stool. It keeps the fish company, while it lives in my dining room. Yet another real and humbling confession from this everyday mama. It's the only thing I can't find a place for!

What nooks and crannies of your home do you fill with bulk foods? How do you get around lack of storage space?

Our Sponsors:

• It Starts at Home: Are we Discipling or Outsourcing the faith of our children? Read It Starts at Home! Then, just nurture them together.
• Moukisac: Your 6 in 1 shopping bag system; compact, stylish, versatile and practical, of course! Made by Canadian mom.
• hope ink: Custom inspirational art for your home
• ListPlanIt: Lists to put your world in order
• Vintage Remedies: Get healthy, naturally
• Just Bumming Around: When only the best cloth diapers (at great prices) will do. FuzziBunz packages on SALE!

More from Keeper of the Home

• Organization in the Real Food Kitchen: Ferments Everywhere | Keeper of the Home
• Organization in the Real Food Kitchen: Knowing and Using What’s in Your Freezer
• Organization in the Real Food Kitchen: Notes from a Small Kitchen | Keeper of the Home
• Organization in the Real Food Kitchen: Favorite Recipes Lists | Keeper of the Home

Today is the debut of the first of my new contributing writers here at Keeper of the Home. Over the next 6 weeks or so, you will get a chance to "meet" each contributor, and shortly I will have a contributor's page up with their photos and bios.

___________________________________

Our first writer, Angela Beery, has created her own pattern for making a homemade, one-size cloth diaper and it looks excellent! Making your own diapers is a wonderful way to use up extra material, and to make diapers that are extremely frugal as well.

Here's a look at the diaper:

Diaper front (size small)

Diaper front (size large)

Diaper side (size small)

Diaper back

Want to try making this diaper yourself? Here's what you'll need:

Diaper Pattern - This is the printable pattern, with tracers for your fabric pieces.

Tiny Tooshie - These are the written instructions for putting together your own "Tiny Tooshie" diaper. One thing to note is that there is an option of either keeping these as simple cloth diapers, which you would put a cover over OR the other option is to use a waterproof fabric on the outside to make them all-in-one diapers.

Note- to download these files, click on the link once. On the page that it brings you to, click on the 2nd link.

Angela's Cloth Wipes "Recipe"

• 3 cups warm water
• 2 T olive oil
• 3 drops of lavender essential oil (or scent of your choice)
• 2 drops Tea Tree Oil
• 2 T baby wash

1.) Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix well.

2.) Soak baby washcloths or other soft cloth in mixture and place in wipes holder. Do not wring out completely. The wipes holder will keep wipes moist until ready for use.

Angela Beery, former So-Cal city girl and world traveler fully embraces her simple, yet abundant, life in a small town at the foothills of the Colorado Rockies. She and her husband love serving the Lord with The Salvation Army - Angela, as a volunteer and her husband as a youth and music pastor. When not chasing around her 18 month old daughter, Angela enjoys spending time outdoors, cooking low-fat meals and crafting of every kind. You can read more about her journey as a homemaker at her blog, Domestic Godliness.

Our Sponsors:

• It Starts at Home: Are we Discipling or Outsourcing the faith of our children? Read It Starts at Home! Then, just nurture them together.
• Moukisac: Your 6 in 1 shopping bag system; compact, stylish, versatile and practical, of course! Made by Canadian mom.
• hope ink: Custom inspirational art for your home
• ListPlanIt: Lists to put your world in order
• Vintage Remedies: Get healthy, naturally
• Just Bumming Around: When only the best cloth diapers (at great prices) will do. FuzziBunz packages on SALE!

More from Keeper of the Home

• Cloth Diapering a Newborn | Keeper of the Home
• Homemade Cough and Cold Syrup | Keeper of the Home
• Cloth Diaper Liners: No More Rash Overnight! | Keeper of the Home
• Making homemade yogurt | Keeper of the Home

Today's guest post from Phoebe of Getting Freedom is on a topic near and dear to my gardener's heart. I am a huge advocate of heirloom seeds, for so many of the reasons that she talks about in this excellent post!

______________________________________

When we started our debt freedom journey, one thing I noticed rather quickly was our grocery budget was one of the only areas I had the freedom to cut. I didn’t want to sacrifice what we were eating, so I knew I had to be creative in my spending. My husband decided that it was only logical for us to grow as much of our own food as we possibly could, and for as little as possible.

