ecosophia | Frugal Friday

Welcome back to Frugal Friday! This is a weekly forum post to encourage people to share tips on saving money, especially but not only by doing stuff yourself. A new post will be going up every Friday, and will remain active until the next one goes up. Contributions will be moderated, of course, and I have some simple rules to offer, which may change further as we proceed.

Rule #1: this is a place for polite, friendly conversations about how to save money in difficult times. It's not a place to post news, views, rants, or emotional outbursts about the reasons why the times are difficult and saving money is necessary. Nor is it a place to use a money saving tip to smuggle in news, views, etc. I have a delete button and I'm not afraid to use it.

Rule #2: this is not a place for you to sell goods or services, period. Here again, I have a delete button and I'm not afraid to use it.

Rule #3: please give your tip a heading that explains briefly what it's about. Homemade Chicken Soup, Garden Containers, Cheap Attic Insulation, and Vinegar Cleans Windows are good examples of headings. That way people can find the things that are relevant for them. If you don't put a heading on your tip it will be deleted.

Rule #4: don't post anything that would amount to advocating criminal activity. Any such suggestions will not be put through.

With that said, have at it!

Current Mood: busy
Current Music: The Moody Blues, "House of Four Doors"

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From:

teresa_from_hershey

So today, I'm hosting my sister and her family from Florida (and us) for a lavish Christmas dinner.
Someone's also coming by today to pick up the solar dehydrator.

My back hurts, my right hip hurts (I need that steroid injected into the troublesome disk), my left arm hurts and the pain is moving up into my shoulder (I don't know why this is happening).

I'm 64 and not getting any younger.

Am I using the dryer for today's laundry despite it being sunny?
Did Marie Callendar make my pecan pie even though I can make a better one?

You bet!
Pick your battles depending on your strength and what else you're coping with.

Perfect is always the enemy of good enough and finished.

From: (Anonymous)

Think Parito ratio. The first 20% of effort produces 80% of the result, after that it's a case of diminishing returns. That's the understanding that helped this perfectionist thrive with collapse now and avoid the rush. Like you say, "perfect is the enemy of good enough."

From:

dr_coyote

Yes, this! Parito's principle is about the only way I get through any given day. Remember, you can apply it recursively. That is, the first 4% gets you 64% of the result, the first 0.8% gets you 51% there, etc. Some weeks require these extreme measures.

Also, I hate housework and this helps me feel better about my slovenliness. A good book always seems to jump out whenever I'm tidying up.

From: (Anonymous)

Hi Teresa,
Sorry to hear about your health issues. I am 60 and getting creaky too. I find gentle yoga and gentle somatics exercises really heap me. I also find relief in a good strong pot of ginger tea. Ginger being an excellent anti-inflammatory.

We had a Doctor on Denman Island who was going in for a double hip replacement. She went to a workshop on ginger and she is still on the same two hips the Gods gave her. You can see her from time to time, cycling around the island.

Somatic therapists are thin on the ground but if you can find one, I will bet that therapy would help you. I swear by it!
Maxine

From:

teresa_from_hershey

Hi Maxine,

I'll have to look for ginger tea.
I didn't know it could be used as an anti-inflammatory.
That could be very helpful with my arm issues.

My right hip is more complicated. I compressed a disk in my spine, compressing the nerve from the disk thru my hip to my toes. The nerve tingle is unpleasant as is the pain.

I do yoga and Royal Canadian exercises regularly along with lots of walking (we alternate days) and that's probably the only reason I'm not crippled.

From: (Anonymous)

Ginger tea...from James Barber's Ginger Tea Makes Friends

For each person: an inch or so of ginger grated into a saucepan, 2 heaped teaspoons (or to taste) brown sugar or honey, 1/2 chopped lemon including peel (optional, imo) and a mugful of water. Boil gently 10-15 minutes. Strain into mug.

Also very good for nausea or otherwise upset tummy.

Enjoy.(Personally, I love it just for the flavour.)

From:

kallianeira

Ginger *everything*, not only tea.

I really like it as a cool drink too- you can boil it with sugar and get a beautiful cordial.

