DIY Easiest & Frugal-est Way to Make a Mason Jar Straw Cup

“All in all, it was a never-to-be-forgotten summer — one of those summers which come seldom into any life, but leave a rich heritage of beautiful memories in their going — one of those summers which, in a fortunate combination of delightful weather, delightful friends and delightful doing, come as near to perfection as anything can come in this world.” 

~ L.M. Montgomery, Anne's House of Dreams

I think that summer and mason jars are synonymous, don't you? These mason jar cups have been quite popular the last few years and though I adore mason jars, I never made any because of the whole drill and grommet situation. And then I thought of this... 

Using my handy homeschooling supply -- the mighty hole punch!

Just make a nice clean punch through one of your recycled jar lids (making sure to get as close to the middle as possible). Don't worry about the dent, it won't show when the ring is placed on. 

Just pop in a straw and you are finished!

If you are concerned about the long-term use of this concept because of potential rust, then please read on for idea #2...

Recycle an old plastic lid (like a plastic cream cheese container lid, sour cream lid, a plastic coffee lid, etc.) and trace the shape and size of the original mason jar lid onto the plastic lid. I personally prefer the Philadelphia cream cheese lid because it is grey like the mason jar lid/ring set.

Next, cut out the pattern with basic scissors. I traced my circle near the edge so that I can get the whole puncher close enough to punch out that dent in the middle of the plastic lid. 

Finally, punch through the plastic and you are finished!

Just attach the ring, screw on the lid and slip in a straw for a nice and easy mason jar cup! This is very convenient for outdoor use as the bugs have less of a chance to share your drink and they are also somewhat spill-proof.

 And there you have it, the easiest, frugal-est way to make mason jar straw cups!

All the fine print. This post may be shared with some or all of the following link-ups: The Art of Home-Making Mondays, Modest Mom Monday's, Monday's Musings, Good Morning Mondays,  The Scoop, Tuesdays with a Twist, Raising Homemakers, Wise Woman Link Up, Homestead Blog Hop,  Wow Us Wednesdays,  Coffee and Conversation, Homemaking Thursdays, Home Sweet Home, Our Simple Homestead, Awesome Life Friday Link Up and Create, Bake, Grow & Gather. Thank you lovely ladies for hosting these. This post may contain affiliate links (which are merchant links that help to support this site at no additional cost to you if you purchase an item through them).

DIY Vanilla Bean Syrup {with Printable Labels and Option to Can} & Favorite New Pantry Cookbook

Today I am sharing a homemaking/homesteading resource that has become a favorite of mine and a recipe from it! It is full of old fashioned meal ideas and is shared by a woman who had once lived for three years off-grid with no modern appliances and minimal electricity. The reason I mention this is because her recipes are real and down to earth! These are the kinds of recipes that have been interesting to me as of late-- ones that are nourishing and can be prepared from your basic pantry staples without needing a trip to the grocery store. I have only dreamt of a cookbook like this -- for the common farm pantry and frugal, from-scratch cook! No need for fancy ingredients to make these homemade and healthy comfort foods! May I introduce you to...

"A Cabin Full of Food" by Marie Beausoleil (349 pages!)

~~ The Ultimate "Store What You Use and Use What You Store" Cookbook ~~

As Marie (the author of the cookbook) explains...

"you don't need another cookbook that requires a shopping trip before you make dinner. You need to know how to cook with what you have...

The Irish have a saying: Better a cabin full of food than a hungry castle.

I couldn’t agree more!

Unfortunately, too many people would rather be in the middle of a cabin full of food because most of us are not used to dealing with food (and lots of it) in its natural state.

Whether you’re on the farm or in town, you’ll find great classic recipes that you can use today in this cookbook. If you have a fully stocked pantry, you have what you need to feed your family!

This book is organized by food type (grains, vegetables, fruit, meat) and written in a conversational, easy to follow format. It’s packed with almost 1000 easy, frugal, traditional recipes that will help you make the best use of what you have in the pantry already!

This is a massive, value-loaded book with over 300 pages of recipes.

This isn’t a cookbook so much as an encyclopedia on homestead cooking written by someone who knows what she’s doing – the author lives deep in the woods, raising four children in an off-grid cabin with solar power, wood heat and no fridge.

FARM FOOD

My grandfather always said to eat food that remembers where it came from.

But in this era of cans, boxes and bags, it is sometimes hard to know what to do with simple, from-the-farm food.

My book contains over 1000 of my own recipes, or ones that I have adapted and used over the years to make my own. There are lot of plain old classics that have almost been forgotten.

