Exhausted!

Man alive. Started new job with a decent amount of success. I really like my crew of 18 year olds and I'm excited to get more involved in the planning and design of the project. I feel qualified, and the 'kids' seem to respect me. Go figure! I am, however exhausted from moving, driving, moving, packing, getting up at 5:30, working 2 10 hour days and driving and moving some more! Needless to say, i've been sleeping in when i get the chance! I didn't know i was even still capable of sleeping past 9 am..... 10:45 seems to be possible! hahaha.

I'm a bit too exhausted and busy to really write up anything worth reading I'm afraid, but i do want to remind everyone about the great giveaway for some Ball canning products that ends tomorrow.  I'm excited to can some seasonal produce with you all on National Can It Forward Day and would love to send YOU some canning gear for you to use. Enter now!

I'm off to be productive (as productive as one can be after sleeping half the day away) on my days off before driving back up to Corvallis and working next weekend. Phew!

Woot! 1 Month Til National "Can It Forward Day"!

That's right, National Can It Forward Day is August 13th. With the recent increased awareness and excitement in home canning, Can It Forward Day is a great excuse for those of us who already know how to can and those of us who just want to learn to get together and have a canning party. Many of the fears of canning stem around preparing large amounts of fruit or veggies, sterilizing a ton of jars, and the potential waste of hours and pounds of hard work and delicious produce. Small batch canning is a great way to get into canning and Ball is selling products specifically to facilitate smaller batches. No more math equations to pare down a large recipe just to test a batch. Now you can start with as few as 6 large tomatoes and can 2 jars of salsa! How easy is that?

I'll be posting more about Can It Forward Day and Ball products, but for now i'd like to announce a special giveaway! Ball sent me a great package full of canning supplies and literature. I'd like to offer sample sizes of their pectin and salsa mix, along with some party ideas and other 'how to can' literature to one lucky reader.

Ball RealFruit Pectin captures the freshness and flavor of fresh fruit. The small batch pouch makes 2 jars of jam or jelly, perfect for folks who don"t have a ton of produce on hand or just want to try a small batch.
Ball's Salsa and Pickle mixes are made with natural spices and seasonings and can be customized to be as hot or not as you'd like. The small batch pouch makes 2 jars of salsa.

I'll choose the winner next Wednesday to get your goodies to you in time for you to host your own canning party! This is a great chance to try out some of Ball's products and to test a small batch of goodies.

To win:

4 chances and 4 chances only. You may enter with all the requirements, but please no extras

1. Submit a comment below or at our Facebook Fan Page (or both!) with a link to or brief description of your favorite jam or other canned good.
Not a canner yet? No worries, let us know what you'd like to try and can first, or what fruit/veg you have a current abundance of.

2. If you're not already a fan or a follower of An Austin Homestead, please become one! If you are, please post/tweet/or mention this giveaway. Comment back with the link or your follower info for your second chance to win!

3. Check out Ball's super lovely site and comment back with a tasty sounding recipe, or a tantalizing product you'd like as part of your canning arsenal!

4. Shameless self promotion: For one last chance to win, please become a fan of Nude Soap, my all natural soap company, on Facebook and comment back with any feedback. I'll be promoting my brand new website soon, but it's still under construction.

That's it! Happy entering. Tell your friends. Let's have a canning party together in August!

Envirosax! Awesome Grocery Bags and a GIVEAWAY!

Omigosh, i am so excited about this giveaway! Envirosax has been nice enough to offer a free bag from their new Travel Series to one of my lucky readers. I've been an Envirosax use for years and truly want you, my readers to get a chance at these awesome bags. I think they are hands down the absolute BEST reusable grocery/everything bags on the market. See below for GIVEAWAY details!

The genuine Travel Pack by Envirosax celebrates the beauty and essence of three world-class cities. Featuring awe-inspiring New York, romantic Paris and scenic Sydney, these whimsical bags will make you feel like you are there.

“Whether you are exploring exotic places or discovering local hidden hideaways in your own hometown, these bags are designed for the adventurous at heart,” said founder and CEO Belinda David-Tooze.  

These bags will have you daydreaming about watching a play in the Sydney Opera House; enjoying a romantic dinner overlooking the Eiffel Tower or shopping in trendy SoHo in New York. 

The Travel pack can be purchased as a pouch or individually. These bags make great gifts for friends who have a special fondness or memories of these cities. I'm particularly fond of the Sydney bag as i spent a semester in college living in various parts of Australia.

