Summer Scents for Your Home

By Cait Johnson, author of Earth, Water, Fire, and Air (SkyLight Paths, 2003).
Simple Solution
When the weather turns warm and sometimes sticky, most of our homes could use a little help smelling and feeling fresh. Clean summery scents can do a lot for us, but we don’t want to rely on plug-in air fresheners or air freshener sprays: both contain chemicals thought to be harmful. Instead, we can rely on the wisdom of our great-grandmothers, and use natural ingredients to make our homes smell delightfully refreshing and clean.
Find out how lemon peel, fresh or dried mint, vanilla extract, lavender, and more can make your home smell fresh as the proverbial daisy, here:
Lively Lemons
The zesty clean fragrance of lemon is an instant uplift. Try rubbing a few drops of lemon essential oil on doorknobs, or peeling a lemon and simply twisting the peel so that the oils are released into the room. You can simmer lemon slices in water on the stove to scent the air deliciously, too.
Lavender Refresher
Plunk a handful of dried lavender in a pretty container next to the bed to make your bedroom smell fresh and to promote relaxing sleep and deep dreams.
Rosemary Smudge
You can burn sprigs of dried rosemary (using an ashtray underneath to catch any sparks!) to cleanse the atmosphere in your home. The scent is refreshing, and the herb has been used in sickrooms for centuries, since it is a time-honored antimicrobial.
Sweet Green Mist
Mists and sprays are an easy way to add wonderful, natural scent to your home and they are proven allies in the fight against germs. Mists and sprays are a simple way of providing aromatherapy by just using essential oils, water and a spray bottle. Nothing could be easier than spritzing a few drops of these antibacterial sprays on doorknobs, bathroom surfaces, telephones--anything you touch--to keep your home smelling sweet. Because essential oils are antibacterial, they also help kill germs. The formulas keep indefinitely and, in a pretty bottle tied with a ribbon, they make great gifts. Your home will smell marvelous, and you won’t need to worry as much when guests bring coughs and sneezes in with them. Look for all-natural pure essential oils at your local natural foods store.
This couldn’t-be-easier recipe makes enough for five cups of mist, enough to share with a friend. Use liberally on non-staining surfaces or simply spray upward in the center of the room, being sure to avoid contact with eyes.
Ingredients:Use an eyedropper to place the following in a small glass jar with a lid (a baby food jar is ideal)--20 drops sweet orange essential oil 10 drops lavender essential oil 10 drops eucalyptus essential oil
Mix well. To use, add 4-8 drops of this base to one cup of purified or distilled water in a spray bottle, shaking to mix. Store in a cool, dark place.
Spicy Summer Potpourri
This potpourri looks lovely set out in a bowl, or stored in little potpourri bags.
Base: a combination of any or all of the following, thoroughly dried--orange peel, marigolds, chrysanthemums, lavender, asters, Queen Anne’s lace, star anise seeds, cinnamon powder or sticks, whole or powdered cloves
Oil scents: a few drops each--Sweet orange essential oilLavender essential oilClove essential oil
Sprinkle dried base with oils and mix well. Refresh base with a few drops of oil whenever needed.
Vanilla Odor Remover
The vanilla bean has properties that reduce odors! Try this super-easy trick for removing smells you don't want:
Ingredients:1 to 2 teaspoons natural vanilla extract
Just put the vanilla in a small cup anywhere you want air freshening.
Summery Stovetop Freshener
Mint is a wonderful freshener that gives an uplifting feeling to the atmosphere. You can use either fresh or dried mint in this formula.
Ingredients:A handful of mint leaves8 cups of water
Combine all the ingredients in a pan on the stove. Bring to a boil, and then turn down to a simmer. Replace the liquid when needed as it evaporates.
Cinnamon Trick
I have a small terra-cotta pot filled with ground cinnamon sitting near my desk. I get wafts of the sweet fragrance all day long.
Flower Power
My friend Jo has honeysuckle planted around her house. In the evening, she opens her windows and her home is permeated with the heavenly fragrance. You could also try planting Scented Boxes for Your Windows.

Safe Bug Repellent Proven As Good as D E E T

By Annie B. Bond, Executive Producer of Care2's Healthy Living Content.
Simple Solution
It is all well and good to want to be a caretaker of the Earth and live in as eco-friendly way as is possible, but who wants to get bit by ticks and mosquitoes, especially these days when both carry disease?
Here’s some good news and a great resource: A New England Journal of Medicine study found this repellent to be as effective as those containing D E E T, yet it is all natural and much safer. Read about it here:
Bite Blocker Insect Repellent is an all natural bug spray that is soy-based with coconut oil, geranium oil, citric acid, lecithin, and soybean oil. It protects for up to 8 hours. Note that geranium oil is also effective against ticks, and soy is considered a very effective repellant.
Bite Blocker Insect Repellent
Here is a very well done article written by the editor of the Seventh Generation newsletter, and I urge you to read it about DEET and alternatives: Bite Me.