I quickly began researching everything garden related. It didn’t take long for me to realize that seeds cost a lot less than buying plants. When I began looking through seed catalogs, and reading information online about seeds, I found that there was a lot to learn. While I have come a long way, I’m still no where near being an expert.

After many hours of research and catalog reading, we decided that Heirloom Seeds were our most cost effective option. You are able to plant a seed that you purchased one year, grow the plant, consume the fruit, and save the seeds to be planted next year. You have an investment that keeps on giving. This is because an heirloom seed, also known as an open-pollinated seed, has been passed on through the years, unaltered by man. They are a pure form of the original plant.

Before looking into seeds, I always thought a seed was a seed. I had no idea some seeds were genetically altered. Scientists have went into the DNA of seeds and altered them to resist certain diseases and to “enhance” flavor. While that may not sound bad right off the bat, think of it this way. There are certain varieties of tomato that’s DNA has been spliced with a cold water fish gene in order to resist frost. Personally, I’d rather take it the way God intended. Additionally, many heirloom plants are rich in flavor, as the best-tasting seeds were the ones saved. Modern seeds focus more on yield than flavor.

Amazingly, there are endless options when it comes to heirloom seeds. You can grow your average orange carrot, or you can choose a white or purple variety! Last year in our garden, I went with Black Krim Tomatoes, as well as Reverend Morrow LongKeeper Tomatoes which are more of a pink variety. Before finding heirloom seeds, I thought all tomatoes were either yellow, green, or red. While there may be a little more work involved in starting your seeds, and saving them later, the end result is far more rewarding and frugal. I also like knowing that I’m doing my part in preserving the plants of the past.

There are many different places to buy heirloom seeds. Last year we bought ours exclusively from Baker Creek Seed Company, you can see their online catalog here.

Phoebe is an expecting, stay at home mom to 3 children. She chronicles her family’s love for the unconventional life and their journey to debt freedom on her blog, Getting Freedom.

Do you use seeds or plants for your garden? What factors motivate your choice of what you grow, and the source that you get it from?

Our Sponsors:

• It Starts at Home: Are we Discipling or Outsourcing the faith of our children? Read It Starts at Home! Then, just nurture them together.
• Moukisac: Your 6 in 1 shopping bag system; compact, stylish, versatile and practical, of course! Made by Canadian mom.
• hope ink: Custom inspirational art for your home
• ListPlanIt: Lists to put your world in order
• Vintage Remedies: Get healthy, naturally
• Just Bumming Around: When only the best cloth diapers (at great prices) will do. FuzziBunz packages on SALE!

More from Keeper of the Home

• Buying seeds for your garden | Keeper of the Home
• The Makings of a Frugal Garden | Keeper of the Home
• It’s (About) Time for a Change
• Q&A: Whole grain breakfasts and snacks for toddlers

There's something so gourmet and cultured sounding about it (no pun intended!), and yet it is one of the simplest types of cultured dairy that you can make. Basically, creme fraiche is cultured cream. It's that simple.

For some reason I held off trying it out for a long time. I was so happy to discover that creme fraiche is actually ridiculously easy to make. After I tried it for the first time, I couldn't believe it had taken me so long to give it a go.

Why I like to make my own Creme Fraiche:

• It just tastes so good and adds such a wonderful touch to my meals.
• It provides us with extra enzymes to help us digest our meals, especially those with meat or grains in them. Another easy way to get more cultured/fermented foods in our diet!
• Even the organic sour cream I buy at the store contains stabilizers and thickeners (skim milk powder, tapioca starch, guar gum, carageenan), rather than just relying on bacterial cultures to do all the thickening work. Those ingredients just aren't necessary. I'd rather stick to the simplest list of ingredients possible.
• It can be more cost effective than purchasing organic sour cream, even when made with organic or raw, grass-fed dairy (depending on the cost of what's available to you).
• For those who can get an abundance of raw milk, you can make a product infinitely more nutritious than what is sold in any store!

Here's how you do it:

Start with a glass pint jar. Add about 1-2 Tbsp of cultured buttermilk to the bottom of it. I used store-bought, but if you like to make your own, that would work just fine as well.

