Stimulating Tub Tea - Bath Blend of the Month

This blend is perfect for energizing in the before spring doldrums.  It has lavender and lemon verbena as well as citrus peel.

The lavender is balancing and will rejuvenate when combined with citrus scents. With lemon verbena the scent is relaxing and the effect is anti-bacterial.  Add to that the antibacterial and anti-viral properties of the citrus peel and you have a blend that will stimulate as well as heal. And the lemongrass essential oil is a great germ-fighter.

Stimulating Bathtub Tea

• ½ cup lavender flower buds
• ½ cup lemon verbena (or lemon balm) leaves
• ½ cup chopped lemon or orange peel
• 10 drop lavender essential oil
• 6 drops lemongrass essential oil

Mix well in a large bowl.  Add essential oil.  Place ¼ cup of mixture into a cotton sachet or the center of a wash cloth and tie shut. 

To Use: Place sachet in hot bath water for 3 to 5 minutes before sliding in to enjoy the bath.

 

 

Rose Dusting Powder - Bath Blend of the Month

It may be a bit early for blooming roses, but spring rain and I am am thinking of ways to use flowers. In fact I dedicated this month's newsletter to information on Edible Flowers, so if you are interested in receiving the Monthly Newsletter, please sign up here.

This after shower powder is great for softening and soothing skin and smells great!

Rose Dusting Powder

• Petals from 4 roses (medium size)
• 1 cup cornstarch
• 3 Tbls baking soda
• 3 dried rose heads

Directions:

1.    In a small cardboard box, layer the petals and cornstarch. Fit the cover on but don’t seal tight, you want the contents to still have a bit of air. Leave for 24 to 36 hours.

2.    Sift the pieces from cornstarch then add the baking soda (you may have to sift a few times to remove all the petals). Mix well then split the powder mixture into two batches. *See tip below

3.    Next take the dried roses, remove the stem and leaves and add the rose heads to one half of the powder mixture. Pour into a blender and mix until the dried flowers are finely ground.

4.    Add the fine ground powder mixture to the other half of the powder mixture, use a wooden spoon to blend the powder by hand.

5.    Pour the scented powder into a decorative box or shaker jar, allow to sit for a day before using.

Tips:

If you prefer a stronger scented dusting powder, you can add another batch of fresh petals and allow the powder to sit another 24 hours (first sift out the initial batch of petals).

You can use lavender or other scented flowers if you prefer.

To Use:  Dust skin with a powder puff after bathing or showering.  Lightly sprinkle on bedding for a nicely scented sleep.  Use to scent lingerie drawers or closets. Great to give as homemade gifts

Relaxing and Energizing Bath Sachet - Bath Blend of the Month

September is fraught with worry this year as school starts and Covid-19 rages, so I thought a bath blend that would give you energy and help you de-stress might be in order.  This blend can be placed in muslin bags and used as needed in a warm bath.  If you are more of a shower person, grate some gentle soap and mix into each bag and use as a bath scrub.  They can be used over and over until soap or scent is gone.

The herbs in this blend have both energizing and relaxing attributes which can help both with their vital chemicals and the aroma:

Lavender – is balancing will calm or rejuvenate

Lemongrass – is antiviral, anti-bacterial

Spearmint – is an antioxidant which is good against stress and has some anti-viral attributes

Peppermint – is effective against stress headaches

Relaxing and Energizing Bath Sachet Blend

1/2 cup lavender flowers

1/2 cup peppermint, dried

1/2 cup spearmint, dried

1/2 cup lemon grass, dried and chopped

10 drops lemongrass essential oil

5 drops peppermint essential oil

5 drops spearmint essential oil

Directions:

Combine all the dry ingredients in a large bowl.  Add the essential oil and stir to spread the oil throughout the mixture.  Allow to meld for a week in a covered container, shaking frequently.  Then measure into bags. (It can be used right away if you need to relax.  The scent just improves with a bit of age.) 

To USE: add ¼ cup of mixture into a 8 muslin bags. Place a single bag under the faucet and allow to hang there as the tub is filled.  Bags can be reused until the scent is gone if allowed to dry out between uses.

Serenity Bath Tub Tea - Bath Blend of the Month

This is a large recipe of bath blend that allows you to make enough to use for yourself and for gifts.  The herbs are chosen for their relaxing qualities.  

