New Soaps

Its been a busy Fall season of soaping! We have been enjoying experimenting with different colors and scents from Brambleberry. Love, love, love their Cucumber Melon! Yummy! Playing around with swirling, layering, and patterns, too. After nearly selling out at a local Women's Expo, we headed back to the farm kitchen to make several more batches of goats milk soap to cure for a Christmas craft fair. Time to make some new soaps before our inventory runs out!

Soap Molds and How to Make Goat's Milk Soap

For those brave souls who are willing to try it on their own . . . a little tutorial on making cold process goat's milk soap . . . it's really a lot easier than you would think. For those not so brave souls who don't want to try it on their own . . . there will be another soap making class next fall, Lord willing!

Terri's Goat's Milk Soap Recipe:

This recipe makes a great, hard bar of soap with lots of lather and bubbles!

20 Ounces Lard
12 Ounces Olive Oil
8 Ounces Coconut Oil
2 Ounces Castor Oil
5.7 Ounces Lye
15.2 Ounces Goat Milk (Previously frozen, and then thawed to slushy stage)
Scents (I prefer to use 2 ounces) or Additives of Choice

*Rendered lard (your own or from the butcher) works best in this recipe.*

Another simple soap recipe that I use for making laundry detergent (This tends to make a soft bar of hand soap, but it is great for shredding and dissolves nicely in the washing machine.):

Laundry Bar Recipe:

20 ounces Canola Oil
8 ounces Coconut Oil
12 ounces Olive Oil
5.6~ounces Lye
14.4~ ounces Goat's Milk (Previously frozen, and then thawed to slushy stage)
Scents (I prefer to use 2 ounces) or Additives of Choice


*Prepare your molds~ Spray plastic molds with cooking spray. Line other molds with plastic wrap.
*Measure the lye, set aside.
*Heat oils to 90 degrees in a stainless steel pan.
*Pour slushy goats milk into a stainless steel container, place in a sink with ice water. Slowly add the lye to the milk while continuously mixing with a wooden spoon. Cool to 90 degrees.
*Add the warm oil to the milk solution and mix with a stick blender (off and on) until light trace.
*At light trace add any scents, colors or exfoliates.
*Continue to mix. At trace pour into prepared molds.
*Wrap with plastic wrap, then cover the mold with a towel.
*After 24-48 hours cut the bars (wear plastic gloves as the lye can still burn your hands). Allow soap to cure 3-8 weeks before use.

Supplies needed: Stainless steel pail, stainless pan for the stove top, thermometer, scale, wooden spoon, spatula, electric wand mixer, soap mold, saran wrap or cooking spray, plastic gloves, safety glasses, newspaper, old bathroom towel, vinegar (None of the mixing items should be used for food use again).

Always wear plastic gloves, long sleeves, and eye protection when making soap.

After trying different scents I have found that I like these the best from Brambleberry.

To start with, prepare your work sight and everything you will need to make soap. I haven't had a problem creating soap in my kitchen, with the windows open for ventilation. FYI~ only use glass or stainless steel to mix your soap in, and don't plan on using them again as they could possibly retain some lye. I use stainless steel milk pails as they are high enough to prevent spills.

I lay out newspapers at each of my work stations (next to the stove top, next to the sink, and on the island where I will set my pail to mix) for easy clean up and to catch any spills.

Once you have all of your supplies out, start by preparing your soap molds. If you are using a wooden soap mold (like I am), you will line it with saran wrap, taping it down as needed. My molds measure 15" long, by 2 3/4" high, and 3 1/2" wide inside diameter. They are the perfect size for this recipe, and you end up with 13 nice sized bars of soap.

Spray your plastic molds lightly with cooking spray. Any plastic container, or even a cardboard box lined with saran wrap will work fine. Just be sure that you don't make your soap too thin, or else it will curl as it dries.

Measure your oils (using a scale), and pour into your stainless steel pan to go onto the stove top.
Pour your slushie goat's milk into your pail, and set in a sink with ice water. Pre-measure your lye and set aside. When everything is prepared, it's time to heat up your oils. You want to reach a temperature of 90 degrees. The oils heat up rather quickly, so keep a close eye on them. Once you reach temperature, shut the heat off and set the pan aside if you are using an electric stove to prevent overheating.

Now, let me put the fear of God into you about lye. Lye is caustic: it will burn, it will blow up your kitchen, and you have the potential to lose your eyesight and will never be able to gaze upon the love of your life or your sweet little dumplings ever again if you are not careful. Be warned! And then just be cautious. NEVER, NEVER pour your liquids into your lye. Always pour the lye into your liquid~ slowly.

If you happen to get lye splashed on you, or even start to feel any tingling while making your soap, pour vinegar over the affected skin. Eyes would need to be rinsed out with water, and then seek immediate medical attention (but of cousre you're wearing your protective glasses). Don't hover over your pail! Don't ask me why . . . Turtle necks are great to wear while making soap.