Fill the rest of the jar up with heavy cream/whipping cream. If you like to skim yours off of your raw milk, more power to you. We don't get enough raw milk that I'm willing to give up all that cream that makes it so lovely. I usually prefer to use organic cream or another local brand that raises their cows better, but this time I was stuck with the regular store stuff. Even with regular store cream, it's still so much better than buying sour cream with all the stuff that they put in it.

I use plastic screw lids that are made to fit canning jars, and let it sit out on my counter for 24-36 hours until thickened and mildly sour-smelling. I like to write on the lids with a wipe-able marker so that it's obvious what's in them. The jar should sit in a somewhat warmer place in your kitchen. For me, that's the corner counter beside my stove. Another good place is the top of the fridge.

Another helpful thing to do is to write the day that it needs to be transferred to the fridge so that you don't lose track of how long it has been sitting out for. Mine says Jan.6 so that my mother-in-law knew when to put it in the fridge while I was away at Blissdom.

Oops, guess we ate most of the jar before I remembered to take a picture! It's hard to tell, but the consistency is somewhere between cream and sour cream. Slightly pourable, but definitely thickened. The taste is deliciously but mildly sour. One thing I have found is that the consistency begins a little bit more liquidy and then thickens up slightly once it's been in the fridge.

We love to add our creme fraiche to soups for extra enzymes, on top of any type of Mexican food, with our scrambled eggs (with fresh salsa it's a knockout breakfast), with potatoes or sweet potatoes, or almost anything else we can come up with. With my kids, it seems that creme fraiche is the new ketchup!

What types of cultured dairy does your family regularly eat? Which of those have you tried making yourself?

Our Sponsors:

• It Starts at Home: Are we Discipling or Outsourcing the faith of our children? Read It Starts at Home! Then, just nurture them together.
• Moukisac: Your 6 in 1 shopping bag system; compact, stylish, versatile and practical, of course! Made by Canadian mom.
• hope ink: Custom inspirational art for your home
• ListPlanIt: Lists to put your world in order
• Vintage Remedies: Get healthy, naturally
• Just Bumming Around: When only the best cloth diapers (at great prices) will do. FuzziBunz packages on SALE!

More from Keeper of the Home

• Organization in the Real Food Kitchen: Ferments Everywhere | Keeper of the Home
• Eczema: What is it and what causes it? | Keeper of the Home
• How I “Do It All” | Keeper of the Home
• Real Food Recipe Roundup: December | Keeper of the Home

Enter sprouted grain flour.

I've noticed that there are now companies beginning to sell flour made of grain that has already been sprouted! What a fantastic idea! The only problem? It costs more than organic, whole grain flours or grains and I'm just too much of a frugal gal to plunk down my grocery money on it.

Instead, let me show you just how easy it is to make yourself...

1) Start with whole grains (wheat/kamut/spelt/rye/barley, you name it- as long as it's the berry or whole kernel, it will work). Put several cups of the dry grain into a large bowl, and then fill the bowl with water, covering the grain by at least several inches. Cover and let it sit for about 6-12 hours, and overnight is an ideal time to do it. (Sorry, forgot to take a picture, but this is self-explanatory, no? Bowl, grains, water, done.)

2) The next day, drain the grains into a colander or strainer. Give them a good rinse under running water (but not too long, remember?). Put the colander over a bowl or plate to catch the extra dripping water. Cover with a clean dish towel.

3) For about 2-3 days, rinse and shake the grains around twice a day (morning and night), or 3 times a day if it's particularly warm/dry in your house. The point is to not let the grains dry out.

4) Once they have small tails (and mine are a bit longer than necessary- I sort of forgot about them!)) you can give them a final rinse, shake them off well, and then spread them on mesh trays and put in the dehydrator. (If you don't have a dehydrator, I think that you could probably dry them out in the oven with the oven light on- but not turned on, as this would cook them. I'm not sure how long it would take, but probably a full day- has anyone tried this? If you don't have a dehydrator, it's worth it to find even a cheap one from a thrift store or garage sale!) I like to put mine at about 120 degrees F and it takes about half a day for them to dry completely. They need to be absolutely dry because otherwise you will not be able to grind them (they'll clog up your machine).

5) Once grains are completely dry, then can now be stored in your pantry in an air-tight container. Or if you like, you can grind them right away and keep the freshly ground flour in the fridge (to use up within a week or two) or in the freezer for longer storage (several months).

