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Author Topic: Beeswax Wraps  (Read 7863 times)

Offline Lesgold

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Beeswax Wraps
« on: March 28, 2022, 02:49:37 am »
Hi folks.

Anyone out there got some good recipes for beeswax wraps that they would like to share? I would like to make a few as it is something that I have never tried. Any advice or tips would be appreciated.

Cheers

Les

Offline Ben Framed

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Re: Beeswax Wraps
« Reply #1 on: March 28, 2022, 03:20:50 am »
Les I confess, I for one do not know what a beeswax wrap is or what it is used for.

Phillip
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Offline Jim134

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Re: Beeswax Wraps
« Reply #2 on: March 28, 2022, 06:11:35 am »
Hi folks.

Anyone out there got some good recipes for beeswax wraps that they would like to share? I would like to make a few as it is something that I have never tried. Any advice or tips would be appreciated.

Cheers

Les

     Are you talking about.... Is a piece of cotton cloth dipped in beeswax ??  Yes I have seen .. This particular Product came in several different . Sizes.... I was in Brattleboro, Vermont USA. At a food coop store. Believe it or not is located in Malfunction Junction..   LOL
 ..This was about 5 years ago...

https://www.brattleborofoodcoop.coop/


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« Last Edit: March 28, 2022, 06:28:15 am by Jim 134 »
"Tell me and I'll forget,show me and I may  remember,involve me and I'll understand"
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Offline The15thMember

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Re: Beeswax Wraps
« Reply #3 on: March 28, 2022, 11:08:55 am »
Hi folks.

Anyone out there got some good recipes for beeswax wraps that they would like to share? I would like to make a few as it is something that I have never tried. Any advice or tips would be appreciated.

Cheers

Les
Les, I am literally about the try making beeswax wraps for the first time.  I have a couple more ingredients to purchase, but if you hold on a week or two, I'll give you a full report.  I'll probably be using this recipe, from my favorite bee blog.  https://www.honeybeesuite.com/beeswax-food-wraps-step-by-step/

I was in Brattleboro, Vermont USA. At a food coop store. Believe it or not is located in Malfunction Junction..   LOL

:cheesy:  I wonder how that place got it's name!

Les I confess, I for one do not know what a beeswax wrap is or what it is used for.

Phillip
Beeswax wraps are natural fabric cloth infused with beeswax that can be used in place of plastic wrap, wax paper, or foil.  We are interested in making some to reduce the waste and cost of purchasing single use coverings like that for the kitchen.  They can't be used in the microwave, because the beeswax would melt, but we use those microwavable dish covers instead of plastic wrap already anyway.  We're planning on using beeswax wraps to cover dishes in the fridge, rising bread dough, things like that. 
« Last Edit: March 28, 2022, 11:20:38 am by The15thMember »
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Offline Lesgold

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Re: Beeswax Wraps
« Reply #4 on: March 28, 2022, 05:38:50 pm »
Yes Jim, that?s what I?m talking about. Phillip, the wraps are basically cotton pieces of cloth that are impregnated with beeswax and a combination of oils and resin to make a tacky cloth that sticks to containers or itself. It?s used as an alternative to cling wrap to keep food fresh in the refrigerator. They are very popular in Australia and are continuing to gain acceptance as an alternative to plastics. I have seen quite a few of them used and some of them work exceptionally well. The best that I have seen to date uses a combination of beeswax, pine resin and coconut oil but I don?t have the recipe at this stage. There is also a range of methods that can be used to make the wraps. An oven, ironing the cloth or dipping the cotton all appear to work. I would like to make some for my daughters but need to do a bit more research to get the process sorted before I start. Hopefully, a few forum members maybe able to help out. Member, I will be interested to hear about your results. Keep us posted.

Cheers

Les

Offline Ben Framed

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Re: Beeswax Wraps
« Reply #5 on: March 28, 2022, 07:26:58 pm »
Interesting.  What is sanitizing process?

Phillip
« Last Edit: March 28, 2022, 07:43:58 pm by Ben Framed »
2 Chronicles 7:14
14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

Offline The15thMember

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Re: Beeswax Wraps
« Reply #6 on: March 28, 2022, 07:58:58 pm »
Interesting.  What is sanitizing process?

