Tuesday, July 16, 2013

Tasting Table Tuesday

Hot Hot Hot...  That's what's going on this week in this part of the country.  At least my Cotton Cellar stays a little cooler than the rest of the house, so I'll be spending as much time as possible down there the next few days.

In an attempt to stay cool, I made this Neck Cooling Wrap for my husband.  The store-bought one he's been using for the last few years sprung a leak, and while looking for a replacement on-line, I discovered this "make-your-own" tuturial.  Turns out I had all the materials on hand, so I didn't have to buy a thing.  And it only took a few minutes to make!  Much cheaper than buying on-line and paying shipping on top of that!
If you've never seen these before, it's simply a cotton tube with divisions sewn in, and Moisture Crystals in each division.  You soak it in a bowl of cool water for an hour or two so the crystals can absorb the water, then wring it out (gently) and wear it around your neck like a bandana.  It cools by evaporation and works great!  My husband always wears his while mowing the lawn in hot weather.

I only put 1/4 teaspoon of crystals in each section, and this is what it looks like after soaking overnight.  Good thing I didn't use more crystals - it might have burst!  The tutorial calls for 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon, so if you use 1/2 teaspoon don't soak it for more than an hour or two.

Update:  Since readers are asking, here's a link to the Moisture Crystals that I used.

After finishing this one, I made another pair of them for friends who were working in their garden in this heat yesterday.  Now they can stay cool too!

Cheers!

3 comments:

  1. I usually soak a bandana in water and wear that when it's this hot out. This is much more attractive (and probably works better too)! Where did you find the moisture crystals?

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    Replies
    1. Here's what I used... http://soilmoist.com/products/soil-moist.php

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  2. Kathy - what a neat idea. I've heard of them. Where do you get the crystals??

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