OR, you can just use them right away to make all sorts of scrumptious Christmas goodies! Sprouted flour can be used just like regular whole grain flour in any of your recipes, but the phytates have already been dealt with through the sprouting process!

Think I need to go check out the Healthy Holiday Eats and Sweets Carnival and find me some Christmas cookies to make... or maybe these Sprouted Spelt and Maple Shortbread... the options are endless!

Does anyone else make their own sprouted grain flour? How do you do it? What types of things do you (or would you) use this flour for?

Our Sponsors:

• It Starts at Home: Are we Discipling or Outsourcing the faith of our children? Read It Starts at Home! Then, just nurture them together.
• Moukisac: Your 6 in 1 shopping bag system; compact, stylish, versatile and practical, of course! Made by Canadian mom.
• hope ink: Custom inspirational art for your home
• ListPlanIt: Lists to put your world in order
• Vintage Remedies: Get healthy, naturally
• Just Bumming Around: When only the best cloth diapers (at great prices) will do. FuzziBunz packages on SALE!

More from Keeper of the Home

• Simply sprouted grains | Keeper of the Home
• Make Your Own Cloth Pads! | Keeper of the Home
• Q&A- Grain Mills | Keeper of the Home
• Two hearty whole grain bread recipes | Keeper of the Home

Originally Published January 2008

Have you ever wondered whether some fruits or vegetables are more important to buy organic than others? The simple answer is yes!

Certain crops can be more difficult to grow, and when not using organic and natural methods, require the use of many more pesticides and sprays than other crops. So while it would be ideal to be able to purchase all of our produce organic, I know that the reality of the budget does not allow me to do so, and I'm guessing the same goes for most of you!

Allow me to introduce you to the Dirty Dozen... these are the most pesticide laden, over sprayed crops of them all. Actually, the list that I found for you lists far more than a dozen, ranging from the very worst, to the best (those that are the most minimally sprayed, despite being conventional and not organically grown).

Quickly, go take a look at them, and then come back (you'll need to scroll down a little to see them)...

Now let me explain how this list will serve both your family (by reducing toxins in their food) and your wallet (by reducing cost on unnecessary expenses). Suppose you are going to the store for red peppers, tomatoes, broccoli, onions, carrots, and strawberries. You have enough money to buy some of them organic, but not all.

So let's take a look at the list. Hmmm, peppers and strawberries are up in the top 6. Definitely buy organic. And carrots are right up there, too, at #13. Considering carrots can be quite reasonably priced (at least where I live), I'd definitely get those organic as well. Now the money is getting a little tight (those peppers and strawberries can be expensive!). But look, tomatoes are only #29 and broccoli is even better at #35. Maybe those could just be conventional, and washed really well. And look at that- onions are on the very bottom of the list! So pick up that $0.99 bag of regular onions, instead of the organic ones for $2.49 and feel relaxed about that choice. That wasn't so bad, was it?

When continually faced with choices between quality and cost, it can help so much to have a guide to which items really matter, and which items are just not such a big deal. Ideally, I would love to buy 100% organic food, and support sustainable farming, the reduction of pesticides being put into our water and soil and the wonderful men and women who are bringing these naturally produced products back to our markets.

For now, though, it seems that the most frugal option is to carefully pick and choose which organic items are the best value, and which ones I can do without. Once again, I truly believe that we do not have to choose between healthier, more natural living and careful stewardship of our finances (which is what frugality is all about).

(Update: Since I first posted this, EWG has revised and updated their Shopper's Guide to Pesticides. Some of the ratings may be different than they were when I composed this post. The Shopper's Guide can now even be downloaded as an application on your iPhone or iPod Touch, or just printed out and kept in your wallet or purse.)

Do you use the Dirty Dozen as a guide for choosing which produce to purchase organic? Do you find that it helps you to prioritize how you use your food dollars?

Our Sponsors:

• It Starts at Home: Are we Discipling or Outsourcing the faith of our children? Read It Starts at Home! Then, just nurture them together.
• Moukisac: Your 6 in 1 shopping bag system; compact, stylish, versatile and practical, of course! Made by Canadian mom.
• hope ink: Custom inspirational art for your home
• ListPlanIt: Lists to put your world in order
• Vintage Remedies: Get healthy, naturally
• Just Bumming Around: When only the best cloth diapers (at great prices) will do. FuzziBunz packages on SALE!

