We've taken up a new hobby here at Great Bend Bakery Farm. Allow me to introduce you to our first batch of old-fashioned, hand-made, goat's milk soap:
It's an oatmeal and mint soap, made with olive oil, honey, a little bit of soy oil, goat's milk, organic oatmeal, and our own home-grown mint. The scent is very subtle---something that appeals to me, personally, because I am allergic to most scented soaps. It feels wonderful on the skin; the mint leaves a refreshing coolness while the oatmeal gently and naturally exfoliates, making this a fantastic choice for a morning facial cleansing. It's also nice for work-roughened hands; artists and gardeners can use it to clean caked-on grime off of their fingers and palms. The honey and olive oil are hygroscopic, helping to prevent infections and promote healing. While it may not look pretty, it's really good for your skin.
This is really my fiance's hobby; he totally loves it, along with cheese-making. But we're all doing our part to help him out. I was put in charge of packaging. I chose a plain brown parcel paper.
Then I made up some labels, variations on our blog themes!
We are still trying to figure everything out. For instance, how and when to cut the soap so that it's more even. (We priced these by the ounce, and rounded down because of the imperfections in this first batch.) I brought a bunch to the Watertown Farmer's Market to sell from a basket on my jewelry table, and everyone seemed to love it!
Up in the corner of this last picture, my fiance (David, by the way) is cutting up our third batch of soap---coconut mocha, made with coconut oil, coconut milk, goat's milk, olive oil, and coconut essence. It's also got curls of our second soap mixed in---cocoa powder, olive oil, goat's milk, and pieces of ground-up coffee beans. Very decadent! I think it's my favorite so far. It certainly smells the best!
Looking forward to making more. :)
- Jacinta, for the Meyers Family
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