Little tip on the reusable glass cleaning bottles. Don't waste money buying a glass bottle for $10 or more each. The Bragg's 16 oz. vinegar bottles work perfect. I just took the the spray nozzles off my plastic ones and they are the correct size to for them. No wasted money, just repurposed bottle. Once you have enough bottles go back to buying bigger vinegar units.
I clothed diapered & all the prefolds & flats I now use as "non paper towels"... I knew I would. I can't even imagine going paper towels again! What a waste, even just money wise! I also use smaller cloth for a wipe/tissue.
As far as feeding chickens, my grandmother would mash up used eggs' shells and give them to the chickens (just sprinkling it on the ground where they were eating), to make their eggshells stronger. Plastic is something unavoidable, even if I try - foods, etc. come in it without an alternative. So I use most of the packaging as "plarn" - plastic yarn - and can crochet baskets, shopping bags, craft bags, etc. They're then useable, washable, and durable. Upcycle as much as possible to help reduce waste.
Hi there! The shirts are expensive, compared to a normal cotton t-shirt, but I love the brand Minus 33 here is a link to one of their t-shirts: amzn.to/39cOEQL And we really prefer to purchase locally, but when we can't we use Azure Standard: www.azurestandard.com/?a_aid=EWfmOQQSY2
When are you going to do the 2nd iron skillet video? You did the one on how to pick one and you said you were going to show how to season and take care of the iron skillets. I have been waiting for this video. Very excited for it!
Hi Josh & Carolyn, watching you from my hospital bed. They drained 600 ml of fluid off my heart. Not Virus related. Just wanted you to know that your videos are keeping me motivated and blessed even in the hospital. Can’t wait to get home and start some of your ideas. Thank You, Leana B.
I started composting my kitchen waste and that made my 2-3 bags of garbage go down to one or two a week. Been trying hard to cut back on my plastic use.
Thanks for the tips... my favorite "saver" is your Time stamps in the description..they are SO helpful...finding my way back to re-listen 2 specific topic
Thank you, Carolyn and Josh, for all the constructive information you so generously provide in your pleasant, loving manner. What a delightful experience you bring us. It is a helpful, needed diversion from the dire current world situation facing many at this time. I often wished I had had more opportunity to know more of what my grandparents knew; with your videos, I feel like I have a good way to learn and help pass it on. Healthful living never goes out of style. Bless you and yours.
hi carolynn! have you had any of your kids NOT show an affinity to the lifestyle that you have chosen? or even resent the work? you have a very strong mentality for "production" and I wondered if you had any kids who just leaned toward a more consumer mindset? Also, how do you manage things like kids wanting to learn things like music? or dance? or martial arts? We have limited resources, and money can't spread to all of it. BUT I don't want them to feel resentful about never being able to do or pursue their own interests. Any tips?
On our farm we save bones, pig heads, and other parts we are not interested in using for ourselves after we butcher. We boil them and feed them to the chickens. Great source of protein for the chickens and no waste.
In the UK it is illegal to feed anything to your animals including chickens and pigs that has been inside the house. It seems crazy to me that I can pick a lettuce in my garden and give it to a chicken but I can’t give them the outside leaves of a lettuce that has been brought into the kitchen.
My daughter wanted to let everyone know that chicken are dinosaurs. She learned that in school that they are descendents of a T-Rex🦖. Have a good week everyone.💌☕👨👨👧👧👨👩👧
"We'll whether the weather, whatever the weather, whether we like it or not!" :) Thanks for the pantry chat...now I got to finish watching it...stopped to share the poem while I was thinking about it.
Any container that comes in my house, if it had something in it, i will find a way to reuse it until there's nothing left of the container. Alot rotate from the kitchen to be used to start plants. Plastic grocery bags pile up quickly and have a lot of reuses, even use a old cloth bag stuffed with plastic bags for a pet bed ect, many more
Really enjoy your channel and appreciate the wonderful information! Do you have any recommendations on where to purchase chemical-free laundry detergent in bulk and your favorite brands?
3:55 yes, that is something homesteaders and backyard gardeners need to know. Gardening doesn't have to be an exact science. In a commercial setting, it does, because the grower has to be able to guarantee certain quality. That quality isn't necessary when producing for private use. 16:14 or borrow plates from some of your guests. Step 1: don't bring it home! Step 2: cook from scratch Step 3: buy in bulk Step 4: grow/make your own Reusing towels: "If you are clean when you get out of the shower. why does your towel get dirty?" LOL Buying tools: don't buy everything the advertisers try to convince us we must have to be a good gardener/house keeper.
I love your pantry chats. I am 75, live in Southern California and have 1/1/2 acres. Part of the property is in vineyard, roses, and vegetable gardens. I learn so much from everyone of your vidros. Thank you!!
2 things I do is save all of the paper and card board, chopping up, soak it in water drain excess water, mold paper products into manageable logs and dry. Burn in fire pit, place or wood stove, ash goes in compost pile. Plastic get collected and saved untill there is a decent amount, cut into small pieces, melted In a double boiler type system, cool some, mold into blocks and bricks for yard use as sidewalk or area edging, etc.
I’m so glad I found your channel. My husband and I garden and raise animals together with our family and I love hearing more info. :) Thank you so much for sharing!! Edited to add: We only have three chickens at the moment, but they are free range in our yard. I don’t put feed out for them. They just forage and eat scraps that I put in the compost everyday.
We will be processing our first flock of meat birds in June this year and we're trying to think of a way to get around using plastic bags for storing them...So far, we thought maybe to air dry them in the cold room, then wrap in butcher paper or freezer paper, but I think both of those still have a layer of plastic. Hmmm. Can you suggest anything for that?? 🤪. Thanks for the thought provoking video!
