Tuesday Spotlight: Lemongrass Grapefruit

Welcome to another Tuesday Spotlight, dear reader. Our spotlight is on the citrusy, fresh, clean-smelling scent blend of lemongrass and grapefruit. If you are a citrus lover, this is your week. I am often asked if we offer a pure citrus scent, and the short answer is no. Although I love the scent of fresh lemon, orange, and grapefruit, it is almost impossible to get citrus essential oils to "stick" in cold-process soap.

Each essential oil has an ideal temperature in which it is stable. The flash point is the temperature at which essential oils begin to evaporate or burn off. For citrus scents, the flash point or burn-off temperature is relatively low. Citrus essential oils have a flashpoint of 118 or less. Although my ideal soap temperature is around 100 degrees, the temperature reached during the saponification process can exceed 250 degrees. Most citrus essential oils cannot withstand the intense heat of the saponification process. Thus, I have found achieving a strong scent when using citrus essential oils almost impossible.

Lemongrass essential oil is my go-to for a fresh citrus scent. Its flashpoint is right around 160-170 degrees. I find the smell of lemongrass holds up well during the saponification process. Lemongrass also acts as an anchor for other citrus scents. I enjoy the combination of lemongrass and grapefruit essential oils. It is light, fresh, citrusy, and refreshing. With warmer temperatures on the horizon, I think this is a wonderful time to try our Lemongrass Grapefruit soap and moisturizer.

The savings are exclusive to the website. No promo code is needed, and the savings will be applied at check out. Now is a great time to try something new, stock up on a favorite, or purchase an affordable gift for someone. On this lovely spring day, stay safe, be smart, enjoy the savings, and keep washing your hands.

Fergus The Bottle Baby

Our luck has run out. Don't panic; everyone is fine. However, we now have a bottle baby. Waddles, our Boher doe, who suffered a horrible case of mastitis and lost a teat, we now call her the one boobed wonder, delivered triplets on Thursday. All the babies and Waddles are doing fine. Although Waddles makes an excess of milk, nature has a way of letting a mama know what her limits are and how much she can handle. Nature told Waddles that she could handle two babies. If left to nature, the smallest and weakest baby would have perished. Our farm does not always follow the rules of nature.

I noticed Waddles was in labor as I walked the perimeter of the fence during my morning jaunt with The Heavy-B on Thursday morning. I went to tell The Bibbed Wonder and then returned to the field with towels in hand to help dry off the babies. When I got to Waddles, one little brown girl was up and nursing. Waddles had just delivered a second black and white baby, still engulfed in the amniotic sac. Waddles was not even attempting to clean him off. I quickly picked up the baby, cleaned off his face, got him up, and worked to dry him off. I noticed his breathing was raspy, and he was not making any noise. I focused on clearing his nasal passages and cleaning out his mouth. He continued to be lax and lethargic, so I hung him upside down and tapped his back. Hanging him upside down seemed to help him clear his nasal passages and improve his breathing. I made sure to dry him well, and I rubbed him aggressively to get the blood flowing.

We got Waddles and her two babies into a stall so she could focus on them without the distraction of the herd. We keep the new mamas and their babies in a stall for a day or two to give everyone time to adjust, receive extra care, and monitor them closely. A third baby was delivered, and she wasted no time cleaning him off and helping him get to his feet. The secondborn was obviously the weakest of the three. Despite being the smallest and the weakest, he was able to nurse and ingest the ever-important colostrum. Although Waddles only has one viable teat, she has successfully nursed triplets in the past. For this reason, we were not concerned for any of the babies.

We checked on the new babies and their mom throughout the day. At lunchtime, Eric came to the house with a small bundle wrapped in his arms. The Bibbed Wonder said he didn't like that the little guy was lying alone in a corner. Waddles was not paying much attention to him; he was cold and lying flat. None of these are good signs. We spent the afternoon nursing the little guy, warming him up by cuddling him to us while he was wrapped in a blanket and trying to get him to take a bottle. Little boys are always slower to catch on to the basics of life when compared to little girls. This little guy was no different. Eventually, we got him to eat almost an entire baby bottle of warm milk. Once his tummy was full, he lay on us and kept warm.

Once he had eaten and slept, his eyes looked brighter, and he was more alert. As with all bottle babies, he did not take long to bond with us. If I got out of his sight, he would bleat the loud familiar MA! that is so common with bottle babies. I made him a bed in a large tote. The tote was safe in the living room. The dogs were put to bed, and their interest in the baby goat waned throughout the day. I, too, tried to sleep in my own bed, but Fergus, we are now on letter F of the alphabet for our names, was not interested in sleeping alone, safely in his tote. After ten minutes of loud bleating, I consigned to sleeping on the couch beside Fergus. However, Fergus had other ideas. Eventually, I brought Fergus onto the couch beside me, and he slept curled against me for the remainder of the night.

