Using the rendered lard that we had from butchering our pork hogs this year, I decided to make my own candles.
The first thought just about everyone has, is "do they smell like bacon?!" While that might be a good thing for some, I prefer that my house only smell that way first thing Saturday morning, not around the clock.
Rendered lard can be used for many things, and once it is rendered and filtered, the "pork" smell is not very strong, but it can be noticeable if it isn't masked. To ensure my candles would be pleasant on the nostrils, I added various essential oils to them for fragrance.
So far, the ones that mask the scent best are:
lavender & rosemary
lemongrass
peppermint & tea tree
(or various combinations of each of these)
The frankincense came close, but some lingering notes from the pork come through a little. The same can be said for eucalyptus. In my next go round, I plan to try coffee, cinnamon, and vanilla. It seems that complimentary scents that you might find in a kitchen, seem to work best as fragrances for the candles.
We are really excited about these, because I tend to enjoy my Yankee Candle shopping sprees a little too frequently. I love a home that smells nice - it can totally change your mood! By making them ourselves, I'm saving a little money, and I am utilizing every part of the hogs we raised. No waste is very important to us in this process.
These natural candles are made with all natural ingredients, and their simplicity gives us all the hygge vibes!
To make country candles, the old fashioned way, you will need to boil down your rendered and filtered lard. If you haven't filtered the lard yet, do so by pouring the liquid lard through cheesecloth in a strainer. The resulting liquid will be a clear, golden color that will dry and harden to a creamy white.
You can keep the candles pure and use just the lard alone, or you can add a block of paraffin wax to the boil. The reason for this, is that the lard/tallow candles in pure form will be softer than the ones with the added wax. Softer candles will burn faster. I made a couple of each and am still testing the theory but so far I have no qualms with keeping them completely pure.
Comments