Wonderful video as always. I love how balanced this is. I use Branch Basics for my laundry and it works GREAT. Super affordable, effective, and they just came out with their glass bottles so its a win, win, win. My husband is an arborist and so I need something that works to get chainsaw oil out too and Branch Basics does the trick and has zero chemicals. I honestly am in love with it.
So hard to do some of these in a all apartment. I live in an urban apartment in the southwest desert. A farmers market is not really available, so I get frustrated when trying to reduce our waste. Thank you for the tips.
Hi! Yes, please discuss COVID-19. Your thoughts and suggestions could be really helpful. I live in an apartment in NY (epicenter of the virus) and it is pretty surreal. It also has been hinted at that you’re people of faith. I think it would be really helpful to bring that into your conversations right now. Thanks for your wonderful content!
Oh my goodness you guys! We've had the same sort of thing here in NM (not nearly that cold tho!!) It's been in the 70's for almost 2 weeks then suddenly a cold snap (right around freezing temps at night). My poor little newbie peach trees had already budded out! Yikes. Stay safe and hoping y'all get some warmer weather soon!
We did birch water and birch sap last spring. I even did fermented birch water, flavoured it with berries I picked the summer before and had in the freezer. It was a wonderful experience. I underestimated how much sap would come out of a tree in the beginning. Getting 10 litres from one tree a day was average.
My husband's mom made everyone throw their towel in the laundry basket after only one use... When we moved in together I was like oh no honey we re use towels around here because I'm not going to wash them every other day! He gave me a look like I was growing a second head but he learned haha!
Tip on the laundry detergent, I use Puracy from Amazon. I have it on my subscribe and save for $12 a bottle. It works great, fragrance free, and it’s only 12 cents a load.
Live in PA and wish we had more recycling centers. We have tin and aluminum can but no glass or plastic centers. Remember to hang dry your clothing. Reminder, powder detergent will be bad for septic systems in the long run.
You could approach your local authority & tell them to look into the waste recycling system implemented in South Australia - the state govt placed small refundable deposits on drink bottles, drink cans & milk or juice drink cartons to encourage people return them & outlawed disposable shopping bags years ago, so we have the lowest litter in the country. Our local council, City of Playford have set up a waste recycling plant where our household recycling ends up (it all gets collected just like the normal household waste) & they have contracts in place to sell over 80% of our household recycling to manufacturers who use it as their primary manufacturing materials. The money raised goes back into our community. (Btw I totally agree with hanging washing in the sunlight & fresh air).
Question for next week's Q&A - While canning huge amounts, the cooked food can cool while waiting for the canning process to complete on a previous batch. Sometimes way cool as pressure canning takes 90 minutes processing. Is it OK, to fill my jars with cooled foods (black beans, chickpeas, etc. that have been soaked overnight and cooked for 20 minutes), into cooled jars, and insert them into the canner which has 3 quarts of cool water - instead of everything being hot? I know I should not add cool jars to a hot processor, but what if everything is cool? Then fire it up, the canner water heats up, heating up the jars, which heats up the beans, then when the pressure is right, process the whole batch for the 90 minutes. I usually do this but not sure if I"m putting myself or anyone else who eats my food into possible danger. Thoughts?
So generally the best practice is to NOT jar your food until you are ready to put your jars in the canner. Ideally, you will leave the "extra" in your pot, even if that means heating slightly again before putting it into a hot jar, to put in a hot canner. This also includes not being able to process the jars on the same day as the food is prepared. Some people break up their canning in batches. You really want that food hot (except for RAW packs) so the temperature in the middle of the jars are hot enough for long enough to kill that bacteria.
Great video! Love less-waste conversations! Not sure if you have an affiliation link with your wool tshirts. I am very interested in switching over from poly fabrics...since I hate wearing deodorant. If you don't have an affiliate link, what name brand do you like for your wool T-shirt?
I loved this video on Zero waste. Thanks for sharing so many great ideas. I especially like the wake up call for myself on "Zero waste is Good for Others". I have the same problem with paper towels but I'm going to work on weaning myself off of them. I look forward to another video on this important subject.
One little change we've started in our house is buying all our herbs and spices and teas from the local co-op or growing our own. All small glass jars that come in the house are now being saved for the herbs and spices coming in. They're also being used to hold tinctures. We were going through lots of plastic bottles in the kitchen.
For the seed starting talk: I don't have heat mats or grow lights, etc. May you please address how to start seeds in a very diy inexpensive use what you have type method that works?
Some folks don't have the money to buy in bulk. Is there another way? I am giving up my paper towels and paper plates. I am trying to grow more food so I don't have to buy it which is less packaging. I just don't have the money to buy bulk. HELP. Thanks.
Ty for sharing. I’m watching in 2023 and have seen many videos with migrants as they come to USA southern border from all parts on the globe. They trash left behind is insane !! No way can we as USA citizens try to fix a climate problem when this is going on. Very sad.
For compost we go to our local landfill....they compost out all the tree trimmings from the power companies' trimmings the roadways...it's ridiculously reasonable as far as cost and works AMAZING! We just take our pick up truck up and they load it with an on site tractor. I hope this is available everywhere because it is SUCH a blessing :)
I have gone from using napkins and paper towels to using kitchen towels for napkins. It has saved us a lot of money. I still use paper towels for undesirable messes and if possible I throw the paper towels in my compost bin. I also throw paper towel rolls and toilet paper rolls in my compost bins. As far as reusing bath towels in the bathroom, I always wash them after every use. For one, I don't want to be drying my face on a towel that has dried my butt, even though it has been cleaned. And two, I saw where even after 1 use the towels will have germs and bacteria on them which you will be putting on your body if you use it a second time. Love your Pantry Chat and I am always learning new things from you two.