And quite a few come from the hand-written tried-and-true recipe books of my Old Order Mennonite friends.

These are recipes that have stood the test of time.

FOOD DOESN’T HAVE TO BE FANCY

You don’t need another book telling you how to make exotic ingredients into meals. This is real, down home cooking at its best. Save money by making your own ketchup, barbecue sauce, tomato soup and more from fresh tomatoes.

I’ll show you how to put up the garden bounty to quickly use it all winter. Learn to keep up with the egg and milk abundance when you have small livestock."

  ~ A Cabin Full of Food by Marie Beausoleil

Marie also shares a variety of pre-made spice recipes, a section on grains which shares many interesting frugal recipes such as a mixed coffee substitute, war yeast bread and leftovers quick bread. It is not a normal cook book but reminds me of an old fashioned receipt book. Her book is segmented by garden produce and how to use each one in each category and even includes some home remedies. There is a recipe for bean loaf instead of meat loaf (lots of bean recipes) that I am eager to try (lots of frugal recipes in general)!

This is probably one of her fanciest recipes that I am sharing today as it uses a vanilla bean (while the remainder of the book focuses on common pantry ingredients, garden harvests and farm by-products) but as a coffee lover, I had to try it! Marie mentions what a nice gift it would make and I must agree (I am sharing some vanilla bean syrup labels in case you would like to make some!).

She also says to drizzle it over baked goods, add to hot beverages or stew fresh fruit with it. I would like to add that you could even create the fancy cold coffee drinks with it! A bit of leftover morning coffee from the fridge... a splash of cream, a few cubes of ice, a drizzle of this syrup and you have an iced vanilla coffee.

Vanilla Bean Syrup Recipe 

(shared with permission by the author)

Bring to a simmer the following ingredients in a small saucepan:

• 1 c. water
• 2 c. sugar
• 3 vanilla beans (split lengthwise and scraped) *

Cook until the sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and pour into 2 half-pint jars. Make sure to distribute the beans into each jar. You can refrigerate once cool or you can preserve it for your pantry she says. To do so, wipe the jar rims, apply lids and rings and process 10 minutes in a boiling water bath canner for a shelf stable syrup. Do make sure your jars have been sterilized first if you opt to can the syrup like I did.

* I get our vanilla beans on eBay from a French merchant as they are much more affordable this way.

Happy homemaking!

A Cabin Full of Food by Marie Beausoleil

All the fine print. This post may be shared with some or all of the following link-ups: The Art of Home-Making Mondays, Modest Mom Monday's, Monday's Musings, Make Your Home Sing Monday, Good Morning Mondays,  The Scoop, Titus 2 Tuesdays, Tuesdays with a Twist, Raising Homemakers, The Homesteader Hop, Wise Woman Link Up, Homestead Blog Hop,  Wow Us Wednesdays,  Coffee and Conversation, Homemaking Thursdays, Home Sweet Home, Our Simple Homestead, Awesome Life Friday Link Up, Five Star Frou Frou Friday, and Shabbilicious Friday. Thank you lovely ladies for hosting these. This post may contain affiliate links (which are merchant links that help to support this site at no additional cost to you if you purchase an item through them). 

DIY Vitamin C-Rich Herbal Tea Blends Featuring Rose Hips

"Rose hips have a tart flavor and can be used to make jelly, jam, soup or oil, or can be alternatively used to flavor tea. During World War II, the British government used collected rose hips to make rose hip syrup as a source of vitamin C to replace citrus fruits that were impossible to get. Rose hips have a long history of use in traditional medicine. Rose hip tea is a rich source of vitamin C, carrying all the benefits of that vitamin. In addition, the various flavonoids in rose hips have potent antioxidant action."

~ Mountain Rose Herbs

Rose hip tea is one of the loveliest ways to utilize this vintage herb and it is such a blessing to be able to drink your vitamins! Your body recognizes these herbs as they were both made by the same Creator. This is better than any man-made vitamin. The best part is that the tea blends we are sharing today are safe for daily drinking and enjoyment. They help to sooth stress and build up the immune system. We also use these vitamin C-rich teas for aiding allergy relief. And remember, these recipes can be doubled and tripled for larger batches to keep on hand in your pantry.

Before you begin perusing these rose hip tea blends, you may be interested in reading this little warning so that you process these herbs properly :)

Classic Rose Hips (Vitamin C-Rich) Tea

~ rose hips

Use 1 tbsp. of rose hips per cup of boiling water when you need of boost of vitamin-C. Directions for medicinal tea making will be found here.