Here is a good link provided by an Anonymous on this forum last January, with history, health and cultivation information:
https://gavinmounsey.substack.com/p/the-generosity-of-ginger

A mate of mine tells how his arthritic thumb was healed when his wife (a TCM practitioner) put ginger in his meals.

iridescent scintillating elver

From: (Anonymous)

Hi Teresa,
For ginger tea, do not buy tea bags. They are fake and do no good. Get a piece of fresh, organic ginger and slice it very fine. I usually use a 3 inch piece. Slice and chop as fine as possible. Put it in a glass quart jar. Add ten crushed cardamom pods, 10 whole cloves, a crushed cinnamon stick, ten black pepper corns to the jar.

Fill the jar with boiling water and cap it. Place on a cork mat or folded towel. Wrap the jar in a fluffy hand towel and if you have a tea cozy, put that over top. Leave it for at least an hour.

Juice two fresh lemons and add the juice to the tea. This will be a very strong tea. I put a 1/4 cup of it in a cup and add hot water and honey or add cold club soda to it. I always have a jar in the fridge.
Maxine

From: (Anonymous)

Ooh this sounds delicious! Thank you, I’ll try this today. Tamar

From:

baconrolypoly

I introduced my cousin to ginger tea when she was down with a nasty dose laryngitis. I'd given her instructions for how to make it and we were chatting online while she drank her first cup. She went from feeling unwell and lethargic, to sweating and then she perked right up and went on a lengthy and very energetic rant about a family member. Once she finished the cup she started laughing at how much better she felt and said 'Strong stuff, this!'.

It's interesting how much impact a piece of fresh ginger root can have, it's incredible stuff.

From:

teresa_from_hershey

So I can't buy ginger tea ready made?
It seems a lot of work to grate ginger, steep, and add fresh, chopped lemons (which I also don't keep on hand) when I could just use a tea bag!

I guess the ginger must be fresh and still alive to be efficacious.

Is there an easier way?

From: (Anonymous)

While the original recipe I posted used fresh, I frequently don't have fresh on hand. So...When fresh is on sale I get what for us is a lot. I slice it thin & dry it. (I currently have a dehydrator but a warm oven will work). I store the dried ginger in a jar and grab whatever looks good whenever I want a cup of tea.

Also, as I mentioned, I consider the lemon to be optional. If there's some in the house, good. But its not necessary.

My dried ginger works fine. I tried the purchased tea. Once. Nope. At least not for me.

Cheers

From: (Anonymous)

Hi Teresa,
The ginger tea bags have natural flavours which is code for artificial flavours. It is a lot of work to grate ginger for every cup but if you make a quart of strong ginger syrup and keep it in the fridge, it will last a few days and it will be worth it if you feel better.

I live in the country on a little island and go shopping in town once a month. I buy organic ginger and chop it up and place it in a glass jar in the freezer. When I need some fresh ginger, I can just pull out a couple of chunks. It shaves really well when it is frozen and that makes for a stronger tea.

Ginger is the only anti-inflammatory drug that is good for your stomach. I sometimes use powdered spices to make an instant cup of tea. Try that and see if it makes you feel better.
Maxine

From:

claire_58

Use powdered ginger. It isn't as good but it's the best "instant" alternative. Use lots. A big spoonful in half a cup of water just off the boil; add a bit of honey and let it cool enough so that you can knock it back in one go; swirl it around to make sure you get all the powder and slug it back.

From:

ecosophia

Asian groceries can sell you jars of grated ginger. I use it all the time in cooking; it's clean and very tasty. Putting a spoonful of that in hot water with a little honey ought to do the trick.

I've also had decent results with ginger tea bags, but again, I get them from Asian groceries.

From:

teresa_from_hershey

Thank you to everyone for the ginger ideas!

We've got a large, very mixed Asian population in Central PA so I should be able to find an Asian grocery store easily.

Grated ginger in jars sounds the easiest way.

Thank you again!

From:

ecosophia

While you're at it, pick up a jar of grated garlic at the same Asian grocery. You can put that into all kinds of savory dishes, and it's really good for your health as well. My standard hot and sour soup recipe includes a heaping (really heaping) tablespoon each of grated garlic and grated ginger, and the resulting soup -- well, let's just say I know of nothing better for cold wet days when colds are going around.

From: (Anonymous)

Jmg,
Would you be willing to share your hot and sour soup recipe? I would love to try making it.
Thanks!

From:

ecosophia

Of course.

1) Save vegetable scraps and trimmings: onion skins, carrot and parsnip peelings, celery trimmings, pea pods. Roast 2-4 chicken thighs, set the meat aside, and save the skin and bones. Put vegetable scraps and chicken skin and bones into a big stock pot, fill with water, bring to boil, and simmer for an hour. Strain. This gives you your stock.