I have a suggestion for you about your towels! I, too, abhor the thought of drying my face with something that dried my butt, LOL! So I leave the tags on my towels to identify the inside and outside of the towel. Then, I always use the inside for drying off my face, arms and legs the outside for my toosh. This way, I'm comfortable watching my towels once a week. I mean I am drying off a clean body, right? 😂
@@coramdayo Sounds like a great idea about the towels. Inside Edition did an article where they checked towels in peoples bathrooms to see how much germs and bacteria they had on them. One day wasn't bad, but each day the towels got worse and then we are drying our hands, face and/or body with them. I am not a germaphobe, but I still dont want to get them all over me. There was a study done in Arizona and they found that fecal bacteria, which is associated with outbreaks of food poisoning and diarrhea, is in 89 percent of kitchen tea-towels, and E. coli is in 25.6 percent of towels. If your towel hangs near your toilet, water from the toilet sprays out onto it and anything near it. Toothbrushes????
Teo I don't think you mentioned. Cloth diapers Reusable menstrual products. If you have babies you KNOW how much diapers cost, I know its a big switch but if you have or plan on more than one kid it saves THOUSANDS of dollars and waste Reusable menstrual products are so much better for your body. Cups, period panties or cloth pads are really so easy. Just rinse thoroughly and wash the pads with your towels. Organic is a healthier option (the bleaches and chemicals are SO irritating to your reproductive ymsystem and can make your period worse.
The problem with plastic increase is coming because more cars are built with plastic bumpers, dashboards, ect. Also look at all the plastic stuff other than bottles today. While typing this on a plastic keyboard that will eventually end up in a land fill. We have become a plastic nation because of cost. I totally agree plastic is horrible. But look around at all of our belongings that are made of plastic today compared to 1950. Plus the population compared today from 1950.
We are switching to jars as well, we are also saving glass sauce jars for dry goods and spices that we are currently using. I also use a homemade laundry soap but I do clean the washing machine with baking soda and vinegar often to compensate. We also have stainless steel water bottles, however I do keep 2 cases of water in our car (yes I do know about leaching plastic, and it's not an Ideal place, but it is for emergencies) part of our G.O.O.D/ 72 hour kit which we keep in the car because we are on the west coast in walking distance of the ocean and we do get earthquake's often and we do have Mt. Rainer less then an hour away.
I purchased a bunch of the blue cloths the medical industry uses. They're great for everything and l wash separate from other laundry when it's time to wash them. However....l still have the paper towels for when the cats vomit somewhere. Which isn't super often . Also l bought cheap wash cloths and dish cloths that are used and washed with the rest of the laundry.
Something I'd also like to add, in my home we reuse water, so I know reusing bath water is common, but we don't share our bath water necessarily, but we do reuse it to flush our toilets or soak our dishes in before they get washed, and say if there's a spill of coffee on the rug we'll use the bath water to scrub it up instead of getting new water. We also wash our dogs and cats in our old shower and bath water. It's not much but it makes me feel better. Also stopped using laundry detergent about a year ago, and got what's called a laundry egg I love it! Hopefully can get my mom to soon convert to some of my less waste living soon!
We just planted new elderberry bushes. We have never done this before any tips They are in the ground and tips would be good. Like when do I fertilize and how much water.?
Please talk more about zero waste in the urban city areas. I hate to throw away things I know can be composted or reused, but I have to figure out how to do it here (in the city) until I can relocate.
That's great that your looking to tap birch trees this year! We've really enjoyed the water for the past few years, as well as some of the hard earned syrup :) We share a bit of our experience on our channel if you're interested. Thanks again for the great info!
Question.... I got rid of my paper towels and napkins about 6 months ago. The only thing I've struggled with is what to put by fried bacon on after I've cooked it. Do you just use a normal towel for that as well?
I was wondering the same thing!! That is the only thing I use paper towels for. I figure if that's all then I'm doing pretty good. But now I'm thinking along the lines of just using an old piece of clothing/rag that I would throw away anyway, just use that for grease.
Just purchased 19 chicks: 2, 3, and 4 weeks old, for laying eggs....would love the title of the book/info to make your own chicken feed from table scraps... or more tips!
Our compost was were the chickens had access to it, and our egg yokes were a red orange in color. So when I moved out on my own I was afraid to eat store bought eggs because I think the chickens laying them were unhealthy because of the pail yellow yokes. Our eggs tasted better also.
Not on the topic of zero waste but I will ask here anyway :) I would LOVE to see some of the systems you have in place for your family and home. I have some good systems but only because of the wonderful ideas I get from other large families. What could I do differently that I haven't thought of yet? Thanks so much!!
Lots of great tips...thanks!! Just because I live 1/2 hour from my shopping area, I keep a list of what I need from & have to do in different places. I'll make one trip every 7-10 days and get it done at once. Definitely keeps me from multiple trips in between and spending more. Having the list(s) keeps me on track, too.
I am looking for ways to put fish, fruits and vegetables in the freezer without using plastic freezer bags. Any ideas or suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks! I really enjoy the panty chats.
Kitchen paper towels & cotton wool or cotton pads are compostable, we compost ours. We use cloths & rags too, but if we used them for everything, the washing machine would be running constantly, wasting detergent, electricity & water. If you shop smart & buy brands that are wrapped in paper or cardboard instead of plastic, the packaging is also compostable & those purchases are quite literally zero waste.
We usually only go to town twice a month so when we go I’m usually doing all my town shopping in one. Grocery items, doc appointments, animal feed, thrift stores. I have gotten pretty good at only going twice a month and just planning one full day of town time. I know I started cloth diapering with my first and have carried those same diapers with my second and third. I’m not saying we didn’t use disposables but very few in the huge aspect of diapers. We have saved roughly $2000 per child by cloth diapering so $6000 for all 3. Plus the trash reduction of using cloth was huge.
