The Christian Homekeeper

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Homemade Ranch Dressing

07/24/2025 /

The key to a great homemade Ranch Dressing is FRESH ingredients. I make this recipe all summer long. Even my non-ranch dressing loving husband enjoys it.

 

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons mayonnaise

1/2 cup sour cream

1/2 cup buttermilk or regular milk

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice or white wine vinegar

1 to 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce, to taste, this is optional but it really lends a nice flavor

1/4 cup fresh dill, finely chopped

1/4 cup fresh parsley, finely chopped

1/4 cup fresh chives, finely chopped

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt, plus more to taste

1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

 

Mix everything well. I mix it in a widemouth pint Mason jar.  Cover and refrigerate to mellow.

Lemon Balm And Its Uses

06/27/2025 /

Lemon Balm (Melissa officinalis) is one of my favorite herbs. It’s in the mint family so it has a square stem and a lovely fragrance.  It’s leaves have a distinctive lemony aroma and it tastes so good in teas. Sometimes it will have either pale pink or whiteish flowers.

There are a lot of uses for Lemon Balm but I’ll just share what I use it for. Remember though that I am not a health care professional, read my disclaimer page located in the right sidebar.

Lemon Balm contains a isomer called citral. It’s similar to citronella which keeps insects away. Lemon Balm is a good natural insect repellant.  So you can keep a pot of it on your deck, porch or pool to help with that. If you put it in the ground to grow, it will soon take over your whole garden. That’s why most people grow mint in big pots. The pots can be set into the ground if desired but the mint will grow over the edges of the pot into the ground!

It also contains a chemical called rosmarinic acid. This chemical works to give relief from anxiety and nervousness.  Lemon Balm does have a calming effect when used in a tea. It’s a lot like chamomile in how gently it works.

Another thing that Lemon Balm is good for is digestion. If you have a little trouble with indigestion after eating, a cup of Lemon Balm tea can really help. Like most mints it contains menthol which has a relaxing effect on the muscles of the digestive tract.

To get the benefits of it’s calming effect or muscle relaxing effects, I make a tea using about 2 teaspoons of dried Lemon Balm, 1  or 2 teaspoons of honey and 6 ounces of very hot, but not boiling, water. Let it steep for 5-8 minutes.  I would drink this 3 or 4 times a day to get good relief. You don’t need to sweeten it if you’d rather not, it’s very tasty by itself. You don’t want to use boiling water on herbs, it destroys a lot of the helpful chemicals in the herbs.

Lemon Balm is good as a tea because it has that lemony-minty flavor, but you can also add it to any other tea for a nice, bright lift in the flavor.  I enjoy adding some dried Lemon Balm to my English Breakfast tea.

Ideally, Lemon Balm, and most all other herbs, should be cut in the morning before the heat of the day takes over. In the morning the essential oils in the herbs are at their peak. Try not to wash them before drying them, just shake them off, pull off any dead or brown leaves and pull off anything that isn’t herb.

I dry Lemon Balm at 95 degrees F for about 6 hours. Depending on how moist the herb is, it could take a longer or shorter time. After it’s dried I chop it up in my food processor and store it in a glass jar.

Jewelweed Salve

06/18/2025 /
I made Jewelweed salve yesterday. As I was trimming out the Virginia Creeper that had taken hold on my house, crepe myrtle and all the surrounding area, I decided to pull up some of the jewelweed that we allow to grow there. I got more an three wheelbarrow loads of vines and trimmings removed.
The jewelweed is tender and has a lot of “juice” this time of year, the stems have not yet gotten hard and woody. So they make really good salve.

Jewelweed – Impatiens capensis, also known as Spotted Touch Me Not

I had prepared for making the salve the week before by purchasing a liter of olive oil. So I twisted the jewelweed stems and leaves and placed them in a saucepan, then covered those with olive oil.
I let this very slowly and barely simmer for about 6 hours. I let it go that long mainly because I was busy but you could let it simmer for just 2 hours and still get a good extraction when the plants are so juicy.

Jewelweed oil made with olive oil

Then I strained the plant material and added 1/3 cup of beeswax pastilles to every cup of oil.

Beeswax

I had 2 cups of oil exactly, so I added 2/3 cup beeswax. Then I poured that mixture into my clean containers and let them cool completely before adding the lids.

Jewelweed salve while it was still hot and in a liquid state.

You can add other essential oils or plant oils to salves made this way. Some add oils that have a good fragrance like lavender. I don’t mind the fragrance of jewelweed so I don’t add anything else.
Jewelweed salve is great for poison ivy, it gives relief from the itching and speeds up the healing process. It’s healing properties are pretty amazing. You can use it for bee stings and other insect bites or plant rashes to heal and relive itching.

