Poke weed and lemons

Do you know what poke weed is? Most people dont let it grow in their yard like I do but if you know me I am not most people. Poke weed is actually edible but you are suppose to cook it down and change the water three times to avoid tummy and bathroom issues. I personally think that sounds like a lot of work and scary if you dont do it right. So why do i let it grow wild in my yard? The first time I spotted it a few years ago I thought lets see what this thing does. The birds, caterpillars and bees loved it so we decided to let it stay. I knew you were not suppose to eat the berries but I read in a Little House book that Ma painted Lauras dolls mouth and cheeks with the berry juice and I was hooked. After further research I found out not only can you use the berries for dye but ink as well. I have been practicing with my fountain pen and poke week ink and will share at a later date when I dont mine having purple hands. If you happen to have access to poke berries and want to make a dye or ink you just crush about a cup of berries and put it through a fine mesh strainer. Add 1/4 teaspoon of apple cider vinegar and salt and you are done.

 My family has been on a homemade lemonade kick and I wanted something to do with the lemon peels. I put them in a jar of white vinegar and plan on using it for homemade cleaner and in my fabric softener. It smells sooooooo good. It doesnt taste bad either, When have you ever said that about an all purpose cleaner? To make the lemon cleaner throw the peel of the lemon into a jar and cover with vinegar and let set for 2-4 weeks. Strain and put in spray bottle and use as you would any spray cleaner.

Mrs Ladybugs Homemade Lemonade

The Juice of 2 whole lemons (about 1/2 cup)
1/2-3/4 sugar or honey ( the sweetness depends on you)
8 cups of water

I usually add 1 cup of hot water to get the sugar to dissolve and then add 7 cups of ice water.
I dont have a picture of the lemonade because it doesnt last that long.

Did you see that moon last night? I was very happy to be out last night and see Jupiter hanging out near the moon and spotted Mars as well. I can not wait for the temps to cool off and just sit out and look at the sky.