Last week I posed the following question on Facebook, "Which would you be most interested in learning how to make? #1: Beeswax fabric food wraps, which would be used in place of your regular plastic wrap (medium difficulty), #2: Herbal Infusions, a rich and nourishing drink replacement for your herbal tea (easy), #3: crock pot soap (fast and "hands-off" - advanced difficulty)." Approximately 60 people answered the question, with the majority asking to learn how to make the beeswax food wraps.
What is a beeswax food wrap? Before you reach for the Saran Wrap to wrap your cheese or cover your leftovers, consider making a re-usable cloth cover. The finished wrap sticks to itself when folded so nothing else is needed to close the wrap.
Is it easy? I'll direct you to the video in a minute, but the only materials you need for the project are scissors, foil, a paper bag, an iron, beeswax and cloth. After watching the DIY video with my 10 and 12 year olds, they set up the iron and completed the project within an hour, with my occasional pointers and supervision. A mom could do it in 45 minutes :)
Hey, could you wrap a lotion bar in the cloth and give it for Christmas? You read my mind! This would be a brilliant way to "gift-wrap" your bars if you're interested in making your own lotion this Christmas. The lotion can be stored in the beeswax fabric wrap and used whenever needed.
A few tips:
* Use beeswax pellets rather than grated beeswax. You can purchase those at MountainRoseHerbs. (affiliate link)
* The finished fabric will show a light yellow hue if using regular yellow beeswax. You could instead purchase bleached beeswax.
* Cut a 4" x 8" size fabric for large bars or 3" x 4" for smaller bars, if using the same approximate size as the bars I sell on the site. Another option is to use a mini loaf pan as your lotion mold and cut your fabric accordingly.
How do you make them? I learned how to do this project from Wardeh of GNOWFGLINS. Have you checked out her site? I've been a paid subscriber for the past few months and have used her instructional videos to take my son to the next level of learning sourdough baking. Normally, the video is only accessible to GNOWFGLINS members, but Wardeh is making this available FREE for MadeOn subscribers and Facebook followers:
Click here to access Beeswax Cloth Wrap video
After choosing the Beeswax Cloth Wraps, MadeOn Facebook followers wanted to learn how to make crock pot soap. If you're new to soap-making, you'll enjoy this process. Wardeh is giving this video, as well as the Herbal Infusion video, free to anyone who signs up for a yearly membership to her site. (The cheapest yearly membership averages out to $8.00/mo to access all her classes and lessons, private forums, print tutorials and more.) ALSO, if you're either already a GNOWFGLINS subscriber or if you sign up during the month of November, she'll give you MY e-book: My Buttered Life: Gift Giving edition of 5 recipes and videos. Go here to sign up.
I highly recommend subscribing to Wardeh's blog and podcast if you want to further your journey toward healthier living. Here's how I've benefited from all her research and experience:
- While preparing my products, I have my iPod playing Wardeh's podcasts, where she answers listener questions, talks about products that support healthy, sustainable living, and interviews experts in various fields. You don't need to own your farm and milk your own cow to benefit from all that she offers in her podcasts (although if you do, you'll benefit even more!)
- My son has watched her team teach us how to make sourdough chocolate cake, sourdough crepes, sourdough cookies, and of course, how to make a sourdough starter. He's becoming the sourdough expert in the family. This is part of her paid subscription site.
- In addition to teaching how to make yogurt, Wardeh shows how to make cheese!
- Although our family hasn't made room in the pantry for the ability to store food for 6+ months, I am encouraged by Wardeh's instructionals on how to do this. It's on my bucket list.
- If you're ready to learn everything there is not know about fermenting foods, she has it all in this book. If you own Nourishing Traditions
then you'll love Wardeh's book to take you to the next level, baby step by baby step.
Click below to out Wardeh's courses:
*full disclosure: although I've been following GNOWFGLINS for years, I bought the book, I'm subscribed to her e-courses and webinars, and we drank the GNOWFGLINS Kool-aid (Kombucha) -- okay, that last one's a joke -- Wardeh and I also connect well on a business level and are promoting each other's businesses because we love each other's products. (Plus, we recently connected our sons on Minecraft and now we've officially cemented the family connection.) Just know that if you decide to sign up for her e-courses, a portion of that money goes to support my family's fermenting habits. :)
Saturday, June 8, 2013 at 1:00PM 
