This post contains affiliate links, which means I make a small commission at no extra cost to you. See my full disclosure here.

I had several apples that were starting to bruise along with a bag of apples sitting on the other end of my counter. I figured now is the time to make some apple sauce before they all get too bad.

Now I am not a fan of peeling things if I can help it. So when I found out about this method of getting quick apple sauce with hardly any dishes and absolutely no peeling, I was all for it. Now I do like the texture of applesauce that doesn’t have the skin, so there is one more step when making this apple sauce to remove the peels but it’s super quick.

I love using the instant pot to make things super easy and cut down on my need to stand at the stove and keep and eye on cooking food. Not to mention if I need to leave the house for any reason, this can keep cooking and be done by the time I get back. I don’t need to worry about turning off the stove and picking it back up when I return home.

It also keeps the food warm by switching to the warm setting and it’s ready for me to continue with when I’m ready.

What can applesauce be used for?

• In baked goods you can use them in place of oil in a 1:1 ratio
• An added ingredient to your dinner side dish – add some sour cream and a little nutmeg and eat it alongside some pork or chicken
• Add it to your bowl of oatmeal
• Make a Peanut Butter and Applesauce sandwich
• I like to add it to my strudels – just add a little sweetener and cinnamon – yum!
• Make frozen apple sauce bites for your toddler
• Add some to your yogurt with some granola for a tasty breakfast or snack.
• Warm some up in a bowl and sprinkle some cinnamon on it.
• You could even make this a gift and add them to pint size mason jars and add a cute tag.
• The possibilities are endless

In a pinch I have used apple sauce in place of oils when I am making a cake or other baked goods. I have frequently made these delicious Applesauce Muffins for my kids and they love them.

What kind of apples make the best applesauce?

If your looking for a sweet applesauce, Gala, Fuji and Honeycrisp are best for that.

If your wanting a tart applesauce, McIntosh, Cortland, Pink Lady and Granny Smith would be your go to apples.

How to make Instant Pot Applesauce

Supplies Needed:

Instant Pot

Stainless steel food mill

Ingredients:

Apples (any variety will work for this recipe)

Cinnamon if you choose

How to make Instant Pot Applesauce

1. Wash your apples
2. Add them to your instant pot
3. Add the water, 10-12 apples – 1/2 a cup, a full 6 quart instant pot – 3/4 – 1 cup. You don’t want to add too much water because the apples release a lot of liquid.
4. Put the lid on the instant pot and set it to seal
5. Press the Pressure Cook setting and set it to High Pressure
6. Set the time for 30 minutes
7. When the time is up you can let the pressure naturally release or release the seal yourself.
8. Scoop out about a cup or two at a time into the food mill and run it through there adding more as needed.
9. I occasionally spin the handle in reverse to scrape up the skin that gets stuck along the bottom.
10. Keep adding to your food mill removing and seeds and peels until your finished.
11. Add a teaspoon of cinnamon if desired.
12. If you want to add a sweetener, you can drizzle some honey or maple syrup.
13. I keep my applesauce in mason jars. Add a funnel to a half gallon jar and pour it in.

Storage

This should keep in your fridge for a couple weeks.

For longer storage you can freeze them in Souper Cubes then pop them out and keep them in gallon freezer bags.

What to do if you don’t have a food mill

If you don’t have a food mill but want applesauce today, I have a couple ideas for you. You can always leave the peels on, just core the apples and then add them to the instant pot and cook as directed. Once the apples are cooked, a less mess way would be to use your immersion blender right in your instant pot to your desired consistency. If you don’t have an immersion blender, add the apples to your blender.

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6 Quart Instant Pot

Moulinex Food Mill

Caveman Cub Stainless Steel Bowls – They are currently sold out but here’s a link for the same brand plates.

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Instant Pot Applesauce - No Peeling

Yield: 5 cups

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Additional Time: 5 minutes

Total Time: 5 minutes

A quick and simple way to get delicious homemade applesauce without the hassle of peeling.

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Ingredients

• 10-12 apples
• 1/2 cup water
• cinnamon (optional)
• sweetener (optional)

Instructions

1. Wash your apples
2. Add them to your instant pot
3. Add the water, 10-12 apples - 1/2 a cup, a full 6 quart instant pot - 3/4 - 1 cup. You don't want to add too much water because the apples release a lot of liquid.
4. Put the lid on the instant pot and set it to seal
5. Press the Pressure Cook setting and set it to High Pressure
6. Set the time for 30 minutes
7. When the time is up you can let the pressure naturally release or release the seal yourself.
8. Scoop about a cup or two at a time into the food mill and run it through there adding more as needed.
9. I occasionally spin the handle in reverse to scrape up the skin that gets stuck along the bottom.
10. Keep adding to your food mill removing and seeds and peels until your finished.
11. Add a teaspoon of cinnamon if desired.
12. If you want to add a sweetener, you can drizzle some honey or maple syrup.
13. I keep my applesauce in mason jars. Add a funnel to a half gallon jar and pour it in.

