I finally have had time to update the website with our newest soap!

In our Spirits Collection we have our current Cola Float (everyone who smells this LOVES it!)

Now added:
Gin Martini

Shaken or Stirred???

This unique fragrance begins with aldehydic bubbly top notes of club soda with warm citrus enhancements followed by middle notes of fresh rosemary, balsam fir needles, and crushed ginger, all embraced by bottom notes of crisp cedar.

In the testing phase: Southern Comfort!

Gin Martini Soap

We are in the process of developing a soap line promoting the use of industrial hemp. The current ‘hemp’ soaps available now do not contain hemp oil as we are simply testing out the fragrances first. Once we nail down the fragrance line we will modify the formula to include hemp oil.

Each hemp soap is handstamped with the hemp image and decorated with hemp cord and charm.

Currently available:
Hemp Flower

Shimmering green fern and cannabis notes reveal a rich floral mix of violet and gardenia in this whimsical scent. A warm blend of cashmere wood surrounds the floral notes while sensual undertones of musk and golden amber soften the scent.

Two more hemp soaps will be added to this line.

Hemp Flower Soap

And last but not least…

Pear

Why Pear? All I can say is sometimes things get out of hand.
Seriously.
I had no intention of adding a scent collection consisting of one type of scent…let alone a fruit one!

We started out with Melissa Pear and it has been such a good hit I decided to find two other similar pear-type fragrances.

What can I say?

Now available:

Melissa Pear

A sweet fresh blend of fruity pear and a note of melissa enhanced with a splash of verbena.

A sassy strong scent with a touch of sweetness!

Two more pear-type soaps will be added to this collection!

Melissa Pear Soap

Rebecca
Country Meadow Ltd.
Eco Friendly Shea Butter Spa Products

www.countrymeadowltd.com

Chinese coal-mining city is world’s most polluted
By David Feinberg, VBS Correspondent

Editor’s note: The staff at CNN.com has recently been intrigued by the journalism of VICE, an independent media company and website based in Brooklyn, New York. VBS.TV is VICE’s broadband television network. The reports, which are produced solely by VICE, reflect a very transparent approach to journalism, where viewers are taken along on every step of the reporting process. We believe this unique reporting approach is worthy of sharing with our CNN.com readers.

Brooklyn, New York (VBS.TV) — In 2008, the world cast its eyes on Beijing, the sprawling Chinese metropolis that was set to play host to the Summer Olympics.

At VBS.TV, we caught wind of another story that soon had our full attention. As Chinese officials were taking unprecedented and often controversial measures to sanitize the notoriously foul Beijing air, much of the rest of the country was still covered in a thick blanket of noxious smog.

According to a World Bank survey at the time, 16 of the world’s 20 most-polluted cities were in China.

At the top of that list is the city of Linfen, a coal-mining and manufacturing hub in the heart of Shanxi Province. Within weeks, we assembled a film crew and went off to the landlocked province in northern China to find out more.

After touching down in Beijing and making a quick visit to the Olympic countdown clock, we set out to visit the single most polluted place on Earth, hoping to place the dubious ranking into a human context.

Despite the Chinese government’s promise of a marathon-friendly city, the Beijing air at the time was still plenty oppressive. But nothing could have prepared us for the dystopian scenario we encountered during our week in Linfen and the surrounding area.

Before the trip, I had researched thousands of images of the pollution that plagues Linfen and Shanxi province, but to see it in person is, quite simply, devastating.

The sun sets before it is supposed to, disappearing into a curtain of smog above the true horizon. Residents scavenge the roadside for coal that falls from the seemingly endless cavalcade of coal trucks, gathering it with bare hands. Schoolchildren play against the nonstop backdrop of billowing exhaust. Many of the elderly have trouble speaking between gasps of widespread emphysema.

Residents of Linfen are aware of the growing threat the polluted air and water pose, and some of them have left the city. Most, however, have no choice but to stay.

The infamy of a No. 1 ranking in the news media eventually motivated China to focus more attention on cleaning up Linfen, but unfortunately, the scene of overwhelming pollution is still rampant in many parts of the country.

As easy as it is to criticize China’s bold industrial development, our visit was also a clear reminder of the same pattern of manufacturing and consumption that has occurred elsewhere since the dawn of the Industrial Age.

