Making Beeswax Candles with Essential Oils

I've done a lot of crafty things over the years, but one thing I've never tried is making candles. I've always wanted to, as we often have quite a bit of beeswax after removing honey from the hive, and this would be a good use for that. (You can't compost wax, it has to be used in another way or thrown in the trash.) I also often have leftover essential oils, as my neighbor has an essential oil business and she's kind enough to give us some whenever we have an injury or sickness. So when we were looking for a project to do with our close family friends, we thought this would be a good time to figure out the candle making thing. And it was so easy, I'm definitely going to do it again!

Here's what you need: 

A pound of beeswax. This can either be from your own hive, or you can buy it in craft stores. Of course I recommend the most pure stuff you can find - organic if possible. Yellow beeswax is best, and at craft stores it will be in pellets or pastilles.

1/2 cup coconut oil. Beeswax alone tends to cave in as it solidifies, because the wax on the outside of the candle is cooling faster than the inside. Coconut oil helps to solidify things at a more even temperature.

Wicks, with metal discs at one end, like these.

Wick stickers (we didn't have these and it would have been easier with them), to stick the metal discs firmly to the bottom of the jar, like these.

6 4-ounce mason jars. We used some Weck jars that I couldn't find any other purpose for because the lids are fiddly.

Something to hold the wick up as the wax cools in the candle. You'll see in the pictures how we did this, but you can use clothespins or pencils with the wick wound 'round. There are also special wick holders, but you'll need several, so that may not be the cheapest option.

Essential oil. These are expensive and you'll need about a tablespoon. We used lemongrass and lavender, but you could use any scent you like. I recommend Mountain Rose Herbs for these. You could also use synthetic scents, but that's definitely not something I enjoy.

A double boiler, or something you cobble together. You need a pan of boiling water with another pan on top to melt the wax.

The first step is to melt the wax with the coconut oil in the double boiler.

Just starting out -

This step took longer than I thought it would. But that's ok, it gives you a chance to prepare your jars. Put a wick sticker on the bottom disc of your wick and secure it in the bottom center of each jar. Get your holder in place - whether pencils or clothespins - we forgot this step and had to scramble afterward. I don't recommend that.

Almost there!

When the wax is completely melted, take it off the heat and stir in your essential oils. In our case, the lemongrass completely overpowered the lavender, so it might be wise to just stick with one oil.

Then pour your mixture quickly into your prepared jars. We ended up only needing four jars, though we though the mix would make six. Your mileage may vary. Then we got the wicks secured - sort of - with various cutlery. It looks stupid, but it worked.

We had one 'real' wick holder, and that definitely worked the best.

It was fun to watch the candles cooling. After the fact, I read that you should put the cooling candles in a warm oven to cool - like turn the oven on to 175, then turn it off, then put your candles in there - because they will cool more slowly and they won't collapse. But we just cooled them on the counter and they didn't collapse. The coconut oil helps a lot with this step.

I've read that we should let the candles cure for two days, then trim the wick to 1/4". To light the candle, place the flame down near the base of the wick so that some of the wax melts and gets drawn up into the wick, helping it to burn. And as with all natural wax candles, let the candle burn long enough that the melted wax runs to the edge of the container, so that you don't have that tunneling effect.

The candles look lovely and smell great. We can't wait to burn them, and I can't wait to make more, after we harvest more honey in the spring!

Weekly Walkthrough: Watershed Gardening and Bacon

This week's walkthrough is up. I warn you, it's long - clocking in at thirty minutes - but I really wanted to share what I learned at the Watershed Gardening class. It's also very talk-heavy. Of course, I think it's an interesting subject, but if you disagree, you can fast-forward to about 20 minutes in and learn how Tom finishes his home-cured bacon. A worthwhile project for your Christmas holidays - and just think, if you start today, you could have delicious home-cured bacon on Christmas day.

Enjoy!

Feeding the Birds

As I batten down the hatches for a coming-any-minute winter storm, with heavy rain and wind expected, and as I read about the very cold weather happening this minute in most of the midwest, I am also thinking about all the birds that overwinter in our regions. While they are biologically equipped to handle the climate they spend their winters in, they could still use a little extra help from us. I do feed the birds in winter, though I don't any other time of the year (at least, not from feeders - I do let a lot of my flowers go to seed, just for the birds) .

This habit may have been ingrained in me from my grandmother in Ohio, who every morning in winter threw a few cupfuls of seed out her back door onto the snow. A huge crowd of birds would form, and she knew them all. It seemed like a great magic she had with the birds. Of course I now know that the birds became accustomed to her feeding them every morning and began to expect it, and even rely on it, so it wasn't really magic, just habit. Still, it seemed then so miraculous that wild creatures would willingly come so near to a human, and wonderful that we could watch them through the sliding glass door and learn all about them.

It still is miraculous to me, in many ways, and feels like a blessing bestowed by the birds. We have a great variety of them in our yard, many of whom I only glimpse flitting about in the bushes in summer, but can watch for minutes at a time at the feeders in winter. 

Scrub Jay nest found in the privet

I only keep two feeders going at the moment, though I may add a few more kinds to attract different varieties of birds. I have a cage feeder that houses a suet cake, which is visited mostly by chickadees and nuthatches (and an occasional squirrel),  and a nectar feeder which attracts the hummingbirds. Both are easy to fill and maintain, either with store-bought feed or homemade. Of course I prefer homemade. 

