Post by Lannie on Jun 27, 2011 15:08:31 GMT -5
First let me say it turned out beautifully, but now I know why research and development costs are so high!
I was almost out of udder balm, and I wanted to make some more using honey, so I winged a new formula. I started out with several big fresh comfrey leaves, cut up, a large flowering yarrow top, cut up, and a big pinch of dried calendula petals (I don't have any growing right now). I put that in some olive oil, then thought there wasn't enough, so I added more olive oil. I was measuring everything, so I could reproduce it later, but OMG, I made WAY too much! LOL!
When that had warmed through for several hours, I strained out the herbs and added some beeswax and shea butter to firm up the oil. Not enough. It was still like oil, so I added more beeswax, thinking THAT would be enough, and went ahead and added all my essential oils, the honey, and some Vitamin E oil. Then I stirred. And stirred. And stirred. Nothing. It wasn't firming up, so I covered it and let it sit overnight to see if it just needed time.
The next morning (this is day two, now), it was still liquid. I stirred it up again, and found all the honey had settled to the bottom. Great, it wasn't thick enough to keep the honey in suspension. So I melted some cocoa butter and added that. Of course the melted cocoa butter was a lot warmer than the room temperature oil, so when it hit, it coagulated into clumps. sigh... I know better...
I put the whole mess in the top of a double boiler and heated it all until the cocoa butter remelted, then set it aside to cool. Which it was not about to do. It was still liquid, so back into the double boiler and more cocoa butter. Several hours later, it was still liquid and it felt like it was down to room temperature. And the honey was still sitting all by its lonesome on the bottom. I put the bowl in another bowl of cold water and stirred until I couldn't stir anymore, and that didn't do anything, so back into the double boiler and MORE cocoa butter. I was not ABOUT to waste all that good infused olive oil and the rest of the ingredients, so one way or another, I was going to make this work.
Once that was all remelted, I took it out again and let it sit several more hours. Then I took the stick blender to it and whipped the crap out of it. Maybe if I could get enough air bubbles in it, it would set up properly. Ah, but my salve had other ideas. So finally, I poured the top part out into one bowl, then scraped all the honey out into another bowl, covered them both and went to bed. I'd spent all day trying to fix this.
This morning (day three) I got up and checked it. Finally, success!!!!! It was still a little runnier than I'd like, but it would work, so I spooned some into a small half-pint jar and took it with me when I went out to milk. When I finished with Bandit, I grabbed the jar and found it had solidified completely! Yep, I got enough cocoa butter in it! I had to scrape some out with a fingernail and melt it in my fingers before I could use it.
I got back in the house, and the stuff still in the bowl was still soft, but I knew its secret now (there was so much it was keeping itself warm, like soap!), and I was prepared! I quickly dumped the honey back in the bowl and stirred until it was all incorporated, then I set it aside again. Got done with the rest of morning chores, had breakfast, came down here and cruised the forum for a while, then went back and checked on my salve. Yes, it was hard as a brick! Obviously it needed more honey, so I put a bunch more honey in it and worked it the best I could until it resembles stiff mashed potatoes. It kind of LOOKS like mashed potatoes, too. But it's absolutely PERFECT now.
It's viscous enough to be able to dip a finger in and get a blob, but once it's on skin it melts right in and the honey is DIVINE!!!!! It's so silky feeling! It's a little greasy, but Bandit's teats won't care. I used some on my hands, then rubbed the excess oil off with a paper towel and my hands feel like baby skin now!
So after all that, I ended up with FIVE CUPS of salve. I had originally intended to make a pint. I filled two half-pint jars, one for the barn and one for the house (it will make a fabulous burn ointment with all the healing stuff in it), then packed the rest into a 3-cup Gladware container and popped it in the freezer. I hope that doesn't ruin it, but I have so much, it won't get used before it goes rancid. I probably made a two year supply! Or three!