More from Keeper of the Home

• The Dirty Dozen- Making the most of the money you spend on organics | Keeper of the Home
• Nutritional Foundations- Making the best of the regular grocery store, Part 2 | Keeper of the Home
• Play it Again: My Top 3 | Keeper of the Home
• Toxins, schmoxins | Keeper of the Home

Sadly, my sweet pickles didn't turn out this year. For some very unknown reason, rather than staying wonderfully crisp, then turned soggy. Very soggy.

Since the recipe I use is pretty tried-and-true (I've done it before many times without fail), I decided to call my mother-in-law to brainstorm ideas of what went wrong. The recipe originates from her, so I thought she might have some clues to help solve my soggy pickle mystery. Together we came up with various thoughts... the extra pickling cucumbers I was given from a friend were too large, or they were the wrong kind of cucumber, or maybe they had some kind of bacteria on them, or maybe my fridge temperature wasn't cold enough... we still don't know and it's bugging me a bit, so if you have any thoughts to add in, send them my way!

However, my mother-in-law did come up with one fantastic solution to my main problem-- I just hated the thought of wasting so much food! All that organic apple cider vinegar, raw honey, onions from my garden, not to mention the cucumbers.

So why not make relish?

I did just that. I used a slotted spoon to scoop out all of the pickles, along with a bit of the onions and of course, some of the pickle liquid. I put it all in my food processor and chopped it up in several batches. It looked like relish. It smelled like relish. But not being a relish fan myself, I still wasn't quite sure. I called my hubby in for a taste test... and he loved it! Best relish he's ever had! Phew! 

Perfectly good food, saved from the trash can. That makes me really happy, and even happier to see my husband enjoying the relish on the hamburgers we ate the other night.

How have you made good use of food that would have otherwise been wasted? Any stories to share of how you transformed a kitchen disaster into a victory?

And, to help out a reader who left this comment:

Now, here
is a "pickle" for you: I made a large batch of the lacto-fermented
refrigerator pickles that you had posted a recipe for awhile ago. I
used 2T of salt, because I had no whey. They ended up being way too
salty. Even my husband who loves salty pickles had to admit that they
probably need to be tossed. They have since been in my refrigerator
because I do not want to throw them all. Any ideas on what to do with
these?

Any suggestions for Sheri?

Our Sponsors:

• It Starts at Home: Are we Discipling or Outsourcing the faith of our children? Read It Starts at Home! Then, just nurture them together.
• Moukisac: Your 6 in 1 shopping bag system; compact, stylish, versatile and practical, of course! Made by Canadian mom.
• hope ink: Custom inspirational art for your home
• ListPlanIt: Lists to put your world in order
• Vintage Remedies: Get healthy, naturally
• Just Bumming Around: When only the best cloth diapers (at great prices) will do. FuzziBunz packages on SALE!

More from Keeper of the Home

• Preserving Summer’s Bounty: Freezing Garlic | Keeper of the Home
• You know you’re the mother of a boy when… | Keeper of the Home
• Sprouts -The easiest greens you’ll ever grow! | Keeper of the Home
• Gratitude and a Little Bit of Housekeeping | Keeper of the Home

Though many mamas desire to use cloth diapers for their little ones, the thought of using them soon after the birth or with a newborn is often a bit overwhelming. I think the general impression is that it is much more difficult than it truly is.

After mentioning the other week that I was finding it a relatively simple thing to diaper my own newborn, I received several requests for more info on just how to go about using cloth diapering with wee ones. In this post, I will address the key questions and concerns to hopefully reassure those wanting to use cloth and give some helpful advice as well! Not wanting to just give me own opinions and experience, I've also asked a couple of other bloggers who are new mamas for their input (Lindsay of Passionate Homemaking and Michele of Frugal Granola), as well as the friendly staff over at Kelly's Closet and Nicki's Diapers. As a result, this post ended up quite lengthy, but I hope that you will find it truly helpful and informative!

So here we go...

What types of cloth diaper systems work best for newborns?