Hummingbirds like a 1:4 ratio of sugar to water. I like to use Baker's Sugar for this purpose (or caster sugar if you're overseas), which is very fine and dissolves easily in very hot water. I use a pyrex 2 cup measure for this, add 1/4 cup of the sugar, then fill the rest of the way to the top with water I've heated in my kettle, just under boiling. Stir with a spoon and the sugar will dissolve easily. Use right away (after cooling) or store for several days in the fridge. Nectar feeders should be cleaned and refilled every week. 

Suet cakes can be bought cheaply at any store, but you can make your own healthier version quite easily with little effort. You'll need to visit your butcher and ask for lard - tell them you're making suet for the birds, and they'll give you the right stuff. When you bring it home, melt it in a big pot. (Prepare to have all your dogs and cats sit hopefully right at your feet.) When melted, stir in peanut butter and whatever birdseed you like. Pour into a casserole dish and let harden at room temperature. Cut into squares, wrap in plastic, and keep in the fridge (or freezer) and dole out when needed.

Mourning Doves at our bubbler

Of course, the most important thing you can do for the birds is have a source of clean water. In climates that are very cold, that means making sure you have some unfrozen water available. There are heaters you can get for ponds that keep a small portion from freezing, or you can have a running fountain with a pump, or you can put out fresh water a couple of times a day.

We have a store near us called East Bay Nature that is filled with bird supplies, and the owners and employees are very knowledgeable about the local wildlife. I love supporting small, privately owned stores like this one, and taking advantage of their expertise. Look around to see if you have a place like this near you, or maybe there is a wildlife museum that can help you get started. It's especially fun for kids to get involved in this kind of nature-watching. I remember when Kate was very young, first or second grade, she did her science project on the goldfinches who visited our nyger seed tube feeder. She wanted to know if more finches visited on sunny days or rainy days, so she picked consistent time to spend watching each day for several months, and it was interesting for all of us. (The result? Sunny days, though initially I was sure the answer would be rainy days.) When kids get involved in nature at a young age, they'll love it always. Now that doesn't mean that Kate isn't, as a 13 year old, more often in her room watching youtube than she is outdoors watching the birds. I only wish! But it does mean that the foundation was laid for her to appreciate nature her whole life. I truly believe that kids don't get enough opportunities anymore to be outdoors, alone, experiencing nature. Birdwatching in the backyard is the kind of activity that is safe enough to satisfy those who fear for a roaming child, and cheap enough that anyone can participate. 

Cobbling Together an Inexpensive 'Greenhouse'

Let's get one thing clear: I have greenhouse envy. Big Time. 

Image by BC Greenhouse Builders LTD

Come on, who wouldn't want THAT? Oh yes, and I'll take the estate to go with it, thank you very much.

Considering that Tom is in public education and I'm now a student, I'd say our chances of ever having a greenhouse like this one are nil. I suppose it's ok, because then I'd have to have the lifestyle to go along with it - the clothes, the hair, the nails. And, well, clearly none of that's for me. I'll take my 1000 square foot 1949 redwood-sided ranch house any day, and prefer to stay in my comfortable flannel and jeans, and continue to chew up my cuticles. 

So that means I need to cobble something together to use for seed starting. Probably not for tomatoes and peppers - they'll need the lamp and heat pad inside for the first couple of months at least - but other seeds. In fact, the way I'm doing things, planting directly in my bed with seed, is really wasting time. If I have a place to get seedlings going, it would really ramp up my efficiency. I would be able to germinate seeds in a warm, controlled environment, and transplant often for a continual crop through the season. 

Tom and I did some framing when we built the chicken coop, and it was an interesting and fulfilling project, but I don't really have a place for any kind of permanent structure. Plus, I want to try it out first, so something that I throw together with mostly found materials would be ideal. I've been thinking about it for quite some time and I may have a solution.

Back in 2013, my dad and I built a frame for Adam's 5th grade graduation, a sort of portal for the kids to walk through as they entered the theater two by two (the theme was traveling through time and space - so it had a clock I painted at the top). It's been in my garden ever since, mostly just sitting there, too pretty to throw out (and made of redwood!), but not a whole lot of use. I once grew runner beans up it. Tom put hanging brackets on it for potted plants. But this week I've been looking at our garden with new eyes, and when I saw this frame, I thought, what if I moved that to a South-facing wall and used it as some sort of greenhouse? So today I moved it.

That was the easy part. Now I've got to figure out how to make it useful. My plan is to take off the clock and the plant hangers, insert brackets for shelving, cut some light wood for the shelves (maybe three? four?) and then encase the whole thing in clear 6 mil plastic poly, and then I'll be in business. During the winter, this tower would get sun a large part of the day (when it's not raining, of course) and in the summer, it would get only morning sun - so the location is perfect. With a flap in the middle of the front for access and ventilation, I think it could really work. I have a rain barrel nearby as a water source, as well. 

So here's my question for you: Have any of you built something like this? Or have any experience with greenhouses? Or might you have any ideas about how to put this together? I'd like as much input as possible. 

Weekly Walkthrough: Garden Update, Bees, Bacon

This week's walkthrough, for your viewing pleasure. 

Next week, I'll take you through our property using what I learned in my Watershed Approach to Landscaping class. Should be interesting, and provide many projects for me in the upcoming year. 

Hope you're having a wonderful weekend!