Manual Production

Living off the grid, as we do, gives you a fine sense of power use. When you can use people power effectively you tend to forgo modern machinery with motors.
Once in a while you can be lucky enough to find a perfect piece of equipment from the past that was developed to do the job you need. That is the case with our paper cutter.

This is our guillotine. 100 years old when we bought it, an antique print shop manual paper cutter. That's one big chunk of cast iron!

You probably already know we use environmentally friendly Thai Unryu paper made from Mulberry trees to wrap our soaps.
These fine handcrafted art papers come in large sheets that need to be cut into smaller size to wrap the individual bars of soap.

Cutting the sheets individually is not an option, a print shop style paper cutter, or guillotine, cuts a large stack of paper all at one time. Most modern guillotines are powered by hydraulic motors. This is one of the original manual ones.
You can still buy manual bulk paper cutters, but they are not as beautiful a piece of machinery as this!

You put a stack of paper on the table after adjusting a stop to the proper length, using the wheel you see in front, then turn the wheel on top to clamp it down.
The blade (reflecting the paper) comes down by pulling/pushing a long handle activating a lever. Then it is held back by a counterweight. Primitive machinery, but very effective. 

After cutting into strips the proper width, you readjust the stop and cut into rectangles.
Below you can see the stop on the back of the cutter.

Here you can see the size of the original sheets of Unryu mulberry paper, a cut strip, and the finished size.



On the right is the cut paper for our bath bars, with smaller paper for mini soaps in front.

Below is paper, and soap waiting to be wrapped.
We wrap all the soaps by hand as well.
 Just a peek into how we do things here at Simmons Natural Bodycare.

Sweet Herbs

'Tis harvest time and we have been busy filling the pantry with all manner of food. We do a lot of food preserving here, from drying to freezing, canning to cellaring. A habit developed long ago that we see no reason to abandon. We like to eat, we like to garden, filling up the pantry is the obvious fnext step.

From fruit to green beans and tuna (OK, not from our garden), Italian style tomato sauce to Mexican style salsa we fill jars with the food from orchard and garden that will feed us through the winter and beyond.

We have always felt that anyone can grow a little fresh food for themselves. Even apartment dwellers can have a windowbox with greens or other vegetables. But of the things you can grow and save for year-round use, I would wager that herbs are the easiest.

From Basil to Oregano, Chives to Thyme, I can't imagine cooking without using herbs, fresh or dried. Many are hardy perennials and very simple to grow and save.

We recently added new raised beds to our garden. With 1/2" hardware cloth underneath, they are a gopher proof planting area. Previously we had planted gopher delectables such as carrots and garlic in cut off oil drums that are from the food grade oils we use in our soapmaking (see our business site). With the new beds, some of these barrels were now free and I saw the chance to make a new herb garden. I've planted a variety of types of Thyme, Rosemary, Oregano, Dill, Chives and Sage in these barrels, as well as a couple of Lavender plants so far.

This has worked out even better than we expected. In only two months these herbs have grown so vigorously that we are already able to harvest plenty for drying. This is fabulous - as I make herb blends for seasoning when I cook (see earlier BLOG "I'm All Mixed Up"). We also grow a variety of Basils, Tarragon, and Marjoram elsewhere.

There is absolutely nothing complicated about drying herbs, all you need is a well ventilated place to hang them. I pick bunches of herbs late in the morning after the dew has dried off of the leaves. I will pick them at pretty much any stage, but preferably before they flower (if you want Dill Seed, you must wait until after they flower and then form seeds). Bunch the cut ends of the stems together in a bundle that is not so big and tight that the center may have trouble drying and wrap securely with a rubber band. This is a hot tip! The rubber band will contract with the stems as they dry and keep your bundle from falling apart. You can tie a string or wire to the rubber band to hand the bunch from or just hook the bunch over a nail without. I save those twistie ties from store vegetables and use those. They stay rigid enough I can put a loop in them and hook them on the rafters without a ladder (or handy tall person, which I am not).

If it is a place that gets direct sunlight you can tie the bunch inside a paper bag and hang it all together. This helps preserve the color of the herbs. This also confines the fine leaves of the herbs, should they break off when dry.
Once dry, I strip the leaves off of the stems and store in airtight containers in a dry, dark place. I don't crush or crumble them until I am ready to use them or make one of my blends. They retain  flavor and aroma longer when stored as whole leaves.

And then, in the dead of winter I can relive the flavors and aromas of summer by adding these herbs to my cooking. It's as easy as that!

In Gratitude...

There are not many days that go by that, even if only for a fleet moment, I don't realize how fortunate I am.
Despite all the things that go wrong most days: the things that don't go as planned; the things I cannot afford; the minor pains and glitches; overall I do know I have much to be thankful for.

Thank you
Mahalo (Hawaiian)
Bedankt (Dutch)
Akun (Khymer)

Some time back I started writing thank you notes on a broad scale. From individuals to the state highway department, I want to let it be known that I appreciate the work that is done that has helped make my life easier.
Everyone voices it when they have something to complain about. We all want to point out when there's something that needs done or changed or that we disagree with. But when those changes happen we are often already on to the next issue that needs fixing rather than ready to acknowledge the things that have occurred to improve our lives or fix some problem.

Spasibo (Russian)
Bayarlalaa (Mongolian)
Arigato (Japanese)
Grazie (Italian)

Letting it be known that we appreciate the work done by our family, friends, and neighbors, community or government organizations and representatives goes a long way in reinforcing the energy and spirit of those who do what they can to make things happen.
Show your gratitude. It will be appreciated.

Ngiyabonga (Zulu)
Mamnoon (Arabic)
Tack (Swedish)
Asante (Swahili)

The Future... A Matter of Balance

I now know I am definitely solar powered. This year's unbelievably long, dreary, wet and chill spring had me sluggish and depressed. I thought "Gee, I AM getting old and decrepit". Well, turns out that as soon as we had a sunny day my energy came back just fine, although I confess I do seem to keep getting older.