I have a couple questions about reducing waste in the kitchen. 1. With no paper towels how do you 'dry' your butter after rinsing? 2. How do you wrap your butter for the freezer without plastic wrap?
Such a wonderful video!!! We are mostly paper free, working on providing our own food (never heard of birch water), but right now we are still searching for bulk compost and such. Much of what I do in the kitchen is what my mother did. Cleaning the freezer means Surprise Stew as she froze ALL meat leftovers. All skins for onions, garlic, and left over vegies go into a container in the freezer for bone broths. We have two compost piles, one for animal waste (chickens and such) one for vegetation...once a year we mix the together.
An idea for another zero waste video; zero waste with your food. For example, when preserving carrots last fall, I made pesto from the carrot tops. I’m always looking for ways to use those extra bits. Though the tops would not have been wasted, they would have gone to the pigs or chickens, I also love the idea of making more food for us. Another one, making cheese, save the whey for shakes instead of buying a processed whey powder. I would love to learn the things Caroline does in the kitchen as I’m sure she has a few tips in this department. Love your videos folks!
Not too long ago we used to call it reducing your carbon footprint. Here in Virginia Beach we have curbside recycling that is in a 90 gallon can and is picked up every other week. They take plastic bottles, steel cans, aluminum cans, cardboard, glass, and paper. I keep the aluminum cans and sell them to a metal recycle center. Some grocery stores here have a bin for the plastic grocery bags
And you can re-use those 50lb bags for something else like your trash bag, which is really cool. I know I have used my 50lb dog food bags for moving some of my things in my home when I moved to a different location. They are durable and can hold a lot of weight, which worked out lovely for me.
I have a wonderful stainless steel water bottle, love it. Except....I’m forever dropping it and it’s now so dented on the bottom it doesn’t sit flat. I’ve hammered out the dents, but then I drop it again. I carry my water with my every where. Not sure what to do. 🙄
I love mason jars but have found I sometimes need something with an even wider mouth. I found glass terrines with (galvanized wire for older products) stainless steel wire and rubber seals. Have you used anything like this?
Hello from Kansas! I'm enjoying your pantry chat videos. Thank you for sharing your homesteading knowledge with the rest of us! Getting rid of paper towels is a step my family needs to make. I love your idea of using the old clothing. I already do that for dusting rags and shop rags. What brand of natural laundry soap do you use? We have tried diy laundry soaps and they just don't get the stains and strong farm smells out! Also would love to know how you make your diy cleaners. Thanks & God bless☺
Hey guys! I just found you a month ago and have been catching up on your videos. Josh commented that our waste has to go somewhere. I live in NE Pennsylvania and we have several landfills within an hour ride and most of that waste comes from NYC and NJ. The smell of the closest one is horrendous in the summer. It makes you want to cut back on waste and hope that others will do the same.
One thing I’m excited for is using my glass herb bottles from the store for my homegrown herbs. One brand I use has labels that peel off really well without any residue and has a nice lid that comes off and a second lid with the shaker. I’m tickled. Can’t wait to fill them up!!
Thank you for posting, this gave me energy to go to the next zero waste level, I've been a little bit lacy on that project for a while. I was suposed to go to the gardencenter this weekend and by all that i need for my tiny garden, start all the seedlings and wake up the garden. But I'm home sick and I'm not allowed to go out. I will make some bees wrap and zero waste bags insted, great idea.
Laundry detergent is one I started making at home probably about 4 years ago now because I wanted to know what was going into my detergent and I really don't like how the commercial detergent is scented. Does it make a difference whether it's liquid or powder as far as cleaning ability? My washing machine is like 25 years old.
I reuse all my thin towels for cleaning rags, by cutting them down into 6 squares...and then we use them as dish cloths for a few years till they are threadbare... then they get used as painting rags or for cleaning up those gross things and then finally dumoed
Starting my seeds this week. Was planning to get it started last week but stuff got in the way. The more we grow/product ourselves the less we will but at the store, so less garbage. Thank's for the info. Stay safe and healthy. God bless
Little tip on the reusable glass cleaning bottles. Don't waste money buying a glass bottle for $10 or more each. The Bragg's 16 oz. vinegar bottles work perfect. I just took the the spray nozzles off my plastic ones and they are the correct size to for them. No wasted money, just repurposed bottle. Once you have enough bottles go back to buying bigger vinegar units.
Great tip!
🤯
Oh wow!! Thank you for this tip... darn!! I just threw one away 😖
Thanks for the tip!
Thank you! That’s great!
I clothed diapered & all the prefolds & flats I now use as "non paper towels"... I knew I would. I can't even imagine going paper towels again! What a waste, even just money wise! I also use smaller cloth for a wipe/tissue.
As far as feeding chickens, my grandmother would mash up used eggs' shells and give them to the chickens (just sprinkling it on the ground where they were eating), to make their eggshells stronger.
Plastic is something unavoidable, even if I try - foods, etc. come in it without an alternative. So I use most of the packaging as "plarn" - plastic yarn - and can crochet baskets, shopping bags, craft bags, etc. They're then useable, washable, and durable. Upcycle as much as possible to help reduce waste.
This was great! Thank you!
Where do you get your wool shirts?
Also, where do you recommend buying food(oats, wheat, etc) in bulk?
Hi there! The shirts are expensive, compared to a normal cotton t-shirt, but I love the brand Minus 33 here is a link to one of their t-shirts: amzn.to/39cOEQL
And we really prefer to purchase locally, but when we can't we use Azure Standard: www.azurestandard.com/?a_aid=EWfmOQQSY2
@@HomesteadingFamily But....$60 for one t-shirt??? That's kind of crazy!
@@rajinevin7273 Costco sells this brand too! (Minus 33)
When are you going to do the 2nd iron skillet video? You did the one on how to pick one and you said you were going to show how to season and take care of the iron skillets. I have been waiting for this video. Very excited for it!
