Whenever I can, I like to use fresh local products. Not just for cooking but in my soaps as well. I really believe in the benefits of fresh local products.
At the local Saturday Market today, I picked up some tomatoes, peaches, basil, lettuce, local olive oil & goat milk I stuck my almost-empty tub of local honey in the top picture as well which I actually got months ago. The honey guy at the market, from a near-by small town called Tijola, has a bee farm. He also has neighbours with goats so he was able to get me fresh goat milk for my soaps!
The Aloe Vera plants that supply the wonderful Aloe gel for my soaps are from my garden. Grandmother Aloe was the first. She is 5 years old now. She was given to me as a baby off-shoot, and had been taken from the golf course where I worked. One of the gardeners was tidying a garden there and was going to throw her away… I cannot bear to throw away any of her off-shoots. If I let them continue to grow in around the Aloe Vera plants, they all start turning ruby-brownish. I like my Aloe plants full and green, so I remove and replant the off-shoots. Now the off-shoots are having off-shoots – the grandchildren. I have been told that the plants have to be at least 3 years old for the gel to be beneficial for our skin.
Grandma Aloe Vera (I put the shoe in the photo for size perspective)
One of her babe’s
Happy Saturday!!!
xo
3 comments:
Lovely post Jen!
I really like aloe vera and it's healing properties are fantastic...x
That is a nice looking aloe. My mom use to keep one around when we were kids for burns and scrapes. They are so soothing. Love the produce, your post makes me want to go to the farmers market.
The market sounds great, I didn't know that Aloe vera needed to be 3 years old for the best results, thanks for the info:)
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