Autumn's in the Air, and the Sweet, Sweet Smell...

...of Frankincense! I bet you thought I was going to say apples or something like that, right?

Here at our farm, the air is filled with the smells of winter, and especially the winter holidays:  sweet oranges studded with cloves and spice;  the bite and zing of frosty peppermint; the classic fir tree gracing the family room; bright, tart cranberries and balsam bough garlands to dress the banister;  and the rich, seductive scent of gold-dusted frankincense and myrrh.  We are overflowing with seasonal and holiday soaps!

All handmade soaps made in the traditional cold process methods that I follow need time to cure after they are made.  The curing time allows the soaps to dry and harden, and ensures that saponification is complete.  The general guideline soap makers follow is to allow at least three weeks for this process.  I allow a six week minimum cure time, and prefer to allow several months.  I find that the lather improves, and in most cases, the fragrance of the soap continues to develop and improve.  So, working backwards, we generally make our soaps three to four months ahead of our targeted sell date. In the case of frankincense and myrrh, I actually work five months out because the color and scent transform and improve so much as it ages.  (I have to admit it  is a little odd making such a richly scented soap when it is 90 degrees outside!)

Here's the frankincense and myrrh soap freshly poured into the mold, soft, creamy and yellow.

This is what it looked like 24 hours later after.  It is firm, and the color had already started to change on the surface of the soap.




My next step after slicing the soap into bars is to add the dusting of gold cosmetic mica.  A little bling for the holidays!  The mica gets on everything, including all over me. :)  

So here it is, sliced, dusted, and ready to go on curing racks.  You can see that the interior of the soap is still a soft ivory color.

Here we are eight weeks later.  The color has darkened considerably.  This is from the blend of essential oils that I use to fragrance the soap.

And now, almost 12 weeks later the soap is fully cured and the color is fully developed.  At this point it was placed into cardboard storage boxes, while the fragrance continues to mellow and improve.

 














But enough about the frank & myrrh!  Here's the Cranberry Balsam curing, along with a picture of the Orange Winter Spice.  The O'Christmas Tree is already boxed and tucked away.

This week I'm finishing up the Peppermint Frost, which has turned out to be a nice case of good timing. I have a cold and the peppermint essential oil that I am using to fragrance the soap is helping to clear my sinuses. Aaah.

Our seasonal and holiday soaps will all be wrapped in pretty papers, and will be ready for purchase beginning November 1st.  In addition to the bar soaps, we will also have a limited supply of our O' Christmas Tree liquid handsoap made with local Vermont sunflower oil packaged in beautiful glass bottles, and Candy Cane lip balms.

Soaps make great little gifts, and it's one thing that everyone needs!  Please consider us as you complete your holiday lists.  We generally sell out, so please shop early.