Preserve your sandwiches, fruits and veggies without making a trip to the trash can. Ditch the single use plastic cling wrap for the sustainable solution and wrap your food in the everlasting beeswax wraps.
What you will need:
1. Beeswax- 4 oz.
This will be your main ingredient causing your fabric to be water resistant and anti-microbial.
2. Pine resin- 2oz.
Be sure when buying this that it is 100% pure pine resin (not rosin) and rated food safe. Pine resin gives your wrap a texture that allows it to cling to bowls and itself.
3. Plant based oil (i.e. Jojoba)- 2 oz.
This will prevent the beeswax on your wrap from cracking by making it softer and more pliable. Jojoba oil is recommended but you could also use sweet almond oil, apricot kernel oil, shea butter.
4. Natural fabric- 36×48 inches
You want fairly thin, good quality fabric (patterned if you want it to be more fun). Cotton, Hemp, Linen, Muslin, Quilting fabric are all acceptable fabrics.
5. Double Boiler (Small pot, large pot)
Pretty much all a double boiler is, is a large pot on the stove boiling water with a smaller pot in the boiling water. This will allow your ingredients to melt without putting it on direct heat where it can burn easily.
6. Iron and ironing board, parchment paper
These will be used to seal in your mixture to your fabric finishing your beeswax wraps.
Instructions:
1. Preparing the fabric:
Preshrink your fabric by machine washing and drying your fabrics. Then cut them to your desired size.
2. Melting your ingredients:
Set up your double boiler with 2 inches of water in your bottom pot, add the smaller pot and begin to boil the water.
Add grated beeswax to the top pot and allow it to melt without burning (158°F-176°F).
Once the wax is melted add the pine resin and continuously stir until dissolved.
After your pine resin has completely dissolved stir in oil and combine thoroughly.
3. Apply wax mixture to fabric
Place your piece of fabric on parchment paper, then using a paintbrush apply the wax mixture to your fabric.
Brush only in one direction (with the grain) and apply lightly making sure not to double brush.
Cover all edges to prevent fraying and repeat on the other side.
4. Finishing the Wraps:
Place a sheet of parchment paper over top of your ironing board, then untreated fabric over top of that, next place your beeswax wrap, finally sandwich it between another piece of fabric and parchment paper.
Apply heat in 3-6 second increments to make sure your wax coating is even and not too stiff.
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