Green Cleaning a Video -- From Batavia Community TV

On September 17, 2025 I presented a program at the Batavia Public Library on Green Cleaning with Herbs.  The presentation was recorded by Community TV and we have the link to share with you here.  If you have wanted to see me in person but have not had an opportunity, you can check this out.

See the video here is the link - you will need to cut and paste it: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H5hRLVshQyk

At Backyard Patch Herbs, we believe in using nature’s bounty to keep our homes fresh and toxin-free. Our Green Clean program dives into the art of chemical-free cleaning, offering techniques and recipes to make natural cleaning both easy and effective. Here, we’re sharing a simple yet powerful herbal cleaning recipe to get you started!

Herbal Citrus All-Purpose Cleaner

This multipurpose spray is great for countertops, sinks, and even glass. The vinegar cuts through grime, while citrus and herbs provide a fresh scent and antimicrobial boost.

• 1 cup white vinegar
• 1 cup water
• 1/4 cup dried herbs (rosemary, thyme, lavender, or a mix)
• Peels of 1 lemon or orange
• 10 drops essential oil (optional; lemon, tea tree, or lavender work well)

Instructions:

1. Place citrus peels and dried herbs in a mason jar. Pour vinegar over the ingredients and let sit for at least a week to infuse. Strain out the solids and mix with water in a spray bottle. Add essential oils if desired, shake well, and use as needed!

This cleaner is a fantastic way to harness the antibacterial properties of herbs while filling your home with a fresh, uplifting scent.

Herbed Baby Powder - Bath Blend of the Month

When the weather gets warm, I move to a dusting of baby powder in the morning to help keep me fresh and dry.  I like to craft a powder from natural items and ground herbs that I can adjust based on my needs of the season.  This blend is a combo of cornstarch and baking soda with herbs and spices.

Basic Herbed Baby Powder

• 8 oz. arrowroot or cornstarch or a blend of both
• 4 oz. baking soda
•  1 T. ground clove
• 1 T. slippery elm
• 1 T. rose petals
• 1 T. lavender
• 1 T. ground orange peel
• 1 T. ground lemon peel

Grind any herbs that are not powdered, then measure into baking soda and cornstarch in a glass or ceramic bowl.  Pure resulting mixture into a large glass jar, covered, for two weeks, allowing scents to blend.  Shake jar well every other day.

Optionally you can also add 10 to 20 drops total of match essential oils.

 

Aromatherapy -- answer to a Question -- Does it work?

I was recently asked if aromatherapy actually works.  Although I do not believe it will cure all that ails you, I do recognize that the scent of herbs in my home gives me more energy and does help my husband and I fight illnesses.  

What is aromatherapy?

Imagine if a whiff of a particular scent—from lemon to lavender—could shift your mood, reduce stress levels, or provide you a dose of much-needed zen. This is the fundamental belief behind aromatherapy, an ever-growing wellness trend. While this practice has become more mainstream in recent years, there are a few items to keep in mind if you want to partake.

In most cases, people diffuse essential oils, made by distilling the oil from botanicals, to create various scent profiles in their home. In their best form, essential oils are 100% plant oils, pure and not mixed with other oils.  So stay away from extracts which are alcohol extractions or perfume oils which are usually an essential oil mixed with a base oil.

Avid aromatherapy fans use their oils for a variety of purposes, but some popular wellness goals for the practice include:

• Improving mood

• Providing calmness 

• Clearing sinuses

• Reducing stress

• Setting a tone of a room (think: relaxing or energetic) 

• Scent diffusion alternative to candle-burning 

Plus, it's worth noting that The Food and Drug Administration does not regulate essential oils, so paying attention to ingredients is very necessary. Organic essential oils are distilled directly into an oil, but contamination from chemicals is widespread in non-organic products.

Why to use the scents

As The Mayo Clinic points out, some studies have suggested that aromatherapy can benefit our sleep patterns, help us cope with anxiety and depression, and improve the quality of life for those with chronic health conditions and pain. That said, if you have any worrisome symptoms, you should always discuss your concerns with a trained medical professional.

One big drawback of aromatherapy is the idea that it's a cure-all. Some ardent DIY-ers may be inclined to reach for oils when they should be reaching out to health professionals. So while aromatherapy shouldn't be considered your only resource when dealing with specific issues, proper use of aromatherapy does provide many meaningful benefits.