Phillip
What do you mean? 
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Offline Ben Framed

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Re: Beeswax Wraps
« Reply #7 on: March 28, 2022, 10:06:34 pm »
Interesting.  What is sanitizing process?

Phillip
What do you mean?

From Les: "Its used as an alternative to cling wrap to keep food fresh in the refrigerator. They are very popular in Australia and are continuing to gain acceptance as an alternative to plastics."

It is not uncommon for food to touch cling wrap from time to time when food is covered for storage. Whether placed in the refrigerator for storage or carried to a picnic. Any juice from any food, be it vegetables or grease from fried chicken for example, which might come into contact with the wrap will create the need for the wrap to be sanitized before re-use? What is the sanitizing process? Being beeswax is involved I would think the options are limited? How do you sanitize these wraps from use to use?

Phillip
2 Chronicles 7:14
14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

Offline The15thMember

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Re: Beeswax Wraps
« Reply #8 on: March 28, 2022, 10:58:27 pm »
From Les: "Its used as an alternative to cling wrap to keep food fresh in the refrigerator. They are very popular in Australia and are continuing to gain acceptance as an alternative to plastics."

It is not uncommon for food to touch cling wrap from time to time when food is covered for storage. Whether placed in the refrigerator for storage or carried to a picnic. Any juice from any food, be it vegetables or grease from fried chicken for example, which might come into contact with the wrap will create the need for the wrap to be sanitized before re-use? What is the sanitizing process? Being beeswax is involved I would think the options are limited? How do you sanitize these wraps from use to use?

Phillip
Oh, I see what you mean.  You can clean them with cold soapy water apparently.  You can't use hot water, as the wax will melt.  I've heard that the wax mixture can wear off over time, but you can reapply the wax mixture to the cloth if needed.  I'd imagine you wouldn't want to use them with anything that was overly messy or smelly.   
I come from under the hill, and under the hills and over the hills my paths led.  And through the air, I am she that walks unseen.

Offline Jim134

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Re: Beeswax Wraps
« Reply #9 on: March 29, 2022, 12:01:25 am »
I was in Brattleboro, Vermont USA. At a food coop store. Believe it or not is located in Malfunction Junction..   LOL

:cheesy:  I wonder how that place got it's name!

Phillip

     If you ever get to  Brattleboro, Vermont USA  Main Street .. You will definitely understand... Especially if there's a freight train coming.. It's a 5 corner Junction.. With 2 major businesses opening into it... And when you have a freight train change CARS on the  Railway sideting. This should take you up to an hour or  Longer... To get through this mess...
LOL



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« Last Edit: March 29, 2022, 02:18:00 am by Jim 134 »
"Tell me and I'll forget,show me and I may  remember,involve me and I'll understand"
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"The farmer is the only man in our economy who buys everything at retail, sells everything at wholesale, and pays the freight both ways."
 John F. Kennedy
Franklin County Beekeepers Association MA. http://www.franklinmabeekeepers.org/

Offline Jim134

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Re: Beeswax Wraps
« Reply #10 on: March 29, 2022, 12:25:46 am »
 
  YouTube   Has many different ways to make beeswax wrappers

https://youtu.be/C83SXkobpP4
"Tell me and I'll forget,show me and I may  remember,involve me and I'll understand"
        Chinese Proverb

"The farmer is the only man in our economy who buys everything at retail, sells everything at wholesale, and pays the freight both ways."
 John F. Kennedy
Franklin County Beekeepers Association MA. http://www.franklinmabeekeepers.org/

Offline Lesgold

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Re: Beeswax Wraps
« Reply #11 on: March 29, 2022, 12:49:39 am »
Beeswax, jojoba oil and pine resin all have antibacterial properties that help to keep food fresh. The resin/ oil/ wax mix are impervious to moisture which means a simple wipe over of the wrap with warm soapy water is all that is required. As they wear over time, recoating may be required to keep the sticky, impervious coating intact. Shelf life of each wrap is up to about one year.

Offline Ben Framed

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Re: Beeswax Wraps
« Reply #12 on: March 29, 2022, 04:30:28 pm »
I was in Brattleboro, Vermont USA. At a food coop store. Believe it or not is located in Malfunction Junction..   LOL

:cheesy:  I wonder how that place got it's name!