Lavender - in addition to being relaxing and soothing due to its scent. Lavender is anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial and antiseptic which makes it perfect treatment for damaged skin.

Chamomile - soothes nerves and aids relaxation while reducing redness and irritation to the skin.

Comfrey - this cure-all herb with extreme anti-inflammatory properties aid the repair of skin.

St John's Wort - a mood regulator, great for help stemming depression and anxiety.

Jasmine - this is a relaxation herb through scent and skin absorption that will aid sleep.

Lemon verbena - has sedative properties which make it perfect for relaxation and it is also good for treating illness and stress.
 

Serenity Bath Tea

 1 cup lavender buds

½ cup St. Johns Wort

½ cup chamomile

½ cup comfrey

½ cup jasmine flowers

½ cup lemon verbena

8 drops lemon essential oil

8 drops lavender essential oil


Combine all ingredients in a glass jar and shake to combine. Use 1/4 cup of mixture in a cotton muslin bag or coffee filter tied with string.  Makes about 12 bags

To Use: Steep one bag in 1 cup of warm water for then pour that liquid into the bath.  Soak and relax.

Cocoa Butter Lip Balm - Monthly Bath Blend

I did a program on using botanicals to create body and spa items for the Schaumburg Library back on May 1.  The program was designed for 50 people, but enrollment filled and we expanded it to 75 people.  I think there were still a few more that wanted to get in, proving there is a desire to know how to make beauty items with herbs.  Every month I share a bath related recipe and thins month I thought I would do something similar to the one in the program.

Then, because of the popularity of Body Botanicals, I thought I would share a few recipes and also go though, in the next few months, how to use your fresh herbs to create bath related items.

Look for a series later this month I am calling "Getting Started Using Herbs." 

Cocoa Butter Lip Balm

1 Tbls jojoba oil
1 tsp cocoa butter

1 tsp beeswax

essential oil

Melt the beeswax along with the oil and butter in a double boiler. Add any flavoring you might like at this stage. Pour into small tubes, pots, or slip-tins and allow to set-up.

A drop of lavender is really nice on chapped lips! Alcohol based flavorings will not incorporate. A drop or two of various essential oils will. Rose, lavender, orange, grapefruit, or lime all work well.

New Moon Herbal Salt Detox Bath - Bath Blend of the Month

The time of the lunar cycle when the Moon goes dark — not visible in the sky at all — is known as a New Moon.  This is the perfect opportunity to discard things in your life you do not want.

2015 NASA photo

The day of the New Moon — the day before and the day after also — is a fortunate, rejuvenating time.

It is a time for:

+renewal
+making positive changes
+turning inward
+clearing false perceptions
+tapping into our inner knowing
+embracing fresh opportunities

+ a time to set new intentions

+ also a wonderful time for cleansing

Because at the time of the New Moon (as well as the Full Moon) our body’s capacity for detoxification and toxin removal is at its best. Just like the oceans’ tides — that ebb and flow with the electromagnetic effects of the Moon — our bodies are comprised mostly of water and are also naturally affected by this lunar influence.

One of the vital elements to cleansing with the New Moon, is the detox bath. And today I want to share a recipe for renewal on the New Moon. It’s a wonderful way to increase the energy on the night of the New Moon and/or the day(s) before and after.  The New Mon is set of Dec. 7th

New Moon Herbal Salt Detox Bath

Makes: three (3) large tea bags 

2 tablespoons dead sea salts

2 tablespoons Himalayan pink salt

1 tablespoon calendula flowers

1 tablespoon lavender flowers

1 tablespoon lemon balm

1 tablespoon rose petals

1 tablespoon jasmine flowers

essential oils of lavender (3 drops), jasmine (2 drops), and rose absolute (4 drops), optional (for a more budget-friendly option, simply use lavender)

Directions: Add all ingredients to a quart-sized glass jar. Place lid and shake gently until well combined. Allow jar to sit overnight Measure 1/4 cup of mixture into a draw-string muslin bag or one large tea bag and seal with the use of a household iron or as recommended. Store tea bags in a glass jar or brown kraft bag.