Hi Josh & Carolyn, watching you from my hospital bed. They drained 600 ml of fluid off my heart. Not Virus related. Just wanted you to know that your videos are keeping me motivated and blessed even in the hospital. Can’t wait to get home and start some of your ideas. Thank You, Leana B.
Hope you are feeling better!
I started composting my kitchen waste and that made my 2-3 bags of garbage go down to one or two a week. Been trying hard to cut back on my plastic use.
Thanks for the tips... my favorite "saver" is your Time stamps in the description..they are SO helpful...finding my way back to re-listen 2 specific topic
Thank you, Carolyn and Josh, for all the constructive information you so generously provide in your pleasant, loving manner. What a delightful experience you bring us. It is a helpful, needed diversion from the dire current world situation facing many at this time. I often wished I had had more opportunity to know more of what my grandparents knew; with your videos, I feel like I have a good way to learn and help pass it on. Healthful living never goes out of style. Bless you and yours.
Yes indeed, this way of living NEEDS to be passed on to our young folk! I wish more people would live this way! I know I do my best to! :)
hi carolynn! have you had any of your kids NOT show an affinity to the lifestyle that you have chosen? or even resent the work? you have a very strong mentality for "production" and I wondered if you had any kids who just leaned toward a more consumer mindset? Also, how do you manage things like kids wanting to learn things like music? or dance? or martial arts? We have limited resources, and money can't spread to all of it. BUT I don't want them to feel resentful about never being able to do or pursue their own interests. Any tips?
On our farm we save bones, pig heads, and other parts we are not interested in using for ourselves after we butcher. We boil them and feed them to the chickens. Great source of protein for the chickens and no waste.
In the UK it is illegal to feed anything to your animals including chickens and pigs that has been inside the house. It seems crazy to me that I can pick a lettuce in my garden and give it to a chicken but I can’t give them the outside leaves of a lettuce that has been brought into the kitchen.
That’s crazy. I would do whatever I could to feed my birds😊
My daughter wanted to let everyone know that chicken are dinosaurs. She learned that in school that they are descendents of a T-Rex🦖. Have a good week everyone.💌☕👨👨👧👧👨👩👧
"We'll whether the weather, whatever the weather, whether we like it or not!" :) Thanks for the pantry chat...now I got to finish watching it...stopped to share the poem while I was thinking about it.
Any container that comes in my house, if it had something in it, i will find a way to reuse it until there's nothing left of the container. Alot rotate from the kitchen to be used to start plants. Plastic grocery bags pile up quickly and have a lot of reuses, even use a old cloth bag stuffed with plastic bags for a pet bed ect, many more
Would love your thoughts on COVID19.....Also can you share your recipes for face wash, shampoo, etc., things that you make for personal care?
Really enjoy your channel and appreciate the wonderful information! Do you have any recommendations on where to purchase chemical-free laundry detergent in bulk and your favorite brands?
3:55 yes, that is something homesteaders and backyard gardeners need to know. Gardening doesn't have to be an exact science.
In a commercial setting, it does, because the grower has to be able to guarantee certain quality.
That quality isn't necessary when producing for private use.
16:14 or borrow plates from some of your guests.
Step 1: don't bring it home!
Step 2: cook from scratch
Step 3: buy in bulk
Step 4: grow/make your own
Reusing towels: "If you are clean when you get out of the shower. why does your towel get dirty?" LOL
Buying tools: don't buy everything the advertisers try to convince us we must have to be a good gardener/house keeper.
I love your pantry chats. I am 75, live in Southern California and have 1/1/2 acres. Part of the property is in vineyard, roses, and vegetable gardens. I learn so much from everyone of your vidros. Thank you!!
That is awesome!
Thank you so much for addressing this topic! Less waste and sustainability just makes sense. Especially on the homestead. Thanks for all that you do.
2 things I do is save all of the paper and card board, chopping up, soak it in water drain excess water, mold paper products into manageable logs and dry. Burn in fire pit, place or wood stove, ash goes in compost pile.
Plastic get collected and saved untill there is a decent amount, cut into small pieces, melted In a double boiler type system, cool some, mold into blocks and bricks for yard use as sidewalk or area edging, etc.
I’m so glad I found your channel. My husband and I garden and raise animals together with our family and I love hearing more info. :) Thank you so much for sharing!!
Edited to add: We only have three chickens at the moment, but they are free range in our yard. I don’t put feed out for them. They just forage and eat scraps that I put in the compost everyday.
We will be processing our first flock of meat birds in June this year and we're trying to think of a way to get around using plastic bags for storing them...So far, we thought maybe to air dry them in the cold room, then wrap in butcher paper or freezer paper, but I think both of those still have a layer of plastic. Hmmm. Can you suggest anything for that?? 🤪. Thanks for the thought provoking video!
Wonderful video as always. I love how balanced this is. I use Branch Basics for my laundry and it works GREAT. Super affordable, effective, and they just came out with their glass bottles so its a win, win, win. My husband is an arborist and so I need something that works to get chainsaw oil out too and Branch Basics does the trick and has zero chemicals. I honestly am in love with it.
What detergent do you recommend?
So hard to do some of these in a all apartment. I live in an urban apartment in the southwest desert. A farmers market is not really available, so I get frustrated when trying to reduce our waste. Thank you for the tips.
Hi! Yes, please discuss COVID-19. Your thoughts and suggestions could be really helpful. I live in an apartment in NY (epicenter of the virus) and it is pretty surreal.
It also has been hinted at that you’re people of faith. I think it would be really helpful to bring that into your conversations right now.
Thanks for your wonderful content!
Oh my goodness you guys! We've had the same sort of thing here in NM (not nearly that cold tho!!) It's been in the 70's for almost 2 weeks then suddenly a cold snap (right around freezing temps at night). My poor little newbie peach trees had already budded out! Yikes. Stay safe and hoping y'all get some warmer weather soon!