In China, it just happens to be on a much grander scale and on the back of a globalized economy that has rendered China into an assembly line for the world. The most compelling research I came across to this end are recently published studies showing particulate matter from China’s factories and mines reaching across the Pacific Ocean to North America’s West Coast.

China obviously has some cleaning up to do, and more importantly, some major strategizing to achieve a sustainable economy.

Our futures are inextricably linked. Back in New York City, the coal mines of Shanxi Province feel worlds away, but as oil now gushes ceaselessly into our own backyard, we should pay even more attention to Linfen if we don’t want it to be a glimpse into our own future.

Rebecca
Country Meadow Ltd.
Eco Friendly Shea Butter Spa Products

www.countrymeadowltd.com

Many years ago I used to make jam…strawberry, raspberry and peach. Only I made it the hard way…by cooking the jam, packaging it in sterile jars then doing the hot bath thing until the jars were sealed.

I remember my mom used to make jam…only she did it the easy way….
Freezer Jam!

Here is a sure-fire easy freezer jam recipe from Kraft Foods.

Raspberry Freezer Jam

What You Need

3 cups prepared fruit (buy about 6 cups fully ripe red raspberries)
5-1/4 cups sugar, measured into separate bowl
3/4 cup water 1 box SURE.JELL Fruit Pectin

Make It

RINSE clean plastic containers and lids with boiling water. Dry thoroughly.

CRUSH raspberries thoroughly, one layer at a time. (Press half of pulp through a sieve to remove seeds, if desired.) Measure exactly 3 cups crushed raspberries into large bowl. Stir in sugar. Let stand 10 min., stirring occasionally.

MIX water and pectin in small saucepan. Bring to boil on high heat, stirring constantly. Continue boiling and stirring 1 min. Add to fruit mixture; stir 3 min.or until sugar is almost dissolved and no longer grainy. (A few sugar crystals may remain.)

FILL containers immediately to within 1/2 inch of tops. Wipe off top edges of containers; immediately cover with lids. Let stand at room temperature 24 hours. Jam is now ready to use. Store in refrigerator up to 3 weeks or freeze extra containers up to 1 year. Thaw in refrigerator before using.

Kraft Kitchens Tips
How to Measure Precisely
To get exact level cup measures of sugar, spoon into dry metal or plastic measuring cups, then level by scraping excess sugar from top of cup with straight-edged knife.

Substitute
Prepare using blackberries.

Raspberry Freezer Jam

Rebecca
Country Meadow Ltd.
Eco Friendly Shea Butter Spa Products

www.countrymeadowltd.com

This was sent to me via email so I’m passing it along.
I have no idea who the original source is and for that I apologize! If you know send me an email and I will add credit where credit is due!

Baking soda isn’t just for deodorizing your fridge or for cooking:
We explore he many joys of using baking soda around the house.

How can baking soda be good for cleaning, baking, deodorizing — and even weeding — all at the same time? Vicki Lansky’s book, Baking Soda: Over 500 Fabulous, Fun, and Frugal Uses You’ve Probably Never Thought Of, explains it all. The book was a runaway hit in 2003, and it still is today, because frugal times call for frugal ingredients that get the job done as well as store-bought formulas. We scoured our sources and found a few more unusual ways to put inexpensive baking soda to work at home. (For more on this miraculous green ingredient, refer to Lansky’s book.)

1. Washing food
Make a paste of baking soda on a clean sponge, and then wash toxins off the skin of fruits and vegetables. Rinse well before eating.

2. Drain cleaner
Okay, baking soda it isn’t as powerful as commercial de-cloggers, but it costs virtually pennies to make and is a great first line of defense. Take a half cup of baking soda, pour down drain followed by half cup of white vinegar. Place a glass bowl over the top of the drain for two hours, then rinse with hot water. This should remove grease and dirt build-up through the pipes.

3. Vacuum odors
Sprinkle baking soda on the floor, then vacuum it up to kill odors in your vacuum.

4. Welcome mats
Speaking of floors, according to Lansky’s book, you can ditch and deodorize the dirt at your front door by sprinkling baking soda on welcome mats, then vacuuming up the powder.