It can help you relax.

For nights when your mind is racing, consider diffusing or applying lavender essential oil. This can help calm your senses and cut down on distractions, Fowler explains. In fact, she calls lavender's ability to soothe legendary, and believe it or not, accidental.

It can help you sleep more soundly.

If you're having trouble catching Zzzs at night, you're not alone. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one in three adults do not regularly get enough sleep. Choose a soothing, comforting aroma like lavender oil, which has been proven to decrease blood pressure and heart rate when inhaled. Add a few drops to your aroma diffuser about an hour before you're ready to go to sleep. Choose chamomile or peppermint oil

The soothing effects of chamomile oil and its benefits in bringing about sleep are more general than specific. When diffused in the air, the subtle floral aroma has a calming and relaxing effect on the mind. Roman chamomile in particular--with its fresh, apple-tinged fragrance--is ideal for staving off anxiety. Peppermint oil is great for promoting restfulness by clearing your head, both figuratively and literally. The pleasant aroma of peppermint oil can be relaxing, but more to the point, if you suffer from any seasonal allergies or dust sensitivity, nothing will ease your symptoms better or more quickly than diffusing some peppermint oil in the air of your bedroom. Once you finally find relief for those sore nasal passages, the move to relaxation and then sleep is sudden and satisfying.

 It can help you manage stress.

For those days when the meetings pile on and your to-do list never gets shorter, fighting stress is vital to make it to the end of the day. Certain oils are ideal to try, depending on what's causing your stress. If your personal stress has an element of anxiety, then you might be best suited toward citrus oils, which have been shown to help relieve anxiety. If your stress leaves you feeling off-centered or disconnected, oils from wood like frankincense and sandalwood may be best. If stress has an element of depression with it, you might want to choose something more uplifting in the mint family.

It can boost energy and focus.

Scent is such a powerful sense, it can stimulate surprisingly strong reactions in your body.  Just as lavender promotes calmness and relaxation, bright or spicy scents like citrus, peppermint, and ginger are energizing.  Diffusing these scents can help promote focus, alertness, and productivity, making them great for the morning or as a midday pick-me-up.

Making aromatherapy part of your daily routine by diffusing energizing oils like citrus, peppermint, ginger, eucalyptus, or lemongrass immediately after you wake up.

Ways to use the Scents

• So add your essential oils to reeds and place in a small vase to diffuse into the air.

• Add a few drops to a piece of terra cotta in a dish or a decorative piece of clay.

• Inhale them, either directly out of the bottle or by using a diffuser or humidifier. 

• Dilute essential oils with a carrier oil and apply it directly to your skin. 

• Get creative and add the mixture to a body wash, shampoo, or bath.

• Search essential oil in the blog search box for numerous recipes using essential oils for these things and more.

Bath Melts - Bath Blend of the Month

Enjoy these moisturizing cocoa butter bath melts in a wonderful bath and add some sweet luxury to your day, or make them for your friends for Gal Spa Day. They are made with ingredients so natural that you could eat them. The aroma of cocoa, coconut, and lemon is uplifting and can brighten a gray day in March. These bath wonders are perfect for a pick-me-up-bath, as the silky soft oils melt in the warm water and soak into your skin, leaving it moisturized and soft.

 

I got this recipe through Stephanie Rose at Garden Therapy and added my own twist to it.  Her version used lavender essential oil and flowers, but I like a lemon scent in my bath, so I swapped in my favorite lemon herbs.

 

The main ingredient, Cocoa butter, is hydrating and soothing for your skin. At room temperature it is solid but as you add it to a hot bath it melts and the oil disperses into the water and absorbs into your skin while you soak. An edible fat extracted from the cocoa bean, it smells and tastes like chocolate because it is the main ingredient in chocolate. High in antioxidants it is ideal to use in bath items.  As a moisturizer it is perfect when combined with lemon herbs because lemongrass is known to enhance overall skin texture by cleansing and detoxifying, eliminating excess oil from the skin making it more supple while lemon balm is known to be an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory with antibacterial qualities. 

 

Coconut oil also becomes liquid at body temperature.  It is smooth and smells of coconut and is so moisturizing that it is often used to treat eczema.  It has the ability to reduce the inflammation caused by sun exposure and can fight bacteria without drying.

