Comments for Bloom, Bake & Create

Comment on Blackberry Syrup and Soda by Kristina

Kristina — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 19:20:37 +0000

Looks so yummy! I never thought about making syrup! I picked wild blackberries last fall and meant to make jam but they’re still in the freezer I think I’ll wait for this summer’s blackberries and then make one big batch of jam next fall.
Blackberry cobbler sounds good too

Comment on Third Soap – Citrus Coffee Hand Soap by lyndah

lyndah — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 21:11:47 +0000

Hi Kristina, Thanks for dropping by my blog. I’ve read that online and in Soap Naturally. I think it would be easier to add to the trace as dry ingredients instead of a glob of grounds. In SN she says “Wet coffee grounds must be avoided because they might make the soap too wet and more prone to oxidation and molds.” I guess I am so cautious since we are just starting to make soap. Glad you had success with the castor oil soap. The grapefruit extract or GSE is a preservative. what preservative do you use? It is fun, isn’t it? Thanks for dropping by.

Comment on Third Soap – Citrus Coffee Hand Soap by Kristina

Kristina — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 20:17:02 +0000

Sounds like you’re having great fun with soapmaking Your first bar looks lovely!
The lye calculator you used sounds great with the listing of different qualities and such! I’ll have to try that one for my next soap
Where did you read that the ground coffee has to be dry? I used wet for mine and it didn’t turn mouldy or anything. It couldn’t really because the lye and water and oils continue to react together throughout the curing stage, at least a couple of hours, so I think the lye would ‘kill’ the excess water in the ground coffee very quickly once they are all together in the mold!
Your recipe is very similar to what I use, except I substitute cocoa butter for shea and almond oil for castor (I’ve once tried a recipe with a huge amount of castor oil though and it turned out fantastic) Also I don’t use grapefruit extract.
Always works great for me and is so much fun )