Seriously, sun and warmth provide the energy that drives the most important aspects of our life. Just watch the acceleration in the growth of the garden (or lawn) as soon as the weather warms. And it is our great fortune that Earth's distance from our Sun is just right, not too hot nor too cold. Wow! Are we lucky! We really depend on this delicate balance between our planetary home and it's star to create the amazing conditions that sustains life here on Earth. With all the changes it goes through, this is still an imminently habitable planet (See post: "Habitat for One and All"). Yet, that it's 'not nice to fool with Mother Nature' may turn out to be an understatement in relatively short order.

But still, it is this fortuitous geometry that permits the habitable planet that we have, despite the extreme weather conditions we've been having and that could intensify. Weather is determined by the balance between hot and cold air, which then creates conditions from flood to drought, searing heat to frigid chill. All this affects the living situation on the earth and in the sea in ways we are really only beginning to understand. But life is resilient and humans are determined and, hopefully, we will be able to adapt to what we must and, through our actions, modify the degree of change that could happen.

Interestingly, despite some fears, working toward a sustainable future may not mean total deprivation. There are many changes that will not only streamline your life, but make it more affordable in this time of economic stress, AND lighten the burden we are placing on the natural system's delicate balance. There are so many people on the planet that if we all adjust our habits some the end result will add up quickly. If you haven't started to change your lifestyle to make it more "Earth - Friendly", there's no better time to start than now!

Right away it will help save money and help the environment to not buy so much stuff! OK, the economy is awful, so we are already not buying as much stuff, but pay attention to which stuff you do buy. Right away, if it is a disposable, single use, item that can be replaced with something more durable, go for the durable. The initial cost may be a bit more, but the overall cost ( and we are talking $$ here) is much less. You generally do get what you pay for, and cheap junk is still junk and shortly ends up in the landfill to be replaced by??? See "the Story of Stuff" to get an idea of how this impacts our lives.
I don't advocate discarding what you have now that works, but replacing stuff with a better alternative (if replacement is even necessary) when it gets discarded.

One area which is easy to improve is electrical appliances. Some of them are real energy hogs, and when you replace them with efficient Energy Star rated appliances you save money on your bill and less electricity needs to be produced. If, instead of ever increasing energy needs we could keep the demand even or reduce it, the possibility of a future of Green, renewable energy alternatives becomes brighter. Here are some  energy calculators to help you evaluate your energy use and whether energy efficient products or renewable energy are right for you.

"Nature can provide for the needs of people; [she] can't provide for the greed of people."

- Mohandas K. Gandhi (1869-1948)

I really believe change is in the air, but that it doesn't have to be disastrous. I don't believe anyone could be maliciously out to destroy the habitability of Earth's future in order to have a more convenient, wealthy life now. But I do believe we do some unfortunate things out of ignorance and blundering, coupled with the desire to always have more than fills our needs. More money, more convenience, more stuff... No one has ever shown this to create contentment or happiness. Only to feed an endless desire. And in the long run, we could lose it all.

Garden Delights - Don't that Beet all!

Business life has been intense lately, mostly because of unexpected computer death, unexpected new computer glitches and all the accompanying headaches. Truly a love/hate relationship. So, to detox from this desk bound electronic entanglement, I wander out to work in the garden.

Our endless late cold and rainy weather finally ended in June, and we were able to get the rest of the garden planted. Greens &  root crops were planted earlier in the raised beds we were able to put up on Mother's Day. As a result, while our first summer squash are just coming on, we have been rich with lettuce, chard, and beets for some time (also radishes, other greens, onions, etc...). We love salads, greens, and sweet, colorful beets. Brilliant gems of the garden, beets are incredibly nutritious. Not only are the roots full of vitamins and minerals, but the greens are rich in nutrients as well. Did we mention they are delicious?

So it was no surprise when my sister e mailed us a link to a New York Times article touting beets as a superfood with a plethora of wonderful recipes.

Well, I can always use more recipes, especially now when the dinner menu question is: "What would you like with your Beets?" (earlier it was Asparagus, then Artichokes.. whatever needs eaten before it gets past it's prime). On top of that, I am always looking for recipes that are compatible with cooking in our solar oven (see earlier post: Sun Worship - of the Culinary Kind ).
We easily roast beet roots in the Solar Oven. Wash the beets and cut the leaves off, leaving about 1" of stem. Place in lidded casserole, add about 1/2 cup of water, cover, and cook in solar oven until tender when pierced with a fork. The time varies depending on the size of the beets, but all should be done in an hour. When done, remove from the oven and allow to cool in the covered baking dish. At this point the ends and skins should slip right off.
Roasted beets are wonderful sliced plain or in a salad, dressed with a vinegarette. They are fabulous heated and served with a dollop of sour cream. They're the basis for borscht, a more wintery favorite around here. They will keep several days in a covered bowl in the refrigerator until you are ready to use them.

But back to the NY Times article. There was one idea I had never had that looked like a Solar Oven winner. I am sure the original recipe is marvelous, the one I modified and made, substituting what I had on hand, sure was:

Beet & Beet Green Gratin Variation

6 to 8 beets with greens 
Salt to taste
3 eggs
3/4 cup skim milk
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 large garlic cloves, minced
1/3 cup sliced green onions
1/2 cup grated Swiss or other cheese
dash Cayenne pepper
Freshly ground pepper to taste
1. Roast the beets as noted above. Cool, slip off the skins and slice.
2. Wash and sort the beet greens, discard the stems and chop the leaves coarsely.
3. Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a medium skillet, and add the garlic. Cook for about 30 seconds, stirring, until fragrant. Stir in the greens. Stir together for a minute, season the greens with salt, cayenne and black pepper, cover with a lid and turn off the heat. The greens will wilt as they steam slightly.
4. Preheat the Solar Oven (regular oven to 375 degrees). Oil a 2-quart lidded baking dish with olive oil. Beat together eggs, salt (about 1/2 teaspoon), pepper, milk, green onions and cheese. Gently stir in the greens and beets. Scrape into the gratin dish. Bake until puffy and lightly browned on the top (35 to 40 minutes in conventional oven). Allow to sit for 10 to 15 minutes before serving. Serve hot, warm or room temperature.
This should serve six.
Enjoy!

