Please check out the Homecrafting Links section on this site for online suppliers of most of the ingredients listed below.

From Lye In Wait:

Oatmeal Milk Bath Salts

1 cup powdered goat's milk
1 cup colloidal oatmeal 1 ½ cup Epsom salts
Scant ¼ cup dendretic salt
½ teaspoon liquid glycerin
½ teaspoon essential oil (lavender, orange, balsam peru, sandalwood, fir needle, or rosewood)  

In bowl large enough to provide plenty of stirring room, combine Epsom salts and dendretic salt. Stir together with a metal whisk. Dribble glycerin and essential oil over salts. Stir well with whisk. Add oatmeal and goat’s milk and stir with whisk. This makes enough for at least three baths.   Dendretic salt helps avoid clumping and distributes the fragrance more thoroughly in the mix. The liquid glycerin does the same thing. Colloidal oatmeal suspends in the bathwater, and most powdered goat’s milk is full fat, which makes it very softening. For immediate use you can also make this without the dendretic salt and glycerin, and substitute nonfat dry milk and baby oatmeal cereal for the goat’s milk and colloidal oatmeal. The result will be a little different, and you will have to rinse a little oatmeal fiber out of the bottom of the tub when you’re done, but it’s a wonderful, soothing soak!  

Easy Lip Balm

1 oz. beeswax
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon essential oil -- pepperming, spearmint, or lemon

Melt wax and oil together over very low heat. Stir in essential oil and pour into small tins, lip balm tubes, or any other suitable, lidded containers. Allow to cool.

This recipe will fill about 25 – .15 oz. lip balm tubes.

Stop ‘Em in Their Tracks Lotion Bars

3 oz. beeswax
3 oz. coconut oil
3 oz. cocoa butter

Heat wax, oil and butter together over very low heat. Pour into 6 - 2 oz. molds. Allow to harden and remove from molds. Given the 1:1:1 ratio of ingredients, it’s very easy to increase or decrease this recipe.

Using non-deodorized cocoa butter gives the lotion bars a yummy chocolate scent, but if you can’t find it you can add ¼ to ½ teaspoon of an essential oil or oil blend of your choice.

In addition to soothing “garden hands”, try rubbing a lotion bar on rough feet and putting on cotton socks before going to bed.

From Heaven Preserve Us:

Winding Road Saltea Bags

These have it all! Like other bath tea bags this recipe includes dried herbs long used to benefit the skin. However, you’ll also find Epsom and sea salts, essential oils to sooth your skin and your mood, and a slight fizzing action that disperses a light, softening bath oil.

Makes four teapot-sized bags:

1/8 cup dried green tea (gunpowder green if available)
1/4 cup dried calendula
1/4 cup dried chamomile (loose leaf chamomile tea is fine)
1/4 cup dried lavender flowers OR dried spearmint OR dried rosemary OR dried lemon peel
1/2 teaspoon of one of the following essential oils to match the dried herb above: lavender, spearmint, rosemary or ¼ each of lemon and orange
1/8 cup baking soda
1/16 cup citric acid
2/3 cup Epsom salts
2/3 cup sea salt
2 full teaspoons light oil such as hazelnut, jojoba, almond or wheat germ

Combine all dry ingredients thoroughly. Combine oils separately, then drizzle over the top of herbal/salt mixture. Mix thoroughly. Divide into four large (tea pot sized), heat sealable tea bags (available online, or in specialty bulk tea shops). Wrap in cellophane or package in a glass jar to preserve scent.

Toss one bag in the bath. First it will puff out and fizz, dispersing the oils (don’t squeeze!), then it will float in the water. The longer you leave it, the more the herbs will steep, tinting and softening the water.

Air Fresheners a la Seth

The essential oils in these keep them fresh for a long time, but you can also add a drop of vitamin E oil to each one as an added preservative. Just as with commercial gel air fresheners, the scent is released as the gel dries. Each one contains a lot of essential oil, so they are quite fragrant.

Makes four fresheners (4 oz. each):

1 packet of Knox unflavored gelatin
¾ cup boiling water
¼ cup cold water
Coloring (food coloring is fine, or you can skip the color altogether)
4 teaspoons essential oil or essential oil blend

Dissolve gelatin in boiling water. Stir in cold water, coloring and essential oil. Pour into 4 oz. glass or plastic containers with lids – avoid using tins, as the oils may corrode the metal. Once the liquid is no longer steaming, five minutes or so, cap the containers and allow to cool at room temperature. When ready to use, uncap and enjoy!

Some nice scents for these are lavender, cinnamon with clove, rosemary with peppermint, or fir needle.

Meghan’s Wine Jelly

Makes four ½ pint jars:

This jelly can be made anytime, and provides a special accompaniment to meat. Earthy red wines like Cabernet Sauvignon or Shiraz are particularly good with lamb or beef; a sweet Chablis or dry Chardonnay is nice with chicken. Add a little Sherry to the mix for an interesting twist.

2 cups wine
3 cups sugar
2-3 oz. foil pouches liquid fruit pectin (Certo is one brand)

Mix wine and sugar in the top of a double boiler placed over boiling water. Stir four to five minutes, until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and immediately stir in pectin. Mix well. Skim off any foam. Pour hot jelly into heated ½ pint canning jars, leaving 1/8 inch of space. Apply jar lid and ring, twisting tightly.

Process jars for ten minutes in a hot water bath (190 F). Remove jars from boiling water and allow to cool at room temperature.

Sophie Mae’s Favorite Watermelon Rind Pickles

These are sweet and sour and utterly delicious. They make a great addition to a holiday relish plate, and are yummy with cold roast beef…or eaten out of the jar by the light of the refrigerator at midnight. You might have to hunt for watermelon with a thick rind; so many recent hybrids have eliminated the light green or white interior rind as well as the seeds. Any heirloom variety should work. If you can’t find a watermelon with a thick rind, keep a little of the red flesh on when you trim the pieces. They won’t be quite as crisp, but the lovely color will make up for it.

Makes four pints:

8 cups watermelon rind cut into 1-inch cubes, dark green skin removed
½ cup pickling salt
4 cups cold water
5 teaspoons whole cloves
4 cups sugar
2 cups cider vinegar
2 cups water

Combine salt with cold water and stir to dissolve. Pour this brine over the watermelon rind, adding more water if needed in order to cover. Weigh down with a plate to completely immerse the rind. Allow to stand for 6 hours. Drain and rinse thoroughly. Drain again. Combine vinegar, sugar and water. Tie the cloves in a cloth bag and add them to the vinegar mixture. Bring to a boil; simmer for ten minutes. Pour vinegar mixture over watermelon rind and let stand overnight (it’s a good idea to use a plate to weight the rind down again.)

The next day bring all to a boil; check consistency of rind. If still hard and crunchy, cook until rind is translucent, five to ten minutes. This may not be necessary, depending on the thickness and kind of watermelon rind. Be careful not to overcook or your pickles will be mushy. Take out the bag of cloves, and pack the watermelon rind into hot, sterilized pint jars. Add enough hot syrup to leave ½ inch of room at top of jar. Apply jar lids and rings, twisting firmly. Process jars in a boiling water bath (185 F) for 10 minutes. Remove jars from water and allow to cool at room temperature. When cool, check to make sure jars have sealed properly.  

Heaven Preserve Us made the International Mystery Booksellers Association bestseller list in August, 2008.

Check out the Sister's in Crime interview:

http://www.sistersincrime-rmc.org/cminterview.htm