03/22/2025
I started a process tonight that is, well, different for me, but quite amazing and educational for me. Why is this different? This product involves animal fat.
Being an animal lover, I sometimes feel hypocritical that I only raise pet animals, when I do consume meat. But I’m not there yet and I’m not sure I ever will be. So, in the meantime…
When we purchase meat to eat, we try to purchase it from local, ethical farmers, who care for their animals and treat them humanely until their time ends.
Recently, we purchased 1/2 a pig from a Michigan organic farm, Hidden Creek. Their pigs spend their lives grazing open pasture. They aren’t fed any corn, soy, or wheat. If they receive supplemental grain, it is non-gmo. It’s as clean as you can get and their animals are very well cared for. Since this is taking an animals precious life, I decided I needed to find a way to not waste a thing. So, what can I do, with 20 pounds of clean fat?
The answer is, I can make a cleaner product for your home. I have been studying how to render the fat into lard, get the lard to the temp most stable for preserving, filter it, and tomorrow…combine it with my beeswax to make a beautiful, long lasting candle. Why am I explaining this? Because I don’t want you to see lard on your candle label and not understand what goes into your candle, literally, and how it got there. It may be unique, but it’s natural, it’s clean, and it’s sustainable.
So, when you see my new candles this year, don’t be surprised by the ingredients. I hope you’ll give them a try! I am excited that I have found a way to not waste. I spent about two hours tonight rendering and filtering lard. It wasn’t the most comfortable thing for me, but I am growing and learning. I’m hoping that when I try out the full candle experience tomorrow, it goes well. 🤞 I will report back.
If you read this far, I love you. 💖