Make beeswax! Didn’t expect that did you?
I have these beeswax cappings left over from this fall’s honey making process. They have been sitting and waiting patiently for me to render the honey out of them and collect the wax. I have a special pot that I keep just for this job. It is impossible to clean up after working with wax, so I don’t bother. 
This is actually pretty simple. Take all the cappings left over from your honey gathering. Wait for a miserable gloomy day. Pop them into the big melting pot. Sit it on a warm woodstove and slowly heat until the whole mess is melted. 
It will look like this. Not appetising at all, which is good because you are not meant to eat it, though of course you could eat it if you were desperate. Which I am not. So I won’t. 
Now get those beautiful new black silk stockings that you never got to wear because you never go anywhere in those ridiculously high heels. Tie the nylons firmly over a little old bowl kept specifically for this purpose because you will never get it clean, so don’t bother trying. 
Carefully strain the mess through the stockings. And there you have it. The wax will rise to the top and the honey will sit below. Wait while the wax cools and sets.
Bit longer. 
Bit longer.
There. 
Now take the wax off the top, clean and put aside for making into lip balm and candles, on another miserable gloomy day. And pour the honey into vessels. Mark it as heated. 
This honey I use in the bread. 
OK Daisy, maybe you can have a little honey with your beet shreds in the morning. Such a spoilt cow. She is getting bigger you know. Such a spoilt pregnant cow!
I will rummage about and find all the makings for lip balm and we can cook up a batch of that soon. Now I am off to make miniature Party Pies!
c
The Kitchen's Garden 
90 responses to “How do I ruin a perfectly good pair of Sheer Black Stockings?”
I’m fascinated by this, love the idea of having your own beeswax to do with as you will, and as usual am completely sucked into the process by your post. Question: what is the significance of marking the honey “heated”?
It was heated to release the honey from the comb so it is not as good as the raw honey now, it is B grade.. c
Having never gathered honey, I was clueless but that totally makes sense. Thanks! 🙂
local honey is the best thing, i hope you have somewhere you can buy it, hunt that beekeeper down!! c
I have ruined so many stockings this way. OK, seriously this is such a cool post. Hi to Daisy!
I told katherine to hide them from you!! c
How wonderful to make your own candles and lip balm. I hope Daisy enjoys her morning treat of some honey with her beet shreads.
the lip balm is great and those candles smell divine, we will make some soon.. c
Did I miss something? Daisy is PREGNANT !! 🙂 When’s the baby shower?
How did you miss that Claire. She must be three months pregnant now, maybe a little more, now we just have to cross our fingers that she has a heifer, plenty of time to worry about that though.. c
This is so cool! Now I want to get into bee-raising. Bee-farming. Bee-keeping! There we go, I knew the right term would come to me. Gorgeous picture of your cow! I’m excited for calf photos, I can just imagine how adorable they’ll be…
She will have a gorgeous calf I am sure and bee keeping is such a good thing to do, you can do it just about anywhere, i have even seen beehives on rooftops in the city! c
I have never had a view of that process–so thank you. A far better use for your stockings than a night in heels 🙂
I am sure my feet are grateful! c
Love the things you show us that I know nothing about! Esp. anything to do with your bees!!!!
Hopefully the bees make it through the winter gretchen, it was a crazy summer! c
Great pictures – I’ve never seen this done before. Thanks!
You are welcome, it is pretty easy.. c
WOW! You captured such a beautiful photographs dear Cecilia, especially the second one fascinated me. This process seems so complicated to me… Well done, you are amazing lady, but but Daisy is the best one, She seems so lovely. Thank you, with my love, nia
You are welcome nia, the next step is the fun one when i make stuff out of the wax! c
Silk, Celi? Are you really using silk stockings, or are they what we call down here “pantyhose”? 🙂 I’m amazed at all the good honey that comes out of the beeswax too!
yes celia, dreadful confession, it was a stocking, (one of those ones that are meant to stay up by themselves and NEVER DO!) but probably nylon masquerading as silk, however best we don’t tell John.. c
Excellent lesson! And upon reading the title of your post, my immediate thought was “Try to put them on.” One should always spoil cows, especially pregnant cows, and especailly especially Daisy the pregnant cow.
Daisy is easy to spoil and she can tell the time too, so I know it is 3.30 because she has started calling me!
I just love seeing Daisy :). And I always mess up my good stockings and I’m not even making beeswax.. never falls I tell ya lol.
Stockings are a trial Kay, I always get them caught underneath a table top when i cross my legs, snag, oops.. c
There is an Avian company in a neighboring town, BetterBee; I have often wanted stop in…now I think I will! Although, I am a little fearful of bees.
J
If you can manage a big old Llama you have nothing to fear from bees. the premise is the same- calm, firm, smooth confident movements. And if the bee wants to smell you let her, just like a Llama.. !
Fantastic post and I think using your stockings for this is far more ingteresting than pole dancing in them….not that I have a pole or anything, although I suppose my runner bean supports could be used at a push, Anyway, I digress…yay for honey and beeswax!!
you could beeswax the runner bean poles? .. c
That is awesome!!
Hi Jamie Anne, I shall pop over and see what is happening in your kitchen shortly! c