Best Bath Procedures:

1.      Prepare a hot bath.

2.      Add one bath tea bag to the tub.

3.      Dry brush the skin while waiting 2-3 minutes for the bath infusion to prepare

4.      Bathe for 20-30 minutes.

5.      Be sure to drink plenty of water before, throughout, and after the bath.

Oatmeal Floral Deluxe Milk Bath - Monthly Bath Blend

October is a month where your skin starts to dry out.  The heat may be on in the hime, the sun screen is not liberally applied anymore, and because it is no longer hot you are drinking less water and your skin begins to dry out.

Bath sachets (also known as bath tea) make a lovely, luxurious soak that can be beneficial to skin, ease stress and help soothe aches and pains. These steep in the tub, making a luxurious soak. If some tender therapy is needed to ease sore feet, you can try these as a foot soak instead.

Obtain a drawstring pouch or make a bag out of cheesecloth, organza, terry cloth or muslin, large enough to hold anywhere from 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup of this herbal mix. Tie them tightly shut so the loose ingredients won’t float out. After use the contents can be emptied, the pouches rinsed out then washed to be refilled and reused.

These amounts will make a batch at a time to be stored in an airtight container until needed.

Oatmeal Floral Deluxe Milk Bath 
1/2 cup powdered milk
1/2 cup Epsom salt
1/8 cup baking soda
2 Tbls cornstarch
1 cup oatmeal
1/2 cup lavender

Preparation:
Fill the bag with a 1/4 to 1/2 cup of the Sachet Blend. Two ways these can be enjoyed, either hang them on the tap while the hot water is running, making sure the water is running through them. Once the tub is filled, let them float around.  Or the Infusion Method: Boil a quart of water, turn off heat, add pouch, cover, then steep (for at least 20 minutes for best results). Add the piping hot infusion (and the bag) to a full tub, being careful while pouring to avoid burning yourself.
Note: Do not steep in an aluminum pot.

Honey Almond Milk Bath - Bath Blend of the Month

Honey and Milk baths will soothe rough and damaged skin and after a cold spell like we've had where the heat was constantly running, my skin is crying for softness and moisture.  

What you need for dryness is a humectant.  Humectants (or moisturizers) are important cosmetic ingredients which prevent loss of moisture thereby retaining the skin's natural moisture. Some compounds also have the ability to actively attract moisture. Honey a natural humectant as it attracts and retains moisture. When used in skin treatments, honey traps and seals in the moisture leaving skin soft and supple.

Milk lends softening properties.  By milk properties, I specifically mean lactic acid, a proven skin-softener that gently removes dead skin cells without setting off alarm bells for irritation or dryness. Milk proteins and their plant-based facsimiles can deliver baby-soft skin on a level that has to be experienced to be believed. 

This month's recipe is a combination of Milk, honey and almond oil that works as a perfect three only with the herbs to give you softer, smoother less dry skin in this dead of winter season.

Honey Almond Milk Bath

1 Tablespoon Almond Oil
1/4 cup honey
1 cup powdered milk

2 teaspoons powdered herbs (chamomile, lavender, thyme, sage and roses in any combo is perfect)

Combine the oil and honey with powdered milk and mix until coated.  Stir in the powdered herbs and blend to combine.  

To use: Pour the think mixture under the running tap to melt the honey and dissolve and re-hydrate the milk powder.  Slip into the bath and soak until the water cools, then towel off and seal the moisture you have regained with a topical lotion.

Calendula and Rose Sea salt - Bath Blend of the Month

Last moth I suggested a Calendula Tea for the bath.  You can also make a soothing blend of softening herbs and sea salt that includes calendula.

Calendula and Rose Sea Salt 

Rose petals

Rosemary

Calendula petal

½ cup sea salt

Directions:

Combine all the ingredients together.  The amount of flowers and herbs is up to you, the more the merrier.  Place them all in a jar with a tight-fitting lid and shape well.  Allow them to meld for two weeks before using.  

To Use: Place a large handful of the mixture in a muslin bag and place in a filling bath.  Soak and enjoy.

Rose is soothing to skin and calendula will relieve dry itching and irritated skin. Rosemary is lightly astringent and is rejuvenating and stimulating.

Calendula Bath - Bath Blend of the Month

Calendula Bath 

This is a great way to get rid of itchy, irritated or dry skin. Calendula is a perfect herb for skin, taken as a tea internally or used in the bath externally it will bring back a softness and glow to skin.  The gentleness of this simple bath tea allows you to sue it over and over.