Slowly, pour your lye into your slushie milk in the sink of water and ice. Your milk will start out white, but you will soon see it turning yellow. If you pour the lye too fast, it will actually burn and even curdle your milk. The slower you pour your lye, the lighter your soap will be. The quicker you pour, the darker your soap will be.

The lye is going to heat up the milk: sometimes very fast, sometimes slow, depending on how cold your milk and your sink is, and how fast you are pouring. You are trying to achieve a nice, steady increase in temperature. If the colors stay a pretty yellow it is a good indicator that you're milk is not too hot and not too cold~ orange means "too hot" and add you need to add ice to your sink~ quick.

Keep stirring as you are pouring the lye. Watch your temperature closely~ you are trying to achieve 90 degrees. Add more ice to the sink as needed, or take the pail out of the sink if necessary. You will want to tip your pail to get a good temperature measurement so that you get a true reading.

Once you are at 90 degrees, take your pail out of the sink and put it on your newspaper lined work station. Slowly add your warm oils while mixing with your wooden spoon. Now it's time to start blending. A stick blender works great for this (but remember, you can't use it again for food use). It is possible to mix by hand with a wooden spoon, but it will take about 2-3 hours of constant mixing.

The mixture will start out pretty thin, but within 10-15 minutes you will begin to have a pudding consistency. This is called "trace." You are looking for a light trace so that you can add your scents or additives. When your mixture starts to get thicker, take your wand and drizzle the soap across the top of the mixture~ if it holds itself up, you are at trace.

At a light trace you can add your scents and additives. Watch your soap carefully at this point. This is prime time for seizing (when additives make your soap instantly become rock hard). I have personally never had any soap seize, but there's always a first time. More often I find that the soap thins out as you have added more liquids. Mix until you get back to a thicker trace, keeping in mind that your blender is warm by now, too, and adding to the heat of your soap mixture. It is fine to let the soap sit quietly for a couple/few minutes rather than burn out your blender or overheat your soap.

At this point, since I am layering this batch of soap, I will pour part of my batch back into my oil pot.

Next I added cocoa to the pail (not too much, tho, I found out the hard way as you get chocolate bubbles, chocolate hands, and chocolate sinks) and mix again.

When my mixture is back to a nice trace again, it's time to pour it all into the prepared soap molds.I scrape off every last little bit with the spatula.And then pour.
Next, I pour my light color on top.
Because I used Hazelnut Coffee scent, I sprinkled the top with coffee grounds to look pretty.

Then I cover the soap with saran wrap, and wrap it all up in an old bathroom towel to incubate over night. To prevent soda ash you will want to gently press down the saran wrap to reduce any air getting to your soap. Your soap might go through a gel phase within a couple of hours. Don't be alarmed if you see your beautiful creation appear to be melting before your eyes~ if all goes well, it will soon be back to looking like a beautiful log of soap. Let it sit quietly and finish its magic. *After some overheating trouble I have been experimenting with not insulating, and even popping the soap mold into the freezer, with good results.*

After 24-48 hours it's time to cut your soap. I use a cheese cutter to get perfect sized bars, but you can also use fishing line, knives, or fancy crinkle potato slicers (just remember, don't use them for food again). The lye can still burn you at this point, so always wear gloves while cutting your fresh soap.

Find a spot to let your soap cure. I have a drying rack, lined with newspaper, in an out of the way closet. Basements are too damp to allow proper curing, and warm spots will dry out your soap too quick. After 3-8 weeks your soap will be fully cured and ready to use. Soap never goes bad, and only gets better with age.

Enjoy the benefits of your very own homemade goats milk soap!

************

Soap is great, but have you found eternal life?

Read Trent's story here.

Home Made Goat's Milk Soap Laundry Detergent

A few months back I had a fiasco soapmaking issue. It turns out that if you forget to cut a large log of plain goat's milk soap for five days the odds of ever being able to cut such bar short of a saw is impossible. So, I handed it over to Cole as he was requesting the privilege of shredding it. He got out the old grater and in no time we had a paper bag of soap slivers. The bag sat in my soap closet, forgotten, until a couple of weeks ago when I finally remembered to pick up the supplies to make homemade laundry detergent. After a short trial, and umpteen loads of laundry already, I'm lovin' it! What I really love is the cost, as I am hoping to not have to buy laundry soap supplies again until the New Year.

Since we have lots of farm clothes and kids who like to get dirty, I added some powdered Clorox stain fighter and color booster for an extra "oomph" to the standard recipe. For super sensitive skin the Clorox could be left out.

My recipe:

1 cup grated, plain Goat's milk soap
1 cup Borax
1 cup Washing Soda
1 cup Clorox stain fighter and color booster


Add 1 tablespoon per regular load of laundry. Vinegar can be added to the rinse cycle if you have a really dirty/smelly load.