Creamy Frozen Berry Pie

By Cait Johnson, inspired by a recipe in Eating Well magazine.
Simple Solution
It is so hot here in the American Northeast that a frozen berry dessert sounded like a perfectly delicious way to cool off. But most of the recipes I found were loaded with fat-laden whipped cream. Then I came upon this gem!
Here, a cooked meringue marries beautifully with fresh or frozen berries (I used blueberries, but raspberries or strawberries would work just as well) to make a creamy frozen confection that isn’t loaded with fat. I used a prepared graham crust, so the process was a snap. Read the recipe for Creamy Frozen Berry Pie here.
INGREDIENTS
3 cups berries, fresh or thawed frozen (blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, or blackberries could all work)
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 large egg whites, at room temperature
1/2 cup organic granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 pre-baked graham cracker or chocolate-cookie crust
1. Using a blender or food processor, puree the berries, lemon juice, and salt until smooth. Strain the puree through a fine-mesh sieve, using a spoon to press on the solids, and then discard the seeds.
2. In a large saucepan, bring an inch of water to a slow simmer. In a stainless steel bowl, combine the egg whites, sugar, and cream of tartar. Beat with an electric mixer on medium until the mixture is foamy.
3. Place the bowl over the simmering water and keep beating with the mixer, about 3 1/2 minutes, until the mixture is thick and glossy. Then increase the mixer speed to high and beat over the water for another 3 1/2 minutes or so until the meringue is quite stiff and glossy. (The eggs should be safely cooked through at this point.)
4. Remove bowl from simmering water and continue to beat on medium speed for about 4 minutes, until the mixture has cooled to room temperature.
5. Gently fold the berry puree into the meringue to combine. Scrape mixture into the pre-baked shell and freeze about 6 hours, until solid.
6. When ready to serve, allow the pie to soften at room temperature for about 10 minutes, then slice.
Serves 8.

No Bake Fresh Blueberry Pie

Adapted from Icebox Pies, by Lauren Chattman (Harvard Common Press, 2002).
Simple Solution
Blueberries are at the top of the Most Healthful Foods list, bursting with flavonoids and that marvelous berry flavor that makes summer such heaven for anyone who loves fresh food.
This streamlined recipe offers the goodness of blueberries in a no-bake pie that is perfect for the hot days of summer. Here’s how to make it:
INGREDIENTS
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/4 cup water
5 cups fresh blueberries, picked over for stems
1/2 cup organic sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 tablespoon unsalted organic butter
1 prepared Graham Cracker crust
1. Combine the cornstarch and water in a small bowl and stir the mixture until smooth.
2. Combine 3 cups of the blueberries, the sugar, the cinnamon, and nutmeg in a medium-sized saucepan. Bring the pot to a boil, stirring occasionally. Stir in the cornstarch mixture and cook the mixture over medium heat, stirring constantly, until it is thickened. Cook an additional 2 minutes.
3. Remove pot from the heat and stir in the butter and remaining cups blueberries.
4. Scrape the filling into the prepared crust. Cover the pie with plastic wrap and refrigerate it until the filling is completely set, at least 6 hours and up to 1 day.
6 to 8 servings.

Cherry Almond Cobbler

by David Joachim and Rochelle Davis
Serves 6
Adapted from Fresh Choices
Cherry season means more opportunities to enjoy the inflammation-reducing, cancer-fighting benefits of these delicious little antioxidant powerhouses.This recipe is the soul of ease, too: pour a simple batter in the bottom of a pan, scatter the cherries on top, bake and--voila! You have a luscious treat that is good for you, too!
1/3 c organic butter
1/4 c whole grain pastry flour or unbleached all-purpose flour
1/3 c sugar
1 t baking powder
1/4 t salt
1/4 c organic buttermilk*
1/2 t almond extract
1 pt organic sour cherries, pitted and halved
Instructions: 1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Put the butter in a 9-inch deep-dish pie plate or shallow 2-quart baking dish. Put the pan in the oven until the butter melts, about 5 minutes.
2.Meanwhile, whisk together the flour, 1/4 cup of the sugar, the baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Whisk together the buttermilk and almond extract, then whisk the mixture into the dry ingredients just until moistened, leaving a few lumps.
3. Pour the batter over the melted butter in the pan. Scatter the cherries on top of the batter. Sprinkle with the remaining sugar. Bake until browned around the edges and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 45 minutes.
*If you can't find organic buttermilk, add 3/4 teaspoon lemon juice to 1/4 cup organic milk and let stand 5 minutes before using.