It's All the Buzzz...

MOSQUITOS AND THEIR NATURAL CONTROL

Mosquitoes, those annoying, whining, biting insects,  are high on the list of important pests due to their ability  to transmit diseases such as malaria and encephalitis.
While  human malaria is not an issue in most of the United States, there are  occasional out breaks of encephalitis. West Nile Virus is a mosquito  transmitted encephalitis, primarily a virus of birds, but other animals  and people are occasional hosts. You can find the most recent  information on West Nile Virus at the Center  for Disease Control website .
Adult mosquitoes feed on flower nectar. Soon after mating male  mosquitoes die and the females require a blood meal for protein for  their developing eggs. Some feed during daylight hours, others at dusk and dawn.
They will be found near water, as moisture is essential  for their reproduction. Mosquito eggs and larvae grow in water while the  adults are terrestrial. Eggs can be laid on land, but cannot hatch or mature until flooded.
The most effective, long term mosquito control is to prevent  reproduction by altering their habitat.

HABITAT CONTROL  CHECKLIST:

•Drain puddles of standing water, or fill with dirt.
•Empty containers that collect water and store them upside down.
•Check faucets and irrigation for leaks or seepage.
•Remove debris from gutters.
•Change water in birdbaths at least weekly.
•Drain water from plastic pools when not in use.
•Check pool and spa covers, as well as sheets of discarded plastic film.  These catch water easily, shield against evaporation and even help  moisture condense, providing superb breeding sites.
•Stock watering troughs and ornamental pools with fish and encourage  natural predators such as frogs.
•Regularly remove floating debris  from ponds and reservoirs to reduce  egg-laying sites.
•Fill tree holes with sand or mortar.
•Promote drainage of old tires by drilling holes.
•Avoid overwatering of lawns and gardens and drain standing water.
•Manage weeds around bodies of water where adult mosquitoes congregate.
•Encourage natural predators such as birds, bats, and yellowjackets(!).
•Treat standing water which cannot be drained with Bacillus  thuringiensis israeliensis (Bti), often sold as 'Mosquito Dunks'.

PROTECTION  FROM BITING MOSQUITOES:
•Limit outdoor activities during mosquito active dawn and dusk. Learn  the activity patterns in your area.
•Use window and door screens.
•Put mosquito netting over infant carriages or strollers.
•Wear long-sleeved shirts and pants.
•Use repellents on exposed areas of skin.

NATURAL REPELLENTS:
Duration of Safe Protection: It appears that protection is about two hours for mosquito repellents that contain 10% essential oils. Catnip oil may be more effective than DEET, although not as long lasting, and citronella, catnip, lavender, tea tree, eucalyptus, lemon eucalyptus, bay, some of the mints, and others are also effective. Note that if you make your own, essential oils should never be applied to the skin full strength. Add them to a base, or carrier, oil such as soy, olive, canola or other vegetable oil.
From: Joel R Coats, Entomology, Iowa St. U.,: "The essential oils may not provide as long of a residual protection, but they can repel for two hours - so there would be trade-offs for people preferring the natural oil, or that don't plan to stay out for 6 hours,  or don't mind reapplying it every couple of hours, or prefer using it on  kids."
Citronella candles and incense work best if there is relatively little  air movement, but are otherwise useless. Research shows many products, such as wrist bands and pins with  repellent, ultrasonic & electronic repellers, brewer's yeast,  vitamin B1, and mosquito plant, to be of little or no value, although  some people swear by them.

Tip for natural oil based repellents -  it only takes a little. If you get all oily it doesn't work any better.  Put on a little and spread it around evenly, the residue left on your hands should be enough for your face and neck. While we used to make a natural insect repellent, it is not legal for us to sell it from our location in California. The ingredients: Lavender; Eucalyptus; and Catnip essential oils are not on the Minimum Risk Pesticide List, and there are restrictions for Citronella essential oil as well.

Your county  Agriculture agent will have more information and tips that are specific  to your local. Contact them for further assistance.

Sharing Opportunity...

We are fortunate. No way to deny it.
While far from monetarily rich, our life is full: we have food and shelter; clean abundant water; work; access to school for our children; and a certain amount of access to health care (see earlier posts "A Hungry Man" & "Health care Blues" ). Our life is full of opportunity.
While taken for granted by a large segment of the world's population, this is not a given for an even larger population. Much of the time opportunity is limited in one way or another for people who are ready to work and embrace the responsibility it takes to achieve their goals.

One opportunity we have is to pay it forward. Take some of our good fortune to enhance opportunities for others. We do that in a number of different ways.
As parents, we help our children have the best life possible. From providing nutrition to teaching them to be responsible, conscientious, humans, we do our best to try to raise them ready to face adulthood.
As family we try to be there when there is a time of need.
As community members we volunteer to help fulfill the needs and services within our community both as individuals and in our business.
As Americans we vote and work for the greater good of our nation.
As humans we contribute to organizations that work for the good of all mankind around the planet.

As I have mentioned before, we at Simmons Natural Bodycare have some favorite organizations that we contribute to regularly. These include Heifer International, Trees for the Future, CarbonFund and Kiva.

We have just started a Lending Team, SimmonsNaturals Sharing Opportunity, at Kiva.
Sometimes it only takes a helping hand to give someone the opportunity to improve their situation. We have benefited from the opportunities available to us and want to share, so we started a team to encourage individuals and small businesses who wish to give a lending hand to other entrepreneurs around the world.