Phillip

     If you ever get to  Brattleboro, Vermont USA  Main Street .. You will definitely understand... Especially if there's a freight train coming.. It's a 5 corner Junction.. With 2 major businesses opening into it... And when you have a freight train change CARS on the  Railway sideting. This should take you up to an hour or  Longer... To get through this mess...
LOL



                     BEE HAPPY Jim134   :smile:


Man oh man, I would not want to be caught there when a freight train was coming! Goodness what a mess! :shocked: :grin: It sounds like it's time for new switching tracks to be laid further out of town..  :grin:
I must give the credit to The15thMember who asked    ":cheesy:  I wonder how that place got it's name!" 

Thanks Jim,

Phillip
2 Chronicles 7:14
14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

Offline Jim134

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Re: Beeswax Wraps
« Reply #13 on: March 29, 2022, 10:51:25 pm »
I was in Brattleboro, Vermont USA. At a food coop store. Believe it or not is located in Malfunction Junction..   LOL

:cheesy:  I wonder how that place got it's name!

Phillip

     If you ever get to  Brattleboro, Vermont USA  Main Street .. You will definitely understand... Especially if there's a freight train coming.. It's a 5 corner Junction.. With 2 major businesses opening into it... And when you have a freight train change CARS on the  Railway sideting. This should take you up to an hour or  Longer... To get through this mess...
LOL



                     BEE HAPPY Jim134   :smile:


Man oh man, I would not want to be caught there when a freight train was coming! Goodness what a mess! :shocked: :grin: It sounds like it's time for new switching tracks to be laid further out of town..  :grin:
I must give the credit to The15thMember who asked    ":cheesy:  I wonder how that place got it's name!" 

Thanks Jim,

Phillip

  your suggestions are all well and good.... The thing is you have the Connecticut river right in the way.... With a small mountain on the other side... It would cost you millions to divert the train... Oh and by the way you're a different state New Hampshire the Vermont side you have many hills would cost you millions to divert the traffic... Plus you have an interstate highway.. In the way  Interstate 91.. It's what a person from the military. Would call a natural choke point.. I did keep bees about 10 miles down the river.... On the Vermont side... Write next door. To the  Nuclear power plant.... My beehives were about 4' away from the outer parameter of the fence..... This was absolutely the best place.. I had ever kept bees in the England in the 2010 to 2015..  Averaged over 150 pounds per year Per hive.. I believe it was to do with the organic dairy farmer.. He   Farmed about 700 or 800 acres in this area... Have a great day 



              BEE HAPPY  Jim134   :smile:
« Last Edit: March 29, 2022, 11:03:58 pm by Jim 134 »
"Tell me and I'll forget,show me and I may  remember,involve me and I'll understand"
        Chinese Proverb

"The farmer is the only man in our economy who buys everything at retail, sells everything at wholesale, and pays the freight both ways."
 John F. Kennedy
Franklin County Beekeepers Association MA. http://www.franklinmabeekeepers.org/

Offline Ben Framed

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Re: Beeswax Wraps
« Reply #14 on: March 30, 2022, 01:19:49 am »
Jim that is interesting. I like it when folks share stuff like your are here. I bet you have plenty of good stuff like to tell. You have been keeping bees, 'maybe' as long as anyone here, maybe longer... Thanks Jim 134 for being a loyal member and an important  part of  of Beemaster

Thanks,

Phillip
2 Chronicles 7:14
14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

Offline G3farms

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Re: Beeswax Wraps
« Reply #15 on: March 30, 2022, 09:59:53 pm »
I was in Brattleboro, Vermont USA. At a food coop store. Believe it or not is located in Malfunction Junction..   LOL

That is what the interstate here in Knoxville, TN was called years ago, I-40 and I-75 both converged in the middle of town with out any extra lanes to handle the traffic, there was not a bypass either. The two interstates ran together for about twenty miles before splitting back apart. It is also home to the closest building to the side of an interstate, if you could pull over on the shoulder of the road you could reach out and put your hand on the side of the building.
those hot bees will have you steppin and a fetchin like your heads on fire and your keister is a catchin!!!

