On Drying Herbs

When I visited Jeremy, he let me take some of his herbs. I took comfrey leaves, spearmint, peppermint, and lavender. Near my home I collected Chaparral.

I dried these herbs and there are some things I learned.

#1 -  Make sure you have enough thin paper bags or cloth bags in which to dry all your herbs (unless you have a screen or dehydator). I only had a few paper bags and so I tried to dry some of these herbs in cardboard boxes which caused the large comfrey leaves to rot. I did end up with about a pint of usable comfrey leaves, but had they all dried correctly, I would have had more like 3 quarts.

#2 - I went crazy on the lavender and picked a "ton", but I did not pick enough spearmint leaves or peppermint leaves. I ended up with 2 quarts of lavender leaves/flowers, and a quart of sticks (because I couldn't bear to toss out all the sticks), and only a pint or less each of peppermint and spearmint.

#3 -  Chaparral has a rather sticky feel when it's fresh and so I didn't know what to put it in, so I layered 3 plastic shopping bags and put the Chaparral in them, as a rather temporary measure. But I never ended up taking it out. The bag was open and rolled down a bit so there was a really wide mouth, and every so often I would turn the Chaparral so that what was facing the air took turns. It ended up drying perfectly, and none of it molded. I got less than a quart, but that's okay as it is only a five or ten minute walk to get Chaparral that has not been breathed on by auto exhaust..

All in all, other than losing so much comfrey, I consider this a success.

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As you may have noticed from the previous posts, my friend has two kinds of sunflowers. One is the kind that is simply beautiful, and the other kind is the large head that gives sunflower seeds to birds and humans. I think he also has or had Jerusalem artichokes which also look like sunflowers when they're in the flower.  He was kind enough to, a few days ago, bring me one of the sunflower seed heads. I put it in a box face up and let it dry. Then I noticed the back was too moist and starting to mold, so I peeled off part of the back and left the flower face down in the box. Some of the seeds came out by themselves, and this morning after I finished filling up my bottles with dried herbs, I squeezed the head here and there, and more of the seeds came out, so I took a picture of it in the box.

I think this whole experience was very awesome.

Note:  I wrote this post on my phone, and with the help of voice to text which is a very irritating thing, and I would never recommend it, but at least I didn't have to turn my computer on. I only say this so that if there are parts of this post make no sense or have some blatant typos, that is why. Voice to text comes up with some really really weird words most of the time.

Also the damn Google Blogspot keeps jumping up to a higher paragraph every time I am trying to write or read the very last paragraph that I wrote/am writing. Definitely not something I want to do again.  Much, much better to go through the hassle of turning on my computer.

Edit [on my computer] to add: I forgot to mention the dandelion roots. I also got a bunch of them. After having them for a few days, I scrubbed them, put them on a paper towel on a shelf (metal; the kind that has a lot of air flow) with a paper towel over them, and let them dry. I could not get all of the dirt off the roots. What I'd do differently is let them dry for a week (or whatever seemed right), then use a brush to remove the dried dirt. Getting them wet, especially if they've been grown in any type of clay soil, only packs the mud/dirt harder into the many tiny crevices in the roots.

Foaming Sugar Scrub (by SpiceySuds)

Making foaming sugar scrubs is super easy.

In Jen’s video,she gives a recipe and demonstrates how to make foaming sugar scrubs. I use her recipe except I do not add mica or any colorant to my scrubs; she uses foaming bath whip from a soap supplier, but I use a foaming bath butter from a different soap supplier. It is also a melt and pour soap.

The recipe I use is:

1 lb foaming bath butter/whip

1 lb sugar

1 oz light oil (sunflower oil, almond oil, avocado oil,)

.3 oz - .5 oz fragrance oil

I use a kitchenaide mixer. Add the bath butter and oil in the bowl, starting out on low until the butter softens up a little, then turn up to medium for a few seconds. Then I add the fragrance oil and sugar, mix for a couple of minutes or so until I like the consistency, then spoon the mixture into jars and that’s all-simplicity.

SpicySuds

Permaculture! What is it?

It has been a few years since I discovered permaculture. I was immediately enamored with the concept. 

