Sunscreen again???

How many posts will I have about sunscreen?

When I obsess about something I REALLY obsess! Hopefully this will be the last post! Until next summer that is :).

I was bypassing Badger unscented SPF 30 because it has 'micronized zinc oxide' as the active ingredient. After reading the explanation on their website I'm sort of almost sold (that is, unless I find something else)(sounds a bit wishy-washy, eh?). Better yet - they list 2 stores in the area that sell it. Read about it here:

http://www.badgerbalm.com/t-sunscreen_zinc_oxide_nanoparticles.aspx

Their anti-bug spray looks good. Both are about $16.00 for 2.9 ounces.
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However...
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The winning sunscreen is.... (drum roll)

Loving Naturals Sunscreen.

Why? Because, even though the Badger brand had me (almost) convinced regarding their zinc oxide use, Loving Naturals has non-nano particles zinc oxide AND it specifically addresses the chemical coating that Badger uses. In the following link click on product info on the top tool bar and then active ingredient on the bottom.

http://www.lovingnaturals.com/

The cost is $10 for 2.7 ounces (different than I found originally); $19 for 5 ounces. Funny, this price sounded outrageous a few weeks ago yet now I'm more than willing to pay it for a year of safe sun protection. If you know me locally and want to know where to get some, let me know.

They also have a natural bug spray or lotion ($13 for 4 ounces). I used a natural bug spray today to go out to our thrip-infested peas in the garden and the citronella-based spray kept them at bay. Their product looks good.

What's Cookin'?

Cabbage, cabbage, glorious cabbage: Kroger has cabbage on sale for $0.50/pound. I got 4 to use for sauerkraut. I just accidentally ran across an old recipe (that I've never tried) to use cabbage in lieu of spaghetti noodles. That should be interesting. The recipe is on my counter waiting for tomorrow. [Update: We made 3-1/2 quarts of kraut today but I completely forgot until we were done and cleaning up that I wanted to hold some back for that recipe - argh! 2 quarts are plain; 1 qt has pickling spices like dill, mustard seed, and coriander seed in it; and the pint has a pepper from our little garden (sort of like a banana pepper)] Alyss' instructions are easy to follow. I don't really measure but I always refer back to her instructions:

http://realfoodmyway.blogspot.com/2009/01/kraut-101.html

Roasted peanuts: I've soaked and dehydrated some peanuts but I'm trying to make them more palatable to dh by tweaking a spiced nuts recipe. I plan to roast them with just oil and salt. Dc and I just eat them plain or use them for peanut butter (very occasionally). [Update: the nuts were a hit with dh. I ended up mixing the roasted peanuts with the plain ones once in the jar and it's just enough of a salt coating flavor. I mixed 2 Cups soaked/dehydrated peanuts with 2 teaspoons oil and almost 1 teaspoon salt. Then I put them on parchment paper and roasted for 10 minutes at 350F. I should have done a lower temp because I think I killed my enzymes - That's what I get for not checking NT and doing it on the fly. At least 1/2 the nuts in the mix still have live enzymes.

Sourdough Bread: I made 2 loaves of sourdough bread (one is baking while I type). Last Sunday I started a new starter and used water from boiling potatoes for most of the water. It took off and ended up being the best starter I've made yet. The first loaf rose beautifully in the bread maker on dough cycle (then I put it in a pan, let it sit, and cook in the oven so it can finish the 8 hour rise/soak). Unfortunately, I don't bake bread in the oven in the summer, so I just used up all the starter in this first batch (sniff, sniff!). I need to figure out which recipe will be my summer recipe for bread. I cook it in the bread maker on the back porch to create less heat in the house.

Bananas were on sale for $0.39/lb this week so youngest dd has been busy dehydrating banana chips. The dehydrator is on the back porch right now with batch #2.

What's Gardenin'?

I went to the local farmer's market today in search of I didn't really know what. I almost jumped up and down when I saw a lady selling sweet potato slips. I got 4 and went back for 2 more for a pot where I have potatoes right now. She said the potatoes need to be harvested so we'll get to play in the dirt this weekend :). Then I'll plant the sweet potato slips in the potato section of the raised bed and in the big planter on the back porch. She was the only organic grower there today. Now to google potato harvesting...

She was generously giving away some purple bean plants so I'll put those where I was *going* to plant watermelon. We missed the watermelon window because things were very hectic - in a good way - during April and May.

My camera died or I would try to upload some pictures of the kraut, etc.