Notes

Storage

Store in your fridge for up to 2 weeks.

Freeze for up to 6 months. Souper cubes make for easy portion sizes when freezing.

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Other Recipes you May Like

Raw Milk Greek Yogurt – In the Instant Pot

The Best Instant Pot Bone Broth

Homemade Corn Chowder Recipe

The post Instant Pot Applesauce – No Peeling appeared first on Natural Living Homestead.

This post contains affiliate links, which means I make a small commission at no extra cost to you. See my full disclosure here.

Why make The Best Instant Pot Bone Broth?

Bone broth is incredibly healthy for you. It is well known for it’s ability to heal and seal the gut lining. It has a lot of nutrients that is found in the bones and the joints. You have bone marrow and collagen to name a couple things.

It is wonderful to add it to your meals as you cook or drinking it warm with a little bit of salt for added flavor. When you save up the bones from cooking a chicken or the bones from a ham roast or even a steak, you then have all you need to make this healthy broth.

When you make your own bone broth at home, you know it’s the best. What you can buy at the store isn’t of the best quality since they don’t cook it for as long as it should be done. You also don’t know the quality of the bones that are being used.

Let’s not forget that when you make your own, your saving money by saving the bones from previous meals.

What are the health benefits of bone broth?

• It is known for being able to heal and seal the gut lining. Babies tend to have a “leaky gut” and when they are to start solids. Bone broth probably one of the best things you can give them before they start solid foods. It will help their gut to seal up so they have an easier time digesting their food.
• It may help your skin to have more elasticity.
• The collagen may help to support your joints.
• It’s very high in quality protein.

How to use The Best Instant Pot Bone Broth

Many people add it to the meals they cook. They will use it as a base when making soup or stews. You could also add it to your pot to cook rice in, instead of using water. I find it gives the rice more flavor and a nutritional boost. The same thing can be done when cooking your pasta.

A lot of people, like myself, like to just warm it up on the stove, add some salt for flavor and drink it like that.

Here’s a good recipe that I like to use as a base for my bone broth.

Can I use my slow cooker to make bone broth?

You can use your slow cooker. A lot of people don’t have an instant pot and will use their crock pot instead. It does take longer to make the bone broth, usually about a whole day or longer. You also loose a lot of liquid when it cooking because the lid is not sealed like an instant pot lid. Also, be careful if you are using an older model of a slow cooker because they can be lined with some not so healthy things. You can read more on that here.

How to Make The Best Instant Pot Bone Broth?

1. First you will want to save up some bones. I like to keep a gallon zip lock bag in my freezer that I just add any bones to until the bag is full.
2. Let your bones thaw a bit. This will make it easier to get it to fit in your instant pot since mine usually forms one giant lump in the bag.
3. Add enough bones to the pot to make it 1/2 to 3/4 full.
4. Here is where its optional – you can add any scrap veggies you have. Celery, onions, carrots, etc. I don’t but you can if you please, it can add some flavor to the final product.
5. Apple Cider vinegar – just a few tablespoons (I like the Bragg brand that has the “Mother”). It’s optional though, for health reasons I don’t add any and mine turns out just fine.
6. Fill the pot with water until it’s just a little bit above the top of the bones.
7. Place the insert in the instant pot and put the lid on and turn the knob on top to “Seal”.
8. Once your machine is on, press the Soup/Broth button and set it to low pressure for 3 hours.
9. Once it’s finished and your ready, strain out the bones. I like to give them to my chickens, they get calcium from the brittle bones as well as lots of protein, which means better eggs for me.
10. I then like to put a funnel over a half gallon jar with a fine mesh strainer to filter out the small bits of bone and meat.

How to store Instant Pot Bone Broth?

After I strain the bone broth, I let it cool to room temperature. I then store my bone broth in the fridge in mason jars for up to a week.

Once it’s been in the fridge for 12 hours or so you will find that it will be like Jello in your container. This is from all the collagen that was pulled from the bones. When you see this, you know that you had a good ratio of water to bones in your pot. You want to have the jelling, that is what makes a healthy bone broth.

How to freeze Instant Pot Bone Broth?

