Hello from Alaska!

[kasilofchrisn]

Guess I should have done this earlier, but what the heck I'll do it now.
My name is Chris and I live in Alaska on the beautiful Kenai Peninsula.
I have so many hobbies the list of what I don't do is probably shorter.
But I love making things especially using Alaska grown or Alaska harvested products.
For years I made my own jams, jellies, wild berry syrups and a few years ago started making Birch syrup.
I do a lot of berry picking, mushroom hunting, harvest my own chaga tea, gardening, canning,etc.
Then I started looking into making soap and started with melt and pour but now make soap from scratch as well.
I love to use Alaska's wild products so I try to incorporate them into my soaps, bath bombs, lip balms Etc.
Rose hips, rose petals, wild berries, wild chamomile....
I bought a small still so I can make hydrosols that I hopefully will use in my products as well.
Anyway I think that's a long enough introduction.
And if you have any Alaska questions don't hesitate to ask.

 

[Jeboz]

Hi from someone a LONG way away from you - I can't contemplate how you can survive the cold up there! It must be the most beautiful country, though.

 

[kasilofchrisn]

Hi from someone a LONG way away from you - I can't contemplate how you can survive the cold up there! It must be the most beautiful country, though.

It doesn't really get that cold in the part of AK where I live.
I doubt it got colder than -20*f this whole winter.
Granted I work in the Arctic blast on Alaskas northern coast and cold is the norm there.
What I can't handle is heat.
Anything above 70*f is to hot for me.

 

[lsg]

Welcome to the forum. Hydrosols work OK in leave-on products; but I don't think there would be much benefit in using them in CP or HP soap as the lye would probably destory most of the beneficial properties.

 

[Rogue-Soaper]

Welcome Chris! Alaska does have some really great natural resources, I was born in Palmer Alaska. For me, it is not only the cold, but the amount of darkness in the winter that is hard to deal with,

 

[IrishLass]

Welcome, Chris!

I daresay you would melt in my part of the country where a good part of the year the temps hover in the triple digits.


IrishLass

 

[kasilofchrisn]

Welcome, Chris!

I daresay you would melt in my part of the country where a good part of the year the temps hover in the triple digits.


IrishLass

Yes, yes I would.
My mom and dad spend part of the winter at their Arizona house. My dad isn't so fond of the heat either but puts up with it for a few months for my mom's sake.
I've yet to visit partially because of the heat.

 

[Relle]

Welcome Chris .

 

[katemz]

Welcome Chris , I do have a question is it easy to get local lard or tallow their. What ingredients do you think are more on hand in Alaska?

 

[kasilofchrisn]

Welcome Chris , I do have a question is it easy to get local lard or tallow their. What ingredients do you think are more on hand in Alaska?

Lard and Tallow are easily available locally from local butcher shops and one smaller grocery store always has it in stock.
People here often mix beef fat or pork fat in with their game meat. Since game meat is so Lean you almost have to add fat when you make burger or sausages etcetera.
So that stuff is stocked for all the hunters up here but I am going to use some to make some soap this summer.
A lot of the oils/butters used for soaping are available here though the one local stores that carries more of it only has smaller size bottles and it's kind of spendy. So when I want a gallon of almond oil or something I usually order from Amazon. With prime shipping prices aren't bad.
I order my lye from eBay as I can get a fairly good deal on it and locally it's kind of spendy buying the 100% lye drain cleaner in one pound containers.
one of my favorite things to do is use infused oils and there's no shortage of plants here to do that with.
Rose's both wild and domestic flourish here as does wild chamomile, yarrow, and lots of other wild medicinal plants and flowers.
So I like to use a lot of infused oils in my lip balms, soaps, Etc.

 

[shunt2011]

Hello and Welcome Chris!

 

[Susie]

Hello, Chris, and welcome! My husband is from the Anchorage/Eagle River area, and would love to go back permanently one day. I am from Louisiana, and that is just so not happening, LOL. I hear bear tallow makes awesome soaps, just saying.