With a full tummy before bed, Fergus did not stir until 3 a.m. I have decided I am too old to handle late-night feedings and needy babies. Regardless of my choice, a baby needs me, and I can't shirk that responsibility. However, after chasing down a baby goat and cleaning up baby goat turds from my living room and kitchen, I decided my new charge needed to return to the barn with his siblings as soon as possible. I waited until the temperature reached the fifties and then took my little buddy out to spend time with his mom and siblings. Waddles took him back without hesitation. However, he is not strong enough to fight for his place in nursing. One of us goes to the barn every four hours to give our little Fergus a warm bottle and snuggles.

Fergus is your typical bottle baby. He cries when he sees us, attacks us until fed, is happiest being carried and snuggled, and is somewhat of an outcast with the rest of the herd. His siblings, Fern and Farlow, don't really pay him any mind. They are bigger and stronger. Fergus can't keep up with them when they play. He is content to sit on our laps or follow us around. He has buddied up with two brown Boher babies who prefer sleeping more than playing. Our Fergie is an adorable little buddy, and it makes me sad to see him rejected. I know he will eventually find a friend to spend all his time with, just like Lester did. He will grow to be happy and content, albeit just a little bit different than the rest of the goats. Different is okay, and Fergus will have a special place with us.

On this lovely spring day, stay safe, be smart, care for those who need it, and keep washing your hands.

Foodie Friday: Pickled Eggs With Red Beets

Well, dear reader, it is hard to believe it is one week before the Easter holiday. One of the staples of our Easter dinner is pickled eggs with red beets. I make these eggs a week in advance so they have time to pickle through and turn a beautiful deep purple. Pickled eggs have been a staple in our family's Easter dinner for as long as I can remember. My grandmothers made pickled eggs with beets for our family holiday meal. I can remember eating several at a time, often wearing red beet juice on my Easter outfit.

Although The Bean and The Bibbed Wonder eat pickled eggs with beets, they prefer deviled eggs. For our Easter meal, I usually make both because I can't give up the tradition of making pickled eggs with beets. Our Easter meal is rather simplistic compared to Thanksgiving and Christmas. I usually bake ham with brown sugar and serve pineapple sauce with a side of fresh roasted asparagus, pierogi, chocolate pie, and lemon meringue for dessert. It's a simple and delicious meal that does not require a lot of time in the kitchen.

Although The Bean is now fifteen, I continue to do an Easter egg hunt for her and her BFF. They may be big kids, but they are still kids and enjoy searching high and low for candy and money-filled eggs. Honestly, the Easter egg hunt is as much for me as it is for the kids. I genuinely enjoy making their Easter egg hunt challenging. Oh, I also continue to hide their Easter baskets. My goal is to stump them and have them look for at least an hour before we play the Hot/Cold Game. I hope my girl never tires of this tradition.

What Easter traditions do you enjoy? Is there a staple at your Easter table that you make year after year? Without further adieu, here is my recipe for pickled eggs with beets.

Pickled Eggs with Beets

2 Dozen Hard Boiled Eggs, Peeled

2 Quart Jars of Pickled Red Beets (I prefer Grambarbs pickled beets)

1 Cup of White Sugar

1 Cup of Apple Cider Vinegar

1 Cinnamon Stick

10Whole Cloves

1 Medium Onion Peeled and Thinly Sliced

In a glass container, place beets with juice reserved on the side, peeled hard-boiled eggs, the cinnamon stick and cloves, and the sliced onion. I like to layer these ingredients, beginning with the onions on the bottom, then the spices, then the beets, and finally, the eggs on top.

In a stainless steel saucepan, combine the liquid from the pickled beets, the vinegar, and the sugar. Heat over medium flame until it comes to a slow boil. Remove from heat and pour the liquid over the eggs. Seal tightly with a lid and place the glass container in the refrigerator.

I do this a week in advance so my eggs have time to absorb the pickling brine. I also gently shake the jar throughout the week to ensure all eggs are covered evenly. These eggs are a beautiful and delicious addition to your Easter table.

A few notes: I find that store-bought eggs peel better than farm-fresh eggs. Also, when the eggs have finished boiling, I drain the pot and then fill it with ice water, crack the shells, and add a teaspoon of baking soda to the ice water, and the eggs peel much easier. Canned or pickled beets from the store can be used in place of home-canned pickled beets. Adding a bay leaf adds depth to the flavor, but I prefer to use just the cloves and cinnamon sticks.

On this sunny but chilly spring day, stay safe, be smart, have a wonderful weekend before Easter, enjoy playing Easter Bunny as long as possible, and keep washing your hands. High-quality, handmade goat's milk soap also makes a lovely Easter gift...insert a wink.