5. Soft hands
Make baking soda into a paste and use on hands while washing dishes. It’ll help remove tough baked-on food while softening your hands at the same time.

6. Musty books
Do you have some old and musty books that you can’t bear to throw out? Sprinkle some baking soda between the pages, and brush it out a few days later for a fresh scent

7. Mothball smell
According to the blog, Green Eco Services, the smell of mothballs on clothing can be removed by adding ½ cup of baking soda to your washing machine’s rinse cycle to eliminate the odor.

8. Oil and grease
Sprinkle soda on the garage or basement floor to soak up oil and grease.

9. Weathered look
If you want a quick way to eliminate mold and mildew while achieving a weathered look for your deck, Green Eco Services recommends you use baking soda. Wash your deck with a solution of two cups baking soda in one gallon water, and use a stiff straw brush to work the solution into the wood, then rinse with cool water for a clean, yet aged patina.

10. Weed killer
Sweeping large amounts of sodium-rich baking soda into the cracks of your paved walks and driveways will eliminate weeds and dandelions.

11. Canvas cleaner
To clean anything canvas, rub on a paste of baking soda, then rub off.

12. Burnt pots
To eliminate seriously burnt-on food, pour in a thick cushion of baking soda, add an inch or so of water, and put the pot on the stove to boil. After boiling for a minute, try scrubbing again (don’t burn yourself). The burned-on mess should come right off.

13. Plastic shower curtains
One of the best tips in Lansky’s book alleviates this stubborn problem and cuts down on the amount of money spent on shower curtains: Wash mildewed or dirty plastic shower curtains in the washing machine on the gentle cycle with a couple of bath towels, and add in a half cup of baking soda and detergent during the wash cycle. Add in one cup of vinegar during the rinse cycle, then let drip dry.

14. Automatic dishwasher detergent
Make an automatic dish washing detergent using baking soda (and it works): Simply mix two tablespoons baking soda and two tablespoons borax, as a alternative to commercial detergent.. If you prefer to use your dish washing detergent, but want a cleaning boost, then just sprinkle a good amount of baking soda over dirty dishes, then wash as usual.

15. Stinky clothes
We know that baking soda deodorizes just about anything, but here’s another way to use it for clothing with a deep smoke or gasoline odor. Place the clothing in a plastic bag with baking soda for two days, then wash as usual.

What about you, dear readers? How do you use baking soda around the house? If you have a tip on cleaning with baking soda that isn’t listed here, and possibly not in Lansky’s book, please share the wisdom here with our readers.

Rebecca
Country Meadow Ltd.
Eco Friendly Shea Butter Spa Products

www.countrymeadowltd.com

I love candles, tea lights and tarts and burn them all…the…time!!

Here are perfect Raspberry Cobbler Tealights from Candle Kitty….
The perfect scent for July!

Candle Kitty Raspberry Cobbler Tea Lights

Rebecca
Country Meadow Ltd.
Eco Friendly Shea Butter Spa Products

www.countrymeadowltd.com

Come and join us at the Sultan Shindig!

We have a booth space reserved and will be available during these hours:

July 9, 10 & 11, 2010
Sultan Shindig

Friday, July 9 – 4 pm til dusk
Saturday, July 10 – 9 am til dusk
(fireworks at 10 pm)
Sunday, July 11 – 9 am to 4 pm

Stop by and say hello!

Rebecca
Country Meadow Ltd.
Eco Friendly Shea Butter Spa Products

www.countrymeadowltd.com

Western Washington Company’s Answer to Gulf Clean Up
Written by Cindy Tickle

A company in Western Washington is waiting for a phone call from officials in the Gulf of Mexico. The company, Absorption Corp, is best known for making absorbent bedding for animals, but the Ferndale company also produces another product called Absorbent W.

Absorbent W is made from reclaimed wood pulp and an environmentally friendly drying process. It is designed to contain and control hydrocarbons (oil-based liquids) while repelling water.

In other words, it’s ideal for cleaning up oil spills in water. Hello?!

Absorption Corp. President Doug Ellis has contacted the Coast Guard and the EPA but hasn’t received an order for his product yet. He says…

“One of the challenges has been getting government agencies to green light the idea. The product is 100 percent biodegradable, but convincing others of this has been a challenge. When an emergency is happening, people don’t have time to study (a product like this).”

