Get off my a$$ about lard!

[lenarenee]

Lard and / or tallow in soaps is wonderful!! Great for your skin.

Occasionally I run into crunchy granola "Boulder" types who protest. {shrug} Whatever.

I had one customer get fussy with me about it. I asked if she thought I should use soy oil instead. Thinking she was converting me, she said "YES!" enthusiastically.

I pointed out that *no one* is raising hogs just for lard. (Although at one time, that was another big reason hogs were useful on farms.) They actually throw away lard because people don't use it like they used to. I'm actually *protecting the environment and recycling!

LOTS of people are raising Round-Up Ready (TM) and other GMO soybeans JUST for the purpose of making soy oils and feed.

As a beekeeper, I have strong opinions :wink: about GMO plants, Round Up, herbicides and pesticides. (I know all y'all are shocked about that. )

Since the USDA does NOT label oils organic, and GMOs can't be labeled organic, it's not possible to make soap with organic soy oil.

The woman fumbled, mumbled, and left with her tail between her legs. We pick our soap boxes, I guess. In this mostly rural area, "home made soap" MEANS lard soap. Your customer base drives your product selection.

If you have a local meat market (quite possibly ethnic) near you, go make friends with them. Lard, tallow, you name it, they can help.

As for beef tallow, DH recently brought home a large box of beef bones from a meat market that sells our honey. We had shanks, legs, hips, etc. They were free, because otherwise they pay a rendering company to collect them. They ran them through the saws for us to break them down. We roasted them, saved the fat, and made lots of stock. We chilled the stock overnight, which turned to gelatin. Very nutritious. On top of that well chilled stock was a 2" layer of pure beef tallow. Bonanza!

Lard and tallow that has citric acid and BHT are fine to use. Those won't affect your recipe. They just keep the fats shelf stable, and retard rancidity.

Oink! Moo!
~ HoneyLady ~

Okay, I have to admit that I can't figure out how to quote a single paragraph rather than the entire post.

Animal fat in landfills contributes immensely to the amount of greenhouse gases. Soaping with lard/tallow is greener than palm in my opinion.

 

[PinkCupcake]

When I first started soaping, I only wanted to used vegetable oils. I was strongly against lard or tallow. Then, I decided to try a lard soap. OMG! It's the best, creamy, conditioning soap ever! Lots of soft creamy lather, and a good hard bar. It also seems to slow trace, so that I can do the swirls I like to try. Lard, lard, lard, how I love thee!

 

[HoneyLady]

Yes . . . sigh. The USDA "organic" label is tricky, and politically iffy.

USDA does NOT certify ANY oils as organic or not, IF they are produced in the USA. Soy beans can be organic, but the oil made from them is not covered. They say they have no jurisdiction to do so. HOWEVER . . . if the oil is produced elsewhere, and imported, and makes claims as organic, the USDA will grant the USDA label on it.

They claim since they have no jurisdiction in other countries, and can't PROVE that it ISN"T organic, they "have to" grant the label anyway.

:shock: :evil:

Same thing with honey. There are only *2* US producers who make USDA organic honey. One in Hawaii, and one on the Olympic WA peninsula. (You have to be able to certify that all the stuff your bees forage on is organic to be granted that label. Bees fly in a 6 mile radius from the hive, meaning some 7000 odd acres has to be certified organic. Ouch.)

If you see any other honey (almost all of it) with a USDA organic label it is IMPORTED from outside the US. Related, over 4 million pounds of "Manuka" honey is sold worldwide each year. New Zealand (the only producer) states that only about 2 million pounds are able to be produced every year. Hmmmm.

Lies, **** lies, and statistics, as Mr. Mark Twain said.

I like lard soap. It is soooo creamy and soothing. Wow. Tallow is not quite as creamy, but golly does it make a hard bar!

Peace, Honey, and creamy bubblies!
~HoneyLady

 

[Susie]

HoneyLady~Wow, I would love to get a bunch of shanks and such for stock and tallow! You were so fortunate!

 

[IrishLass]

Okay, I have to admit that I can't figure out how to quote a single paragraph rather than the entire post.

Lenarenee- just click on 'quote' as you would normally do, then delete all the paragraphs in the quote until you are left with only the paragraph that you want to remain.


IrishLass