What is permaculture? For those who are interested here is what Bill Mollison co-originator of the term says,

    "Permaculture. A copyright word, owned as a common copyright by the Permaculture Institutes & their graduates. Derived from ‘Permanent’ and ‘Culture’, as follows:

    Permanent: From the Latin permanens, to remain to the end, to persist throughout (per = through, manere = to continue)

    Culture: From the Latin cultura - cultivation of land, or the intellect. Now generalized to mean all those habits, beliefs, or activities than sustain human societies.

    Thus, Permaculture is the study of the design of those sustainable or enduring systems that support human society, both agricultural & intellectual, traditional & scientific, architectural, financial & legal. It is the study of integrated systems, for the purpose of better design & application of such systems."

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    "Permaculture is a philosophy of working with, rather than against nature; of protracted & thoughtful observation rather than protracted & thoughtless action; of looking at systems in all their functions rather than asking only one yield of them & of allowing systems to demonstrate their own evolutions."

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"Permaculture seeks the Garden of Eden & why not?

The overall aim of permaculture design is to produce an efficient low-maintenance productive integration of plants, animals, structures & man; with the ultimate result of on-site stability & food self-sufficiency in the smallest practical area.

The aim is also to plan for craft or other products on larger areas, that yield a trade or commercial potential for clients, again as diverse products resources. The design should aim for a total, secure, long-term integration of all elements; stability & diversity are the keynotes. Conservation of soil, water, & energy are central issues.

The system combines rational landscape design, organic gardening methods, & alternative energy systems into a unified design encompassing many trades, skill, & disciplines."

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"Permaculture really starts with an ethic or earthcare, understood as care of whole systems of earth & species. So we actually devise model systems. Much of the design is drawn from nature. The end result that we aim for, is to produce a system that is ecologically sound & economically profitable. It can get sophisticated or be as simple as you like.

1. Permanent Agriculture, the requirement for a permanent culture

2. An ethical philosophy of earthcare & peoplecare supported by the distribution of surplus goods; wealth, labor, attention, information

3. The condition of abundance in nature marked by cooperation, diversity of species, occupation of essential ecological niches, & stability over time, in contrast to the conditions of competition, scarcity, monotony, &^ imminent decay which predominate under hierarchical social conditions.

4. A productive system of human design based on maximal beneficial connections between the elements thereof.

5. A global grassroots movement for self-reliance, community responsibility, decentralization of social, political, economic, & technical authority.

6. The demonstrated & replicated teaching & techniques thereof.

7. Interactive, recombinant ecologies marked by elegance of principle, efficiency of function, appropriateness of form, & astonishing beauty.

8. Maximum satisfaction of needs for all living beings employing the minimum area of built space with a high density & quality of biological information"  

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Here are some links that define permaculture. The first is where I pulled these quotes from.

About Permaculture 

Definitions of Permaculture

Bath Bombs 101 by SpiceySuds

There are a few challenges many people experience when making bath bombs (and from watching numerous videos to learn, they share their experiences making bath bombs or bath fizzies) such as, the bath bombs seem to react/respond to moisture that is in the air such as

• the humidity in the house
• if it is or has been raining outside
• if there is not enough or too much liquid mixture - which can cause them to crumble, crack, and expand and activate the chemical reaction of the sodium bicarbonate and citric acid.

It is a learning experience and many long time bath bomb makers still experience issues once in a while; it does go with the territory.

In Soap Queen’s article (“Bath bomb questions and answers” ) she briefly covers 16 questions. I think it is well worth the read and it will give you an idea of how others make their bath bombs. YouTube is a resource you can use.

However, I will share some things I have learned. There are many recipes that are on the web and that people give on their videos, and the majority of them do not use polysorbate 80. If you do not use polysorbate 80 it will feel like you are sitting in an oil slick- at least that is how it felt to me. Polysorbate 80 disperses the oil so it won’t feel like that, and it won’t leave a ring around the tub.

Mixing bowl, strainer, fragrance oil, frother,
fondant colorant, spatula, and recipe book.

One good recipe is:

3 Cups Baking Soda

2 Cups Citric Acid

½ Cup Epsom Salt

3 TBS Kaolin Clay

2 TBS Cornstarch

7 TBS Coconut oil or Cocoa Butter

2 TBS Polysorbate 80

4 TBS Frangrance Oil

2 TBS 99% Isopropyl Alcohol

Strain the baking soda, kaolin clay and cornstarch into a bowl (can be the bowl for a Kitchenaide mixer). Add the citric acid and Epsom salt. Whisk the dry ingredients well.