1/4 to 1/2 cup Calendula Petals 

2 cup boiling water

Stir the Calendula petals into boiling water.  Steep until the water is room temperature, then strain into the bath water and soak.

Vanilla - Herb of the Week

Vanilla Beans are the fruit of an orchid.  I am not sure that counts as a true herb, but since it does fall into the edible and useful aspect of a plant I thought it was appropriate.

I first learned that vanilla was an orchid when I first attended the orchid show at the Chicago Botanic Garden a few years ago. The Orchid show is always in the winter and this year runs from Feb. 10 to March 26, 2017.

Vanilla orchid display at Chicago Botanic Garden

I recommend traveling to it if you are anywhere near the Chicagoland area while the show is open.  It is colorful, amazing and might just scratch that itching to garden issue one tends to have in the winter months.

The family of  orchid that makes vanilla is actually Vanilla.  The most common for industrial food production is Vanilla planifolia, or flat leaved Vanilla. The orchid flowers for 1 day, then creates a long narrow pod that takes 6 to 9 months to mature, and another 3 to 6 months to cure.  You can see why vanilla can be expensive.

Vanilla can only grow 10 to 20 degrees north and south of the equator, so while the major species of vanilla orchids are now grown around the world, they originally came from Mesoamerica, including parts of modern day Mexico and Guatemala. Like all orchids, vanilla is a vine.  It can grow up to 30 feet long. The Flat-Leaved Vanilla is the only orchid used for industrial food production. The vanilla pod is frequently referred to as the bean. The pods are picked when they are still not ripe, and then plunged into hot water and laid out to dry for anywhere from two to six months. While these pods can be very expensive, scraping them yields a potent vanilla flavor and the black specs that will color whatever you’re baking. They’re definitely worth the splurge. Like saffron, vanilla is very labor intensive to produce. In order for vanilla orchids to produce pods, the plant must be pollinated by hummingbirds or a specific species of bees native to Central America. Furthermore, the flowers are only open for a short period of time. In order to harvest vanilla commercially, therefore, the plants must be hand-pollinated.  Most vanilla today comes from Madagascar and the island of Réunion Seventy-five percent of vanilla on the market today is derived from vanilla plants in Madagascar and Réunion. It is commonly known as Bourbon vanilla, named for the island Réunion, which was formally named Île Bourbon.

Flat-leaf vanilla

Vanilla extract, the way most of us know vanilla, comes from macerating vanilla beans and mixing them with water and alcohol. 

Beyond the wonderful flavors that vanilla imparts to baking, you can also add it to beauty items with great benefit.

An infusion of vanilla and witch hazel can be used as a skin toner that will reduce pore size and decrease puffiness around the eyes.

Vanilla Toner
2 vanilla beans
8 ounces of witch hazel
   (an astringent available in a drug store or drug store section of a department store)

Slice the beans lengthwise and cut into small pieces.  Place in a glass jar and cover with witch hazel extract.  Shape well.  Store in a cool dark place for 2 weeks and shake daily.  Strain out the vanilla and place liquid in a glass bottle.  You can apply with cotton balls or with a mister.


If you do not have vanilla beans handy you can make an aromatherapy spray using vanilla extract

Vanilla Room Spray
 1 ounce witch hazel extract
 3 ounces water
 2 tsp vanilla extract

Pour all the ingredients into a 4 ounce glass bottle and shape well.  Using a mister, shake well and spray the air avoiding light color furniture and clothing.  The vanilla scent in the air can reduce anxiety and evoke pleasant memories.  It is was used with great success for those having MRI tests, reducing the anxiety of being in an enclosed space.

Chamomile Stew - Bath Blend of the Month

This milky stew of salts and herbs is soothing to the skin, relaxing to the body and mind and generally a great way to wind down  and revitalize in the middle of Winter.

1 1/2 cup powdered milk

1/2 cup Epsom salt
1/8 cup baking soda
2 Tbls cornstarch

1/2 cup lavender

1/2 cup chamomile

Blend ingredients together, and store in an air-tight jar.  

To Use: Add 1/4 to 1/2 cup of blend to a muslin bag and suspend in the tub as it is filling.  Soak and enjoy!