Tension Taming Tisane Blend

~ 4 tbsp. chamomile
~ 3 tbsp. rose hips
~ 2 tbsp. lemon balm
~ 1 tbsp. borage

Mix herbs together in jar (and label contents). Use 1 tbsp. of tea blend per cup of boiling water. Directions for medicinal tea making will be found here.

Children's Vitamin-C Tonic Tea Blend

~ 4 tbsp. rose hips

~ 3 tbsp. hibiscus

~ 2 tbsp. lemon grass

~ 1 tbsp. cinnamon chips

Mix herbs together in jar (and label contents). Use 1 tbsp. of tea blend per cup of boiling water. Directions for medicinal tea making will be found here.

Flexibili-Tea

Sometimes we don't have every herb in a recipe but that doesn't mean you shouldn't make it (just make do). You could either omit it altogether or replace it with something else.  For instance, in the Vitamin-C Tonic blend above, we didn't have hibiscus. We did however, have an abundance of dried lemon peel (which is full of vitamin-C) and so we used it instead. Just make sure the herb you are replacing is safe for the person who is going to be drinking it.

Make Up Your Own Herbal Tea Mix ~ DIY Rose Hip Blends

I also love to get ideas from pre-bought tea blends. Here are some herb mixtures that looked delicious from various companies which included rose hips. You can tinker with the ingredient amounts to make a blend to suit your palette. 

Bulk Herb Store Tea Blends:

Hibiscus Orange Delight Tea ~ hibiscus flowers, orange peel, rose hips, green tea, red raspberry leaf

Herban C Tea ~ red raspberry leaf, orange peel, hibiscus flowers, rose hips, red rooibos, ginger root

Lemon Drop Tea ~ orange peel, stevia, lemon peel, lemon grass, rose hips

Double-E Immune Booster ~ nettle leaf,  peppermint leaf, echinacea root, echinacea tops, elderberries, eleuthero root, rose hips

Mountain Rose Herbs Tea Blend:

Hibiscus High Tea ~ hibiscus flowers, rose hips, lemongrass,  orange peel, spearmint, rose petals, stevia

Tazo Tea Blends:

Passion ~ hibiscus flowers, licorice root, orange peel, cinnamon, rose hips, lemongrass

Citrus Bliss ~ rooibos, rose hips, lemongrass

Japanese Sakura ~ green tea, rose petals, rose hips, blackberry leaves

Egyptian Ruby ~ hibiscus, dried pineapple, peppermint, lemongrass, rose hips  blackberry leaves

Lemon Ginger ~ lemongrass, orange peel, ginger, licorice, rose hips

Wild Sweet Orange ~ lemongrass, blackberry leaves, rose hips, spearmint leaves, orange peel, hibiscus flowers, rose petals,  ginger root, licorice root, licorice extract

Homemaking Hints:

It is interesting to note how many of these recipes contain orange peels! Visit this post to make your own for an extra thrifty tea blend! The same tutorial would apply for lemon peels which is also a common tea ingredient. For "How to Make a Medicinal Tea", visit here. We also share some "tea blend" labels here to help you organize your pantry full of vitamin rich tea blends. Here's to a healthy new year! 

“If you are cold, tea will warm you;

if you are too heated, it will cool you;

If you are depressed, it will cheer you;

If you are excited, it will calm you.” 

~ William Ewart Gladstone

Disclaimer #1: I am not a certified herbalist but a homemaker interested in the arts of natural healing. The information I have learned has been gleaned through study of some of the following favorite books; Rosemary Gladstar's Medicinal Herbs: A Beginner's Guide, Herbal Recipes for Vibrant Health, Grow Your Own Drugs by James Wong, and The Complete Illustrated Book of Herbs by Reader's Digest and websites of herbalists (such as the Bulk Herb Store Blog).

Disclaimer #2: I am not a doctor. While I do seek scientific confirmation of the safety and effectiveness of the herbs and remedies I use, remember that using remedies is a personal decision. Nothing I say on this blog is approved by the FDA or intended to diagnose, treat or prevent disease. All things on this blog are my opinion or the opinion of others. Also, if you have a medical condition, are taking pharmaceutical drugs, or are pregnant, please consult your physician prior to taking herbs.

Source of Inspiration for Tea Blend Recipes: Rosemary Gladstar's Herbal Recipes for Vibrant Health.