• You can store it in mason jars, be careful to fill to just below the bottom of the neck to allow for expansion or at least an inch below the top of the jar if using a straight neck jar.

• You can also put it in ice cube trays to make for easy distribution if you just want it to season a small dish.

• I like to freeze mine in small blocks. I will add them to some Super Cubes silicone molds and freeze them in that and then pop them out and store in gallon zip lock bags.

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6 Quart Instant Pot

Souper Cubes

Apple Cider Vinegar

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The Best Instant Pot Bone Broth

Yield: 3/4 gallon

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 3 hours

Total Time: 3 hours 5 minutes

This is a gut healthy food that nourishes your body from the inside out all by simmering some bones and veggies if you choose.

Print

Ingredients

• 2 lbs bones
• 1/2 gallon + 1 quart water if needed to cover the bones
• veggies - optional
• 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar - optional

Instructions

1. Add enough bones to the pot to make it 1/2 to 3/4 full.

1. Here is where its optional - you can add any scrap veggies you have. Celery, onions, carrots, etc. I don't but you can if you please, it can add some flavor to the final product.
2. 2 tbsp Apple Cider vinegar - optional.
3. Fill the pot with water until it's just a little bit above the top of the bones.
4. Place the insert in the instant pot and put the lid on and turn the knob on top to "Seal".
5. Once your machine is on, press the Soup/Broth button and set it to low pressure for 3 hours.
6. Once it's finished and your ready, strain out the bones.
7. Then put a funnel over a half gallon jar with a fine mesh strainer to filter out the small bits of bone and meat.

Notes

• This will keep in your fridge for up to 1 week or 6 months in the freezer.
• If you have chickens or pigs, set the bones aside. I like to give them to my chickens, they get calcium from the brittle bones as well as lots of protein, which means better eggs for me.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 10 Serving Size: 1 cup
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 168Total Fat: 55gSaturated Fat: 21gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 581mgSodium: 628mgCarbohydrates: 0gFiber: 0gSugar: 0gProtein: 187g

You May Also Like:

Homemade Corn Chowder Recipe

How to Make Homemade Sauerkraut

Raw Milk Greek Yogurt – in the Instant Pot

Sourdough Maple Syrup Dumplings (Grand Pères)

The post The Best Instant Pot Bone Broth appeared first on Natural Living Homestead.

Milk kefir is one of the many ways you can get your probiotics. Milk kefir is a tart, fermented milk where you use specific “grains” that eat the natural sugar in the milk. With the fermenting process of the grains in the milk at room temperature, you get a sour/tart probiotic rich drink. Probiotics are essential for good gut health, why not give this tasty drink a try?

This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

I have been making milk kefir off and on for a couple years now. I purchased my live grains and started making this tasty drink and we haven’t looked back. My husband is quite the fan of it, he particularly likes it in popsicles.

We like to have milk kefer during the summer the most because of the delicious popsicles that I make every summer. They are a nice cool treat on those hot summer days and a great way to get your probiotics and vitamins.

I find that making fermented food is very easy. Milk kefir is a great place to start if your wanting to get some natural probiotics. The process is very simple and all you need milk, grains and a little time.

HEALTH BENEFITS OF MILK KEFIR

As you may already know probiotics are essential for good health and good gut flora. The probiotics in all fermented food, helps to build your good gut flora. In turn your healthier and many would say they don’t get sick very often because of it.

During the fermenting process, the grains turn the lactose into lactic acid. This gives the milk a sour flavor like yogurt but a thinner consistency.

There are many nutrients in it like protein, calcium, vitamin B12 and magnesium, just to name a few.

It is actually more probiotic rich then Greek yogurt. It can contain up to 61 strains of yeast and bacteria.

Then you have calcium, which we all know that calcium can help keep our bones strong.

So, think of it a super charged milk with probiotics and nutrients.

WHAT MILK SHOULD I USE?

Most commonly, cows milk is used as well as goats milk. Goats milk is actually similar to human milk and is easy to digest.

I use raw, grass-fed cows milk. I have also used raw goats milk.

If you can source raw milk, this will be best. You want all the healthy bacteria as possible. The grains will flourish on this type of milk the best.

You can use Pasteurized and Ultra-Pasteurized. Since the milk has been heated up and killed all the beneficial bacteria your kefir grains may not grow or multiply as fast and your milk may not ferment as fast.

WHAT IS A MILK KEFIR GRAIN?

Milk kefir grains are a specific type of mesophilic symbiotic culture made up of protiens, lipids and sugars. They are similar to how wheat and barley grains are for beer.