Citric Acid, Kaolin clay, and Epsom salts.

Cornstarch, baking soda, and citric acid

Straining baking soda.

In a mixing bowl or cup melt the oil in the microwave (I do 30 sec burst until melted), then add the other wet ingredients and stir well. Some people will add mica to their dry ingredients, but I have added it to the wet ingredients, stirred well, then poured it into the dry ingredients and mixed thoroughly.

Coconut oil, glycerine, avocado oil,
polysorbate 80 and mixing cup

Melted oil with other blended wet ingredients.

When I use fondant coloring I pour in an extra TBS of oil (which could be castor, sunflower or avocado) in a small cup. Squeeze about a dime size amount and blend with a milk frother, then add to wet ingredients and blend well. Then mix wet ingredients to dry ingredients.

Mixing wet ingredients into dry ingredients.

I feel it is best to use 99% isopropyl alcohol or at least 91% iso alcohol, because when I used witch hazel (as many recipes call for) it activated the citric acid, and that will cause issues with the final outcome. Since bath bombs can be finicky you will probably need to spray the alcohol into your bowl and then place into your molds.

In the beginning I did buy 1 large round metal mold. After a batch or two I bought simple silicone ice cube trays and a silicone round mold that I find better for me and I use those all the time.

The molds I use for bath bombs.

Putting mixture into molds.

Letting the bath bombs dry for a few hours

The best part about making bath bombs for yourself is that if any of them crack/crumble etc, you can still enjoy them- it’s only if they have completely activated that they can’t be used.

Enjoy!

SpicySuds

Part 2: Making Cold-Process Soap (by SpiceySuds)

These are general instructions and general information. Please see the links in this article and in the one I wrote previously for more.

When researching cold-process soap making, you will come across terms that will help if you understand them before making soap. I am going to cover several terms and a post a link to a thorough list.
Glossary of Soap Terms

Additives: Any ingredient added to soap that is not part of the soap itself is considered an additive. Therefore, any ingredient excluding lye, water, and oils/fats/butters are additives. Some examples of additives are colorants, fragrance materials, and preservatives. Additives may include herbs, micas, salt, grapefruit seed extract, excess oils/fats/butters that remain unsaponified, vitamins, clays, etc., (for those that only want to use “Natural” colorants here is a site to check out: Adding Color to Homemade Soap )

Colorants in tote.

Fragrance oils in tote.

-Lye: sodium hydroxide is used for cold process soap. Potassium hydroxide is used to make liquid soap. Lye is a caustic substance, and can and does cause horrible burns. CaseReports (Caution, there is a photo of a caustic burn on a hand at that link that may be disturbing to some people.)

-Saponify/Saponification: the chemical reaction between the lye and fats from the oils that results in glycerin and soap.

-Soap Making Process: Cold Process

Cold process (CP) soap making is the process where lye is dissolved in water to form a solution. The lye-water solution is then added to melted fats and oils and constantly stirred or mixed with a hand blender.

Mixing bowl w-blender, slightly mixed,
after pouring in lye solution.

After trace is detected, scents, herbs, and/or colorants may be added to the soap batter. After trace but before seize, the cold process soap batter is poured into molds.

Molds

More molds.

The molds are usually insulated with blankets or towels. Within 24 hours, the soap batter hardens sufficiently to be removed from the mold and to be sliced into bars. Fresh bars of cold process soap must cure on drying racks for four to six weeks to allow the lye to completely saponify the fats and oils into soap. After four to six weeks of cure, cold process soap should be ready for use and should not contain any lye. This process is referred to as "cold" process soap making because no heat from an external source is added to the soap batter.

-Soda Ash: Soda ash forms when unsaponified lye reacts with naturally occurring carbon dioxide in the air. Soda ash is a harmless, and it's most common on the surface of your cold process soaps, but sometimes soda ash can form throughout the middle of the bars. ... Temperature can also play a factor in soda ash formation.

Soapqueen.com - explaining and preventing soda ash

Soapjam.wordpress.com - removing soda ash efficiently

Trace

Term used to define the moment of cold process and hot process soap making when the soap batter thickens and becomes viscous due to the onset of saponification. Trace is determined when a spoonful of soap batter dribbled back into the soap pot leaves a "trace" and remains visible on the surface. Likewise, trace may be determined when a spoon moved through the soap batter leaves a "trace" or distinguishable trail on the surface of the soap batter.