I mixed up a gallon jar of it, tied a pretty bow around the top and found a vintsge tablespoon to throw in for measuring. It looks so cute in my laundry room:))

Goat Kidding 2012

Goat kidding is about to begin on our little farm! We have five does due in the next couple of weeks, and then three more does due later in the spring. Lord willing~ pictures of sweet little kids will be posted soon!

Soap Class

The other night I had the joy of teaching my first ever Goats Milk Soap Class. Back in July I had contacted our local Community Education program at the High School and offered to host a class. I wasn't sure just what the response would be in our little community so I set my hopes low and would have been happy with 4 students. It turned out that there was quite a bit of interest in this new found passion of mine and we had 9 ladies sign up for the class (one had to cancel at the last moment when her daughter got critically ill~ we missed you Deb). And what a great group of ladies it was! Several of them were coworkers of mine and all of them came with such excitement to learn how to make soap. We spent as much time laughing and enjoying each others fellowship as we did learning!

Several successful, beautiful batches of soap were made with only a couple of minor fights over scents:) In response to the word getting out about soap classes I have also had several other people contact me to set up private classes at The Farm and soap sales have been busy with the holidays coming up.

I could not have had such a good first night if it were not for Alexis' help. Over the past few months she has been learning the art of soap making and graced us all with her sweet, helpful self. Thanks Lex!

And to top it all off I received such a sweet Thank You note from the Community Ed director that nearly brought tears to my eyes. " Good Morning Terri, First let me tell you that you did an awesome job preparing and teaching the soap class. I do not think I have had any other instructor who came so well prepared and organized, and explained things so well. I would love to have you teach another class this spring. That would be Great! Again, thank you so much for doing such a wonderful job. Have a great day. Cindi" So it looks like I will be teaching another class in the spring. Looking forward to it!

My Little Bit of Goat Wisdom

Monday, September 13, 2010

As a fellow blogger I am sure you all know how fun it is to get comments. It always makes me smile for the entire day to receive comments from the regular readers who feel more like friends but to find out there are all those lurkers out there, too, tickles me pink. Recently Mali asked me a question about the goats and since I am never quite sure if my email reply goes through or not I thought I would post the answer here, too, in case anybody else is interested:

"Hi there! I'm a long-time lurker, rare commenter, but I've got some goat questions for you. We're thinking of getting some goats - primarily for clearing land. Do you have any luck getting yours to eat brush and weeds? How much barn space do you recommend? Do you have trouble with them escaping? Thanks!!!! "

My response with the little bit of wisdom I have learned while trying my hand at raising goats the last four years:

Yes, goats love brush and weeds. Goats like to eat up rather than eating off of the ground. They do eat grass and pasture but they prefer brush and especially leaves, etc., that they have to climb or reach for. It would be good to do a web search about plants that are poisonous for goats and check out your area to be cleared before you put them in there just to make sure.

The best goat fencing advice that I have heard is that if the fence will hold water it should hold goats! I never quite understood that until we got goats, but it's almost true! Goats do like to escape for some reason, and they are a herd animal, so where one goes they all go. Ideally a nice, high woven fence will hold them in. We did have ours in a fence that had a calf panel and 2 strands of barbless wire stretched across one side that they stayed in pretty good. If need be they could sneak through even that so ideally a 4 foot minimum fence and/or electric fence would be best. We have tried staking the goats out but they don't do well with ropes~ they are certainly little Houdini's.

Another thought to keep in mind is that goats are easy prey out in the wild. We have alot of coyotes and wolves in our area so our goats are kept pretty close to the barn unless we are out with them. In the future (when our goat pastures are complete) we will probably look at getting a full time guard dog to protect them.

Goats don't need alot of barn space. They do not like to be wet so they do need something to protect them from the elements, it doesn't have to be anything fancy. They handle winters fairly well but do need a shed that offers some protection. Goats are very susceptible to pneumonia and once you notice the signs of them being sick they are usually deathly sick. If allowed they are content to stay inside of a shed rather than venturing out into the open unless they can only eat outside.

As much as the belief is that goats will eat anything it just isn't true. They are actually a bit picky and unless their pasture is rotated they can easily get very sick with parasite infestations. Be sure to watch their body condition close to make sure they are getting enough of the right things to eat if they are only clearing brush and weeds. Plus make sure there a good loose mineral supplement available, one that includes Selenium especially during their pregnancy.

We love our goats! For most people there is no in between~ either you like goats or you don't. We mainly keep our goats for the pleasure of having them and also milk them to raise calves, make goats milk soap and some cheese, and the enjoyment and sales of the kids. Good luck on your goat adventure! Terri

Going to the Fair

Fair time is always exciting around here! Our family goes a little overboard on Fair entries but the excitement of seeing all those ribbons is worth the effort put into making all the projects. Besides goats milk cheese we also brought our goats milk soap to the Fair this summer and received several first places! Yay!