Michele: We've been using Kissaluvs (size 0) diapers with Enoch from the
beginning (which I bought from Lindsay, off of craigslist, ironically) . They've worked great! He's a heavy-wetter, but I haven't had to use
the diaper doublers that I made, yet. I love that they have a fold-down
snap in front to allow for the umbilical cord. We use them along with
newborn size Proraps or Bummis snap covers.

Lindsay: If you really want to cloth diaper right off the bat,
or you have a smaller newborn, my recommendation is to go with the
infant size prefolds and newborn covers. These are a good investment as
they last forever and can also be used for burp clothes or rags in the
future. The newborn size prefolds really are not absorbent at all, so I
recommend the infant size and folding it the opposite direction,
horizontally into thirds. This makes for a smaller more absorbent
diaper.

So overall, after beginning cloth diapering my second little one, I
found that using infant prefolds is the most economical option and
transitioning quickly to one size diapers. Then he is set for the rest
of his diapering life.

Kelly's Closet: One Size? While most one size diapers
are designed to fit from birth to potty training - this doesn't
necessarily mean they will fit your little one at birth. Newborns tend
to have itty bitty legs and therefore the diaper is more likely to leak
than after a few weeks when your little one has had some time to
"thicken up."

Therefore we highly recommend prefolds and diaper
covers during the early weeks for daytime use. Prefolds and diaper
covers, while intimidating for most folks, is really quite simple and
straightforward. Simply fasten the prefold on to baby and then fasten a
cover over the prefold and you're ready to go! Prefolds also a bit
easier to wash and care for compared to pocket diapers.
Prefold Cloth Diapers
Diaper Covers
Now,
with all that said - for those late nights when you're sleep deprived
and just the thought of driving one more diaper is ready to make you
cry - we also recommend some X-Small sized pocket diapers or All-in-One
diapers such as the bumGenius Deluxe All-in-One 3.0 diapers. These will
make the middle of the night diaper changes very quick and easy!

Nicki's Diapers: I highly recommend using newborn size prefolds and Prorap Classic
diaper covers size newborn. The newborn
prefolds fit tiny babies nicely without a lot of bulk and the Prorap
Classic diaper covers size newborn have a great umbilical cord cutout
allowing you to use this diaper cover as baby's first diaper.  This
combination also contains the newborn explosions very well with no up
the back leakage as experience with disposable diapers.  This system
fits up to about 10 lbs whereas at that point a one size diaper system
will start to fit.

Stephanie: Personally, I find that we have the greatest leak protection when using a fitted diaper with a cover like Bummis or Proraps. Though I really enjoy using pocket and one-size diapers, I have had a few more leaks with those as they don't seem to fit quite snug enough on a newborn unless you purchase the extra small sizes, which hardly feel worth it to me considering how long baby wears them for. The one-size do work okay once they're past the first week or two (depending on how big your babies are- I have babies that are under 8 lbs), but I find that they're fairly bulky once folded small enough to fit a newborn. That said, it is so nice to have a quick, one-piece diaper (like a pocket diaper) to use for middle of the night changes, rather than messing around with a fitted or prefold and a cover in the dark. I have also noticed that in order to get through the night or long naps, regardless of which system we use, extra liners or doublers are a MUST! I really love microterry inserts/doublers, and have just ordered some hemp doublers because I have heard that they are even thinner but just as absorbent as the microterry, and I am all about less bulk and dry bums!

How many diapers do you need to have and how often will they need to be washed? 

Michele: I have about 30 newborn cloth diapers; if I
get behind on the laundry and run out, I just use a prefold diaper with
a Snappi (to close), along with a cover. Since I'm using "mama cloth" pads, and we still have some
nighttime cloth diapers to wash for our toddler, we just toss everything
into a washer load each day.

Kelly's Closet: As
far as how many diapers a newborn will need - our general rule of thumb
recommendation is 8-12 diapers per day - and it would be best to have a
minimum of a 2-day supply. This will allow you to wash the diapers
every other day (if you want to go slightly longer between washes then
you will be a few more diapers accordingly).

Stephanie: I would say around 20-24, which will allow you to wash every 2-3 days. My newborn babies seem to go through a good 8-10
diapers a day, so that will be a pretty comfortable amount. Though I can get by with about 4 covers for my older babies/toddlers, I think that you need to have more like a minimum of 6 for newborns, just because with more frequent changes (and poops!) you are more likely to have soiled covers more quickly. On this note, I have learned that it's a necessity to keep lots of diapers around- in the diaper bag, near baby's bed at nighttime, etc. Always have more on hand than you think you need!