Psychic Reactions from ... House Plants?

Adapted from Plant Spirit Shamanism by Ross Heaven and Howard G. Charing (Inner Traditions, 2006).
Simple Solution
What mind boggling information can a lie detector and interrogation expert tell you about caring for your house plants? A lot, it turns out. He found that plants can read your mind, for one thing: they know your intentions for them, both good and bad. And they react to you emotionally. They might even love you!
Learn more about your house plants from this unlikely source: a scientist whose job was to teach policemen how to use polygraph equipment.
Cleve Backster, the scientist working with the police, decided one day to attach the electrodes of a lie detector to the leaf of a dracaena plant to see if the device was sensitive enough to pick up reactions from a nonhuman subject. After the device was attached to the leaf he thought maybe the reaction would be stronger if he burned the leaf. As soon as he had this thought there was a dramatic peak in the polygraph chart, a trace signature that Backster recognized as fear.
Intrigued, Backster continued his reasearch and the results were always the same: the plants always reacted to his intention before any action was taken. Backster concluded that not only are plants as sensitive as human beings, but they are able to read emotions and intentions, because there is a form of psychic connection, or affinity, between plants and people.
Backster’s other results show that plants have memory, emotions, and very humanlike reactions, as well as psychic abilities. In other experiments, Backster demonstrated the love or empathy between a plant and its owner. One day he accidentally cut his finger and noticed that a plant being monitored was demonstrating a stress reaction of its own, as if it was experiencing Backster’s pain and shock at the sight of his blood.
Using this perceived affinity for the basis for his experiment, Backster walked to a different building some blocks away and directed loving thoughts toward the plant. The polygraph recording showed a heightened trace as the plant picked up his intentions.

The Dish on Clean Dishes - Nine Tips

By Annie B. Bond, author of Better Basics for the Home (Three Rivers Press, 1999).
Simple Solution
Sparkling clean dishes have never been much of priority for me until a friend’s immune system was lowered due to chemotherapy, and cleanliness became paramount for his health. I started looking at my dishes and was mildly horrified by how much stray bacteria (old food) I found here and there, despite decent habits and a dishwasher.
Here are the nine pots and pans and dish cleaning tips I brought out from one of my books, to remind me of what works for burned-on food and more.
1. Can’t-do-the-dishes-now soak: Sprinkle some baking soda on nonaluminum cookware, add some water, and let set until you are ready to wash them.
2. Hard Water Spots: Remove hard water spots by adding some vinegar to the rinse water.
3. Burned-on food: Add a few tablespoons of washing soda to the pan that has the burned on food, add very hot water, and soak for a minimum of a few hours.
4. Electric Drip Coffeemaker Cleaner: Add 1/4 cup vinegar to a full carafe of water, and pour through a coffee maker that is empty of coffee beans.
5. Nonstick Pan Cleaner: Sprinkle baking soda on burned-on food, cover with water, and soak.
6. Coffee and Tea Stains: Add one teaspoon of baking soda to the cup or container, fill with water, and let set for an hour or so before washing.
7. Raw Meat: Always sterilize utensils in very hot water, such as in a dish washer.
8. Dirty Vases, Glass and China: Fill with black tea, vinegar, lemon juice, or coca cola. Let sit for at least an hour before washing.
9. White Porcelain Stains: Soak in 1 part 3 percent hydrogen peroxide and 2 parts water.