2) Slice one large onion, the bigger and ranker the better. (If you feel like you've been tear gassed while slicing it, you've got the right onion.) In a second, even bigger stock pot, put 2 teaspoons of vegetable oil and 1 teaspoon of sesame oil, and put on heat. When the oil is hot, fry the onion and a heaping tablespoon each minced garlic and minced ginger.

3) While the onion cooks, crumble up 1/2 package sliced dried shiitake mushrooms. Add when the onion is translucent. Then chop the chicken up fine and add that. Then pour in broth and bring to boil.

4) While the broth is heating, slice fine and then chop 1/4 head green cabbage. Once the stock is boiling, add cabbage. Cook 15 minutes or so.

5) Remove from heat. Add 1/2 package broad rice noodles. Stir. Then add as much black pepper as you can stand, and 1/2 cup rice vinegar. Cool and refrigerate. It'll keep in the fridge for up to two weeks; scoop out portions as desired, heat, and serve. Listen to the screams of respiratory viruses being annihilated over a three county region. ;-)

Note: all measures are approximate. I cook by eye.

From: (Anonymous)

Yum! I will try this later this week as winter really sets in here in my corner of the US.

Thank you.

From:

temporaryreality

Theresa, just pour boiling water over crushed and thinly sliced fresh ginger. Add honey to taste if you don’t like it straight.

I grind big batches of ginger in the food processor, add a bit of water to the pulp, then squeeze it in a screw press (though for a few years I squeezed it in a cloth bag by hand -tiring). Freeze in 1Tbsp cubes. When needed, plunk a cube in a cup of hot water.

But you need to be pretty committed to ginger for the last method. For everyone else, sliced and steeped is just fine.

From: (Anonymous)

Thank you for this and to everyone else for the suggestions to how to go about making this tea.

I have either a pinched nerve in my back or a strained tendon in my lower leg that causes numbness to the front of my foot. I wonder if ginger tea will help? I am going to try it and see.

From:

open_space

Hi Teresa, I am sorry to hear about your pain.

What you mention strikes me as an excellent lesson in frugality, specially because "perfect" doesn't look so perfect anymore once you get good a things.

From: (Anonymous)

Know the feeling. My own personal motto once the fibromyalgia kicked in has been 'perfection is neither required or desired. Good enough is.' As for what good enough consists of, it varies depending on what I'm doing, how I'm feeling that day, and how much I care. Learning to play the recorder really well matters more to me than having a neatly made bed. It just needs to be made, it doesn't need to be the best made bed I've ever done. But I do want to be able to play as well as I am physically capable of.

From: (Anonymous)

I would encourage you to read A Midwestern Doctor's substack for ideas about using DMSO for your issues.

I have recently started using it does wonders for pain of all types and origins.

Not medical advice, just my experience.

From: (Anonymous)

Hi Everyone,
Every year, I save heaps of money and energy by making my own potting soil. I would have to pay a fortune if I had to pay for all the potting soil I use on my farm in the spring. I prefer to get it for almost free.

Home-made potting soil consists of leaf mold, finished compost and sand. To make the leaf mold, you can get things going by running a lawn mower over a large pile of leaves. I just put them in the hen yard and have the hens shred them to confetti. The hens also poop on the leaves, further composting them. If you don't have hens, you can place your leaves in a compost box and pour human urine over them. The urine breaks down the leaves and the carbon in the leaves bonds to the nitrogen in the urine. Pour enough urine on the leaves and you will get a steaming hot compost that breaks down readily. There is always more pee!

Finished compost is a mixture of food scraps, grass clippings, shredded newspaper or whatever carbon source you have. Animal manure is great to add to the compost but if you don't have any, you can achieve the same effect with human urine. Turn weekly and you will get some lovely compost by spring.

The sand we have to buy. We get a truckload every four years or so and use it to make potting soil and as an amendment to our clay soil. Fancy gardeners will tell you, "Sand plus clay equals concrete." I always tell them they should come look at my fluffy black concrete.

Mix equal parts of leaf mold and finished compost with about a third part of sand. Do this in a wheelbarrow as it makes it easier to mix. We store ours in a large garbage can with a lid on it to dissuade our cats from adding to its distinctiveness. The potting mix will not work unless it has sand in it. Not sure why, I just know this from experience.

