Cool Deal from Nioka

It's hot out there but we have a cool deal for you at Nioka Green Store. Save 20% on our entire selection of water bottles. Personally, I LOVE the insulated ones!! My water stays ice cold for hours. Perfect for the beach, bike rides, the pool basically anywhere you need to stay hydrated.

DITCH those plastic, chemical leaching water bottles and purchase a stainless steel water bottle today. Hurry, sale ends Sunday, August 1, 2010.

Thinkbaby featured in Knox Moms magazine

We are super excited that our Thinkbaby feeding set is featured in Knox Moms magazine this month. These sets are a GREAT alternative to plastic. We hope you love them too.

Never buy jam again...Super EASY Freezer Jam

If time permits, I would highly recommend picking your own berries to get the freshest berries possible. That being said....this year my schedule did not permit me picking my own so I headed off to the local farmers market to make my strawberrry selection.

Truthfully, these berries are a little ripe but since my freezer has an empty space begging to be filled with delicious freezer jam I made them work. Sort through berries and only use the firmest, berries. Make sure they have a solid center. They SHOULD NOT be mushy!



Once you've sorted your berries....cut off the caps and wash berries in cool water. Set aside.

Place a few berries in a pan and begin to mash....I have this one that came with my double boiler and it works great.

If you happen to have a sieve you could use that instead of mashing. You'll get essentially the same result either way. I continue adding berries until I have everything mashed. Caution: don't overfill your pan initially or they will slide out. Only mash a few at a time whichever method you choose.

Above is the consistency of my strawberries after I've mashed everything. Now you can begin to add your ingredients. The recipe I use is from a Ball Blue Book that my mother purchased for me years ago.

Strawberry Jam
2 cups finely mashed or sieved strawberries

4 cups sugar

1 package powdered pectin

3/4 cup water

Combine berries and sugar. Let stand about

20 minutes, stirring occassionally.

Combine pectin and water in a small saucepan.

Bring to a rolling boil;boil 1 minute, stirring constantly.

Add pectin to fruit mixture;stir 3 minutes.

Pour into can or freeze jars, leaving 1/2" head space.

Adjust caps, let stand until set, up to 24 hours.

Freeze. Yield: about 6 pints.

Pouring jam into jars, remember to leave head space.

Finished product.

Don't be alarmed if the jam seems a little thin when you

are pouring it into the jars. It will thicken as it sets.

My family loves this stuff!

Each year I make a little more....this year I experimented with

adding raspberries and blackberries
to the mix....my husbands favorite.... strawberry/raspberry.

Good luck!! Let me know if you have questions.

Big hugs,

Hogskin Valley Girl

Campus Tote

Picked up these great new Campus Totes from Maggie Bags yesterday and I thought I would let my select group of followers be the first to preview them. I love this bag! It is available in the multi-color option as seen here and also comes in dark red, gray, tan, pea-soup green, teal and black. This new, sassier version of the tote of many colors is fully lined and has a zipper enclosure. It comes with a lifetime warranty and the absolute best part.....it

is MACHINE WASHABLE. Talk about style meets functionality! These wallets are new too and they match the new campus tote.
They're so cute!


Inside the wallet

Campus Tote $81.95 and Wallet $51.95.

The bags will be available on our website soon! Currently you can purchase them at our shop

inside the Southern Market at 5400 Homberg Dr. Knoxville, TN 37919

new facebook page

I just changed the facebook page for our business, Nioka Green Store and will be deleting the old page. Please click on the Facebook badge in the bottom right corner and "like" us. We would also LOVE it if you would pass it along to your friends and help us spread the word. I would love to see how quickly we can get to 500 "Likes....maybe we could even do a drawing.



I have lots more to blog about....a homemade jelly tutorial, my chair project, and more. Stay tuned!!

Recycling Styrofoam?

Is it just me or are there others out there that struggle with throwing away all this styrofoam? I try to limit our styrofoam consumption but inevitably we end up with this. It breaks my heart thinking that this stuff will remain in the Earth FOREVER and burning it is NOT the answer! RECYCLING IS....and I am so EXCITED!

There is now a way that you can recycle your #6 Polystyrene aka styrofoam. Its sort of hard to see below (look to the right of the number 3) look for the recycling triangle along with the number 6 inside. You might also see the letters "PS" for polystyrene. If you see #6 or the "PS" letters it CAN be recycled. WOO HOO....great news for my guilty conscience and a huge win for the Earth.

Thank you to the Knoxville Recycling Coalition for bringing this valuable service to the Knoxville area. I purchased a 100 gallon bag from them for $5.00 and as a bonus they educated me on styrofoam recycling. When my bag is full I will return it to be recycled. YEAH!!!

So what are you waiting for? My challenge to you is to go buy yourself a $5.00 bag and get started today....you will feel better and so will the Earth. I will be attending a "master recycler" class in the next couple of weeks. It is a two week class....when I'm finished I'm sure I will have lots more information to share.

Get your rain barrels NOW....

Moby Rain Barrel Sale.....
If you live in the Knoxville area PLEASE pass this along to everyone you know. This is a great buy on a fabulous rain barrel. I plan on getting a couple more myself.

top 5 Reasons to Harvest Rainwater

• Protect our rivers and streams from runoff pollution
• Divert water from the municipal storm drain system
• Conserve this vital natural resource and reduce water bills
• Use the rain water to grow healthy and lush plants
• Control moisture levels around the foundation of your home

An average sized rain barrel will be completely full during a moderate rain shower in about 15-20 minutes so link them together for maximum water storage.

Need something to do this weekend? Visit Earthfest. You can pick up your Moby there and have a great time being outdoors with your family. ADMISSION IS FREE!!!

Not in the Knoxville area? We offer the Palmetto rain barrel and free shipping at Nioka Green Store. This is the first rain barrel we owned. We carry it because it is a great size and ships via UPS.

Other rain barrels, including the Moby have to ship via freight carrier which typically makes the cost prohibitive unless you purchase it through a non profit such as Water Quality Forum. They are able to sell them at a lower cost than I can purchase them wholesale which is why I am HIGHLY recommending to everyone that they get one now.

I hope everyone has a fabulous weekend. Get outside and do SOMETHING!

Big Hugs, Renee'