This post may be shared with some or all of the following link-ups: The Art of Home-Making Mondays, Modest Mom Monday's, Monday's Musings, Make Your Home Sing Monday, Good Morning Mondays,  The Scoop, Titus 2sdays, Titus 2 Tuesdays, Roses of Inspiration, Tuesdays with a Twist, Raising Homemakers, Wise Woman Link Up, Homestead Blog Hop,  Wow Us Wednesdays,  Coffee and Conversation, Homemaking Thursdays, Home Sweet Home, Our Simple Homestead, From the Farm Blog Hop, Front Porch Friday Blog Hop, Awesome Life Friday Link Up, Five Star Frou Frou Friday, Simply Natural Saturdays and Clever Chicks Blog Hop. Thank you lovely ladies for hosting these.

How to Make a Medicinal Tea {Plus Printable} ~ Home Pharmacy Series

"Drinking a daily cup of tea, will surely starve the apothec'ry."

~ Chinese Proverb

There is an art to making herbal tea more effective. Like all good things, knowing the proper way creates better results! Today we are sharing the basics of medicinal-tea-making. And if you have any additional tips, I would love to hear them!

“I am so fond of tea that I could write a whole dissertation on its virtues. It comforts and enlivens without the risks attendant on spirituous liquors. Gentle herb! Let the florid grape yield to thee. Thy soft influence is a more safe inspirer of social joy.”

~ James Boswell

Medicinal Tea Basics

Approximate ratio: 1 - 3 tbsp. dried herb per cup of boiling water.

The longer it steeps or simmers, the stronger the tea. 

Once brewed, store the excess tea in the refrigerator for no longer than 3 to 4 days.

For convenience, infuse loose herbal tea directly inside a mug, mason jar or tea pot using a tea strainer. Or, simply strain through a fine strainer when finished brewing to remove the herbs.

"For a medicinal tea to be effective, it must be administered in small amounts several times daily. For chronic problems, serve the tea three or four times daily. For acute ailments such as colds, fevers, and headaches, take several small sips every thirty minutes until the symptoms subside."

~ Rosemary Gladstar, Herbal Recipes for Vibrant Health

Infusions

Prepare an infusion when working with delicate parts of the plant such as leaves and flowers.

Pour the boiled water over the herbs and let them steep for 30 to 60 minutes.

Tip: Infuse straight into a large mason jar or tea pot and sip throughout the day. 

Decoctions

Prepare a decoction when working with more durable parts of the plant such as roots, bark and seeds.

Place herbs in a sauce pan and cover with cold water. Gently bring to a boil and simmer slowly (and covered) for 20 to 45 minutes. Strain and enjoy.

Sun and Moon Teas

Solar Tea: Place your herbs in a mason jar with cold water and let it sit in the sun for several hours during the hottest part of the day. Strain when completed.

Lunar Tea: Place your herbs in a mason jar with cold water and let it sit out overnight under the light of the moon. For a stronger tea, start off with boiling water. Strain when completed.

Make sure to cover your jar with a lid as you don't want your infusion being invaded by pests. 

DIY Tea {Tisane} Blends

Here are some thrifty ideas for making your own tisane (herbal tea blend) using dried orange and lemon peels. They make a wonderful addition to your cup this winter as they are full of cold and flu fighting preventatives! And if you are looking for a daily tea blend that will strengthen the homemaker, visit this recipe here. We will also be sharing some rose-hip tea ideas within the next month or so.

Lastly, we are sharing these printable "how to make a medicinal tea" instructions HERE should you like to add them to your homemaker's herbal. We are also including a set of "tea blend" labels. It is nice to have your favorite blends prepared in advance, stored in airtight jars and labeled on your shelf for convenience. Think "sleepy-time" blend, "cold/flu" blend, and so forth! This post was a part of our "Home Apothecary Series".

"So of all the particulars of health and exercise, and fit nutriment, and tonics.

Some people will tell you there is a great deal of poetry

and fine sentiment in a chest of tea."

 ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Disclaimer: I am not a certified herbalist but a homemaker interested in the arts of natural healing. The information I have learned has been gleaned through study of some of the following favorite books; Rosemary Gladstar's Medicinal Herbs: A Beginner's Guide, Herbal Recipes for Vibrant Health, Grow Your Own Drugs by James Wong, and The Complete Illustrated Book of Herbs by Reader's Digest and websites of herbalists.

I am not a doctor. While I do seek scientific confirmation of the safety and effectiveness of the herbs and remedies I use, remember that using remedies is a personal decision. Nothing I say on this blog is approved by the FDA or intended to diagnose, treat or prevent disease. All things on this blog are my opinion or the opinion of others. Also, if you have a medical condition, are taking pharmaceutical drugs, or are pregnant, please consult your physician prior to taking herbs.