Personally, while there are many areas of humanitarian and environmental work to be done, we have chosen to support organizations who facilitate the long term work that aids individuals in achieving a secure standard of living in keeping with their culture and community. These organizations provide the tools and education, a small loan that must be repaid, livestock, or other building blocks that people can utilize to improve their lives over the long haul. While our contribution may be small, it joins with the donations of others to help make a real difference in people's lives.

A percentage from every 4 ounce bar of Simmons special Soap sold goes to help Heifer International in their mission to work with communities to end hunger and poverty and care for the earth.
By giving families a hand-up, not just a hand-out, they empower them to turn lives of hunger and poverty into self-reliance and hope. For every 12 bars ot the soap we sell we plant a tree through Trees for the Future.

Now we are asking you to join us in giving small loans to enable entrepreneurs around the world grow their small businesses and improve their lives by joining our Kiva Lending Team. It only takes as little as $25 to invest in someone's future. And, when your loan is repaid you can loan it again to help others. The perfect "pay it forward"! Learn More about KIVA.

Balance...

My haiku for 2/8 - Tai chi mirrors life/ Expanding and contracting/ Around our center.

It has been a wild year so far. On the one hand, it has been the warmest year to date ever recorded worldwide, yet here it has been snowing on and off on the 21st & 22 of May! By now most of our garden is usually planted. Not this year.

From volcanoes to floods, earthquakes to tornadoes and other windstorms, nature has been wild much of the time. Our man made events, especially the massive oil rig collapse and resulting leak and slick in the Gulf of Mexico, are just as dramatic.
On top of that we focus on other less dramatic, but still incredibly important on other scales, affairs of politics, community, personal life. It's a wonder that any of us is able to maintain any cheerfulness at all. But it is the nature of living things to move toward the future with hopefulness and to seek balance and joy in their lives.

I have some favorite quotes to share:

"To the question whether I am a pessimist or an optimist, I answer that my knowledge is pessimistic, but my willing and hoping are optimistic." -Albert Schweitzer, philosopher, physician, musician, Nobel laureate (1875-1965)

How can you work for change and to better your life without optimism?

"Finish every day and be done with it. You have done what you could; and absurdities crept in; Forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day; You shall begin it serenely and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense." -Ralph Waldo Emerson, writer and philosopher (1803-1882)

How can we move forward if we are ever buried under the baggage of the fear of what we did wrong in the past?

"I slept and dreamt that life was joy. I awoke and saw that life was service. and behold, service was joy." -Rabindranath Tagore, philosopher, author, songwriter, painter, educator, composer, Nobel laureate (1861-1941)

How can you live life with joy until you recognize the acts you perform in life are joyous?

What is in the world, good and bad, is what is. With this knowledge you can go forth and do the best you can. It should not impede you from doing good for yourself, your family, your community and the world. Rather it should empower you to know that anything you can achieve counts. Everything counts. And every positive accomplishment, no matter how small, is an important move forward. It is our response to life that balances what happens.

Today is not the day I can plant my garden. It is freezing and too wet. The garden will go in very late, the fruit trees will bear little. But the soil is refreshed and the water table is restored after many dry years. The garden will catch up the way it does when the conditions warm to its liking.
And I am learning to be patient.

Sun Worship - of the Culinary Kind

Patience... must have patience. It is April 16 and it's cloudy again after only 1 day of sun (yesterday) in what seems like forever! It snowed on Easter and several times since, when it wasn't raining instead. I appreciate the good this is doing for the water table, but I WANT SUN!

I shouldn't complain too much. Despite a full work day, we took full advantage of the sunny day we were given, and I hear there is hope for the near future.
I had been hoarding large laundry items such as towels and the dog blanket for the car, and we were able to get these washed and dried outside on the line. In wet weather we have a retractable clothesline and a wooden drying rack upstairs that works great for most stuff.

We also got the solar oven set up and managed to get the two most common (for us) solar dishes cooked before the sky became covered with the high clouds of today's dreariness. First was rice.
By far the easiest way to get perfect brown rice is to bake it, and the solar oven is perfect. We try to use covered glass casseroles for most of our solar cooking, and this is no exception. In a 2 1/2 Qt. casserole place 2 cups of rice and 4 cups of water. Cover and place in preheated solar oven and cook until all the water has disappeared. Voila` Perfect rice! See the wonderful Spanish Rice recipe from Morning Hill Cookbook on an earlier blog post (in the comments section).

Once the rice was done, we immediately replaced it with Banana Cake. Our family has never been big fans of banana bread (which would also bake fabulously in the solar oven), we prefer a cake to use up those bananas that have gotten softer than we like to eat fresh. We bake it in an 8" square pan and serve it without frosting, although you could fancy it up that way if you like.

Simmonsville Solar Banana Cake:
Mix together and set aside:
2 1/2 cups flour (we use whole wheat)
1/2 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

In mixing bowl,
cream 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
Add 1-1/2 cups brown sugar (you can use 3/4 cup honey instead) and beat until light.
Beat in 2 eggs, one at a time
Stir in 1/2 tsp cinnamon
(Optional - add 1/4 tsp cardamom)

In a 2 cup measure mash 1 cup bananas (3 bananas is perfect)
Add 1 tsp vanilla and 1/4 cup yogurt or buttermilk

Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture in about 3 parts, alternating with the banana mixture, blending until smooth after each addition.
Stir in:
1/2 cup chopped nuts (walnuts or pecans) and/or dried cranberries, dried blueberries or whatever inspires you!
Bake in greasecd 8x8 inch or 9x13 inch pan (thinner, but just as good) in preheated solar oven until done . It will be brown on top and, when tested with a toothpick or broomstraw - should come out dry.
In conventional oven, bake at 350 degrees for about 1/2 hour.

Enjoy!
P.S. I am happy to finally get to post this on a SUNNY day 9 days later...

Just say no...

I recently was at the doctor with an injured heel. During the "first-time-visit paperwork/interview" they asked what drugs I was taking.I answered "Ibuprophen, occasionally". They asked "what else?", and I said "nothing" and they were visibly surprised.

