My Dear "Kindred Spirit,"

My Dear “Kindred Spirit,”

Blame this one on my little sister.

See, I was gonna give you a recipe for stuffed zucchini today. It’s a concoction I kinda came up with last fall during “zucchini season.” Sausage, zucchini, cheese, black olives, tomato, spices… it’s SO YUMMY!!

And I’m in Alabama right now: it’s zucchini season here!! Back in NY they’ve got a month or two to go before the summer squash overload, but I’m already almost up to my ears in vegetables here (and loving it!). I was at a farmer’s market the other day and I bought this huge zucchini and some locally raised/made sausage, and I’ve got some concocting to do!

So I was gonna make today’s blog post about that, but then… enter little sister. Apparently she’s feeling deserted. I’m in Alabama and she’s still stuck in NY… poor dear. She’s missing me! 😛

Besides noting how much she misses my early morning hair (oh, that’s a sight to see, folks…) and claiming to miss my snoring (huh. Maybe I snore, maybe I don’t. At least I don’t talk in my sleep like she does…), she also mentioned that they’re almost out of “hippie tooth powder.”

I told her I’d put the recipe up so she can make more. But that means y’all are just gonna have to wait on the stuffed zucchini recipe.

So. I haven’t used “normal” toothpaste in probably over a year. Maybe longer.

During my crazy, exciting “journey” toward health, real food, “crunchiness,” and being a hippie these past few years, one of the biggest things that has changed me is labels. I’ve become a compulsive label reader. Believe me, folks, read just exactly what it is that you’re putting in and on your body, and you’ll become a health food nut pretty quick, too.

Although this has made a HUGE difference in what I buy as far as food, it’s also seeped over into other aspects of my life. I read the ingredients on a tube of chapstick and bottle of lotion, and now I make my own chapstick and lotion. I read the ingredients on a bottle of shampoo, and now I wash my hair with raw egg (seriously. Not kidding). I read the ingredients on a tube of deodorant, and now I make my own deodorant (although some of my siblings might try to argue that now I just do without. I know, I know, sorry… too much information!!).

And I read the ingredients on a tube of toothpaste. So now I use homemade tooth powder.

I mix up a batch at a time, and keep it in a little 1/2 cup mason jar. To use, all ya do is wet the toothbrush, dip it in the powder, and brush! I’ll warn you though – it’s like brushing your teeth with mud. Peppermint flavored mud, but mud nonetheless.

So here we go –

Hippie Tooth Powder:

• 2 parts baking soda
• 2 parts bentonite clay
• 1 part fine ground sea salt
• 1 part xylitol
• 1/2 part black walnut powder
• 5-10 drops Peppermint essential oil

Here’s my theory: The baking soda and salt are for cleaning and killing bacteria and germs.

The Bentonite clay is kinda a “deep cleaner.” It’s know for drawing heavy metals and other toxins out of your body. If you’re looking to replace it with something, I’d try charcoal.

Xylitol is a sweetener, that’s for flavor. This is the one ingredient that I have my doubts about… I need to do some more research on this one. But in the meantime I have a container of the stuff to use up, so I’m still putting it in there. But I did drop it down to only one part, rather than the two parts I started out using for this recipe.

Black Walnut is an herb known for helping with cavities and other teeth problems. It’s an herb. It tastes like dirt. You can leave it out if you want, but I throw a little in there because I know it does help with oral health.

And the peppermint essential oil… Well, peppermint is a wonderful herb for so many reasons, but the main reason that’s in there is for flavor and so that you can have nice, minty-smelling breath even though you are a super hippie that brushes their teeth with mud!

I use a half-cup jar, and 2 parts equals about one tablespoon for me. So a tablespoon each of the soda and Bentonite, half tablespoon of the salt and xylitol, and a little less than a teaspoon of black walnut. Mix all those powders up (the easy way is to dump ’em into your container, put the lid on, and shake well). Then shake in several drops of peppermint oil and any other oils you feel like trying (Orange or cinnamon might be nice. Clove is an oil known to help with toothaches, but it’s a super strong flavor and will literally numb your mouth, so I’m not sure I’d put it in my everyday tooth powder…).

And there you are! Teeth mud!

Now, if you’ll excuse me… I’m off to make a mess of my aunt’s kitchen and cook that zucchini. Yes, I know you’re hungry and jealous – don’t worry, I’ll give you the recipe! Someday. You’ll just have to be patient and wait until then (or come steal some of mine now).

Love, N.