If you start now, you should have plenty of potting soil come spring.
Maxine

From: (Anonymous)

Maxine, this sounds amazing. I've read elsewhere about pouring one's first urine of the morning (when it's extra rich) onto a compost pile, but didn't realize it would help break down leaves so quickly.

I have piles and piles of leaves and could improvise a container for them, but alas I have neither lawn mower nor hens to shred them for me. I also have below-freezing temperatures for much of the winter. Do you think I can still make it work?

Dylan

From: (Anonymous)

Hi Dylan,
It will work. It may take a bit longer but it will work. Turning the leaves will help them to break down too. A circle of wire mesh is a good container for leaves. You just untie it and move it next to the pie and shovel the leaves into it again.
Maxine

From: (Anonymous)

Ooh, a chance to plug two of my favorite things!

For what I think is probably one of the best explanations of the composting process and procedure, I recommend The Humanure Handbook (https://humanurehandbook.com/) by Joseph Jenkins. As a side benefit, it will also expose you to the concept of the composting toilet. Best of all, Jenkins has made his book absolutely free to read online.

Of course, what brought this to mind was the discussion of using human urine as compost starter (urine is a high source of nitrogen). This reminded me of the off-grid composting toilet that my wife and I use in our tiny house. Nature's Head (https://www.natureshead.net/). One of its better features is urine separation, which helps to significantly reduce odour. It is the mixing of urine and feces without carbon that generates that old school "outhouse" odour. This separation also provides you with a handy way to distribute the urine wherever you want (including the compost bin/pile, diluting as fertilizer, marking territory, etc.). Just make sure to get two urine bottles. We've been using ours for over ten years now.

From:

michele7

This week's photo reminds me of girl I worked with ages ago. Her uncle worked the night shift as a prison warden. He crocheted her wedding dress during the quiet hours. The dress was beautiful and she was thrilled!

From:

michele7

Years ago I bought some stainless steel fry pans, but rarely used them because everything stuck. I watched a few chef videos on how to make your stainless steel pans non stick and this week I finally tried it out. This is how I did it. I put the dry pan on a med high heat until hot. I added avocado oil to the pan and swirled it around to coat the pan. Once the oil started to smoke, I shut the burner off. (I did this because I was waiting for the hubby to come back into the house before I started cooking.) I noticed the amount of oil in the pan seemed less and assumed some of the oil got absorbed into the pan. I heated the oil again and started cooking. Omelettes didn't stick. Fried rice didn't stick. So, if you find those expensive stainless steel pans or carbon steels pans at a thrift store or garage sale, grab them! You too can make them non stick.

From:

claire_58

Yes! I, too recently (+45 years into my cooking adventures), discovered the trick of making stainless steel non-stick. Brilliant!

I give thanks for youtube, even though I hate it, I also love it. I would encourage anyone who wants to expand their skill set to make as much use of it as they can. It won't last. I collect how-to books whenever I see them in thrift stores but there's nothing like a visual demonstration. The variety of videos on any given topic means you're sure to find one perfect for your skill level.

From: (Anonymous)

do you have to do this each time you cook? or does the non-stickiness last a while? do you wash the pans with soap? is this trick specific to avocado oil? so many questions! i've been avoiding teflon for a while but do suffer from sticky pans, so curious to know more about what you've said.

From: (Anonymous)

I learned a long time ago to put cold oil into a hot pan. The warm oil can be swirled around the bottom of the pan. Then, turn down the heat, or turn it off, and add your ingredient(s). Watch carefully for sauteed dishes or add liquid of choice for braising. If you put cold food into cold oil, the food absorbs the oil and becomes soggy and oily tasting. One learns the peculiarities of different pans. My stainless steel egg pan gets very hot very fast. Mary Bennett

From:

claire_58

So far it's lasted. As mentioned I only just discovered this. It might be something that has to be repeated periodically but not every time.

From:

michele7

I do wash my pans with soap, so I re-oil the pan each time. I have cooked omelettes one after another and only added a pat of butter between omelettes. There wasn't any sticking. I'm sure you can use any oil that is good for high heat cooking since you get the oil smoking. Experiment and see what works for you.

