There's a line in one of the Robocop movies, "Don't forget what you already know," or something like that. I may be remembering that wrong BUT check out these very useful kitchen tips from the pages of history, as compiled by Tipnut. For example:
To keep cheese from getting hard, cut off enough for immediate use and spread the remaining portion with a thin film of butter or margarine. Put it in a cool place. This keeps out the air and prevents the cheese from drying out.
Sprinkle pantry shelves, window sills, and door sills with a mixture of red pepper and sage to rid them of ants.
A smooth shiny egg shell is a sign of old age. Fresh eggs have a chalky rough shell
To make peeling hard-cooked eggs easier, butter your thumbs.
From the Upcoming ueue, submitted by JKirchartz.
Another trick my mother and grandmother taught me was to slip the turkey in a lightly greased (I use PAM) brown paper bag before baking, adding just a bit of salt and pepper to flavor. The bag soaks up the fat and makes the meat literally fall off of the bones. If you reach in to lift up a leg to see if it's done and you end up with just a leg bone in your hand, it's done. In our house, a turkey ain't done until it falls apart or is "ruined" according to my late grandfather. Truly an excellent feast.
I remember some of these things from home economics class. (I am in my mid thirties) But I also grew up conserving and recyling things.
The "recipe" for getting rid of ants was a piece of drinking straw filled with peanut butter that was mixed with boric acid.
What works for ants is borax powder mixed with sugar or really powerful and toxic ant poison.
I have never found an earthy-friendly method of getting rid of ants that actually works and I have tried dozens and dozens of things.