Refrigerator Cucumbers, Onions and Peppers

 

4 thinly sliced cucumbers
1-large sliced red onions
1-large sliced green bell peppers
1-tbsp salt
2-cup white vinegar
1 1/2-cups sugar
1-tsp celery flakes
1-tsp red pepper flakes


Mix cucumbers, onions, peppers and salt; set a side.

Put vinegar, sugar, celery flakes and pepper flakes in a pot and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and add 2 handfuls of ice until melted.

Place all veggies in large mouth canning jars (2 quarts or 1 half gallon jar).

Pour mixture over cucumbers, store in refrigerator. Will keep up to 2 months in your fridge.

Makes 2 quart jars.

Recipe and image from Facebook.

Easy Strawberry Banana Cheesecake Dessert

Here's a fun and easy summer dessert the kids are sure to love - plus it packs in plenty of fruit!

You can find sweet, delicious Michigan Strawberries at Country Harvest during the month of June.









1 bag mini marshmallows
16 oz of vanilla yogurt
1 regular size tub of cool whip
1 package of nobake cheese cake filling

Stir in
1-2 quarts of sliced up strawberries
3-4 sliced up bananas

Other fruits can be substituted or added as desired

Best served chilled and same day due to banana discoloration

DIY Cookie Sheet Cleaner

 

Simply put  about 1/4 cup of baking soda in a small glass bowl and squirt in hydrogen peroxide until it makes a nice paste.

Then you rub it on the offending dirt/stain/grease. You can usually just use your fingers, but you can also use a small sponge as well.

DIY Ant Killer

Simple and made with common household ingredients.

A small, shallow dish
5 Tbsp of baking soda
5 Tbsp of powdered (or confectioners) sugar

Mix the two powders together and then place small amounts against the walls or other areas where you would not normally walk but where you would normally see the ants.  You can also leave some in a dish, as the picture shows.

The ants will be attracted to the sugar and will eat some of it and collect more to take home to feed others, so all of them will get their share.

The sugar and baking soda powders are similar in size and, once mixed together, the ants cannot separate the two items, so, as they eat the sugar, they will also ingest the baking soda, which they would otherwise never touch. This is the reason for using powdered sugar.

Once the ants eat the baking soda it will react with the formic acid in their stomachs and cause gas. The bodies of ants are unlike humans and they cannot eliminate gas so it will build up inside them and cause them to literally explode

 

NOTE: Powdered sugar is essential. You cannot use regular white sugar because of the larger grains
of sugar.   The powdered sugar mixes exactly with the baking soda.

Image and recipe source (Facebook): http://www.facebook.com/groups/foreverfitwithpatti/

No Bake Energy Bites

 

A snap to make, totally delicious, and good for you. 

Don't forget to get your local, raw honey from us at Country Harvest Greenhouse!

 

Ingredients:

1 cup (dry) oatmeal
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup ground flaxseed
1/3 cup honey
1 tsp. vanilla
 

Directions:
Mix ingredients together in a large bowl. Roll into bite size balls. Refrigerate to set. Enjoy!!

Marinated Cucumbers, Onions, and Tomatoes

A healthy and tasty side dish.  If you don't have a garden full of veggies, we've got fantastic homegrown tomatoes and cucumbers at Country Harvest Greenhouse June through September!

Ingredients:
3 medium cucumbers, peeled and sliced 1/4 inch thick
1 medium onion, sliced and separated into rings
3 medium tomatoes, cut into wedges
1/2 cup vinegar
1/4 cup sugar
1 cup water
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon fresh coarse ground black pepper
1/4 cup oil

 

Directions:

Combine ingredients in a large bowl and mix well. Refrigerate at least 2 hours before serving

 

Recipe and Image Source: Natural Weight Loss Friends

Cinnamon Butter

Super-easy, yet still impressive fancy spread.  Perfect for parties, or just enjoyment at home.  Perks up rolls and toast, sweet potatoes -- pretty much anything!

Ingredients:

1 stick of butter, softened
1/4 c powdered sugar
1/4 c raw honey
1 Tablespoon cinnamon

Directions:

Mix well and store in fridget in a container with a tightly sealed lid.

**We carry local, raw honey at Country Harvest Greenhouse.

DIY: Shower Soothers

Ingredients
 
Water
Baking soda
Rosemary essential oil
Eucalyptus essential oil
Lavender essential oil
Silicone cupcake pan - a pan that makes shaped ones would be fun
Optional, lavender buds



Directions

1. Mix 1 cup baking soda with 1/3 cup water (mix in optional lavender buds)

2. Fill each cupcake cup approx. half full with the baking soda/water mixture

3. Add a few drops of each essential oil to the half filled cups

4. add more baking soda/water mix to essentially fill each cup the rest of the way

5. Bake for approximately 20 minutes at 350 degrees

6. Allow to cool

7. Add a few drops of each essential oil to the top and bottom of each cup's finished material

8. Store as is for up to 6 months or more

9. You can add a few drops of each essential oil directly before use for more scent strength

  

To use a shower soother, place it on the floor of the shower, in water but not directly under the stream if possible.

Makes a great gift!! To gift, place soothers in individual treat bags, tie with a bow and a cute label.  Or, put several in a small decorative Chinese takeout-style container.
 

Two Impossibly Easy Dips

My family has come to know me as the dip queen.  No chip, no veggie stick, no vanilla wafer should go undipped.  And so, I have added a line of dip mixes to Jessica's Pantry at Country Harvest Greenhouse.  However, the dips I'm sharing don't start with a seasoning mix -- instead, look to the canned jam section of Jessica's Pantry.

Berry Delicious Dip
- 1 cup Triple Berry (or other fruit) jam
- 1 cup marshmellow creme

Mix well -- a mixer will be needed -- and voila!  Instant delicious fruit or cookie dip.  You can choose the jam flavor you want and you can alter the ratio of jam-to-creme based on your tastes.

Hot Pepper Dip
- 8 oz cream cheese, softened
- 1 cup hot pepper relish

Mix well.  Creates a creamy, savory dip with a hint of sweet and a hint of heat.  Serve with crackers or veggie sticks.