We did birch water and birch sap last spring. I even did fermented birch water, flavoured it with berries I picked the summer before and had in the freezer. It was a wonderful experience. I underestimated how much sap would come out of a tree in the beginning. Getting 10 litres from one tree a day was average.
My husband's mom made everyone throw their towel in the laundry basket after only one use... When we moved in together I was like oh no honey we re use towels around here because I'm not going to wash them every other day! He gave me a look like I was growing a second head but he learned haha!
Tip on the laundry detergent, I use Puracy from Amazon. I have it on my subscribe and save for $12 a bottle. It works great, fragrance free, and it’s only 12 cents a load.
Live in PA and wish we had more recycling centers. We have tin and aluminum can but no glass or plastic centers. Remember to hang dry your clothing. Reminder, powder detergent will be bad for septic systems in the long run.
You could approach your local authority & tell them to look into the waste recycling system implemented in South Australia - the state govt placed small refundable deposits on drink bottles, drink cans & milk or juice drink cartons to encourage people return them & outlawed disposable shopping bags years ago, so we have the lowest litter in the country. Our local council, City of Playford have set up a waste recycling plant where our household recycling ends up (it all gets collected just like the normal household waste) & they have contracts in place to sell over 80% of our household recycling to manufacturers who use it as their primary manufacturing materials. The money raised goes back into our community. (Btw I totally agree with hanging washing in the sunlight & fresh air).
Question for next week's Q&A - While canning huge amounts, the cooked food can cool while waiting for the canning process to complete on a previous batch. Sometimes way cool as pressure canning takes 90 minutes processing. Is it OK, to fill my jars with cooled foods (black beans, chickpeas, etc. that have been soaked overnight and cooked for 20 minutes), into cooled jars, and insert them into the canner which has 3 quarts of cool water - instead of everything being hot? I know I should not add cool jars to a hot processor, but what if everything is cool? Then fire it up, the canner water heats up, heating up the jars, which heats up the beans, then when the pressure is right, process the whole batch for the 90 minutes. I usually do this but not sure if I"m putting myself or anyone else who eats my food into possible danger. Thoughts?
So generally the best practice is to NOT jar your food until you are ready to put your jars in the canner. Ideally, you will leave the "extra" in your pot, even if that means heating slightly again before putting it into a hot jar, to put in a hot canner. This also includes not being able to process the jars on the same day as the food is prepared. Some people break up their canning in batches. You really want that food hot (except for RAW packs) so the temperature in the middle of the jars are hot enough for long enough to kill that bacteria.
Great video! Love less-waste conversations! Not sure if you have an affiliation link with your wool tshirts. I am very interested in switching over from poly fabrics...since I hate wearing deodorant. If you don't have an affiliate link, what name brand do you like for your wool T-shirt?
Love the mug and cup✨
I loved this video on Zero waste. Thanks for sharing so many great ideas. I especially like the wake up call for myself on "Zero waste is Good for Others". I have the same problem with paper towels but I'm going to work on weaning myself off of them. I look forward to another video on this important subject.
One little change we've started in our house is buying all our herbs and spices and teas from the local co-op or growing our own. All small glass jars that come in the house are now being saved for the herbs and spices coming in. They're also being used to hold tinctures. We were going through lots of plastic bottles in the kitchen.
What do you do with plastic that comes into your home unavoidably (like packaging on necessary purchases)?
I went to norwex for all cleaning just need water !
For the seed starting talk: I don't have heat mats or grow lights, etc. May you please address how to start seeds in a very diy inexpensive use what you have type method that works?
I've read putting them on top of your refrigerator works in place of a growing matt. Anna In Ohio.
Birch bark is a great fire starter as well. Instead
Of using paper or something else
Some folks don't have the money to buy in bulk. Is there another way? I am giving up my paper towels and paper plates. I am trying to grow more food so I don't have to buy it which is less packaging. I just don't have the money to buy bulk. HELP. Thanks.
Ty for sharing. I’m watching in 2023 and have seen many videos with migrants as they come to USA southern border from all parts on the globe. They trash left behind is insane !! No way can we as USA citizens try to fix a climate problem when this is going on. Very sad.
For compost we go to our local landfill....they compost out all the tree trimmings from the power companies' trimmings the roadways...it's ridiculously reasonable as far as cost and works AMAZING! We just take our pick up truck up and they load it with an on site tractor. I hope this is available everywhere because it is SUCH a blessing :)
I have gone from using napkins and paper towels to using kitchen towels for napkins. It has saved us a lot of money. I still use paper towels for undesirable messes and if possible I throw the paper towels in my compost bin. I also throw paper towel rolls and toilet paper rolls in my compost bins. As far as reusing bath towels in the bathroom, I always wash them after every use. For one, I don't want to be drying my face on a towel that has dried my butt, even though it has been cleaned. And two, I saw where even after 1 use the towels will have germs and bacteria on them which you will be putting on your body if you use it a second time. Love your Pantry Chat and I am always learning new things from you two.
I have a suggestion for you about your towels! I, too, abhor the thought of drying my face with something that dried my butt, LOL! So I leave the tags on my towels to identify the inside and outside of the towel. Then, I always use the inside for drying off my face, arms and legs the outside for my toosh. This way, I'm comfortable watching my towels once a week. I mean I am drying off a clean body, right? 😂
@@coramdayo Sounds like a great idea about the towels. Inside Edition did an article where they checked towels in peoples bathrooms to see how much germs and bacteria they had on them. One day wasn't bad, but each day the towels got worse and then we are drying our hands, face and/or body with them. I am not a germaphobe, but I still dont want to get them all over me. There was a study done in Arizona and they found that fecal bacteria, which is associated with outbreaks of food poisoning and diarrhea, is in 89 percent of kitchen tea-towels, and E. coli is in 25.6 percent of towels. If your towel hangs near your toilet, water from the toilet sprays out onto it and anything near it. Toothbrushes????