From: (Anonymous)

While I've heard of this seasoning process, I've never applied it to my stainless steel pans. Oddly, I don't have the sticking problems others have described. That being said, I always use a ceramic-coated pan on low heat for eggs. I use the pilaf method when I cook rice stovetop. When I cook meats, I deglaze the pan to make sauces, the process of which removes most of the stuck bits.

I don't know exactly what it is about my cooking style that minimizes sticking, but I've always felt that it is a combination of sufficient fat/oil, proper heat regulation and attentive monitoring of things while they cook (i.e., stirring frequently).

That being said, if this seasoning works for your cooking style, then that makes it a good thing indeed.

Anonymous-2

From: (Anonymous)

Dear Host

I see you have again shown a gent enjoying what we North Americans seldom consider a manly pursuit.

Might I add another?

Perhaps you and others from the now older generation remember Rosey Grier. Famed quarterback and author of Needlepoint for Men. (https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/other-hobbies-rosey-grier-loves-his-needlepoint/)

From:

p_coyle

Rosey was not a quarterback but in fact a defensive lineman of some acclaim. he also did, in addition to needlepoint, macrame, knitting and crocheting. he was a bodyguard for RFK sr (tasked with guarding ethel kennedy but managed to take away the gun from sirhan sirhan and helping to subdue him) and became an ordained protestant minister as well.

all in all an awesome dude i remember from my childhood.

From: (Anonymous)

I stand corrected. My only defence being that I know sqat about football. 🥴

From: (Anonymous)

Thanks for the blast from the past! 🙏

I’d forgotten that story. It’s good to remember it once more.

From:

temporaryreality

There are a few things “I” grow in my garden that make welcome additions to our meals when all the stores have are cabbages and carrots and celery.

What salsify charges in preparation time it makes up for in exuberant and fuss-free growth. I do nothing for it but sometimes water it in summer. Come winter, when the soil is soft, I fork it out and eat it. It’s got lots of fiddly roots, but just rinse the dirt and scrub with a small cloth (peeling the big tough ones). Slice and cook in soup (or chowder, because they’re slightly reminiscent of a cross between oysters and artichoke hearts). Tasty.

Mallow (aka cheeseweed) has _slightly_ rough-in-texture yet demulcent and tender leaves that are good in a light sauté or can be used (two at a time) to enclose meatballs a la cabbage rolls. This one takes absolutely no effort to grow.

Sprouting broccoli is a biennial multiheaded variety. Sow it once and let it eventually self sow. You can get tender greens and broccoli florets way tastier than store bought broccoli. Continual harvest is a plus. In my zone 9b it likes a little summer water but I’ve sometimes neglected it and it still does ok.

From: (Anonymous)

Malva is wonderful, I encourage it and when all else fails, I can pick it for me or the chickens. WHile it does have less flavor, just a mildflavor, it has tons of nutrients, it is good for cooked recipes, in stir fry's, soupsand such, anything that calls for kale, chard or cooked spinach - It is what's for dinner in my yard this time of year

Atmospheric River

From: (Anonymous)

For mysterious reasons, the price of Ketchup is going up in Canada--
We ran out the other day, and found a recipe for "Quick Ketchup on page 565 of The Joy of Cooking (2019 printing):
6 oz (156 ml) can of Tomato Paste
3/4 cup (180 ml) cider or malt vinegar
1 Tbl (15 ml) honey, agave, or simple syrup, etc
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/8 tsp ground allspice
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
pinch of ground cloves

We used wildflower honey as the sweetener, and left out the Cayenne pepper and cloves.

Whisk all together and Voila! It's Ketchup, and without the Hi Fructose Corn Syrup (unless you choose to add it)
Add up to 2 Tbl (60 ml) water for desired thin-ness.

Our first try yielded over a cup of surprisingly tasty Ketchup, which we promptly threw into the Meatloaf recipe. Total cost was about half of what we'd pay for commercial prep Ketchup. Also, you can add or swap ingredients to meet your taste.
There's no reason we couldn't make a larger batch, once we tune the recipe in to what we like, and can a few bottles like jam.

If you live in the US, its likely that you or your neighbour have a copy of Joy of Cooking. There are a lot of recipes in there, including for mayonnaise.

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Page Summary

teresa_from_hershey - Picking your battles when you can't do everything
(Anonymous) - Home Made Potting Soil
michele7 - crochet
michele7 - making cook ware non stick
(Anonymous) - (no subject)
temporaryreality - Grow the weeds
(Anonymous) - Ketchup Recipe

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