Solidified jewelweed salve, cooled and ready for the lids

If you’re ever out and know that you are exposed to poison ivy, there is probably jewelweed growing nearby, so be sure you can identify it, pick a stem of it and squeeze the juice from the stem or leaves onto the area you think was exposed to the poison ivy and rub it in gently.
Then get thee to the soap (preferably lye soap) and water and wash that urushiol from the ivy off yourself! You can reapply the jewelweed numerous times.

Dehydrating Sourdough Starter

06/02/2025 /

Did you know that you can dehydrate and then freeze sourdough starter to preserve it?  It is a fabulous way to have already live starter on hand.

Here are instructions for creating a starter, maintaining it and then dehydrating, storing and using it later. I am trying to keep it simple so everyone will be able to make starter and preserve it.

Sourdough Starter

First you make your starter. I don’t do it exactly like the professionals. I just put 1 cup of flour, enough pure water to make it like a thick pancake batter, stir it really well, cover it with a clean cotton cloth and let it sit 12 hours.

After 12 hours I pour off any liquid (it’s called hooch because it’s alcohol-smelling) and I pour off about half the starter. Then I feed it again. When I feed I use 1/2 cup flour and a scant 1/2 cup of pure water, or enough water to make it like a thick pancake batter.

Wait 12 hours and do that again. So I pour off and feed it every 12 hours. That’s how to build a really strong sourdough starter. About 3-4 hours after a feeding is when the starter will usually be ready to use. It should be bubbly and have increased in size a little.

Now, here are some Notes. 

  • You don’t have to pour off the starter if you want a bunch of starter. Most recipes only call for a little starter, but sometimes you need a whole lot. So keep the starter from feeding to feeding instead of pouring it off.  You CAN pour off any hooch accumulated. Hooch will make your final bread product more sour tasting, so if you like that, just keep the hooch in the starter.  It will take longer for this to be ready to use but you can build the volume of your starter like this.

 

  • The kind of flour you use is up to you but I use white bread flour. I also have made starter using whole grain flour, rye flour and spelt flour.  Unless you’re advanced in sourdough making or gluten-free, you can just start with white bread flour. It’s the easiest.  For instructions on those other flours and gluten-free, you’ll have to wait a while, I’ll address those in a future post.

 

  • The more pure your water is the better. If you don’t have a whole house water filtration system (I don’t) you can use a filter like a Brita that will remove impurities like chlorine. That’s what I use. Chlorine in your water will hinder your starter.  I won’t say it’s impossible but you will see a marked difference in your starter if you use filtered water.  Or you could use fancy schmancy bottled water that contains no chlorine.

 

  • As a general rule you should feed your starter every 12 hours.  After a couple of feedings you should see it become bubbly and fragrant.  This most often occurs about 3-4 hours after feeding. This is when it’s ready to use for baking.

 

  • If you can, get yourself a seedling mat from Amazon. Here is the one I have, this is not an affiliate link.  Seedling Mat.  You can see that it is not expensive.  It has made all the difference in the world for my starters.  I wrap it around my wide mouth mason jar and hold it there with the rubber band that came with it.  The gentle heat helps the starter take off. You’ll have to work with it and remove the starter jar from the mat now and then, put it back , etc. to find the optimum time on the heat.

  • If you decide you’re not going to bake and don’t want to continue to feed the starter daily you can cover it with a lid and move it to the refrigerator. You should feed it weekly if it is in the fridge.

 

OR ……  you can dehydrate your starter and store it in the freezer for ….. well practically forever.  A year any way.

Dehydrating Sourdough Starter

I use a Cosori 6 tray dehydrator.  This is not an affiliate link.  My Excalibur finally fell apart. It still works though so I will use it now and then I’m sure.  I am thinking of taking it outdoors under a shelter to use,

I spread about 1/2 cup of the active, just fed about 3-4 hours ago, starter on some parchment paper which I have laid on one of the Cosori trays.  I spread it as thinly as I can but I’ve seen some people just spread it to maybe 1/4 inch.  It will all work.

Then after all the trays are filled, I set the temperature on 95*F. That’s as low as the Cosori goes. You could go lower to 90*F if you want.  It’s important not to go higher or you will kill some of the wild yeast and bacteria and you want to keep as much of that alive as possible.