The grains look similar to little pieces of cauliflower though they have a soft jello consistency.

They originated from the Northern Caucasus Mountain region.

WHERE CAN I PURCHASE MILK KEFIR GRAINS?

I got my grains from Amazon HERE. These are ready to go when you get them in the mail. Since they are live grains, they are shipped fast so you can get them in milk sooner to keep them from dying.

You can also get them from the brand, Cultures for Health, HERE. These are dehydrated, so when you get them you will need to place them in milk to activate them. With this route you will have to wait a while before you get good productive milk kefir. This is a great route if you are not in a hurry or like the experiment of re-hydrating the grains.

Another way is to get them from a friend that may also be making milk kefir in their home. If they are making milk kefir, I’m sure they have an abundance of grains that they would be willing to part with.

CAN I EAT KEFIR GRAINS?

Yes, you can. A lot of people will add the excess grains to the blender when they make a smoothie.

TIPS FOR MAKING MILK KEFIR

• Make sure to place your milk kefir about 5 feet away from other ferments on your counter to avoid cross contamination of different cultures.
• If you find that there is yellow liquid separating from your milk, that is fine. That is “whey” and this is perfectly normal. This will happen the longer your milk ferments.
• If your starting out with new milk kefir grains, the first couple ferments may not taste right. It will take a batch or two for the grains to get used to the new environment.
• Milk kefir grains will eventually start to multiply. The more you regularly add fresh milk to the grains, the faster they will grow.
• The grains will last years, they do not go bad unless left out for too long or in bad environmental conditions.
• The longer you let your milk ferment the more sour it will get. I wait until the whey has separated from the kefir for a little bit. I find that is the perfect level of sour for us.
• I recommend using fine weave cheese cloth or a coffee filter to the top of your ferments to keep out unwanted bugs like fruit flies. This just makes a tight seal but still allows air flow that is needed.
• When straining the grains I will place a stainless steel funnel over a wide mouth mason jar and put a plastic mesh strainer on top and strain out a little bit of the kefir at a time. I can then place the jar right in the fridge. This just reduces the amount of dishes to wash. Note: I don’t find an issue using metal for the short period of time the milk kefir is on the funnel.

EQUIPMENT YOU MAY NEED

Strainer – plastic is recommended, try not to use metal

Jars for storage – I use these Half Gallon Mason Jars

Plastic cover

HOW TO MAKE MILK KEFIR

1. To a clean jar add your grains. Add about 1/4 cup grains per 3 cups of milk.
2. Pour in the milk to the very bottom of the neck of the jar.
3. Place some fine weave cheese cloth or a coffee filter over the mouth of the jar and screw on your cover LOOSELY.
4. Place on your counter about 5 feet from any other ferments you have have going on at the same time.
5. Leave on the counter to ferment roughly 24-48 hours.
6. Once your kefir is ready, strain your kefir grains from your milk kefir. You can use a plastic mesh strainer or a plastic colander, either will work as long as they have small holes. Place it over a large bowl so you can easily catch the milk kefir.
7. Add the strained kefir to your glass storage jar and place in the fridge to stop the fermentation, for a couple hours.
8. You can add your grains to a new jar of milk and start the process over again.
9. Serve chilled and Enjoy!

WAYS TO USE MILK KEFIR

You can drink milk kefir as is.

You can add it to your smoothies.

Make popsicles with it.

Pour it over your cereal like you would with regular milk.

Make ice cream with it.

This would even make for a good salad dressing.

HOW LONG IS MILK KEFIR GOOD FOR?

In the fridge it will last about 3 weeks and a couple months in the freezer.

WHAT SHOULD I DO WITH MY EXCESS GRAINS?

Since kefir grains constantly grow and are making more, some people have an over abundance of the grains. If you don’t want to eat them you can give them to your pets if they’ll eat them. Chickens love them as well.

You can give them to friends or family who are natural minded as you.

If you still have an over abundance of them you can compost them.

WHAT TO DO IF YOU NEED A BREAK FROM MILK KEFIR

If you find you need a break from making milk kefir, you can place the grains in a small jar of milk in your fridge. This slows down the fermentation process. I have done this for about 6 months before and I was able to restart my grains and get tasty kefir after a couple batches.

OTHER FERMENTED RECIPES TO TRY

• Homemade Sauerkraut
• Raw Milk Greek Yogurt
• Sourdough Banana Bread
• Homemade Kombucha
• Homemade Kombucha: Second Ferment

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The post How to make Milk Kefir appeared first on Natural Living Homestead.

This post contains affiliate links, which means I make a small commission at no extra cost to you. See my full disclosure here.

