2011 November | KevinandAmyJo.com

Have you ever used Essential Oils? We’ve been using them as a part of our family wellness plan for many years now. I think the first time I was introduced was when Kevin suggested using Frankincense and Myrrh on our new baby’s umbilicus after she was born. He said that it would prevent the possibility of infection etc… That was all it took for me to dive into researching more about the what, how and why of Essential Oils! Today, we use them almost every day and what a blessing it is to have something natural – be so effective!

So, WHAT are Essential Oils? >> (this is an excerpt from Young Living)

“Essential oils are the natural, aromatic volatile liquids found in shrubs, flowers, trees, roots, bushes, and seeds. The distinctive components in essential oils defend plants against insects, environmental conditions, and disease. They are also vital for a plant to grow, live, evolve, and adapt to its surroundings. Essential oils are extracted from aromatic plant sources via steam distillation, and are highly concentrated and far more potent than dry herbs.

While essential oils often have a pleasant aroma, their chemical makeup is complex and their benefits vast—which makes them much more than something that simply smells good.

Historically, essential oils have played a prominent role in everyday life. With more than 200 references to aromatics, incense, and ointments throughout the Bible, essential oils are said to be used for anointing and healing the sick. Today, essential oils are used for aromatherapy, massage therapy, emotional health, personal care, nutritional supplements, household solutions, and much more.”

Here is a list of some of our most favorite Essential Oils >>

Lavender Oil ~ relieves stress and anxiety (eg. tension headaches), is a natural antiseptic, pain reliever, treatment for minor burns, sunburns, cuts, scrapes, bee stings and bug bites.

Eucalyptus Oil ~ relieves symptoms of influenza, coughs, stuffiness, nose/throat/ear congestion, natural antiseptic and analgesic (reduces pain). Breathe in, apply to chest/back and use in a vaporizer.

Peppermint Oil ~ may enhance memory, reduce sleepiness, relieve sore muscles and increase blood circulation. It leaves a refreshing feeling of renewal and increased energy. It can be used as a flavoring for making homemade ice cream and/or toothpaste.

Tea Tree Oil ~ antiviral, antibacterial, antifungal, antiseptic…used for relief of many skin conditions including infections, dandruff, lice, mites etc..) It can be added to Citronella Oil to be used as a natural bug repellent.

Angelica Oil ~ relieves irritated skin, bruises, psoriasis, accumulation of toxins, arthritis, gout, rheumatism, water retention, bronchitis, coughs, anemia, anorexia, flatulence, indigestion, fatigue, migraine, nervous tension and stress related disorders….whew! That’s a good one!

Orange Oil ~ antisepti c, anti-depressant, antispasmodic, anti-inflammatory, diuretic and calming oil. This oil may also be used alongside Tea Tree Oil and/or Lemon Oil for natural household cleaning!

How To Use >>

General Use – Place 2-3 drops in the palm of your hand. Rub hands together and breathe in slowly. Rub oil through your hair, apply to chest, arms and body. Apply along the spinal cord and to the bottoms of your feet, where the pores are most plentiful!

Use a Vaporizer – Place in the bedroom while you sleep or in a room where you will be most of the time. Add a few drops of essential oils to the hot water. You may also place a towel over your head and neck and breathe in the vapors slowly.

Bath – Add a few drops of essential oils to your warm/hot bath and soak. Light a candle and remember to lock the door! (Hint: by adding epsom sals and/or food=grade H2O2 to the bath water, you will enhance detoxification and further relieve sore muscles)y. Do this with Eucalyptus Oil to relieve congestion and cold symptoms!

Important Tips!

Never rub your eyes after applying oils…this may cause burning and irritation. Essential Oils are very concentrated.

When purchasing Essential Oils, find the Therapeutic-Grade. Young Living and Aura Cacia are brands that we buy. I’m sure there are others, just shop around!

If you would like to research further on Essential Oils there are a couple of books we highly recommend. One is “Healing Oils Of The Bible“ by David Stewart PhD and the other is ”Essential Oils Desk Reference“.

What are your favorite Essential Oils? And how do you use them? Let us know in the comments below!

We wish you a safe and Exciting Thanksgiving time with family and friends!

From Our Family To Yours,

Kevin and Amy Jo

I think we’ve all heard of how Grandma would go out and butcher a chicken to roast up for dinner! I see visions of a chicken running around with his head cut off…ugh! What are we getting ourselves into?

If you haven’t read Raising Meat Chickens Part 1, click on the link!

When we got meat chicks to raise in the spring, we knew that we wanted to try butchering them ourselves this time. Kevin did some research and we began to gather the equipment that we would use. We bought 30 Cornish X chicks early in the spring and began raising them. They grew unbelievably fast and within 2 1/2 months we were ready to start butchering. It almost doesn’t seem right that they would grow so fast and we’ve already begun looking into other meat chicken breeds for next year!

Kevin came across this video that gave him some good information about how to butcher a chicken the most humanely:

This is the process we used:

1) We used an old 5 gal. bucket and put a hole in the bottom of it. Hanging it from a tall/stable ladder, we put the chicken upside down and pulled his head through the hole in the bottom. Kevin cut the jugular vein and let them bleed out and then cut the head all the way off.

2) We placed the chicken into a large tub of boiling water…holding by the feet, he dunked them a few times until we could pull out the feathers easily. This is called scalding and makes the feather plucking job pretty easy.

3) We both tag-teamed the feather plucking job and then proceeded to cut off the feet and gut the bird out. We kept the gizzards, hearts, livers and necks and filled up a bag of chicken feet (for making bone broth).

4) Once the birds were gutted out and free of feathers, we washed them up and placed them into a cooler of ice water. After a few minutes, they were bagged up and placed into the freezer.

We had 27 chickens to butcher total (3 baby chicks died)…and we had about 60% roosters and 40% hens. The roosters weighed in at 8-9lbs and the hens 7-8lbs bagged! So much better than a wimpy 5lb organic chicken from the store!

We butchered 4-5 chickens at a time and got them all done within a 2 week period. That worked best for us. I think if we were to do it again, we would make or invest in a killing cone and build or buy a Whizbang Chicken Plucker. All in all, we were pretty happy with how it all went!

What a BLESSING to have 27 free-range chickens in the freezer! I can’t believe how much more rich these chickens make my Bone Broth…I get a thick layer of fat on the top now and the broth tastes so so yummy!

From Our Family To Yours,

Kevin and Amy Jo

Here are some fun photos of our Chicken Butchering adventures >>