Making Scents of Aromatherapy

Imagine this: a bubble bath that improves your memory. A kitchen cleaner that wards off nausea and energizes you. A scented handkerchief that calms your jangled nerves.
Learn the uses, healing properties and how-tos of using aromatherapy to heal and get stress out of your life, courtesy of one of the world's best known cancer centers.
Usually, people from throughout the world come for treatment to Houston's M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, ranked by U.S. News & World Report as the country's top hospitals for cancer care.
So you probably wouldn't associate something alternative like aromatherapy with a internationally known cancer facility, especially when the world is so filled with skeptics.
But don't tell that to Cherie Perez, a research nurse in M.D. Anderson's Department of Genitourinary Medical Oncology, who teaches a monthly aromatherapy class to answer those questions for cancer patients and their caregivers.
Perez's classes are offered free of charge through M. D. Anderson's Place of Wellness, a center within the institution that focuses on helping patients and caregivers deal with the non-medical issues of living with cancer.
It is the first complementary therapy facility built on the campus of a comprehensive cancer center.
Perez first became involved with aromatherapy to help relieve pain and discomfort caused by her fibromyalgia, a condition that affects the muscles surrounding joints.
And she can thank Ren-Maurice Gattefoss.
Going mainstream
Gattefoss, a French chemist, coined the word "aromatherapy" in 1920 after he accidentally lit his arm on fire and thrust it into a nearby vat of lavender oil to extinguish the flames. The burn healed quickly without a scar.
Even today, aromatherapy is incorporated into mainstream medicine in France, where some oils used in the practice are regulated by prescription drugs and administered only by doctors.
In America, scan the shelves of the local bath and body stores and you're sure to find products labeled for aromatherapy.
Perez says aromatherapy has many uses, ranging from managing anxiety and nausea to helping with sleep, general relaxation, memory and attention, can benefit from the practice.
For example, the oils used in aromatherapy may not directly stimulate the immune system, but they can complement cancer treatment by boosting the system's ability to fight off infections.
According to Perez, here are five of the most popular oils:
• Lavender - First used as perfume by ancient Egyptians 2,500 years ago, lavender is now used to treat insomnia, migraines and provide stress relief.
• Rosemary - This fragrant plant relieves muscle pain, low blood pressure and cold feet and hands.
• Spearmint - The oil from spearmint aids digestion and eases nausea and vomiting.
• Masculine scents - Scents such as bay laurel and ylang-ylang appeal to men for their deep scent. They also treat skin rashes, rheumatism and stomach ailments.
You can apply lavender, ylang ylang and sandalwood directly to your skin. However, other oils are too concentrated, so you must dilute them in massage oils, bath soaps and lotions, Perez says.
Most typically, Perez advises putting a few drops of an oil, or a combination of oils, onto a handkerchief and fan yourself "like Scarlett O'Hara."
Furthemore, to ensure you're not getting rooked, Perez offers these tips for buying oils:
• Shop for oils in specialty stores staffed by salespeople with aromatherapy training, because essential oils in some bath or general stores may be of questionable quality;• Look for quality oils that are light and heat sensitive, and will be in a blue or brown light protective glass;
• Read the labels on the bottles to learn the common and botanical name for the oil;
• Steer clear of concentrated oils with rubber eyedroppers since the oils react with the rubber causing it to break down and contaminate the oil.
Who should, or shouldn't, use oils?
Widely sold in health food stores and beauty chain stores, essential oils do have chemical properties that can affect the brain and enter the bloodstream.
For some people, that could prove toxic when combined with common cancer therapies, such as chemotherapy and radiation therapy.
Perez says essential oils, like many medicines, can increase your sensitivity to the sun, so use them with caution. Always discuss with your doctor using aromatherapy oils to complement a medical condition.
In addition:
• People with high blood pressure should avoid hyssop, rosemary, sage and thyme, while diabetics should avoid angelica oil.
• Women who are pregnant or nursing should avoid star anise, basil, juniper oils, to name a few, that can stimulate the uterus. In the first trimester, they also should use peppermint, rose and rosemary with caution.
• Pediatric patients can use aromatherapy essential oils in very low concentrations.
For more information
• M.D. Anderson Cancer Center• National Cancer Institute• National Association for Holistic Aromatherapy• U.S. Food and Drug AdministrationSource: University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center
This summary by Nubella News is a snapshot of larger, more detailed studies and/or research projects. Nubella News encourages all site visitors and readers interested in understanding the material contained within this article at a more detailed level, to perform additional research and investigation into the article topics, references, and any links provided within the material. Nubella News does not intend to offer medical advice. We recommend that all readers ask their doctor or medical professional for additional advice, guidance, and/or recommendations pertaining to this article.
Last Updated ( Friday, 25 August 2006 )

Basic Bird Seed Mix

Inspired by Home Enlightenment by Annie B. Bond (Rodale Press, 2005).
Simple Solution
Many birds start to migrate in mid-August, and the demand for nourishment increases at this time. Not only are birds hungrier at this time of year, but as fall draws near, both migrant and nonmigrant birds will establish their winter feeding territory. There is no better time than now to establish your yard as a bird banquet for the winter!
Here is simple, easy recipe for a basic bird seed mix, to get you started.
Basic Bird Mix
50 percent sunflower seed
35 percent white proso millet
15 percent cracked corn
Combine the seed, millet, and corn in a large container. Store in a dry trash can or storage can with a tight-fitting lid. This mixture can be offered in a tube, hopper, or platform feeder.
Black oil sunflower seed is a great choice because it is higher in calories.