Originally posted 7/19/20, Updated 4/29/20

Why make your own Homemade Vanilla Extract

Vanilla adds an amazing flavor to your recipes. You can’t beat that amazing smell and taste of vanilla in your cookies or cakes.

Real vanilla extract can be expensive when buying it from the store. But it does not compare to imitation vanilla. The flavor and smell is rich and much more fresh. 

Making your own vanilla extract is so simple to make and tastes amazing in your baked goods.

It is much more cost effective to make your own vanilla extract. You can buy about 25 vanilla beans for about $20 and a 1750 ml bottle of vodka for around $20.

For an 8 oz jar of homemade vanilla extract you only need a little less then 8 oz of vodka and 3 vanilla beans. Now, that bottle of vodka will last a long time. There’s plenty there to make about eight, 8 ounce jars of vanilla, that’s a lot of vanilla extract. Also the vanilla beans can be reused a couple times before composted. Potentially, depending on prices in your area that’s a good amount of homemade vanilla extract for around $30.

Fun Fact

Did you know that vanilla beans come from an orchid plant? I love Orchids, they have such beautiful flowers. The vanilla orchid is a tropical climbing vine. It needs very specific conditions when it comes to blooming and growing the vanilla bean pods.

In the photo below, the stem behind the flower is what will be the vanilla bean.

Ways to use Homemade Vanilla Extract

I use vanilla extract in just about all my baking. From chocolate cake to my No-Bake Oatmeal Cookies and my Sourdough Banana Bread

Sometimes I put a few drops in my homemade Greek yogurt. Yum!

I’m not much of a coffee or tea drinker but I know some people put a little in their morning coffee or tea for some vanilla flavor.

How to store your vanilla extract

It is best to store your vanilla extract in a cool dark spot. It should be out of direct sunlight and in a moderate room temperature area. I store mine on my counter, and any extras I keep in my cabinet. Where it sits on my counter, it does not get direct sunlight. I prefer to use a clear bottle so I can keep an eye on the color of the liquid to get a better idea of when its ready.

Which vanilla beans to use

The type of vanilla bean doesn’t really matter unless your looking for a particular flavor.

I use Madagascar vanilla beans, I have had great success using this type. This one tends to be the most commonly sold in stores. You may also find Mexican Vanilla beans and Tahitian Vanilla beans. Though, Madagascar vanilla bean is typically recommended for making vanilla extract due to its great flavor (Source). Tahitian beans, Mexican beans or Madagascar beans can all work, with great results and flavor.

Madagascar beans: have a rich and creamy flavor.

Mexican beans: have what some would say a smoky flavor.

Tahitian beans: have a rich floral flavor.

When shopping for vanilla beans you may find that some labels say “Grade A” or “Grade B”. 

When it comes to making vanilla extract, grade B beans are best and are also less expensive. It doesn’t have as much moisture in it so it makes for a stronger extract. Grade A beans tend to be better for dishes. There is more moisture in the pod, so the flavor is easily transferred to the food. Things like cakes and ice cream do best with this one. Chefs tend to prefer grade A because it looks prettier since it isn’t as dry and doesn’t have as many imperfections. 

You can find vanilla beans at the grocery store but I find that it’s costs more and you only get 1 or 2 whole vanilla beans. I prefer to find a bulk package online, typically though Amazon. These are the most recent vanilla pods that I’ve purchased.

If you find you have extra vanilla beans left over you can make some vanilla sugar with the seeds of the vanilla pods. This is typically done by scraping out the seeds with a knife and adding it to plain sugar and mixing it thoroughly. 

What alcohol can I use?

Vodka has the most neutral flavor which it is why it tends to be used more. Though many people use Bourbon, Rum or Brandy to get different flavors in their extract. Just about any alcohol can be used as long as it is 80 proof – this means that 40% of the liquid in the bottle is alcohol. So go ahead and get the cheap stuff, because even the cheapest vodka will still make great extract using real vanilla beans.

I would like to try using Bourbon or Rum at some point, just to have a different flavor. Though I would recommend not using flavored alcohol since they are usually artificially flavored and this defeats the point of making vanilla extract.

How long does vanilla extract last?

If stored properly vanilla extract has an indefinite shelf life – this would mean; the vanilla beans are submerged under the alcohol and the bottle is kept in a cool dark place. Due to the alcohol in it, it doesn’t necessarily go bad though it may start to loose some of the vanilla smell and flavor. At that rate, within 5 years would be best to have the best flavor and aroma.

What to do with the beans once the vanilla extract is ready to use?