Call me crazy… but with a disaster of this magnitude, wouldn’t Gulf officials want to try every oil-sucking product available on the market? Isn’t it time to do away with the bureaucracy and red tape?

Rebecca
Country Meadow Ltd.
Eco Friendly Shea Butter Spa Products

www.countrymeadowltd.com

Oh Yum!

Summertime Delight Lemon Raspberry Cheesecake
Jayne Vosters won first place for her lemon raspberry cheesecake at the 2009 Wisconsin Cheese Festival Cheesecake Contest. Learn more about the Wisconsin Cheese Festival Cheesecake Contest and the winning baker.

Ingredients

Pecan Crust:
1 cup(s) (about 25 wafers) crushed vanilla wafers
1 tablespoon(s) granulated sugar
1/2 cup(s) toasted pecans, coarsely chopped
2 tablespoon(s) melted unsalted butter

Cheesecake:
3 ounce(s) white chocolate, chopped
1/3 cup(s) whipping cream
3/4 cup(s) granulated sugar
3 strip(s) lemon peel, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 1/2 pound(s) cream cheese, softened
1 cup(s) sour cream
2 tablespoon(s) fresh lemon juice
4 eggs
1 cup(s) medium toasted pecans, chopped
Fresh raspberries

White Chocolate Frosting:
2 tablespoon(s) whipping cream
2 ounce(s) white chocolate, chopped
4 ounce(s) cream cheese, softened
1 teaspoon(s) lemon zest

Raspberry-Grand Marnier Sauce:
16 ounce(s) fresh or frozen raspberries
1/3 cup(s) granulated sugar, add more to taste
2 tablespoon(s) orange liqueur (such as Grand Marnier)

Directions

In a food processor, finely chop vanilla wafers. Add sugar and pecans; chop fine. With the machine running, pour in butter. Press the mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan. Refrigerate until firm.

Place white chocolate in small bowl. Gently warm cream and pour over the chocolate. Let stand, stirring often, until chocolate is melted. Cool slightly.

Place sugar and lemon peel in a food processor work bowl fitted with a metal blade. Process until the lemon peel is very fine, about one minute.

Add softened cream cheese and process until smooth, about 30 seconds, scraping the sides of the bowl several times. Mix in white chocolate, cream, sour cream, and lemon juice. Add eggs, one at a time, and process until smooth, another 30 seconds.

Pour half of the mixture over the chilled crust, and drizzle with 1/4 cup of the Raspberry Sauce. Top with remaining batter.

Place the cheesecake in a baking pan about 2 1/2 to 3 inches deep and wide enough so there is at least an inch of room around the cheesecake. Pour boiling water into the baking pan to about half way up the sides of the spring form pan.

Bake in the center of a 350 degree oven for 45 minutes. Turn oven off and let the cheesecake remain in oven, with door closed, for another 60 minutes. Remove from water bath and cool in the pan, away from drafts. When cool, remove from pan and refrigerate.

To finish dessert, cut a piece of parchment or wax paper in a six-inch round, using a saucer as a guide, and place in the center of the cheesecake. Frost the sides and top, around the paper, with White Chocolate and Cream Cheese Frosting. Press chopped pecans into the frosting. Remove paper and chill until frosting is firm, about one hour. Spoon Raspberry Grand-Marnier Sauce into the center and garnish with fresh raspberries.

To make the frosting: Place whipping cream in a small bowl and gently heat. Add white chocolate to cream and stir until melted. Cool to room temperature. With electric mixer beat cream cheese and lemon zest together. Add white chocolate and cream; whip until smooth. If frosting is too soft, refrigerate until it is thick and creamy.

To make the sauce: In a saucepan, heat berries until just warm, and juice is released. If using fresh berries, add 1/4 cup water. Force the mixture through a sieve or juicer. Return juice to saucepan; discard solids. Add sugar to taste. If using fresh berries 1/3 to 1/2 cup sugar should be adequate. If using pre-sweetened berries, little or no additional sugar may be needed. Cook over medium high heat until liquid is reduced by half. Remove from heat, add orange liqueur and cool.