Teo I don't think you mentioned.
Cloth diapers
Reusable menstrual products.
If you have babies you KNOW how much diapers cost, I know its a big switch but if you have or plan on more than one kid it saves THOUSANDS of dollars and waste
Reusable menstrual products are so much better for your body. Cups, period panties or cloth pads are really so easy. Just rinse thoroughly and wash the pads with your towels.
Organic is a healthier option (the bleaches and chemicals are SO irritating to your reproductive ymsystem and can make your period worse.
My kids got in BIG trouble for 'dumping' (putting clean clothes in the laundry hamper instead of putting them away).
The problem with plastic increase is coming because more cars are built with plastic bumpers, dashboards, ect. Also look at all the plastic stuff other than bottles today. While typing this on a plastic keyboard that will eventually end up in a land fill. We have become a plastic nation because of cost. I totally agree plastic is horrible. But look around at all of our belongings that are made of plastic today compared to 1950. Plus the population compared today from 1950.
Not everyone has room for 25lb. bags of rice and such... I'm just sayin'....
Great video as usual, you 2 are a library of information :-D
But how about diapers, and feminine product.??
Cloth for both! You can purchase feminine pads on Etsy that are reusable. I bought them for my daughter and she really liked them.
I always used cloth diapers. I didn’t know about the reusable feminine products. 😥
There is also the Cup now that replaces tampons. I love it.
I bought cloth pads on amazon, love them.
Can you find the author for the book, "Cottage Industry" ? Thank you! ☺😀😄
id say its Cottage economy by William Corbett , free book on google books
@@borninthewrongera6888 cheers! I appreciate that title
Brutal, germany is blocked from project gutenburg libraries!
We are switching to jars as well, we are also saving glass sauce jars for dry goods and spices that we are currently using.
I also use a homemade laundry soap but I do clean the washing machine with baking soda and vinegar often to compensate.
We also have stainless steel water bottles, however I do keep 2 cases of water in our car (yes I do know about leaching plastic, and it's not an Ideal place, but it is for emergencies) part of our G.O.O.D/ 72 hour kit which we keep in the car because we are on the west coast in walking distance of the ocean and we do get earthquake's often and we do have Mt. Rainer less then an hour away.
I purchased a bunch of the blue cloths the medical industry uses. They're great for everything and l wash separate from other laundry when it's time to wash them. However....l still have the paper towels for when the cats vomit somewhere. Which isn't super often . Also l bought cheap wash cloths and dish cloths that are used and washed with the rest of the laundry.
Something I'd also like to add, in my home we reuse water, so I know reusing bath water is common, but we don't share our bath water necessarily, but we do reuse it to flush our toilets or soak our dishes in before they get washed, and say if there's a spill of coffee on the rug we'll use the bath water to scrub it up instead of getting new water. We also wash our dogs and cats in our old shower and bath water. It's not much but it makes me feel better. Also stopped using laundry detergent about a year ago, and got what's called a laundry egg I love it! Hopefully can get my mom to soon convert to some of my less waste living soon!
Aren't you generally at home? Touching your face isn't a big deal, IMO.
We just planted new elderberry bushes. We have never done this before any tips They are in the ground and tips would be good. Like when do I fertilize and how much water.?
Please talk more about zero waste in the urban city areas. I hate to throw away things I know can be composted or reused, but I have to figure out how to do it here (in the city) until I can relocate.
That's great that your looking to tap birch trees this year! We've really enjoyed the water for the past few years, as well as some of the hard earned syrup :) We share a bit of our experience on our channel if you're interested. Thanks again for the great info!
Question.... I got rid of my paper towels and napkins about 6 months ago. The only thing I've struggled with is what to put by fried bacon on after I've cooked it. Do you just use a normal towel for that as well?
Maybe you could use a cooling rack (like you use for cookies) and let the grease drip off and then you can scrape it off later to save.
I was wondering the same thing!! That is the only thing I use paper towels for. I figure if that's all then I'm doing pretty good. But now I'm thinking along the lines of just using an old piece of clothing/rag that I would throw away anyway, just use that for grease.
I put those bacon fat soaked paper towels in a baggie in the fridge and I use them as fire starters.
@@mjacobs5875 good one!!!!
@@mjacobs5875
We use them in our woodstove as well.
I buy the Tide knockoff for 25 a 5 gallon bucket. Lasts me 4 to 5 months
My homemade detergent works great as long as I use vinegar as a fabric softener.
@8:10, Cottage Economy by William Cobbett, 1821.
What is so wrong with paper towels? It is a renewable resource and compostable after all.
My trash goes in the landfill down the street. The End. Its not in anyones way and its not killing sea turtles. Its a beautiful grass covered hill
Would you show us how to sharpen garden tools, please.
Where do you get wool t shirts and....aren't they itchy?
I would like more info on your laundry detergent. What do you use ??
Just purchased 19 chicks: 2, 3, and 4 weeks old, for laying eggs....would love the title of the book/info to make your own chicken feed from table scraps... or more tips!
Justin Rhodes, also on TH-cam. has some great videos about feeding chickens. Permaculture chicken
Thank you!
glad you guys don't have much corona virus spread.
If you want to hear about zero waste - you need to go about 10 minutes into the video.
Have you guys by any chance tried trying earth since this video?
Love your channel, just want to say thanks!
Our compost was were the chickens had access to it, and our egg yokes were a red orange in color. So when I moved out on my own I was afraid to eat store bought eggs because I think the chickens laying them were unhealthy because of the pail yellow yokes. Our eggs tasted better also.