Lavender Oat Sachets - Bath Blend of the Month

Lavender Oatmeal Sachet

2 cups plain old fashioned oats
1 tablespoon dried lavender buds
2 tsp. chamomile flowers
1/2 cup baking soda
small muslin bags

Combine all of the ingredients in a blender or a food processor and pulse until the mixture looks like flour.

Fill each muslin bag with the mixture and tie shut. If you don’t have muslin bags, you can simply add about 1/3 cup to a hot bath, under running water.  I prefer using a muslin bag to hold homemade bath soaks because it cuts down on clean up time.

This blend can be stored in a glass jar and just fill the muslin bag as needed.  When done, just dump out the contents and rinse the bag out to dry for next time. 

We currently make these as a product of Backyard Patch Herbs, so you can get 5 draw-string tea bags of this mixture in a colored canning jar.

Muscle Saver Bath - Bath Blend of the Month

Much garden work is being done at my house as I put in gardens where none were before.  The shoveling, the raking, the building of raised beds, it is all good for me, but my muscles sometimes scream in protest.  This aromatic bath is good for relaxing muscles and relieving stress.  It is also valuable to those with arthritis.  I find this is very helpful when my hands start aching. Juniper berry’s essential oil breaks down the surface tension of the epidermis helping the skin absorb the beneficial aspects of the remaining herbs.

Muscle-Saver Bath 

1 tsp. juniper berries

2 Tbls. dried peppermint

2 Tbls. dried spearmint

2 Tbls lavender flowers and leaves

Place all the ingredients in a square of muslin or a handkerchief, tie up with string.  Or place in an unbleached muslin bag or coffee filter.  Place the bag in the tub while it fills with water.  The bag acts like a giant tea bag, turning your bath into a therapeutic herbal tea.  Use the soaked bag to scrub your skin.  If you prefer a shower, soak the bag of herbs in the shower and then use it like a washcloth.

Relaxing Herbal Bath Mixture - Bath Recipe of the Month

Aromatherapy and Health Benefits of Certain herbs

Lemon balm: calming and soothing

Lemon peel: increases immunity from disease

Calendula: healing to skin cells, reduces inflammation and heals injured skin

Rosebuds: increase happiness with the release of endorphins; soothe irritated skin

Lavender flowers: reduce stress and relax large muscles

Chamomile: healing to skin cells

Catnip: mild sedative

Sea Salt: adds needed minerals to promote skin cell health

Relaxing Healing Herbal Bath Mix

Enjoy a relaxing bath with this fragrant mixture of dried herbs especially formulated to relax tense muscles and soothe the soul. The warm water releases the healing properties of the herbs which are then absorbed by your skin. The therapeutic effect of a relaxing bath will result in 20 minutes. Light a candle, sip a cup of herb tea and relax in a warm bath. A spa treatment right at home!

6 Tbls. lavender

6 Tbls. lemon balm

2 Tbls. Chamomile

2 Tbls. Roses

2 Tbls. lemon peel

2 Tbls. calendula

2 Tbls. catnip

2 Tbls. sea salt 

Directions:

Mix herbs in container and store in a tightly lidded jar.  Makes roughly 1 ½ cups

To Use: Place one tablespoon of relaxing bath mix into a muslin bag, coffee filer or even a tea ball and close securely. Add the bag to warm tub water and infuse while tub is filling. Remove bath sachet from tub and allow to drain. Therapeutic effect of a relaxing bath will begin to be seen in about 20 minutes.

Monthly Bath Blend - Tub Teas

Bath teas are fun! Big teabags filled with scented herbs and other special ingredients that you just toss in your tub and soak.

The best way to use a tub tea is to brew it. Place the bag in 1 cup of water in a saucepan and boil for 10 to 15 minutes.  Place the resulting liquid in the bath water of a filled tub.  You can also just place the tea bag in tub while you fill it, or if you don't take baths, you can use them as a foot soak or shower scrub (simply wet the teabag then gently use it as a herbal washcloth for your skin).

We are including a free bath tea with every order in the month of April. You will receive our choice of bath tea – we now have five different blends available.  We will choose one that suits the herbs in your order.

NEW - Lavender Mint Tub Tea is excellent for refreshing and cleansing, perfect for oily skin.