Many of the soapers on youtube and those that have their own websites or eBooks give their own soap recipes - or you can use soap calculators/lye calculator sites that will help you formulate your own recipe.

On Soapcalc site, under Section 5 “soap qualities and fatty acids,” it lists a few qualities/properties the chosen oils will result in. Iodine is a quality that will show how hard/hardness the soap will be. When you hover the cursor over Iodine on the Soapcalc site, it will show you the numbers 41-70, and the closer you get to 70 the softer your bar will be, and it will dissolve quicker when used. Using a higher amount of coconut oil will get a harder bar, but also may be more drying on the skin. Using a slightly higher superfat percent may help it not be so drying, but it is best not to go above 9 or 10% superfat. Superfat is the percent of oils that will be unsaponified.

I will list three sites that help with formulating soap recipes. Brambleberry’s is the easiest for me when I want to “recalculate” a recipe because if I want to increase my 1lb recipe to a 2lb recipe, all I need to do is put in the figures for my 1lb recipe. At the bottom I use the recalculate to 2lbs, but it is added as 32oz for the oils. It will automatically recalculate the amount of oils as well as lye and water. Distilled water should be used or many, as well as myself, use Aloe Vera juice, though I did use distilled water for the first few months when I began.

Container I used for aloe juice
(which I added after I poured and stirred in the lye),

Soapcalc

Brambleberry

The Sage

To cover a bit more on the utensils that are needed:

• An accurate digital scale that will measure in both grams and ounces.
• A stick blender/emulsion blender.
• Latex/rubber gloves & apron.
• Mixing bowls/cups.
• Rubber spoons/spatulas/whisks.
• Soap mold(s). If you use wood molds you’ll need parchment paper or freezer paper to put in the mold unless you have a silicone liner.

Molds

Utensils in the tote where I store them.

More supplies

When mixing lye, no metal other than stainless steel should be used, and plastic should be strong enough that it won’t melt. I have used cottage cheese containers, or plastic containers from Lowes to mix paint in, or plastic laundry detergent containers. I use a plastic drinking cup to measure the lye into, then pour it into the liquid being used (in the cottage cheese container or other container) and mixed/stirred with a rubber spoon. I then rinse out the plastic cup with warm water. Since lye is a drain cleaner, I rinse the cup well with warm water and then let the water run in the sink/down the drain thoroughly.

Bucket I keep the lye in, sitting by my scale
with a cup I use to dip out the lye.

After choosing a recipe, you can measure your solid oils/butters into a container and your liquid oils in another container (this is what I do but not necessarily the way it must be done). I mix the lye solution first and wait for the temp to come down to around 100-110 degrees, and then I start to melt the hard oils/butters in the microwave.

Pre-measured hard oils and liquid oils.

It seems most soapers like to “soap” at “room” temp and I also like to soap at a lower temp- 90-100 degrees. It does seem to matter what oils you use, as well as how much blending is done. If FO or EO is used each can affect how quickly the batter will thicken.

One Recipe I use is: 32oz batch

Castor oil 2oz

Coconut oil 6oz Distilled water 10.6oz

Olive oil 14oz Lye 4.3oz

Rice Bran oil 5oz

Shea butter 2oz

Sunflower oil 3oz Fragrance oil 2oz

I usually wipe off the spatulas, blender, etc. I use and wipe out the mixing bowls/cups with paper towels and a wet washcloth. Throw away the paper towels. I put the wash cloths and any towels I use in a laundry basket, and wash the next day-it is good to wait a day to wash the dishes and cloths/towels.

The cup I mixed blue mica in.

Dishes I have used and put into the sink.

Utensils I have used.

Soap Queen has a good article on soap session clean up.
Soapqueen.com - tips and tricks

Once you have chosen a recipe and have the needed utensils/containers/molds- then let the fun begin.

Now, let's go and make soap!

SpiceySuds

More pictures 

Soap in mold.

Soap in silicone mold.
Notice that I put the mold in a holder
to keep the mold from bowing outward.

Pink and white soap in mold.

Soap about to be sliced.

Sliced soap.