Lemon Raspberry Cheesecake

Rebecca
Country Meadow Ltd.
Eco Friendly Shea Butter Spa Products

www.countrymeadowltd.com

Health Benefits of Raspberries

Ellagic Acid
Raspberries’ most peculiar nutrient is ellagic acid, a natural phytonutrient belonging to the family of tannins, which is probably the most important antioxidant found in raspberries. Ellagic acid is frequently sold in health food stores as a dietary supplement.

Antioxidants, Ellagitannins and Anthocyanins
Ellagic acid, as well as all the other antioxidants found in raspberries, are useful to prevent damage to cell membranes and DNA, since they prevent the action of free radicals by quenching their oxidant potential.

Other important phynutrients contained in raspberries are flavonoids: the most represented are quercetin, kaempferol and two cyanidin-containing molecules, cyanidin-3-glucosylrutinoside and cyanidin-3-rutinoside.

These two latter molecules belong to the family of anthocyanins, important pigments that are responsible for the color of raspberries and other berries.

Anthocyanins are not only pigments though, they also possess important antioxidant properties, and research has proven that they also work as antimicrobic agent both against bacteria and fungi.

Further research is being conducted, and preliminary results show that raspberries probably have cancer-protecting properties: berries appear to inhibit cancerous cell proliferation in animals diagnosed with cancer, that have been eating a diet rich in raspberries for at least 3 weeks.

According to research conducted in Netherlands, subsequently published in the journal Biofactors, the antioxidant content in raspberries is particularly high, clocking in at 50% higher than strawberries (a formidable antioxidant powerhouse themselves), up to three times higher than kiwifruit, and ten times higher than lycopene-rich tomatoes.

Their high content in antioxidants is probably due to the presence of ellagitannins: these compounds are particularly exclusive to the raspberry, and have been reported to have important anti-cancer activity. By exclusion, ellagitannins may provide up to 65% of the total antioxidant capacity of raspberries, with another 20% provided by Vitamin C (ascorbic acid), which is contained in quantities of 30mg per 100g.

The remaining 25% consists of anthocyanins (in particular pelagonidin glycosides and cyanidin).

Research has also observed that correctly frozen raspberries do not lose significant quantities of these important antioxidants (but processed raspberries do, so you should always prefer fresh berries to processed foods). The only exception appears to be vitamin C, which is approximately halved by the freezing process. If you correctly follow our freezing guidelines you’ll add vitamin C in the form of lemon juice, which is a common trick to both preserve their antioxidant content and keep a bright color.

Vitamin content
While discovering all these new and peculiar phytonutrients is cool, we shouldn’t forget about traditional nutrients, especially vitamins.

Raspberries are an excellent source of vitamin C, manganese, folate, riboflavin, magnesium, niacin, potassium and copper. This makes them a very good source of B class vitamins, as well as an excellent source of soluble dietary fiber.

A study published in the Cancer Letters showed that diets high in fruits (in particular, raspberries, blackberries and muscadine grapes) reduce the risk of developing cancer by inhibiting metalloprotease enzymes: these enzymes are normally present in moderate quantities, and are needed by our bodies to successfully develop tissues. If they’re produced in excessive quantities they are an important cause of cancer development, since they aid cancerous cells in invading other tissues.

Protection from Macular Degeneration
A study published in the Archives of Ophtalmology involving 110,000 subjects of both sexes evaluated the effects of consuming fruits, vegetables, antioxidant vitamins such as A,C and E and carotenoids on the risk of developing Age-Related Macular Degeneration.

Macular Degeneration is the primary cause of sight loss in adults, and the study found that by eating at least 1.5 servings of fruits daily, one can reduce the risk of developing the disease by 36%.

Risk reduction was not directly linked to consumption of vegetables, antioxidants and vitamins, but to the consumption of whole fruits: the optimal level, according to the study, is three servings a day, which can be easily reached by sprinkling raspberries on your morning cereal or dressing up salads with other fruits.

Rebecca
Country Meadow Ltd.
Eco Friendly Shea Butter Spa Products

www.countrymeadowltd.com

Happy 4th of July!

Wishing you and your family a happy and safe 4th of July!!!

I am taking an extra day off of blogging and will be back on Tuesday, July 5th.

See you then!

Rebecca
Country Meadow Ltd.
Eco Friendly Shea Butter Spa Products

www.countrymeadowltd.com