What do you do about meconium poops? 

Michele: We only had a few disposable diapers on hand (free samples
that came in the mail), which we used for the worst of the meconium
poops. After that, we just used a flushable liner in his diapers until the
meconium was gone. We
also oiled his bum with every diaper change to make it easier to clean
those sticky meconium poops off. (I used hemp oil, but pretty much any
oil would be fine.) 

Lindsay: I love cloth diapering to the extent that I wanted to place my new
infant Titus into cloth diapers immediately upon his arrival. The
husband was not so key on that idea due to my need to rest and the
lovely meconium that arrives through the baby's bowels shortly after
birth. This substance is not fun to wash out. (That is a warning!
Anyway, so we did use disposables for the first week of his life.

Stephanie: I confess, we also did a few days (I think 5 or 6?) of disposables and I was glad that we did. I think that it would be feasible to use cloth from day 1, with disposable or old cloth liners for the meconium, if you have extra help around the house to deal with the extra laundry that will be produced (in addition to the other things you will need help with). One good option for those who really want to avoid conventional diapers is to pick up a package of newborn Seventh Generation diapers (or a similar brand that is unbleached and chlorine free), just to get you through those first days. It is also a blessing to not be worrying about extra loads of laundry in those early days, when there is already so much extra laundry just from regular newborn life (spit up, wet blankets, changing outfits often, etc.). **As an aside, you can often get a $2 off coupon for Seventh Gen diapers by signing up here**

What about the umbilical cord? 

Michele: We've been using Kissaluvs (size 0) diapers with Enoch from the
beginning...I love that they have a fold-down
snap in front to allow for the umbilical cord.

Stephanie: Prorap covers dip slightly to accommodate the cord (and I found that the Bummis covers came fairly low as well). We did find that in general any cloth diaper tended to rub a little bit and after it fell off (while it was still tender) we put a bandaid over her belly button to keep it from getting rubbed and from bleeding. After about a week, this wasn't necessary anymore. Regardless of what you use, you can try to fold it down or position it a bit lower to keep it away from the cord.

How often do they need to be changed? 

Kelly's Closet: Newborns are such precious little beings, so fresh
and innocent to their new world outside of the womb! Diapering a
newborn, however, can be a tedious task because they typically "go"
frequently (typically between 8-12 times a day - and almost every
diaper change is poo). Just as soon as you change that precious pint
sized bum - the inevitable gurgle and explosion tells you you're going
to be doing it again! 

Stephanie: I have found that newborns really need to be changed often, as little diapers just don't hold as
much as big diapers. It seems to me that I change Johanna's diaper about once per feed cycle (so usually every 2-3 hours), as well as anytime I specifically know that she has wet or dirtied her diaper, and there are sometimes longer gaps between changes if she sleeps well at night (maybe up to 4-5 hours). Usually doing a change 15-20 minutes after each feed works well,
or else just before they go down for each nap. Trying to change the diaper
of a hungry newborn right when they wake up just isn't practical,
unless you enjoy listening to crying and trying to change a really
unhappy, squirmy baby!

Other tips or general advice?

Michele: Here is a recent post on some things I've sewed for
diapering: Cloth Wipes and Diaper Doublers

Lindsay: My honest opinion is
that you really do not need to have a separate newborn diapering
system. Most people will feel more comfortable using disposables for
the first several weeks, and that is completely understandable. You are
adjusting to life with a new little one and many really don't want more
laundry during this stage. If you have an average size baby, you should
be able to transition to a one size cloth diaper after this point. Most
one size diapers fit babies at 8 pounds and I have found this to be so
with several brands (Fuzzi Bunz, Bum Genius & Happy Heiny's are in
our collection). My little guy was born at 7 lb 4 oz and transitioned
into one size pocket diapers at 2 weeks. Not bad.