Not on the topic of zero waste but I will ask here anyway :)
I would LOVE to see some of the systems you have in place for your family and home. I have some good systems but only because of the wonderful ideas I get from other large families. What could I do differently that I haven't thought of yet? Thanks so much!!
Lots of great tips...thanks!! Just because I live 1/2 hour from my shopping area, I keep a list of what I need from & have to do in different places. I'll make one trip every 7-10 days and get it done at once. Definitely keeps me from multiple trips in between and spending more. Having the list(s) keeps me on track, too.
Add a little bit of mint to birch water, we call it juice :)
Where are you buying wool clothing?
Great video! Thank you!
Where do you find wool t-shirts?
I am looking for ways to put fish, fruits and vegetables in the freezer without using plastic freezer bags. Any ideas or suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks! I really enjoy the panty chats.
Kitchen paper towels & cotton wool or cotton pads are compostable, we compost ours. We use cloths & rags too, but if we used them for everything, the washing machine would be running constantly, wasting detergent, electricity & water. If you shop smart & buy brands that are wrapped in paper or cardboard instead of plastic, the packaging is also compostable & those purchases are quite literally zero waste.
We usually only go to town twice a month so when we go I’m usually doing all my town shopping in one. Grocery items, doc appointments, animal feed, thrift stores. I have gotten pretty good at only going twice a month and just planning one full day of town time. I know I started cloth diapering with my first and have carried those same diapers with my second and third. I’m not saying we didn’t use disposables but very few in the huge aspect of diapers. We have saved roughly $2000 per child by cloth diapering so $6000 for all 3. Plus the trash reduction of using cloth was huge.
I have a couple questions about reducing waste in the kitchen.
1. With no paper towels how do you 'dry' your butter after rinsing?
2. How do you wrap your butter for the freezer without plastic wrap?
Such a wonderful video!!! We are mostly paper free, working on providing our own food (never heard of birch water), but right now we are still searching for bulk compost and such. Much of what I do in the kitchen is what my mother did. Cleaning the freezer means Surprise Stew as she froze ALL meat leftovers. All skins for onions, garlic, and left over vegies go into a container in the freezer for bone broths. We have two compost piles, one for animal waste (chickens and such) one for vegetation...once a year we mix the together.
An idea for another zero waste video; zero waste with your food. For example, when preserving carrots last fall, I made pesto from the carrot tops. I’m always looking for ways to use those extra bits. Though the tops would not have been wasted, they would have gone to the pigs or chickens, I also love the idea of making more food for us. Another one, making cheese, save the whey for shakes instead of buying a processed whey powder. I would love to learn the things Caroline does in the kitchen as I’m sure she has a few tips in this department. Love your videos folks!
Not too long ago we used to call it reducing your carbon footprint. Here in Virginia Beach we have curbside recycling that is in a 90 gallon can and is picked up every other week. They take plastic bottles, steel cans, aluminum cans, cardboard, glass, and paper. I keep the aluminum cans and sell them to a metal recycle center. Some grocery stores here have a bin for the plastic grocery bags
And you can re-use those 50lb bags for something else like your trash bag, which is really cool. I know I have used my 50lb dog food bags for moving some of my things in my home when I moved to a different location. They are durable and can hold a lot of weight, which worked out lovely for me.
I have a wonderful stainless steel water bottle, love it. Except....I’m forever dropping it and it’s now so dented on the bottom it doesn’t sit flat. I’ve hammered out the dents, but then I drop it again. I carry my water with my every where. Not sure what to do. 🙄
I love mason jars but have found I sometimes need something with an even wider mouth. I found glass terrines with (galvanized wire for older products) stainless steel wire and rubber seals. Have you used anything like this?
Hello from Kansas! I'm enjoying your pantry chat videos. Thank you for sharing your homesteading knowledge with the rest of us! Getting rid of paper towels is a step my family needs to make. I love your idea of using the old clothing. I already do that for dusting rags and shop rags. What brand of natural laundry soap do you use? We have tried diy laundry soaps and they just don't get the stains and strong farm smells out! Also would love to know how you make your diy cleaners. Thanks & God bless☺
Hey guys! I just found you a month ago and have been catching up on your videos. Josh commented that our waste has to go somewhere. I live in NE Pennsylvania and we have several landfills within an hour ride and most of that waste comes from NYC and NJ. The smell of the closest one is horrendous in the summer. It makes you want to cut back on waste and hope that others will do the same.
One thing I’m excited for is using my glass herb bottles from the store for my homegrown herbs. One brand I use has labels that peel off really well without any residue and has a nice lid that comes off and a second lid with the shaker. I’m tickled. Can’t wait to fill them up!!
Thank you for posting, this gave me energy to go to the next zero waste level, I've been a little bit lacy on that project for a while. I was suposed to go to the gardencenter this weekend and by all that i need for my tiny garden, start all the seedlings and wake up the garden. But I'm home sick and I'm not allowed to go out. I will make some bees wrap and zero waste bags insted, great idea.
Do u have a recipe for laundry soap
Laundry detergent is one I started making at home probably about 4 years ago now because I wanted to know what was going into my detergent and I really don't like how the commercial detergent is scented. Does it make a difference whether it's liquid or powder as far as cleaning ability? My washing machine is like 25 years old.
Wow, awesome know how and experience, love it from Melbourne, Australia 🇦🇺
I reuse all my thin towels for cleaning rags, by cutting them down into 6 squares...and then we use them as dish cloths for a few years till they are threadbare... then they get used as painting rags or for cleaning up those gross things and then finally dumoed
Carolyn, you really need to stop reading my journal! ;) You mentioned wool t-shirts - where do you get these? Thanks!
Starting my seeds this week. Was planning to get it started last week but stuff got in the way. The more we grow/product ourselves the less we will but at the store, so less garbage. Thank's for the info. Stay safe and healthy. God bless