If they have only been used for one batch, you can leave the beans in the jar until your ready to use for a new batch. 

You can also take the beans out and place them in a new jar with more alcohol to make a new batch. Otherwise, you can compost them but I wouldn’t toss them after only making one batch.

Some recommend keeping the beans covered to prevent mold, though, I have never had this issue. Doing this, they would add more alcohol to the bottle when they see the beans are not covered. 

Unless you only use your vanilla extract every couple months, I feel that this would not be a great idea. Your technically diluting your extract and it then doesn’t have time to have the same flavor, of the rest of the extract in the bottle. So, using your extract the following day of adding more alcohol, it may not be as flavorful and have more of an alcohol smell unless you only use teaspoons at a time.

Tools and Ingredients

• Clean kitchen Scissors or sharp knife
• 8 oz mason jar with lid or other glass jar of choice of similar volume
• 80 Proof Alcohol
• 3 whole Vanilla beans

How to make Homemade Vanilla Extract

STEP ONE

Cut your down whole beans down the center, lengthwise. This will expose the vanilla seeds inside allowing the flavor to be extracted faster. 

STEP TWO

Place the beans upright in your container of choice, preferably a glass bottle or jar, no plastic. You may need to cut the beans in half if you have a short container to get them to fit.

STEP THREE

Fill the glass bottle with your alcohol of choice to the top of the beans so that they are are completely covered. I am currently using Absolute Vodka brand.

STEP FOUR

Place the lid on your container and set it aside in a cool place, like your spice cabinet or other dark place. Give it a good shake every now and then – about once a week.

The vanilla and alcohol need to sit for 6 months, the longer the better. Ideally 6-12 months for best flavor. You will see it slowly get darker and you will know it is ready when it no longer smells like alcohol.

Homemade Vanilla Extract make wonderful holiday gifts or for any special occasion. 

I know it’s July at the time of writing this but now is a great time to start thinking about Christmas gifts. Since it takes about 6 months to have vanilla extract that is ready to use, now is the time to make it. By the time the holiday season rolls around, all you need to do is wrap it up! Who wouldn’t love homemade extract?

You could tie a ribbon around it and gift it in a basket. Add some other items like a cute tea towel with some mason jar mix recipes, like a chocolate chip cookie mix. They’ll need some vanilla extract for that recipe. Then what better way to gift it then to wrap it Furoshiki Style. I show you how to do that HERE.

These also make a great gift for a house warming, hostess gift or birthday gifts for anyone that likes to bake. 

Now, if your not able to make it ahead, soon enough and it’s not ready come the special occasion, you can add a little note saying when it will be ready.

Have fun making vanilla extract!

Products Mentioned

Vanilla Beans

Mason Jars

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Homemade Vanilla Extract

Yield: 8 oz

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Additional Time: 4 months

Total Time: 4 months 5 minutes

Making your own homemade vanilla extract is a simple way to add flavorful and delicious touch to your homemade recipes. It also makes for a great Christmas gift.

Print

Ingredients

• 3 Vanilla Beans
• 80 Proof Alcohol

Instructions

STEP ONE

Cut your vanilla beans down the center, lengthwise. This will expose the vanilla seeds inside allowing the flavor to be extracted faster.

STEP TWO

Place the beans upright in your container of choice. You may need to cut the beans in half if you have a short container to get them to fit.

STEP THREE

Fill the container with your alcohol of choice so that the beans are covered. I am currently using Absolute Vodka.

STEP FOUR

Place the lid on your container and set it aside in your spice cabinet or other dark place.

The vanilla and alcohol need to sit for about 4 months. You will see it slowly get darker and you will know it is ready when it no longer smells like alcohol.

Notes

• I find it is easiest to cut the vanilla beans with a pair of scissors.

• Be sure to keep the vanilla beans below the alcohol to keep it from molding.
• Give the jar a gentle shake once a week to help stir up the vanilla

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The post How to make Homemade Vanilla Extract – 2 Ingredients appeared first on Natural Living Homestead.

This Homemade Natural Baby Wipe Solution is so simple and quick to make. With only three ingredients, you can make this with what you already have in your kitchen in a minute. It’s made with all natural ingredients, so you can feel safe using this on your baby’s sensitive skin.

Why I use a Homemade Natural Baby Wipe Solution

I love making my own baby wipes. I’m all about saving money and making my own products where I can. It does mean one extra thing I have to do but honestly, it takes a minute to make and I don’t even notice it anymore. If I need more I can go to the kitchen instead of the grocery store and keep my money in my pocket and not in the trash.