This post may be shared with some or all of the following link-ups: The Art of Home-Making Mondays, Modest Mom Monday's, Monday's Musings, Make Your Home Sing Monday, Good Morning Mondays,  The Scoop, Titus 2sdays, Titus 2 Tuesdays, Roses of Inspiration, Tuesdays with a Twist, Raising Homemakers, Wise Woman Link Up, Homestead Blog Hop,  Wow Us Wednesdays,  Coffee and Conversation, Homemaking Thursdays, Home Sweet Home, Our Simple Homestead, From the Farm Blog Hop, Front Porch Friday Blog Hop, Awesome Life Friday Link Up, Five Star Frou Frou Friday, Simply Natural Saturdays and Clever Chicks Blog Hop. Thank you lovely ladies for hosting these.

How to Make & Can {French Style} Lemon Peel Syrup {Just Scraps & Sugar} ~ Citrus Series

{Note: I am excited to continue our Citrus Series this winter with this first post of the season!}

"When life gives you lemon scraps, you can make sweet syrup."

This "French inspired" lemon syrup is made from the leftover pieces of lemons we had after freezing containers of lemonade concentrates for our future summer enjoyment. Yes, with a bit of sugar, we were able to create and can this lovely syrup from the discarded peels, pith and seeds! This can be drizzled into seltzer water for a sparkling soda or water for a quick lemonade. Add it to your basic icing recipe to liven up a cake. Sweeten and flavor teas with it and anything else you can think of!

Simply toss all the leftover lemon scraps you have (peels, including the pith and even the seeds as they all contain pectin) into your crockpot and then place it in your fridge until bedtime. I am guessing you are much too tired from the project that created the scraps in the first place so that you will want to do this one tomorrow.

Now, add enough water to just cover the scraps, place the lid on your crock pot and turn it on "low". Lemons are buoyant so don't worry about the floaters as they don't need to be completely submerged. Let this slowly simmer overnight (about 6 - 8 hours) while you sleep and rest your weary, hardworking body.

Turn off the crock pot when you wake up and you can strain it once it cools down a bit (a few hours is fine as I waited until my morning routine was finished before I continued this).

To strain the juice, we lined our stock pot with a large paint strainer and dumped the cooled contents inside. You can use whatever system works for you.

Then we gathered it up like a jelly bag and let it hang over the pot in order to drain the excess liquid. Press any remaining juice through and make sure you measure your final volume of lemon water.

Next, place your measured juice in a large enough pot and bring it to a raging boil. Now that it is boiling aggressively, add your sugar.

You will need half the amount of sugar as there is liquid for this recipe. For instance, our liquid measured out at 12 cups so I added 6 cups of sugar.

Boil this mixture rapidly until it reaches a syrupy consistency or until at least 1/3 of the liquid has evaporated. This will take some time (about 20 to 30 minutes depending on your volume) and is a good moment to get all your canning gear in order. It is not necessary to stir the syrup continuously, just once in a while to make sure nothing is burning at the bottom (which it shouldn't).

When you reach your desired consistency, ladle the hot syrup into hot, sterilized jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace.

Wipe the jar rims, adjust the canning lids and begin processing for 5 minutes in a boiling water bath. For more detailed step by step canning directions, visit here.

Now for the "French" part. It really is these vintage labels (as you may have guessed) and the fact that France seems to sell lots of "Sirop de Citron" (aka lemon syrup). This just seemed like something you would find on an expensive Williams Sonoma shelf. Something that I normally couldn't afford but am now making with discarded pieces. Frugal and French... how can you go wrong?! You can either glue on your labels with a glue stick, or for a stronger adhesive, print them on sticker paper. You will find our free printable {here}.

Now, of course you could also choose to make cleaning products with the peels, or even tea blends, lemon pepper or lemon extract but today was simply a syrup making day for the humble pantry.

If you enjoyed this project, we share 100+ more ideas on how to use up fruit scraps in our Ebook here! Happy kitchen-crafting, ladies!

All the fine print. This post may be shared with some or all of the following link-ups: The Art of Home-Making Mondays, Modest Mom Monday's, Monday's Musings, Make Your Home Sing Monday, Good Morning Mondays,  The Scoop, Titus 2 Tuesdays, Tuesdays with a Twist, Raising Homemakers, The Homesteader Hop, Wise Woman Link Up, Homestead Blog Hop,  Wow Us Wednesdays,  Coffee and Conversation, Homemaking Thursdays, Home Sweet Home, Our Simple Homestead, Awesome Life Friday Link Up, Five Star Frou Frou Friday, and Shabbilicious Friday. Thank you lovely ladies for hosting these. This post may contain affiliate links (which are merchant links that help to support this site at no additional cost to you if you purchase an item through them).