After
that week, we transitioned Titus into Kissaluavs Fitted diapers size 0
with newborn Prorap covers. I thought this was the best most
recommended newborn system. I didn't think he would fit so soon into
the one size diapers as I mentioned above. I really wanted to love
these diapers because they were so soft and comfy on his little bum.
Unfortunately, I was disappointed by how quickly their wonderful
softness disappeared. A few washings later and they were rather rough
on his skin and caused irritations. He also soaked through them in less
than an hour sometimes, which resulted in more frequent changes. I had
to use a extra doubler inside the fitted diapers, causing excess
bulkiness. I found they just were not worth the money to purchase
unless you have a really tiny baby (5 lb or so). They grow out of them
so fast! Considering how many diapers a newborn goes through, and at
$11-12 per fitted diaper, it is an expensive route. Thankfully we
purchased most of ours used. It would have been far cheaper to use
disposables for those first two weeks than buying a whole newborn
system.

So overall, after beginning cloth diapering my second little one, I
found that using infant prefolds is the most economical option and
transitioning quickly to one size diapers. Then he is set for the rest
of his diapering life.

Kelly's Closet: Changing the diapers is the easy part -
it's picking a cloth diaper that is the challenge. Every baby is unique
and while there are cloth diapers that generally work for the majority
- getting a good fit in a cloth diaper can take some trial and error.
Therefore, before investing in a big stash of diapers we highly
recommend sampling a few diapers to get a feel for what works best for
your baby (and what fits your personal preference). If nothing else, is
frustrating to invest a few hundred dollars on a stash of diapers only
to discover they don't work well for your little one! Therefore, after
researching the brands you would like to consider- order 1-2 of each
diaper and try it out!

Stephanie: Though I have traditionally gone the route of fitted diapers with covers (and don't get me wrong- I still think it's a great system and one that I'm not about to stop using), I have recently begun to use some pocket diapers, including some that are one-size. I am falling in love with these one-size pockets, mostly because they work for both my son (almost 2 1/2) and
my daughter (1 month)! This is a real bonus for any mom who finds herself with two littles in diapers at the same time. It means that I can bring a few one-size diapers out with me, and know that I have something to fit either kiddo, depending on who needs the diaper changes. I don't have to make sure that I have several newborn options as well as several for the toddler, which only results in a very stuffed diaper bag (and an aching shoulder). It also helps to ease the amount of diapers that I need to store in their bedroom and on the change table, and just helps to keep things simpler overall. Though they certainly cost more up front, I am beginning to see how the cost just might be well worth it in the long run, as well as allowing me to have one more compact and easily storable system instead of 3 different size sets of diapers hanging around my house!

Brand Recommendations:

Stephanie: A really absorbent newborn fitted diaper or prefolds with Bummis Super Whisper Wrap
(Proraps
are also pretty decent).

Michele: Kissaluvs Size: 0
with Proraps or Bummis Snap covers

Lindsay: Infant Prefolds
with Prorap or Bummis Super Whisper covers, and then a one-size pocket diaper like BumGenius, Happy Heiny or Fuzzi Bunz
.

Kelly's Closet: Prefolds and diaper covers, as well as a few x-small or one-size all-in-ones, like BumGenius.

Nicki's Diapers: Newborn size prefolds and Prorap Classic diaper covers size newborn, until baby begins to fit a one-size diaper system.

**As a bonus, Nicki's Diapers has kindly offered a 5% discount to all readers who would like to make an order, using the code FIVE. They carry all of the diapers brands that have been mentioned in this post, and I also noticed that they have a great newborn package with everything you need to get going and to help you get a feel for what type of diapering system you prefer.

Any more questions on cloth diapering a newborn? What about other tips, suggestions or brand recommendations from all the other cloth-diapering mamas out there?

Our Sponsors:

• It Starts at Home: Are we Discipling or Outsourcing the faith of our children? Read It Starts at Home! Then, just nurture them together.
• Moukisac: Your 6 in 1 shopping bag system; compact, stylish, versatile and practical, of course! Made by Canadian mom.
• hope ink: Custom inspirational art for your home
• ListPlanIt: Lists to put your world in order
• Vintage Remedies: Get healthy, naturally
• Just Bumming Around: When only the best cloth diapers (at great prices) will do. FuzziBunz packages on SALE!

More from Keeper of the Home

• Q&A: Cloth diapering (even for the faint of heart)- Part 2 | Keeper of the Home
• Pregnancy Update: 32 Weeks | Keeper of the Home
• Cloth Diaper Liners: No More Rash Overnight! | Keeper of the Home
• Two questions for you, ladies! | Keeper of the Home