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Reasons to make your own baby wipes

Making your own baby wipes means you know all the ingredients that go into it.

No mineral oil/baby oil or petroleum jelly are added to this recipe. Unlike disposable wipes, these don’t include any chemicals or alcohol which I certainly do not want on my babies skin or mine.

This recipe has ingredients that you can find in your pantry. I prefer to use natural items in my home, especially when it comes to my baby.

With their sensitive skin, this solution gently cleans and keep their skin baby soft. The oil used is gentle and helps keeps the skin moisturized. The soap is gentle and cleans the skin without stripping it of the natural oils.

You’ll get to keep more money in your pocket instead of in the trash. No more running to the store to buy a plastic package of disposable wipes. You use them once and toss them in the trash.

Material to use with your Homemade Natural Baby Wipe Solution

The wipes that are sold in most packages of baby wipes are typically made with polyester or polypropylene. I wouldn’t want to use that as toilet paper for myself, why us it on my child. If I have a choice as to what I can use, I’d much rather make my own.

You can use your own choice of material to clean your baby. I don’t know about you but I prefer to use cotton on my baby. From her bonnets down to her baby wipes with the exception of a wool diaper cover. With their delicate skin I feel it’s best to have natural fibers against their skin. If possible I’ll try to use organic material.

I use some receiving blankets that were cut up into some 6×6 squares. Then just toss them in with the diaper laundry when dirty.

If you would prefer not to use cloth, you can use a heavy duty paper towel for the baby wipes. You may need to make more solution if you prep the paper towels ahead of time with the whole roll.

Oils for Homemade Natural Baby Wipe Solution

There are many options when it comes to the oil you use. I prefer to use fractionated coconut oil. This is just coconut oil that doesn’t solidify. While Virgin Coconut Oil is great for so many things it is solid at room temperature. Unless you plan to use a wipe warmer this wouldn’t be a very good oil to use.

Some other oils that you could use are grapeseed oil, olive oil and avacado oil.

Can I add essential oils to this solution?

You most certainly can. I don’t add any essential oils just to keep it very simple.

As long as you are using any of the oils mentioned above you should be fine. You only need a few drops of essential oil in the bottle so that it is diluted in a carrier oil properly.

Some essential oils that you can use are Lavender, Cedarwood, and Rose just to name a few. HERE is a great source on essential oils for baby and mothers.

Homemade Natural Baby Wipe Solution for Diaper Rash

When my daughter was born I first started using only water with my cloth wipes and she ended up getting a rash. I have heard some people having good luck with using only water on their cloth wipes. Though, for me, it just didn’t get her clean enough.

My friend then told me about this recipe and my daughter has not had a diaper rash since. She is currently 8 months old.

Is Homemade Natural Baby Wipe Solution safe for cloth diapers?

This solution is perfectly fine for cloth diapers.

Usually, the only thing you need to avoid using with cloth diapers is Zinc Oxide. This can reduce the absorbency of the fabric in your cloth diapers. Zinc is typically found in diaper rash creams.

I go over the types of cloth diapers I have tried and how it worked out for me in the first 6 months. You can read about that HERE.

Can I use the soap I have on hand?

It’s best to stick with a gentle and uncented baby soap or shampoo. I prefer Dr. Bronners baby unscented castile soap because it is an all natural soap. I like that it is only made from vegetables like olive, hemp and coconuts.

How to use Homemade Natural Baby Wipe Solution

I found that it is easiest to keep this in a squirt bottle. I use a peri bottle that I had gotten from my midwife from my home birth.

You can read all about my natural home birth story HERE.

You can also use a spray bottle but I find that it takes a lot longer to get the baby wipe wet enough.

I prefer to keep my wipes separate from the solution. Then I don’t have to hurry and use up all the wipes before they get moldy.

How to make Homemade Natural Baby Wipe Solution

This recipe is simple and effective. It will only take a minute to make and it will leave your baby soft and clean. Refreshing!

Supplies

• A bottle (squirt or spray bottle)
• 1/2 TSP Dr. Bronners Baby Uncented Castile soap
• 1 TSP Fractionated Coconut Oil
• Filtered or Distilled water (I like to use my Berkey water filter)

Directions

Fill your bottle with the filtered water leaving about 1 inch head space at the top.

Add your oil and soap to the bottle.

Slowly top off the bottle with the filtered water if necessary.

Gently invert a couple times to mix together prior to each use.

Tip: Don’t add the soap to the bottle first. This is to prevent the soap from foaming up when you add the water in on top of it.

Generously apply it to your homemade baby wipes and wipe away!

Have you made your own baby wipe solution before? What did you add in yours?