NEW - Soothing Chamomile and Comfrey is fabulous for sunburn, rashes, irritated skin, or chicken pox!

Original Bath Tub Tea is a combination of many herbs and flowers of a soothing bath.

Green Tea Tub Tea is a combination of green tea and herbs like calendula that  are especially soothing to the skin.

Secret Garden Tub Tea is a blend of flowers that will take you to a floral heaven while it relaxes and soothes.

If you want to try your hand at your own Tub Tea, try this one:

Total Relaxation Tub Tea

1 tsp. dried lavender flowers

1 tsp. marjoram leaves

1 tsp. chamomile

Combine into a tea bag or coffee filter and use as described above.

Skin Toner Herbal Bath - Bath Blend of the Month

This time of year the heat and the lack of humidity indoors begins to take its toll on skin.  This blend of herbs will bring back the elasticity and softness to the skin as well as bring relaxation to the mind with its wonderful scent.

Skin Toner Herbal Bath

1 Cup Chamomile

1/2 Cup Peppermint

1/4 Cup Comfrey

1/4 Cup Lavender

1/4 Cup Lemon Peel

1/4 Cup Rosehips, Crushed

1/4 Cup Rosemary

1/4 Cup Sage

Mix the dry ingredients together and store in a lidded jar with a tight fitting lid.

To USE: Place ½ cup of the mixture in a metal tea ball or muslin bag (lace or cotton fabric will also work). As you run your bath, place the tea ball or bag in the tub, under the running water. Then, relax into the water and enjoy!

Monthly Bath Blend - Cinnful MIlk Bath

Salts can be drying in the winter, so I like to use blends that have no salt in the tub from time to time.  This blend is made with Backyard Patch Cinnful Dessert Blend.

Milk, especially powdered milk, is great for soothing the skin and making it silky soft.  Coupled with cornstarch and you have a rich bath that will cool down the winter burn and aid skin healing.  Add to that the lovely seasonal scent of cinnamon and you have a real treat.

Cinnfull Milk Bath

1 cup powdered milk
1 cup baking soda
3 Tbls. cornstarch
2 Tbls. cream of tartar
1 1/2 Tbls. BYP Cinnfull Dessert Blend

Combine all the ingredients together in a tightly lidded jar and shake vigorously.  Once they are combined scoop a couple of tablespoons into a warm bath and enjoy the scent.  If you want to avoid a brown ring (cinnamon does not dissolve) place the mixture in a coffee filter and bind with a rubber band before placing in the tub.

Handmade gifts are great for these People

• Delivery Person - Whether you have a regular pizza delivery person, or a grocery store delivery service, you'll be able to have a gift for them.
• Neighbors - New people moving into your neighborhood, or moving out. Do you have a neighbor that's struggling financially, they'll never know your trying to help.  I have new neighbors so I will use it to introduce myself.
• Parents - My parents get harder to buy for every year, so I make them gifts in a jar whenever I can't think of anything else.
• Boss and Co-Workers -How about that office party or gift exchange with co-workers, instead of giving a gift within the set price range give a gift that can be used. We do an exchange at the Garden Club and I love to give a handmade edible as a gift.
• Child's Teacher - Christmas can be an expensive month for most of us, and when your child throws in "mom I want to give my teacher a gift", it can sure add up especially if you have more than one child.
• Landlord - If you have good landlords then why not give them a gift at Christmas time, gifts in a jar cost hardly anything to make except your time.
• Mail Carrier - There are people that give money or gift cards to their postman/women, why not be a little different.
• Grandparents - With today's economy it's hard for the elderly to make ends meet, give a little help and make them a gift that they'll be able to use and benefit from.
• Sister - Maybe you’re not as close to your sister as you'd like or maybe you have no idea what to get her. I have made gifts in a jar not only for my sister but for my husband’s brothers and sisters-in-law as well.

So now that I have given you list of recipients you have several choices. You can give them one of the Backyard Patch Items in a Jar – all of which are available here:

Bouquet Garni in a Jar 

Stacking Jar with seasonings

Stacking Jar with single Herbs

Bath Tower 

Tub Tea in a colored Mason

Or you can make one of these:

Spiral Pasta Soup in a Jar

2 Tbls. dried basil
1 tsp Herbs de Provence
1/2 tsp celery seed
1/2 tsp garlic powder (not garlic salt)
1/4 tsp ground pepper
1/4 cup dried onions

4 chicken bouillon cubes
3/4 cup dried tortellini
Fill the rest of the jar with the tri-colored spiral pasta.