 

Lemon and Cocoa Butter Bath Melts (Makes 12 1-ounce bath melts)

·      2 Ounces cocoa butter (measure it by weight to get the best ratio or use 3 1/2 Tablespoons)

·      2 Tablespoons coconut oil

·      20 drops lemon or lemongrass essential oil

·      1/2 Tablespoon dried lemon balm

·      1/2 Tablespoon dried lemongrass

·      Silicone soap or ice cube mold to use as a mold

 

Melt the oils in a double boiler over hot water. Stir constantly and keep a watchful eye on the oils. You want them to just reach the melting point and not overheat.

 

Immediately pour into silicone molds. Sprinkle the dried herbs on top of the hot oil, dividing the tablespoon up evenly between the bath melts.

 

Move the silicone mold to the refrigerator to cool for two hours, and you’re done. Store the finished bath melts in the fridge or a cool place if your house is warm so that they don’t melt before you want to use them or gift them.

 

To Use: Pop one or two bath melts into a tub filled with hot water and soak for at least twenty minutes. Although designed for the bath, these melts can also be smoothed on the skin in the shower, just beware of a slippery floor when you rinse the oils off.

 

House Cleansing Simmer

To link with my scented herb bundles of a few days ago, here is a simmer you can do on the stove to cleans the air and freshens the house.


It is raining here again and just chilly enough we can't open the doors, so I pulled together this scented simmer to clean the air and brighten and freshen the house.

I am making dried lemon peel, a task I ususally have trouble finding time to accomplish, but not right now!  As a result I purchased a couple dozen organic lemons and am zesting them.  Then I took several lemons and made this simmer.

House Cleansing Simmer

2 lemons, sliced
1 Tablespoon Vanilla Extract
2 sprigs Rosemary

Place all items in a pot with water and simmer together.  Remember to continue to add water as it boils away.

Use some simple ingredients to clean your air and continue to stay safe indoors!

Lemon Mint Bath Tub Tea - Monthly Bath Blend

Herbal bath teas are used to obtain the relaxing and therapeutic benefits of herbs in a simple format. It is easy to become overwhelmed by the many office tasks, household chores and family functions that require our attention.  Our bodies requirement rest and relaxation to rejuvenate. The use of herbal bath teas is it is an inexpensive method to have relaxation and to have the calming feeling of the herbs. Because of the relaxing as well as the calming feelings it provides, it is an ages old method to gather the healing and therapeutic benefits of herbs.

Herbal bath teas are great for our skin. And it is easy to make your own personal herbal bath tea.  Two great ingredients to include in an herbal tub tea are lemon and mint

Juice from the lemon can give a cleaning effect to the skin balancing the acid levels and removing dead skin cells, making younger and fresh-looking skin. Lemon herbs also have calming and soothing capabilities, like lemon balm which adds to happy thoughts and lemon verbena. Mint, especially peppermint, allows better oxygen circulation in your body which help the body to properly repair itself.

Lemon Mint Bath Tea

½ cup dry lemon balm

¼ cup dry lemon verbena

¼ cup dry peppermint leaves

1 lemon, sliced

Directions:

Combine the dry ingredients in a jar with a tight-fitting lid.  Shake to combine.  Measure ¼ to ½ cup dry ingredients into a coffee filter and tie closed to use. 

TO USE:  place herbs in coffee filter in a saucepan of 1 cup of water and bring to boil.  Remove from heat and allow to steep 10 minutes or more.  Draw a warm bath and place lemon slices in warm drawn bath and then pour the steeped tea into the bath water.  Slip in an enjoy the relaxing and soothing benefits.

Non-alcoholic Gin Lime Rickey with cilantro

This is my 1000th post so we are celebrating with a COCKTAIL!  Today is a Rickey. Rickey is a name for a cocktail served in a highball glass made from gin or bourbon, half of a lime squeezed and dropped in the glass, and carbonated water. Little or no sugar is added to the rickey. 

Originally created with bourbon in Washington, D.C. at Shoomaker's bar by bartender George A. This version uses the added flavor of cilantro and a fake gin (see below) and adds a bit of sugar, because gin is naturally bitter, sugar is often used with gin, but rarely with bourbon.

We make Mocktails like this in a demonstration lecture Crafting Mocktails, it is a popular program so if you are in the northern Illinois area and would like to see the program check out the UPCOMING PROGRAM page to see where we will be next.

