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I have been making a lot of soap!  I have about 80 bars now, I think that will be enough for some time.  I plan to give some for Christmas presents.

My first attempt was a simple recipe I found for equal amounts of coconut oil and olive oil.  That soap is very hard!  Then I went on to a recipe from Rhonda at Down To Earth.  This soap has cured for 2 months now.  It is ok, but it took a long time to cure (harden) and it is not very sudsy.  Third try was a plain lard soap.  This soap became hard quickly and is a nice white color.  It is ok.  I like my 4th try of mostly lard with the addition of coconut oil.  The coconut oil helps make the soap sudsier.

Some of the lard/coconut oil soap was grated up to use in my homemade laundry detergent and it worked well.  But on my next batch I used 1/2 my soap and 1/2 Fels Naptha.  I felt the Fels would make a little more power to it. In one lard recipe I added some ground oats and honey.  In another batch I added buttermilk powder and honey.

In the picture on the bottom is a box of cured soap 3 layers deep!

4 cups hot water mixed with
2 teaspoons borax
1 teaspoon washing soda
4 tablespoons vinegar
1 teaspoon Murphy’s Oil Soap

The water has to be hot in order to dissolve the borax and washing soda

I used this recipe on our walls, with a little Murphy’s Oil Soap added, and it did an excellent job of cleaning off the yellow smoke gunk. Wipe it on and let it set a minute or two, then I used some rinse water (although if you don’t smoke, you don’t really need to rinse) for best results!

1 gallon water, mixed with
1 cup ammonia
1/2 cup vinegar
1/4 cup baking soda

5 – 6 cups flour
3 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 package dry yeast (or 2 1/4 teaspoons)
1 cup water
1 1/3 cup buttermilk

Directions:
1. Add buttermilk and water to a saucepan and heat over medium heat until lukewarm (110 degrees).
2. In a large bowl add 2 cups flour, sugar, salt, baking soda and yeast. Add the lukewarm buttermilk.
Stir with a wooden spoon for 2 minutes. Add another cup of flour. Pour dough onto floured surface and knead for 10 minutes. Add the remaining flour 1/2 cup at a time while kneading.
3. Place dough into lightly oiled bowl and cover top of dough with some oil. Cover with cloth and place in warm spot until dough has doubled in size.
4. Punch down dough then divide into 2 equal sections. Place into greased bread pans. Cover and let rise until doubled (about 45 minutes)
5. Bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes. Remove and place on wire rack to cool.

Note: The original recipe said to brush dough with a mixture of egg and water before baking, but I didn’t do that.
When I made this bread, it turned out tasty, but a little dry, so I suggest kneading in as little flour as possible and be sure not to over bake. Otherwise, it was very good!

Since I have a large uncontrolled catnip plant and plenty of mosquitos, I am going to have to give this a try!

Grow Your Own Mosquito Repellent

CATNIP MOSQUITO SPRITZ
MAKES ABOUT 3 CUPS

* 2 cups catnip, stemmed
* 3-4 cups mild rice vinegar

Rinse herbs, roll lightly with a rolling pin, then place them in a clean quart jar and cover with vinegar. Seal jar and store in a dark cupboard for two weeks.

Shake jar lightly every day or so for two weeks. Strain into a clean jar, seal and refrigerate for up to 6 months unused.

To use, spritz on exposed skin and around outdoor dining area.

CATNIP AND ROSEMARY MOSQUITO CHASING OIL
MAKES ABOUT 2 CUPS.

* 2 cups catnip, stemmed
* 1 cup rosemary, cut in 6-inch sprigs
* 2 cups grapeseed oil or any light body-care oil

Roll herbs lightly with a rolling pin and pack into a clean jar. Cover with oil, seal jar and place in a cool, dark cupboard for two weeks.

Shake jar lightly every day or so for two weeks. Strain into a clean jar, seal and refrigerate for up to 8 months unused.

To use, rub on exposed skin.

Good Sudless Laundry Detergent

Ingredients:
5 gallon bucket – I use the big bucket that came filled with cat litter
1 bar Fels Naptha soap, grated
1 cup Arm & Hammer washing soda (NOT baking soda)
1/2 cup borax
1 large pan
1 big spoon

Directions:
Put 4 cups water into pan and warm on the stove until its almost boiling. While it is warming, grate the soap and add to the water. Cook soap and water (but not boiling) until the soap is melted.

Put 3 gallons of hot water into the 5 gallon bucket. Then mix in the hot soapy water and stir for awhile. Add washing soda, keep stirring, add borax and stir a few minutes.

Let mixture sit overnight to cool. It should get gelatinous and will be a nice lemony color.

Use one cupful per load of laundry.

Notes:
I use the warmest water possible to wash in order to be sure the soap is dissolved and to get clothes the cleanest. This works very well on whites and light colors especially. On very dark colors, I dissolve the soap in hot water first, and then fill tub with warm to cool water.

It is a good idea to stir the soap in the big bucket before using.

This soap makes no suds at all in the wash, so don’t even look for them!

I add 1/4 cup of vinegar to a second rinse because some of us have sensitive skin and I wan’t to be sure to get all the soap out.

This recipe came from here:

How To Make Your Own Laundry Detergent – And Save Big Money
March 15, 2007 @ 10:30 am – Written by Trent