Cover the top of the jar with a circle of fabric held in place with a rubber band. Cover the rubber band with a twist of raffia or a ribbon and small bow. Tie on the instructions.

RECIPE TO ATTACH TO JAR

1 jar spiral soup mix

8 cups water

2 cups crushed or diced tomatoes

Bring water and tomatoes to a boil in a large soup pot.  Add the spiral soup mix and simmer uncovered about 15 minutes, or until pasta is tender.

Icebox pickles

Cucumbers

4 cups sugar

4 cups vinegar

1 ½ tsp. turmeric

1 ½ tsp. celery seed

1 ½ tsp. mustard seed

1 Tbls. pickling salt

Slice cucumbers to fill a gallon jar or 4 quart jars.  Combine remaining ingredients and add to jar(s).  Keep in the refrigerator for 2 weeks before eating.  Keeps in the refrigerator for 3 months.

Note: for a more interesting flare, try 2 Tbls. BackyardPatch pickling spice instead of turmeric, celery seed and mustard seed.

Spiced Lemon Tea Mix

½ cup lemon herbs (lemon thyme, lemon balm, lemon verbena)

1 Tbls. lemon peel

1 Tbls. ginger

2 tsp. allspice

2 tsp. cloves

Blend all ingredients together. Store in a sealed jar.

To use: add 1 to 2 tsp. per cup of boiling water.

Citrus Bath Salts

2 Cups Epsom Salts

1 Cup Baking Soda

 Fresh Grated Zest from 1 Orange or Lemon

20 drops of citrus essential oil (you can use all lemon or lemon verbena, but a mixture with tangerine, orange and grapefruit with the lemon is more stimulating).

Combine Epsom Salts and Baking Soda in a bowl.  Grate zest of orange or lemon and add to bowl. Stir ingredients together. Slowly add in about 20 drops of essential oil one drop at a time and stir until well incorporated.  

Spoon the citrus bath salts into a clean empty jar and seal. Let your bath salts sit for a day or two to get infused with the scent of the oil. If giving as a gift, embellish with a ribbon, tag or whatever you like.

To use: add one to two Tablespoons to the bath while running.  You can also use the salts as a body scrub in the shower, but watch for slipper floors.

Simmer Jar Gifts

Directions: Use a pint (2 cup) jar, container, or pot to combine scent waters. Add ingredients to container, cover with water, and choose from these options:
  --simmer on stove top, topping off with more water as it evaporates
  --add heated mixture to a slow cooker, fondue pot, or something similar that will keep mixture heated. Preheat waters to a boil (in microwave or on stove top). As water evaporates, always top it off with HOT water to keep the temperature as high as possible. Higher heat = more fragrance.

FRAGRANT COMBINATIONS:
1. Orange, Cinnamon & Spice. 1 orange, 2 cinnamon sticks (or 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon), 1/2 tablespoon whole cloves (or 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves), 1/2 tablespoon whole allspice (or 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice), 1 anise star (optional)
2. Lemon, Rosemary & Vanilla. 3 sprigs of fresh rosemary, 2 lemons, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract.
3. Lime, Thyme, Mint & Vanilla. 3 limes, 3-4 sprigs fresh thyme, 1/2 teaspoon mint extract, 1 teaspoon vanilla.
4. Orange, Ginger, & Almond. 1 orange (or peel from 2 oranges), one 4" finger of ginger, sliced (or 1 tsp ground ginger), 1/2 teaspoon almond extract.
5. Pine, Bay Leaves, & Nutmeg. Handful of pine twigs or needles, 4 bay leaves, 1 whole nutmeg, outer layer grated into mixture.

Scented waters may be refrigerated between uses. Reuse for 2-3 days, or as long as they still have a pleasant fragrance.

To give as gift, pack ingredients into 1 pint Mason jar and place a tag on them with instructions for use.  Keep them in your refrigerator until ready to gift and remind receiver to do the same.

To USE: Keep refrigerated until ready to use. Simmer in pan on stove top, or heat and add to slow cooker set on low; add more water as it evaporates.