To make the Fake Gin you follow these simple directions:

Using a quart glass canning jar place the following items in the bottom:

2 tsp juniper berries

Peel of one entire lemon (no pith)

Peel of one orange

1 star anise

1 tsp coriander seed

1/8 tsp ground nutmeg

1/2 tsp savory

Add 2 cups cold water


Place a cover on the jar and infuse in the refrigerator for 24 to 48 hours before using. Strain out the solids.  No need to strain out the citrus early, that bitterness from the peel is desired.

We make a kit for crafting this Faux Gin in water for a nonalcoholic version or vodka as an alcoholic version.

Once you have the Fake Gin, then you can make the Lime Rickey

Gin Lime Rickey with Cilantro
1 cup water
Juice of 3 limes
1 cup Fake Gin
3 tablespoons sugar
1 small bunch cilantro
2 limes, quartered
3 cups club soda

Directions:
Combine water, lime juice, fake gin, sugar, cilantro and lime in a pitcher. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour. To serve, add club soda. 

RECIPE THEME

Each month a theme is chosen and a number of recipes on that theme from my massive archive will be shared.  This year we have 12 new topics, different from the topics of last year.  To find the recipes of last year, check out this recipe link or search the blog with the topic Recipe2018. 

You can search the monthly theme by looking for the theme keyword in the search box and it will pull up the recipes on that theme as posted, so look at the bottom of the recipe in each posting for the KEYWORD in the () to search for each  month.  All recipes this year will be tagged Recipe2019 so you can find them all.

The themes are:

Jan 2019 – Chicken and Dumplings (CDumpsJan)

Feb 2019 - Pasta Dishes (PastaFeb)

March 2019 - Edible Flowers (FlowerMar)

April 2019 - Seafood Recipes (SeafoodApr)

May 2019 - Cajun And Creole (C&CMay)

June 2019 - Vegetarian Dishes (VegJun)

July 2019 - Zucchini Recipes (ZucJul)

August 2019 - National Mustard Day – mustard recipes (MustardAug)

September 2019 - Quiche (QuicheSep)

October 2019 - Crock Pot meals (CrockOct)

November 2019 - Pies (PieNov)

December 2019 - Mocktails (MockDec)

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.

Lemony Two-Bean Salad

This is a great vegetable side dish, but it makes a great salad main dish too.  This is a vegan recipe with protein coming from cannellini beans.

LEMONY TWO-BEAN SALAD

1 lemon, sliced

1 tsp salt

12 oz. green beans, trimmed

2 cloves garlic, smashed

1-15-oz can cannellini beans

red pepper flakes

chopped fresh parsley

chopped fresh lemon balm

Sprinkle sliced lemon with salt and set aside. Cook green beans (trimmed) in boiling salted water until crisp-tender, 5 minutes; drain and rinse. Sauté smashed garlic cloves in olive oil over medium heat, 3 minutes. Add can cannellini beans (drained and rinsed), the green beans and a pinch of red pepper flakes; cook 2 minutes. Pat the lemon slices dry; chop and add to the beans along with some chopped parsley and chopped fresh lemon balm. Season with salt. Serves 4 to 6.

RECIPE THEME

Each month a theme is chosen and a number of recipes on that theme from my massive archive will be shared.  This year we have 12 new topics, different from the topics of last year.  To find the recipes of last year, check out this recipe link or search the blog with the topic Recipe2018. 

You can search the monthly theme by looking for the theme keyword in the search box and it will pull up the recipes on that theme as posted, so look at the bottom of the recipe in each posting for the KEYWORD in the () to search for each  month.  All recipes this year will be tagged Recipe2019 so you can find them all.

The themes are:

Jan 2019 – Chicken and Dumplings (CDumpsJan)

Feb 2019 - Pasta Dishes (PastaFeb)

March 2019 - Edible Flowers (FlowerMar)

April 2019 - Seafood Recipes (SeafoodApr)

May 2019 - Cajun And Creole (C&CMay)

June 2019 - Vegetarian Dishes (VegJun)

July 2019 - Zucchini Recipes

August 2019 - National Mustard Day – mustard recipes

September 2019 - Quiche

October 2019 - Crock Pot meals

November 2019 - Pies

December 2019 - Mocktails