You can see the little baggie in this photo

Crispy, crumbly, dehydrated starter   

I had in my mind that it would take a long time to dry the starter but it only took maybe 3 hours. I think that is because I spread it so thinly. You want it to be completely dry and crisp.

You could do this in an oven if the temperature can be set low enough. You could prop open the oven door, but you’d need to really keep an eye on the temperature because you definitely don’t want to bake the starter.

Then when it is dry, I fold up the parchment paper over the starter and break it into small pieces. I do this so I don’t touch it with my hands, which are clean of course but I don’t want to get the little crumbs all over my hands.

I put about 1/4 cup in a baggie and then put all the baggies in the freezer. MY PLAN though is to put the dehydrated starter into small, 1/4 pint jars and put those in the freezer. Since the starter is dry, it will not expand and cause the jars to break.

Baggies containing dehydrated starter in a Zwilling Vacuum bag, ready for the freezer

I have put all the baggies into a Zwilling vacuum bag for now.

Using the dehydrated starter

I will store the baggies or jars until time to use them and then I’ll scoop out about 2 Tablespoons of the starter and place it into a wide mouth mason jar, then add a scant 1/4 cup of pure water to the starter and stir vigorously. Wait for 4-5 minutes, stir again.

Now it should be softened up and ready for the first feeding.  Add 1/4 cup flour and beat the mixture really well, incorporating lots of air.  Cover with a clean cloth and let it sit in a warm place for 12 hours.

Dehydrated starter and water. After 12 hours it’s time for the second feeding. The second feeding will be just like the starter feedings I described above, 1/2 cup flour and a scant 1/2 cup pure water to make that thick batter.

Rehydrated starter, ready to sit for 12 hours.

Then you can continue on with this starter just like you began. If you have questions, please ask!  I think you’ll love having starter on hand that you don’t have to feed til you’re ready.

 

 

 

Homemade Every Day Cleaners

05/14/2025 /

 

On a daily basis I use natural cleaners and disinfectants. These are my recipes for natural cleaners and disinfectants. I’ve added a few through the years so new recipes will be marked with an *.

My Favorite Disinfectant Cleaner Spray 12 oz water 20 drops lavender essential oil 20 drops Tea Tree oil 20 drops Rosemary or Thyme essential oil Shake and pour into a spray bottle.

Antiseptic Spray A handful each of dried lavender, rosemary, sage, rue and mint A large glass jar 1/2 gallon organic cider vinegar

Place the herbs in the jar, cover with the vinegar. Cover tightly and let sit for about 6 weeks. Strain into a spray bottle. Be sure to label the bottle. It will store indefinitely. Use this spray to disinfect clean surfaces.

Lavender Antibacterial Spray 1 cup warm water 1 tsp pure lavender essential oil pour water into a spray bottle, add essential oil. Shake gently to mix. Spray surfaces and allow to sit for 15 minutes before wiping or rinsing.

All Purpose Cleaner and Disinfectant 1 teaspoon borax 1/2 teaspoon washing soda 2 Tablespoons lemon juice

1) In a spray bottle that will hold at least a pint, combine the ingredients. Add 1 cup very hot water and shake well, mixing and dissolving the dry ingredients.

2) To use, simply spray and wipe. This can be stored indefinitely.

Homemade Soft Scrub 1/2 cup baking soda Liquid soap 5-10 drops pure antiseptic essential oil such as lavender, tea tree oil or rosemary Place the baking soda in a bowl. Slowly pour in liquid soap, stirring constantly, until the mixture resembles frosting. Add the essential oil. If you have hard water, use a liquid detergent instead of a soap. I use a ‘green’ product because it has no synthetic dyes or perfumes. If you have soft water, you can use castile soap.

Store this mixture in a jar. Scoop out some on a cloth and scrub surfaces, then rinse.

Heavier Duty Soft Scrub

Straight washing soda mixed with a little liquid soap is a good heavier duty scrub. You will need to use gloves with this because it is quite alkaline

Mirror and Window Cleaner Use a pure cotton cloth so that you won’t get lint on mirrors and windows when cleaning them.

1/4 tsp all purpose liquid detergent ( a pure, non-synthetic soap is best) 1 cup water

Just combine the water and soap in a spray bottle. Spray on the surface and wipe clean with a cotton cloth. Be sure to label the bottle. It keeps indefinitely.

Tile and Glass Cleaner 1/2 cup vinegar 1/2 tsp mild liquid detergent 2 cups very hot tap water

Combine all ingredients in a spray bottle. Shake well. Spray onto tiles and glass surfaces, rinse with a sponge. Label the bottle. Keeps indefinitely.