Leave a comment below and let me know!

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Homemade Kombucha: second ferment is sure to wake up your taste buds! Who doesn’t like a nice cold carbonated beverage that tastes like your favorite fruit? I want to follow up on my last post and show you how you can easily turn your freshly brewed kombucha tea into a tasty and tangy fermented drink.

In my last post I went into detail on how you can make your own Homemade Fizzy Kombucha Tea with just a few ingredients and the equipment that you will need. To learn more about homemade kombucha take a look HERE.

So you’ve already gone through the first step of making kombucha, it smells sweet and a bit tangy. It tastes good but your looking for that sweet fruity flavor as well as the carbonation. Sounds like your ready to bottle this tea and make your second ferment.

What is “Second Ferment”?

This is the process of decanting your freshly brewed kombucha, putting it into a bottle and adding some sort of “sugar”, capping it tightly and letting it sit until it has created carbonation. The yeast that is present in the kombucha will eat the sugar that is in the fruit or juice. Second fermentation can take 24 to 72 hours to carbonate. It could take longer depending on how much kombucha is in the bottle, how much fruit or juice was used or the temperature in the room.

Don’t like the Fizz (carbonation)?

Not everyone likes the carbonation and that’s fine. Once you finish brewing your first ferment you can bottle it and add your flavorings as usual but skip the step of letting it sit out tightly capped.

Like a lot of people do with water, they add the fruit and let it infuse the water to give it some flavor.

Another option is to set it up for the second ferment and leave it in a warm place but only let it sit out for about 12 hours give or take. This may create a very small amount of carbonation but it won’t be a “tickle you nose” type. It will give the kombucha some time to get the flavor of what you added to it making it a bit more sweet then the last option.

What type of container can be used?

• Flip top glass bottles, these are the most popular type because the lid is held on very lightly by the metal clasp.
• Reusing your previously purchased Kombucha bottles.
• Growler bottles ranging from a half gallon to 1 gallon jars
• Mason Jars! If your like me you have dozens of mason jars in your cupboard.
• New plastic bottles are an option but recommended only to be used for one Second Ferment then recycled.

Under Pressure!

I should warn you, because we are creating carbonation in our second ferment bottles, it is creating a lot of pressure against the bottle and lid. Be sure not to leave your bottles out too long during their second ferment because it could result in some bottles exploding.

How to make the Homemade Kombucha: Second Ferment

What you need:

• 6 or 7 bottles (16 ounce)
• Filtered kombucha from your finished first ferment.
• Juice, fruit puree or whole fruit of choice (1/4 cup per bottle)
• A funnel is helpful but not necessary

Bottling the Kombucha:

1. Prepare your bottles: wash and/or sterilize and set aside to dry.
2. Remove the SCOBY from your first ferment kombucha.
3. Stir your kombucha well, this will distribute any yeast and bacteria that may have settled down at the bottom on your container. In turn will make carbonation better for all your bottles.
4. Pour your kombucha through a fine mesh strainer or cheese cloth. Note: Be sure to set aside at least one cup of your first ferment kombucha to use for your next batch.
5. Add about 1/4 cup of your choice of fruit ingredient to each bottle.
6. Fill completely with the kombucha leaving 1/2 to 1 inch space at the top.
7. Cap tightly so it can build up carbonation.
8. Place on a tray and store in a warm location for 25-72 hours. Note: I use the tray to catch any liquid that may leak out of the bottles during this process.
9. Once they have carbonated place the bottles in the fridge to stop the fermentation process.
10. Open your bottle slowly to release excess carbonation and Enjoy!

Print the Recipe

How to know when your second ferment is ready

A couple ways that I can tell when my ferments are ready is there will be a lot of large bubbles at the top of the bottle. You may also see tiny bubbles floating up from the bottom of the bottle. There also may be some leaking from under the cover down the sides of the bottles.

Tasty Flavor Add-ins:

• Fresh Blueberries or Raspberries
• Frozen mixed fruit
• Elderberry Syrup (1/4 cup per 16 ounces)
• Mango’s
• Bananas

Have you ever made your own Homemade Kombucha?

Let me know in the comments what flavors you have tried. We’re always into trying out different flavors and I’d love to hear your ideas.

Continuous Brews…

Do you absolutely LOVE kombucha and want to always have some on tap? Continuous brews are great for that! I have yet to migrate into that method yet. The current method is working for us at the moment. Though as we continue to enjoy our homemade kombucha and start to drink more with the warmer months I can definitely see us making a continuous brew. I’m sure once I get to that point I’ll update you all with a post about it.

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