I've been using Envirosax for many years since my best friend gifted me one while traveling in Denmark. I used my first Envirosax bag until it was literally falling apart at the seams, but that didn't happen for about 6 years! If you're like me, you constantly forget your reusable bags in the back of your car, in the house, or somewhere in the garage filled with picnic supplies from the last weekend's adventures, instead of bringing them INTO the grocery store with you. The bags from Envirosax are made specifically with us dodo birds in mind. They roll up so compactly, they can easily live in your purse and even fit in a pocket. Unlike some other fold-up reusable bags, Envirosax fold out to be HUGE with a 44 pound capacity (which i'm sure i have exceeded). I can usually fit my entire grocery trip in 1 bag and 2 always has me covered. I've had my current bag for about 3 years and it's showing zero signs of wear, other than being less waterproof (due to my mistake: you're not supposed to machine wash/dry Envirosax). They are washable, but hand washing is preferred to maintain that water resistant coating.

Envirosax are easy to use. They start out as cute little sushi sized rolls with snaps and fold out to be roomy, comfortable over the shoulder and ready to transport whatever precious cargo you have - they even stand up on their own if you pack them nicely.

Join Envirosax in its goal of encouraging reuse and reducing waste from one-use plastic bags.  Envirosax features graphic prints in a variety of shades to suit everyone’s lifestyle. I picked up my cute "Animal Planet" series bag at The Natural Gardener. I like birdies  :)

Use your Envirosax for:

• Carry-on luggage
• Laundry bag
• Beach bag, perfect for wet towels and suits
• Groceries
• Other shopping
• Carrying shoes
• Sewing/knitting projects
• Diaper bag
• Anything, anywhere, anytime as you will always have it with you!

At about 20 pounds, Pocket barely strains the weight limit of my Envirosax bag. I doubt she'd enjoy riding in there, but doesn't she look adorable?

THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED!!!! THANKS SO MUCH TO ALL WHO ENTERED. WINNER TO BE ANNOUNCED SOON!

And now for the GIVEAWAY! As usual i'd like to offer a variety of chances for you to win, you'll get 3 shots this time 'round and i hope you'll use all three! These bags are really so super awesome, i wish i could get one for every one of my readers! But i can't, so i hope you'll enter for your chance to win. The contest begins TODAY and the winner will be chosen this coming Monday at 8 pm central!

1. Please check out their FAQ at Envirosax.com and comment back here with one of the facts you think is pretty awesome. (I'm pretty fascinated by their printing process which allows those pretty designs to last just about forever with minimal fading.)

2. Tweet/Facebook/Blog about Envirosax and/or An Austin Homestead and this giveaway, then post a comment with the link to yours for a second entry.

3. Become a new 'fan' or "like" An Austin Homestead on Facebook, become a new follower or subscribe to my feed, or refer a friend who does so and comment here with that info for a third entry.

For a secret bonus entry, submit a tip or trick you regularly use to minimize your waste while traveling or grocery shopping. I know some of you are forward thinking enough to bring mason jars and jar funnels to the store when going bulk shopping, i'd be interested in hearing any other tips on how to use less packaging, especially when traveling.

So that's that! FOUR chances to win a super awesome 'good for everything' and 'store anywhere' bag from Envirosax. For even better karma, click the new "stumble" icon below to spread news of this great giveaway to the world. Be sure and leave contact information with your comments so that i can congratulate the winner and get you your new bag. Good luck!

Giveaway Time! Cousin Leroy's BBQ Sauces!

I mentioned last week that i would be doing a fun giveaway of a great local product: Cousin Leroy's BBQ Sauces. Cousin Leroy sells (and samples!) his sauce at our Urban Farmers Market at 5109 Manchaca in Austin, TX every Saturday 10 - 3. I just love the mustard mop on some freshly fried chicken wings (i know, not exactly my usual healthy fare) and have used his seasonal Asian Sauce to cook a most delicious salmon fillet. His sauces are all great for marinading, dipping, or slathering on meat and veggies alike.  Don't miss out on this opportunity for a taste of some delicious, local flavor blended to perfection by the fastidious foodie, Cousin Leroy.

What's in the box for the lucky follower:

A taste of Cousin Leroy's BBQ Sauces. Leroy has hand selected the three following sauces: In this gift box is the excellent Spicy, the Mustard Mop and his newest sauce The Texan. Leroy offers these sauces with that " Kick In The Mouth Flavor " that you will find in all of the Cousin Leroys products. This product is made in Austin and carries a proud Texas tradition of quality ingredients and service.

How to win:

Enter this giveaway by "liking" Cousin Leroy OR An Austin Homestead on Facebook, or if you're not a Facebook user simply become a follower of An Austin Homestead. After you've liked or followed, submit a comment below with an idea you have for using Cousin Leroy's sauces. If you're already a follower, that's great! Just be sure and mention that along with your great serving idea. Tell your friends - this giveaway is not to be missed.
I will choose the winner this Friday, so get your comments in!

These sauces can be shipped anywhere within the lower 48 in the USA, so enter now to get your gift basket in time for the holidays! Delicious local Austin flavor at it's finest!