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Farmer's market soap--pumpkin kale

Last spring, I had the idea of creating a soap that represented some of the variety in my town's farmer's market.  The more I looked around, the more overwhelming the possible combinations--herbs, vegetables, dairy, fruits, even fats.  I could come up with a new combination every week as I looked around.  Maybe it was because my choices kept changing that I never settled on a set of ingredients and just did it.




Dehydrated ground pumpkin--it makes a wonderful addition to angel food cake

I recently narrowed down some of the abundance into my first version.  It may be March, but with the snow of the last two days (and still falling as I write), fresh vegetables are just a dream of the future.  So I used honey, dehydrated pumpkin and egg--all from the market--and dried kale.  (I used my own kale in this batch, not because it wasn't available in abundance at the market last summer, but I really couldn't justify buying anyone else's with a dozen fruitful plants of my own.)


Another decision dilemma--how to scent it? With an FO?  A vegetable-type fragrance, like cucumber, lettuce, or tomato leaf?  A grassy one? A clean ozone type?  Or maybe an EO? herbal? citrusy?  This time I used an essential oil blend of basil, rosemary, and litsea.

Layers of kale-speckled soap separated by layers of pumpkin-speckled soap

Layers separated by vanilla bean powder pencil lines

A slice of soap, representing the agriculturally rich region of the American Midwest.  I expect this to be a regular market offering this coming season, made in ever-changing versions to reflect the seasonality of ingredients.
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Comments

  1. PamMarch 5, 2014 at 9:55 AM

    Amy I love this ancient looking soap! How does the fragrance work with it?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Amy@10th Ave.March 5, 2014 at 5:46 PM

      Ancient--that's a good description! I was really happy with how it turned out; it reminded me of a stone. I hope the colors hold. I really liked my test blend, but accidentally added more basil than I planned to the batch. It's nice but not as nice as I hoped. Basil EO is SO strong!

      By the way, I did add an update to the Ann Bramson book review post. Thanks again for the reminder. :)

      Delete
  2. Diva Prirodna KozmetikaMarch 5, 2014 at 7:10 PM

    So, you say kale? Hmm,interesting and looks really good with all those speckles.
    I like the pencil line, it makes more contrast between the layers!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Amy@10th Ave.March 6, 2014 at 4:35 PM

      I've never used kale as a colorant before; I hope it lasts. Thanks! I love all the texture in this bar.

      Delete
  3. AnonymousMarch 5, 2014 at 7:29 PM

    Wow! This is a very unique and nutritious soap! I love the way you made it to represent the bounty of the Midwest. You're blessed to have all those wonderful agricultural choices. :-)

    ReplyDelete
  4. Amy@10th Ave.March 6, 2014 at 4:36 PM

    Yes, we are blessed. :) Really, it's difficult to choose from everything available in the summer. I think I'll have to just make many different batches to fit it all in!

    ReplyDelete
  5. LatherBeSoapingMarch 8, 2014 at 9:43 AM

    Oh, wow, that is a cool soap, Amy! It should be a great seller at the market. And it's so cool that you used ingredients from the market and your own home-grown produce! It's great that you can make soaps for the market while supporting fellow market vendors. The essential oil blend sounds wonderful, too.

    ReplyDelete

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