OK, I'm no spring chicken, but does that mean I'm supposed to be a walking pharmacy? I do take calcium daily and a baby aspirin. In winter I might take vitamins C & D, in summer more vitamin E. I drink echinacea tea when I think it's necessary and drink a glass of water with 1 teaspoon each raw apple cider vinegar and maple syrup twice a day (yum!), but otherwise don't take or eat anything specifically for my health. I believe if you eat good food (for definition of "Food", see anything Michael Pollan writes!) and don't eat too much of it, you will be getting the nutrients you need.

I am in fairly good health and somewhat amazed to think that, at my age (or any age), taking a lot of drugs is the norm. NORM - as in normal thing to do!

What is really different about our life here is all the stuff we don't do. I do not wear make-up. Did once, for my junior high school prom, and that was a bad experience. I reacted allergically and my eyes swelled up and that was that. In part due to my sensitivities I do not drink soda, do not dye my hair, do not eat at fast food places. We do not buy prepared foods, use air freshener or scented candles. We do not take sleeping pills, cold medicine except the rare antihistamine when too clogged to sleep.
It really is a case of "less is more". Could it be we just overload our systems and the result is they get out of balance?

If something is an imitation of something else I stay away from it, including imitation sweeteners, vegetarian phony meat, butter "flavored" anything. Give me real butter, steak, cheese and sugar (or honey). This also goes for artificially colored or scented foods, shampoos, soaps... you name it. Laundry detergent or dryer sheets that make your clothes smell "fresh" - I just dry the clothes outdoors and they DO smell fresh.

People have become crucibles for chemical mixtures that no one has tested in combination, let alone testing them within the living chemical stew that is a human being. I am happy not to be a guinea pig in the race for "new and improved" and, as far as I can tell, healthier for it.
You have probably seen the posters showing how quickly a Meth addict ages - looking ancient when only in their 30's, or how a smoker ages quickly as well - not to mention the other health issues. I'm not convinced that the many chemicals we are exposed to daily don't have a similar effect at one level or another.

This is one reason we started making soaps and body care products back in 1979 for our own personal use, so we weren't forced to use the artificially colored and scented commercial soaps that were available to us. And, since 1982, we've made them available to you, too, at Simmons Natural Bodycare.

Earth Day 40!

This April marks the 40th Earth Day. It's hard to believe it's been that long since Senator Gaylord Nelson (D-Wisconsin) founded Earth Day as an environmental teach-in. First celebrated on April 22, 1970, Earth Day marked the very beginning of the modern environmental movement.

While recognizing these things are important in our life today, knowing the history is inspirational as well. It shows the power we have to make change.

In a time when pollution was so bad rivers were literally burning, lakes were dying, air in cities was becoming toxic with no regulation, and bird species were declining rapidly as a result of widespread use of DDT, this particular day was set aside to make people aware of, and appreciate, the limitations of our planetary habitat.
It brought together many groups, each fighting for a single environmental issue, to realize they were all involved in one larger, common cause.

To quote founder, Senator Gaylord Nelson, 

"It was on that day that Americans made it clear that they understood and were deeply concerned over the deterioration of our environment and the mindless dissipation of our resources. That day left a permanent impact on the politics of America. It forcibly thrust the issue of environmental quality and resources conservation into the political dialogue of the Nation. That was the important objective and achievement of Earth Day. It showed the political and opinion leadership of the country that the people cared, that they were ready for political action, that the politicians had better get ready, too."

Sometimes in our individual efforts working to allay the effects of climate change, to protect and preserve the habitat which sustains us, it may seem we do not have much of a chance to accomplish what needs to be done. Yet since that first Earth Day much has changed.

In just the first 10 years the Clean Air Act, the Water Quality Improvement Act, the Water Pollution and Control Act Amendments, the Resource Recovery Act, the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, the Toxic Substances Control Act, the Occupational Safety and Health Act, the Federal Environmental Pesticide Control Act, the Endangered Species Act, the Safe Drinking Water Act, the Federal Land Policy and Management Act, the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act, and the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) were enacted. Also in 1970, the EPA was founded to protect human health and the environment on which it depends – all as a result of the concern of the American people.
Just think: We did not HAVE an Environmental Protection Agency before 1970. Not because we didn't need one, but because it hadn't occurred to us that we needed to monitor and protect what was happening to our environment in a nationally cohesive way!

Much is yet to be done and it IS in our power to do it. We must do it, for our future.

We know these concerns are global concerns and we must think of that bigger picture as we act on personal, local, national, and world levels. From governments to businesses to individuals we all have a role to play, even if it is only being conscious of the waste and ways of our daily life and modifying them to have less impact on our habitat. The power and the responsibility is in all of our hands.

During April we give extra recognition to the need for living with awareness of the effects of our actions on the environment around us. Use this time to create new habits, teach others, and remind your government representatives that we can have a sustainable, healthy environment for the future. And then continue this year-round, because in reality there is no "Earth Day", it is "Earth Everyday".

Olive Love

So what's the big deal? Why do we persist in using organic olive oil for our soap when it is the most expensive of our base ingredients and soap can be made without it? In a word - Quality.
Historically the finest soaps were olive oil, or 'castille' soaps, mild and nourishing to the skin. In our own 28 years of soapmaking experience we have made soap from a variety of recipes, and those including olive oil were consistently the best quality, more gentle and less drying.