 

[kasilofchrisn]

Hello, Chris, and welcome! My husband is from the Anchorage/Eagle River area, and would love to go back permanently one day. I am from Louisiana, and that is just so not happening, LOL. I hear bear tallow makes awesome soaps, just saying.

Well in my humble opinion that's your loss.
I'm not a big fan of the Anchorage area but anywhere in AK has got to be better than the Louisiana heat and humidity.
Plus the mountain views and wildlife are spectacular here.
My dad has a brown bear hanging around his cabin. She has had cubs in the game camera videos.
Otherwise I might have gotten access to some bear fat.lol

 

[penelopejane]

Welcome Chris.
I’ve been lucky enough to go to Alaska and I loved Seward. Resurrection Bay was a standout for me as the scenery was spectacular and the wildlife abundant.

Our coldest average temperature in winter is about plus 50* F (10*C)

 

[hungryhawaiian]

Welcome Chris! My heart is in AK. I’m born and raised in Hawaii, live in California, and work the salmon season in AK every summer for the past 5 years now. I get what you mean about the hobbies, especially being in AK. You kinda have to do a little bit of everything since stores are limited and there isn’t much else to do there.

 

[kasilofchrisn]

Welcome Chris! My heart is in AK. I’m born and raised in Hawaii, live in California, and work the salmon season in AK every summer for the past 5 years now. I get what you mean about the hobbies, especially being in AK. You kinda have to do a little bit of everything since stores are limited and there isn’t much else to do there.

This doesn't make sense to me at all.
At least not in regards to where I live in Alaska.
Sure if you live off the road system in southeast or in an off the road system village somewhere.
But where I live in Alaska here on the Kenai Peninsula there are a ton of things to do and plenty of stores.
Within 10 minutes of my house is a Walmart, Fred Meyer, home Depot, a host of small stores and local restaurants, a couple of different McDonald's, Subway, Arby's, two different movie theaters, concerts, a local theatrical company that puts on plays every year, charity events, an arcade with indoor mini golf, two or three golf courses, a go-kart track, awesome gun range, etc.,etc.
The reason I have so many hobbies is there so much to do here all the time and I just get involved in so many of them.
Now our golf courses and some of the events and things only occur in the summertime.
But if you're bored in Alaska it's your own fault!

 

[hungryhawaiian]

This doesn't make sense to me at all.
At least not in regards to where I live in Alaska.
Sure if you live off the road system in southeast or in an off the road system village somewhere.
But where I live in Alaska here on the Kenai Peninsula there are a ton of things to do and plenty of stores.
Within 10 minutes of my house is a Walmart, Fred Meyer, home Depot, a host of small stores and local restaurants, a couple of different McDonald's, Subway, Arby's, two different movie theaters, concerts, a local theatrical company that puts on plays every year, charity events, an arcade with indoor mini golf, two or three golf courses, a go-kart track, awesome gun range, etc.,etc.
The reason I have so many hobbies is there so much to do here all the time and I just get involved in so many of them.
Now our golf courses and some of the events and things only occur in the summertime.
But if you're bored in Alaska it's your own fault!

Wow, calm down dude. I didn’t mean to offend you in any way. Consider yourself lucky because most of Alaska is not as active as where you are.

That’s all I’ll say. Peace!

 

[kasilofchrisn]

Wow, calm down dude. I didn’t mean to offend you in any way. Consider yourself lucky because most of Alaska is not as active as where you are.

That’s all I’ll say. Peace!

Well I don't know how much of Alaska you've seen?
But if it's limited to only a couple of communities in southeast your likely to have the mindset that we have limited stores and opportunities here.
Truth be told the areas where the majority of Alaskans live, namely areas on the road system, have lots of things to do and no shortage of stores etc.
Alaska is a big state and a lot of it is different.
I guess it just irks me when people think Alaska is all the same all over the state after visiting one little area.
Then again there's still people in the lower 48 that think we live in igloos and go out and club a seal or harpoon a whale when we get hungry for dinner.lol
Neither of which I'm all that fond of eating!