Anyway, I thought those of you who make this kind of stuff would get a giggle out of this.
~Lannie
I was almost out of udder balm, and I wanted to make some more using honey, so I winged a new formula. I started out with several big fresh comfrey leaves, cut up, a large flowering yarrow top, cut up, and a big pinch of dried calendula petals (I don't have any growing right now). I put that in some olive oil, then thought there wasn't enough, so I added more olive oil. I was measuring everything, so I could reproduce it later, but OMG, I made WAY too much! LOL!
When that had warmed through for several hours, I strained out the herbs and added some beeswax and shea butter to firm up the oil. Not enough. It was still like oil, so I added more beeswax, thinking THAT would be enough, and went ahead and added all my essential oils, the honey, and some Vitamin E oil. Then I stirred. And stirred. And stirred. Nothing. It wasn't firming up, so I covered it and let it sit overnight to see if it just needed time.
The next morning (this is day two, now), it was still liquid. I stirred it up again, and found all the honey had settled to the bottom. Great, it wasn't thick enough to keep the honey in suspension. So I melted some cocoa butter and added that. Of course the melted cocoa butter was a lot warmer than the room temperature oil, so when it hit, it coagulated into clumps. sigh... I know better...
I put the whole mess in the top of a double boiler and heated it all until the cocoa butter remelted, then set it aside to cool. Which it was not about to do. It was still liquid, so back into the double boiler and more cocoa butter. Several hours later, it was still liquid and it felt like it was down to room temperature. And the honey was still sitting all by its lonesome on the bottom. I put the bowl in another bowl of cold water and stirred until I couldn't stir anymore, and that didn't do anything, so back into the double boiler and MORE cocoa butter. I was not ABOUT to waste all that good infused olive oil and the rest of the ingredients, so one way or another, I was going to make this work.
Once that was all remelted, I took it out again and let it sit several more hours. Then I took the stick blender to it and whipped the crap out of it. Maybe if I could get enough air bubbles in it, it would set up properly. Ah, but my salve had other ideas. So finally, I poured the top part out into one bowl, then scraped all the honey out into another bowl, covered them both and went to bed. I'd spent all day trying to fix this.
This morning (day three) I got up and checked it. Finally, success!!!!! It was still a little runnier than I'd like, but it would work, so I spooned some into a small half-pint jar and took it with me when I went out to milk. When I finished with Bandit, I grabbed the jar and found it had solidified completely! Yep, I got enough cocoa butter in it! I had to scrape some out with a fingernail and melt it in my fingers before I could use it.
I got back in the house, and the stuff still in the bowl was still soft, but I knew its secret now (there was so much it was keeping itself warm, like soap!), and I was prepared! I quickly dumped the honey back in the bowl and stirred until it was all incorporated, then I set it aside again. Got done with the rest of morning chores, had breakfast, came down here and cruised the forum for a while, then went back and checked on my salve. Yes, it was hard as a brick! Obviously it needed more honey, so I put a bunch more honey in it and worked it the best I could until it resembles stiff mashed potatoes. It kind of LOOKS like mashed potatoes, too. But it's absolutely PERFECT now.
It's viscous enough to be able to dip a finger in and get a blob, but once it's on skin it melts right in and the honey is DIVINE!!!!! It's so silky feeling! It's a little greasy, but Bandit's teats won't care. I used some on my hands, then rubbed the excess oil off with a paper towel and my hands feel like baby skin now!
So after all that, I ended up with FIVE CUPS of salve. I had originally intended to make a pint. I filled two half-pint jars, one for the barn and one for the house (it will make a fabulous burn ointment with all the healing stuff in it), then packed the rest into a 3-cup Gladware container and popped it in the freezer. I hope that doesn't ruin it, but I have so much, it won't get used before it goes rancid. I probably made a two year supply! Or three!
Anyway, I thought those of you who make this kind of stuff would get a giggle out of this.
~Lannie