Olives: a gift from the Gods

The ancient Greeks made a wager with their Gods, pledging to name their capital city after the deity who gave them the most valuable tribute. Poseidon, God of the Sea, caused a fountain to spring from the earth flowing water to the city. Athena, Goddess of Wisdom, presented an olive tree. This tree's fruit could feed the masses, light up the night, bring good health, and anoint the heroes. The capital was declared 'Athens' (besides, a salt water spring is almost a nuisance!).
The value of the olive has not been forgotten over time. As a fruit, people usually love it or hate it, but only about 1% to 2% or the world's crop is eaten as fruit. It's the oil that is the delight of the gourmet, the choice of the health-conscious, and the anointment of the discerning.
The olive tree, an evergreen native to Asia Minor, spread to the rest of the Mediterranean Basin and has been cultivated there for over 6000 years. This ancient fruit is still one of the main oil crops in cultivation there and is now widely grown in warm climates around the world.
Olives are one of the few oil crops where the source of the oil is in the pulp, rather than the seed. In the latter case, the purpose of the oil is to provide condensed energy for the emerging seedling. In the case of the olive, any animal which eats the fruit receives the benefits.

Olive Oil for a Healthy Diet

Oils are an important dietary component. They provide essential fatty acids needed for hormone production and the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, & K. They also add an appetizing flavor, aroma, and texture to food.
Fats & oils actually activate the pleasure sensors in our brain, an addicting connection that stems from the needs of early humans and can cause health problems today. However, as we now know, using unsaturated vegetable oils helps avoid these problems. Olive oil has even been shown to help reverse them.

Olive Oil for Healthy Skin

For healthy body care, olive oil is rich in proteins, minerals, and vitamins. It is used as a base in high-quality soaps and cosmetics due to its excellence as a moisturizer and high availability. A natural humectant, olive oil attracts and holds moisture close to the skin and forms a breathable film that helps prevent the loss of internal moisture. Unlike many substances used for this purpose, olive oil does not block the natural functions of the skin and it absorbs readily, carrying the benefits of its nourishing components. Jojoba oil, shea butter, kukui nut oil and a few others are also good, but are far less plentiful than olive.
All in all, the olive fruit nourishes the body within and without, benefiting humankind for thousands of years - - truly a gift from the Gods.

• Simmons special Soaps •

Quality without Compromise since 1982
Get fine castille soaps made with organic olive oil from Simmons Natural Bodycare

SOURCES:
Naturally Healthy Skin, S. Tourles,1999
The Natural Soap Book, S. Miller Cavitch, 1995
Food That Harm, Foods That Heal, Reader's Digest, 1997
Economic Botany: Plants in our World. 2nd Ed. S. Weiss (Ed.)
Creating your own Cosmetics, Naturally, N.J. Smeh, M.S.,1995
Natural Body Care Products, Glossary of Terms & Ingredients 1995

Gophers - not for the faint of heart...

Gophers (@$%#!@#)!
The bane of the vegetable garden. Not to be confused with moles (see below) who eat earthworms, leave mounds of dirt in the lawn, but do not harm your plants, gophers kill vegetables and fruit trees, rose bushes and other landscaping by eating their roots. 
I have played tug of war in the garden with these voracious rodents and they are high on the list of foes to any dedicated vegetable gardener. Nothing is more aggravating than to go out and find a previously vigorous plant suddenly short and wilted, slumped into the hole where its roots used to be.

Gopher damage and prevention depends on the numbers you are dealing with. These little critters propagate like the prey animal that they are, are not deterred by noisemakers or most repellents, and send in new troops to replace the fallen. Thus our most effective method here is trapping and good cats. A friend also had success with a good dog (rat terrier) but the holes he left were larger than the gophers made. If you poison them and a cat or dog gets them afterwards, they can be affected by the poison as well, so we don't recommend that.

If you are not keen on actually killing them off, there are some moderately effective repellents, such as Castor bean/oil – but the truth is barricading them from the plants or reducing their numbers is the only real method if you have a lot of them. In a really wet winter some of them seem to drown (ditto yellowjackets). Simple cages around the roots of plants rarely work. Even raised beds are ineffective unless they are both tall enough gophers cannot climb over the top and have a gopher proof barrier underneath. We know folks who put a 2 inch deep layer of broken glass under a bed and the gophers came through, and they easily scaled the 10 inch sides of our strawberry bed.



We are about to add some new raised beds to our garden. More than 16 inches tall and lined with 1/2 inch hardware cloth they will be a safe haven for gopher delectables such as potatoes, onions, carrots and garlic, cole crops and parsley. Sometimes peppers. And peas. Sigh.
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Gopher story: I had heard several times that gophers would eat Juicyfruit gum and it would clog up their insides & kill them. Many years back I saw this mentioned yet another time in Herb Caen’s column in the SF Chronicle (long time back ) and that pushed me to try it. In certain times of the year they leave their tunnels open to the surface. During that time I placed an unwrapped stick of gum in the holes. Several hours later I would check and Lo! The gum was gone.

I repeated the procedure... A case of Juicyfruit later they were happily consuming all the gum I could give them with no end in sight. I had no idea if constipated gophers were piling up underground or if it just wasn’t working. So we decided to put the gum in the tunnel behind a standard Macabee Gopher Trap. A nasty piece of work that pierces the rodent to death, these traps can be very effective if you find their main tunnel, up to 15 inches deep, and place 2 of these traps, one going each direction. Cover the hole with sod or a board and some dirt to keep the light out, etc.. But for the gum experiment that wasn’t an option, there is really no way to “bait” these traps. So we set them in the feeder surface tunnels near where we placed the gum, but the gophers generally just set off the traps by pushing dirt into them, took the gum and left.

So I had the idea of getting a couple of rat traps (gophers are considerably larger than mice), as they can be effectively baited. Bait in place, I set the traps on the surface of the ground outside the open tunnel. This is 100% opposite everything you have ever heard about dealing with gophers, but I couldn’t figure a way to get the broad traps into the tunnel without the whole thing collapsing as I dug it out to make it fit.

It worked! Against all odds the gophers were coming out of the ground in broad daylight and throwing themselves into the rat traps to get at the gum!!! In 2 weeks we caught 13 gophers. One day we caught 2 gophers in the same trap in about 1 hour. I saw there was a gopher in one of the rat traps and asked my husband to remove it. He went to the store and when he came back I had noticed there was still a gopher in the trap and asked him why he had left it there, but he had already removed one and this was a new gopher!