Another Glass and Mirror Cleaner 1/4 cup white vinegar 1 Tablespoon cornstarch 2 cups warm water

Put all ingredients in a large spray bottle. Shake well to dissolve the cornstarch. To use, spray liberally on the glass, wipe with a clean cloth. Buff to a streak free shine with a wadded up piece of newspaper.

Mildew Cleaner

1 tsp tea tree oil 2 cups water

Combine in a spray bottle. Spray onto the mildew, don’t rinse. Label and store indefinitely.

Clean The Toilet

Pour about 1 cup borax into the toilet and let it sit for a few hours. Scrub the inside of the bowl using a toilet brush. Spray straight 5% vinegar onto the toilet rim, seat and top. Scrub the rim. Wipe the seat and top. Periodically, spray the toilet rim with your antibacterial spray and let it dry naturally.

Another Toilet Bowl Cleaner 1 cup borax 1/2 cup white vinegar

1) Flush the toilet to wet the sides. Sprinkle the borax all along the sides of the inside of the bowl. 2) Drizzle the vinegar over the borax and leave over night. 3) Next day, scrub with a toilet brush and flush.

Hard Water Stains and Scale Cleaner

Use an acid like vinegar or lemon juice. Just spray on, let sit for 10-15 minutes, then wipe off. For large areas, soak a wash cloth in vinegar and then lay it on the stained area overnight. Next morning, the scale should be easy to scrub off.

Soak shower heads in vinegar to remove hard water buildup. Use an old toothbrush to scrub it away.

Damp/Dust Mop

One part vegetable glycerin One part vinegar One old, clean, dust free cloth

Mix the first two ingredients. Soak the cloth in the mixture until it has absorbed all it will absorb. Take the cloth out of the liquid, and gently squeeze an excess liquid from the cloth. Cover a mop with the cloth and use all over your hard floors, ceilings, walls and woodwork to pick up dust, dist mites and to repel mites, neutralize allergens.

Some Natural Cleaners and What I use Them For

3 percent hydrogen peroxide – good for lightening stains and as an antibacterial agent on clothing. Baking soda – Good for gentle abrasive cleaning. Can also be used as a mild bleach and can neutralize acid based stains.

Citrus solvents All purpose stain removal. Don’t use if you have cats.

Cornmeal Good for absorbing oily, messy stains.

Enzymes I use digestive enzymes like pepsin or papain. They are good for getting out milk and formula stains. Really any kind of carbohydrate stain.

The Freezer! Freeze gum and candle wax before attempting to remove it, works better.

Glycerin softens old stains

Laundry Detergents There are some stains that I just can’t get out with natural stuff, like lipstick and makeup or other oily stains. Sometimes nothing works on ring around the collar except detergent.

Salt salt kills some bacteria and is good to add to your cleaners to make a mild abrasive.

Soap All around good cleaner but don’t use it on fruit stains of any kind, it can set them! (wine, jam, juice….)

Washing soda I love this stuff. Its one of the heavy duty natural cleaners. Good way to remove stains, deodorizes.

I use some of these cleaners on a weekly basis. Be sure to check labels on commercial cleaners and do your research to see if they are acceptable for your home. I like the new Clorox Green cleaners, but when I look at the label….. I realize that its just about exactly what I’ve been making here at home!

Smoked Sausage

05/14/2025 /

I’m venturing out on a project  that I haven’t done in years. I can’t even remember the last time I smoked sausage.

So I bought some sausage from a friend locally and seasoned it with Cajun seasoning and paprika. The Cajun stuff has lots of herbs in it not just cayenne. Then I mixed it really well and pushed it down into cotton sausage bags.

I’m smoking it at about 80*F because I don’t want it to cook, just get that smoky flavor.  This is called a cold smoke.  It will take several hours, maybe til night time.

I’m using apple wood trimmed off our trees.

After it’s done I’ll cook some and let you know how it is.

 

 

Spring Cleaning is Happening!

05/09/2025 /

 

Hey friends, we’re working on Spring Cleaning and trying to motivate each other over at the Christian Homekeeper Facebook Group.  If you aren’t already a member, come by and ask to be admitted. It’s a Private Group so none of your posts ever show up on FB except in the group .

We accept women only and you do have to answer three questions to apply.

We talk about all kinds of things including our days and our jobs, our menus, gardens, food preservation and lots of good ideas for blessing home and family .  Our focus is Jesus Christ and being good stewards of what He has blessed us with.

Her’s the link:
Christian Homekeeper Group on Facebook.

There is also a Christian Homekeeper Page

I hope you’ll join us!

 

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