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Offline The15thMember

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Re: Beeswax Wraps
« Reply #16 on: April 23, 2022, 05:57:54 pm »
I finally got around to making the beeswax wraps this morning, and it went super well.  It was really easy once I had everything set up, and with proper precautions, it wasn't even that messy.  I did use Rusty's recipe and instructions that I linked in reply #3, with a few minor changes.  I was uncomfortable with the safety of a mason jar just sitting in the bottom of a pan of water, since they can crack due to the uneven heating of the jar (which Rusty does mention by the way, she was just okay with the risk and I wasn't), so I made a little trivet by setting mason jar rings in the bottom of the pot to be sure it was safe (a water-bath canning trick that my mom told me about).  I also pinked the edges of my fabric mostly because my mom wanted them to look nice and neat. 

I made 4 different sizes to try out, all for glass dishes that we use regularly in the kitchen that don't have lids: 11x13 in., 9x9, 8x8, and 5x5.  My mom and sister had picked out 3 different patterns of fat quarters (for those who don't know, that's precut cotton fabric that is usually 18x21 inches, it's super cheap and comes in all kinds of fun patterns and colors), and I ran them through the washer last night.  They frayed pretty significantly in the washer, so I next time I would pink them before washing the sizing out.  I ironed them this morning (the first time I have ever ironed anything) and cut them into the sizes I wanted while the rosin and wax was melting. 

I used a big sheet pan of my mom's and covered it with heavy duty extra large aluminum foil so it wouldn't get ruined.  The hardest thing was just getting a feel for how much wax to pour onto the fabric and how much it needed to be melted.  The first one I did, I didn't have enough wax so I just added a little more.  My mixture also wasn't quite melted when I took it out of the oven and when I picked up the fabric it just peeled up and left the wax behind, so I learned I needed to work a little quicker or heat it a little longer and peel up the fabric while the mixture was still liquid.  But it's really forgiving with these sorts of problems, you just pop it back in the oven and redo it if something goes wrong.  On the next one I made, I had a little too much wax, which was on the only thing I couldn't really fix, but even that isn't too big of a deal. 

Here is what my workspace looked like.  This was after I had already made 3, and as you can see, this process was not creating any sort of huge drippy mess, like I was worried it would. 


Here's my small one in the oven.


Here they are finished.



     
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Offline The15thMember

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Re: Beeswax Wraps
« Reply #17 on: April 23, 2022, 05:58:45 pm »
And here's one on a bowl.  This is the one that I got a little too much wax on, so you can see a buildup of it on the edge.  They seem to seal really nicely.  It's not instantaneous like with plastic wrap; you do have to sort of work around the bowl with your hands to warm it up and make it stick, but it seems like it'll work.  I'm curious to see how the seal will hold in the fridge. 



I come from under the hill, and under the hills and over the hills my paths led.  And through the air, I am she that walks unseen.

Offline Lesgold

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Re: Beeswax Wraps
« Reply #18 on: April 25, 2022, 06:24:47 am »
Well done Reagan. I was waiting for you to make a start. Keep us all informed as to how well they work. I was talking to a lady recently who makes her own wraps. They are the best that?s have seen. She uses coconut oil in hers. She actually prepares a large batch in an old electric fry pan and dips her material. I must admit, they were impressive.

Offline The15thMember

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Re: Beeswax Wraps
« Reply #19 on: April 25, 2022, 11:12:29 am »
Well done Reagan. I was waiting for you to make a start. Keep us all informed as to how well they work. I was talking to a lady recently who makes her own wraps. They are the best that?s have seen. She uses coconut oil in hers. She actually prepares a large batch in an old electric fry pan and dips her material. I must admit, they were impressive.
I actually used coconut oil in mine instead of jojoba, I should have mentioned that.  My sister had some coconut oil on hand, since she uses it for soap, and its properties are very similar to jojoba and it's much cheaper. 

I used one last night to cover up some cornbread and I was impressed with how well it sealed.  They stick very well to themselves, which enables you to get a tight seal as long as the wrap is large enough. 
I come from under the hill, and under the hills and over the hills my paths led.  And through the air, I am she that walks unseen.