We must have made a dent in the population, as we saw only a few new tunnels after that. The technique was also limited by the short time in spring during which the tunnels are open. Since then our cats have been able to keep them from getting quite as out of hand as they were that year.
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Resources:
We have friends who swear by "Black Hole" and "Black Box" gopher traps as well. Here is information on a variety of Gopher traps and how to choose. 
For beautiful, durable and easy to assemble raised bed kits,(illustrated above) see: naturalyards.com
For natural outdoor yard and garden pests: Bird&Home.com
Natural Home and garden pest solutions: www.NaturalPestProductsStore.com
Source for traps for Gophers, moles and voles is www.traplineproducts.com. They also have instructional videos.

Seasonal Renewal of the Floral Sort...

We've been discussing the arrival of spring and how it has such a different schedule at different locations in our county (see our March 2009 post: Time Travel into Spring ). It's hard not to be jealous of those with a longer season, but I can't say I don't appreciate the longer rest before all the garden work begins in earnest. Sort of like sleeping in on a Saturday morning!

At any rate, it got me looking for those first floral indicators of the season's change and, it seemed, overnight they were everywhere.
I had just commented that our first daffodils, against a south facing wall with it's sheltered advantage, had just bloomed and then, in the next few days, I started to see wildflowers everywhere.

First I noticed the little pink flowers that are often, with dandelions, the earliest wildflower here. I have always called them Spring Beauty, but cannot find them in any book, by that name or any other. In the family Onagraceae (as far as I can tell), they closest resemble some of the smaller Clarkia. But they bloom a month or so too soon! Do any of you know what this charming, little pink flower might be?

Looking around I realized that Dandelions had also been blooming a while. I could tell because some had already gone to seed puffs. Globes of wish-fairies waiting to be blown into the air.
The common Dandelion, Taraxacum officinale, spread throughout the world from Eurasia to become one of the most familiar wildflowers studding lawns throughout North America. Despite being generally considered a weed, Young Dandelion greens are nutritious and delicious in salads or soups, the roots have been used as a coffee substitute, and wine is made from the flowers. A versatile weed, indeed!

Along with the dandelions were one of our favorites, Bell's, or English, Daisy (Bellis perennis ). Close to the ground in a rosette of leaves, these little daisies have aster-like flowers often tinged with pink. These are the flowers with which our daughters and granddaughters make daisy chains to adorn their hair. Another immigrant, it originally came from Europe.

Other extremely early wildflowers here include the tiny, blue Veronica arvensis, also known as Common Speedwell, and pagoda-like Red Deadnettle (Lamium purpureum ). Both tend to appear in areas where the soil has been disturbed, which is why they blanket our vegetable garden now, before we have begun to work the soil. They cover any area the cover crops we plant have missed. Both of these also traveled to the America's from their native Europe and Asia.
The Deadnettle, despite it's name and appearance, is not related to other nettles and does not sting. It does provide a nectar source for bees before other flowers have opened.

Interestingly, of the flowers now blooming, only the one we are not sure of may be a native to our Northern California mountains - maybe. I am always amazed how many common wild plants here are non-natives. Especially as no one built or lived on this acreage before we moved here and began to build up our farm and business back in the 1970's.
Other than these, I see no flowering plants just yet, but it is soon to be. Shoots and stems are popping up all over meadow and forest.

While it is too wet and muddy to work our vegetable garden just yet, that doesn't mean things are entirely in hibernation.There is overwintered parsley, kale, chard, and carrots. Our very late planted cabbage are ready to pick and the "All-the-year-round" cauliflower is just starting to make heads. We even still get a few side shoots from our late broccoli now and then.

And, looking ahead, in snug little trays the seeds for this years cole crops, tomatoes, peppers, eggplant and such, are sprouting and getting ready for this 2010 garden.

Only 2 weeks before the Equinox and Spring's official beginning - We can't wait!

Shipping Quandary...

There are decisions to make in every aspect of life and business, and it is all too easy to make them lightly... But it can also be a never ending abyss once you delve in. One problem we have pondered on and off has to do with the best way to package our products for shipping. 
There are many things to consider here: cost for the customer; protection of the products; cost to the environment; ease of use... As always, we believe we should reduce, re-use, and recycle as much as possible.

Shipping adds a lot to the cost of a product, especially small and inexpensive, but relatively heavy, item like bars of soap. You can raise the price of the soap to absorb some of this, but that requires price changes at least annually to match the variable cost of shipping. 
We want the package to arrive in good shape, with nothing damaged, smeared, or otherwise different than when we packed it. This means it has to be well padded, fairly snug so it doesn't shift around in transit, and that the packing materials are clean.
To keep the packaging costs down we want the packing material to be light in weight. The lightest packing materials are those styrofoam packing peanuts, bubble wrap and bags of air. However, these are all products that will end up in a landfill, slowly, if ever, breaking down. Not to mention plastic is a petroleum derivative. Not the most environmentally friendly stuff.
OK, so there is crumpled or shredded paper. Crumpled paper compresses, so there is limited use for it. If there is much gap between the soap and the box the weight of the paper it takes to secure the soap can raise the shipping cost considerably. It doesn't help that for all the shippers one ounce over a pound equals 2 pounds, as far as postage goes. 

And then there is the problem of acquiring (and disposing of) the packing materials. The price we pay is part of the price the customer must pay in the end. Clean shredded plain paper is hard to come by here, it's tough to find inexpensive rolls of newsprint anymore, and used newspaper has a problem with ink coming off onto the labels of the soap. 

This also has to take into consideration the cost on the environment. We certainly don't want to encourage the production of more plastic or styrofoam, neither do we want it to end up in a landfill. When we have plain, recycled paper, and in orders where it's weight doesn't add appreciably to the postage, we know it can be re-used, recycled, or will break down into organic matter when tossed in the landfill.

