Beeswax Candles

September 23, 2009 by Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial

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Our life is frittered away by detail… Simplify, simplify, simplify! … Simplicity of life and elevation of purpose.
Henry David Thoreau

Back when Small Man was a Very Small Man, he and I made beeswax candles for his preschool teachers. They were almost no effort at all, but they were the product of precious little hands, and therefore dearly cherished by the recipients.

Beeswax is such a lovely material to work with – the sheets are easy to use, the wax moisturizers your hands as you roll, and the finished candle burns very cleanly. Wrapped in cellophane and tied with a tartan ribbon, it’s the perfect gift for someone special.

It’s been years since we last made candles, and I haven’t given them much thought over that time. Then I met beekeeper Richard at Flemington Markets, who sold me these gorgeous golden sheets of beeswax. Today, with the house quiet and the wind chimes tinkling in the background, I spent a peaceful, contemplative half hour rolling candles. It was very therapeutic!

Tip: roll tightly and freeze the finished candle before lighting - doing both will extend the burning time of the wax.

If you can’t get to the markets, beeswax sheets are widely available via mail order. They’re very reasonably priced – my sheets were just $1.10 each. The sheets are placed in hives for the bees to lay their honey on, so if you can’t get them from a candlemaking supplier, try your local beekeepers.

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Edit: If you’re planning to pick these up from Richard at Flemington Markets, do make sure you email him first at admin@thebeewhisperer.tv and ask him to bring sheets and wick for you – he doesn’t usually have the stock on hand. You might also want to double-check what days he’s at the markets before you go!

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Posted in Food & Friends | Tagged beeswax candles, beeswax sheet, rolling beeswax candles, wind chimes | 6 Comments

6 Responses

on September 23, 2009 at 1:08 pm spiceandmore

They look so elegant. I have always paid a small fortune for beeswax candles in shops – why is that when they are so simple to make and the materials so cheap?! Well Celia, you have turned me into a baker and a candle stick maker…is butchery next on the agenda?! :)
- on September 23, 2009 at 8:29 pm figjamandlimecordial
  
  LOL…no, I think we’ll leave the butchering to the professionals. I’m a shocker with knives at the best of times – have a look at this. :)
on September 24, 2009 at 7:56 am Nancy

What a great idea for holiday gifts–thanks for sharing!
- on September 24, 2009 at 8:56 am figjamandlimecordial
  
  Thanks Nancy! A few years ago, we made up gift packs for Christmas – we purchased little paper bags with string handles and packed each with a candle, some chocolate chip cookies and a homemade Christmas decoration. The neighbours loved them.. :)
on October 1, 2009 at 5:09 am Kitchen Butterfly

So last week, I saw this post. Before then I’d never thought/heard of making beeswax candles. Then this weekend we had an art’s day at my daughters’ school and guess what we did?????????? I was overjoyed because you piqued my curosity and the art fair satisfied it. Mwah Celia
- on October 1, 2009 at 6:06 am figjamandlimecordial
  
  How wonderfully serendipitous, Oz! I hope you came home with some gorgeous candles made by your girls.. :)

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