We have looked at different specific eco-friendly packaging materials but, with the small spaces we have to fill and other requirements, they often didn't work for our particular purpose. That doesn't mean they won't work for you - for examples, see: PrairieEcopak™ , EnviroPAK custom molded packaging, and GlobeGuard™ (who also have wonderful recycled cardboard boxes). We use the kraft paper Sizzle Pak shown as fill in gift baskets.
UPDATE: A new resource - EcoEnclose which carries and assortment of eco-friendly packaging for breakable items.


Lightweight, effective, inexpensive, and environmentally friendly. It seems like it should be simple...
But is it better to get new paper with the energy cost of its manufacturing process, or re-use packing peanuts that almost never break down and can be used over and over, keeping them in circulation and out of the landfill - at least for now?
And many people hate the packing peanuts, yet already feel that shipping costs are high and don't want to pay more for the weight incurred by using paper or cardboard. As I said - its a quandary.
 
We have toiled with these issues for years, always done the best we can, and are please we may have finally come up with the best possible solution for us. Introducing Geami packaging! This lightweight, expanded kraft paper and tissue packing material amazingly doesn't seem to compress and fits in the small spaces we need to fill.


So here is what we are doing:
1) Reused or Recycled cardboard boxes, including the US Postal Service's "Cradle to Grave"*certified boxes. All re-usable or recyclable & biodegradable.
2) 100% Post consumer waste (PCW) invoices, labels and shipping labels. All recyclable & biodegradable.
3) Re-used poly-styrene packing peanuts/bubble wrap, etc (rather than throwing in the landfill what comes to us in other packages).
4) Environmentally friendly Geami packaging. All re-usable, recyclable, or biodegradable..


All this puts us just one step closer to having a completely sustainable business from start to finish.
* from Wikipedia:  

Cradle-to-grave is the full Life Cycle Assessment from manufacture ('cradle') to use phase and disposal phase ('grave'). For example, trees produce paper, which can be recycled into low-energy production cellulose (fiberised paper) insulation, then used as an energy-saving device in the ceiling of a home for 40 years, saving 2,000 times the fossil-fuel energy used in its production. After 40 years the cellulose fibers are replaced and the old fibers are disposed of, possibly incinerated. All inputs and outputs are considered for all the phases of the life cycle.

Get your natural & organic soaps sent to you in eco-friendly packaging from the greenest soapmakers on Earth! Simmons Natural Bodycare.

New Dawn

Just a morning hello.
Some excitement here!
We had a relatively major earthquake on Saturday (January 2, 2010). No missing this one, a 6.5 26 miles offshore (so about 75 miles or so from us), with a long serious roll. First one since the big trio of 1992 where I was ready to go outside. I chose a doorway, as it was my volunteer dispatch weekend and I needed to stay by my phone and radio especially if this was a potential natural disaster.

The Earth speaks. Nature still has the mightier hand. And the lesson to learn is to be able to accept uncertainty, work with the now, be prepared for anything, and fear not. It is all part of our life and living as humans in the world. And makes for some pretty interesting adventure as well.

Please check out an earlier post: Rolling Along

In my humble opinion, to "be here now", to accept each moment as it is, is not a philosophy of complacency. It is understanding that as things happen you are given the opportunity to work with what is, not with what you want, fear, or otherwise predict may be. It propels you to act in synchronicity with the world around you. And it makes it more fun!

Life's an adventure, rejoice in it.

Working today for Tomorrow...

In our ongoing effort to provide the highest quality all natural soap that is affordable for everyday use and the very best for the environment, we have long wanted to include organic base oils in our formula. The problem was these oils were so much more costly it would make our soaps a luxury item rather than an everyday one. Over the years when we were able to get organic oil for a competitive price, we used it without any fanfare. However, now that we can assure a steady supply that will not overly increase our price to you we are proud to announce that, in addition to being healthy to use, our soaps are now even healthier for the planet.

Making EveryDay Special

New for 2010 every batch of Simmons special Soap is now made with Organic Olive oil, Organic Coconut oil and Palm oil from Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) certified plantations. (We are not convinced that Organic palm, currently sourced from Brazil, is not implicated in the destruction of Rainforest). This will guarantee that precious agricultural resources are not damaged in the production of the oils that make our soap.

Over the last 6 months we ran an online survey regarding Organic vs Conventional Natural soap. While the results were mixed, having organic ingredients was definitely important to the majority of respondents. While most were not interested in paying a premium price for it, they were divided 50/50 about using organic soap daily if they had to pay more. And 60% of the comments noted the importance of organics for the health of the environment.

Our own desire to support the environment through organic farming and other sustainable agriculture was tempered by our desire to stay in business and serve our customers the best product at the best price. Well, with the new year came the opportunity we were waiting for, organic oils costs are now competitive with the conventional oils we were using. For a minimal cost we can make a maximal change in our commitment to the planet.

Now, from the renewable energy system that powers our home and business to the base oils that make our soap, we can bring you a premium product with the smallest environmental impact.

Take our "Shop Tour" and "learn more about our family business".

A New Decade!

A new year and a whole new decade! We are happy to start anew this year. Last year was intense and we are glad to move forward.
So we start the year traditionally (for us) with music and our community of friends.
The first day of the year is leisurely clean up from the festivities and we move forward from there to embrace this day, our future, come to the Now.
I have a personal belief that the first week of the year is an indicator - omen, if you will - of how the year will be as a whole. Therefore I try very hard to live those first 7 days as consciously as possible.
This morning I was sent a link that reinforced the idea of approaching each moment open to the possibilities and beauty contained within it "Celebrate What's Right with the World" . This is really my philosophy, but as with all things, it is easier said than done. But each year I get closer.
Besides, worry and guilt and angst over what has not happened yet or what is behind us really is only a waste of life. And the difference between joy and despair is often just a matter of perception.

"The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes." - Marcel Proust