Get off my a$$ about lard!

[DWinMadison]

We're a pretty homogenous group down in my neck of the woods. Pretty much anything you can kill, you can (and do) eat, so I'm guessing turning it into soap isn't a problem. Even though I don't sell my soap, I'd still never provide it to anyone with a full explanation of the ingredients if I thought they would have any objections, allergies, etc.

That brings up an interesting question. Do people with peanut allergies generally react to soaps containing peanut oil?

 

[IrishLass]

That brings up an interesting question. Do people with peanut allergies generally react to soaps containing peanut oil?

I suppose it would probably depend on the individual person. I have a friend who is allergic to peanuts, but she is able to eat foods that have been deep fried in peanut oil without any issues at all.


IrishLass

 

[Susie]

Theoretically, peanut oil is free of the protein that triggers the allergy. I did say theoretically. In real life, I would provide a detailed list of ingredients with any food I was bringing to any get together that has any potential allergies. I just use the FDA list:

http://www.fda.gov/Food/ResourcesForYou/Consumers/ucm079311.html

And write the ingredients on an index card and place in front of the dish

Caution: Contains wheat, peanuts, soy(for example)

I don't think I have seen any recipes calling for peanut oil in soap. Wonder why?

 

[girlishcharm2004]

Susie is correct. Most people allergic to peanuts are allergic to the protein, not the fat.

In my neck of the woods, and I would assume elsewhere too, people who have a serious allergy generally don't take or consume things from others. I have digestive issues. I have learned to identify what types of foods that will cause it -- so, unless I can read the package or make it myself, I won't eat it. Saves money by not eating out! Ha.

 

[Susie]

Yeah, I used to get horrible migraines. I learned quickly that cooking it myself saved me a LOT of headache days. One of the best things I learned was how to make "Cream of" soups from scratch. I make double batches every time and keep the extra in the freezer.

 

[jules92207]

Allergies are crazy. I have a co-worker who is vegetarian and allergic to lavender. I pretty much decided she wasn't getting any soaping products from me, I love lard in most of my soaps and most of my non lard soaps have lavender! I can't win! Lol!

 

[JustBeachy]

It must really suck to have allergy's. Sounds like a real pain.

 

[summerflyy]

It does suck to have allergies. I once got a very bad allergy attack and lo and behold, into the hospital I went, went into shock etc. never want to experience that again so now I'm ultra careful with things I use. But thank god I am not allergic to nuts ! I love them ! Talking about oil, did anyone try using Camellia seed oil in their soap ?

 

[DWinMadison]

Theoretically, peanut oil is free of the protein that triggers the allergy. I did say theoretically. In real life, I would provide a detailed list of ingredients with any food I was bringing to any get together that has any potential allergies. I just use the FDA list:

http://www.fda.gov/Food/ResourcesForYou/Consumers/ucm079311.html

And write the ingredients on an index card and place in front of the dish

Caution: Contains wheat, peanuts, soy(for example)

I don't think I have seen any recipes calling for peanut oil in soap. Wonder why?

I use it in smaller amounts of 5 a 10% like you would sunflower. I also use it to emulsify colorants because it is almost as clear as castor in color but not as heavy.

 

[DWinMadison]

Susie is correct. Most people allergic to peanuts are allergic to the protein, not the fat.

In my neck of the woods, and I would assume elsewhere too, people who have a serious allergy generally don't take or consume things from others. I have digestive issues. I have learned to identify what types of foods that will cause it -- so, unless I can read the package or make it myself, I won't eat it. Saves money by not eating out! Ha.

There's a lot to be said for people taking responsibility for themselves.

 

[Susie]

There is, indeed, much to be said for people taking responsibility for themselves. And their safety is their own responsibility from start to finish. No one else can do it for them.

However, I think when we go to Sunday School "Meet-N-Eats" of any sort, it would be great for people to be able to eat at least one food other than what they brought with some degree of safety. And now that I have been doing this, others have also, so we have quite a few dishes with labelled allergens.

 

[DWinMadison]

There is, indeed, much to be said for people taking responsibility for themselves. And their safety is their own responsibility from start to finish. No one else can do it for them.

However, I think when we go to Sunday School "Meet-N-Eats" of any sort, it would be great for people to be able to eat at least one food other than what they brought with some degree of safety. And now that I have been doing this, others have also, so we have quite a few dishes with labelled allergens.

No argument from me....especially for common allergens like nuts and shellfish.

 

[AMyers]

Back to the op, I bought some of the lard off the shelf (with several additives, including citric acid) and soaped with it today. Results to come in 4-6 weeks!

 

[grumpy_owl]

Naughty porky Hanukkah soaps. I had a slight partial gel issue -- wooden mold in the freezer -- but otherwise they look nice. The scent is BB's Salty Mariner and it accelerated like whoa.
Leviticus aside, lard makes a yumliciously smooth, hard soap.

 

[DWinMadison]

Naughty porky Hanukkah soaps. I had a slight partial gel issue -- wooden mold in the freezer -- but otherwise they look nice. The scent is BB's Salty Mariner and it accelerated like whoa.
Leviticus aside, lard makes a yumliciously smooth, hard soap.

I agree. Just finished my 2nd batch of lard soap substituting it for GV shortening in my recipe. All the difference in the world. Harder, whiter soaps which allow plenty of time to swirl. A real joy with which to work. Love the soaps btw.

 

[dixiedragon]

I asked a local reform rabbi(hospice nurses get to know clergy of every denomination), and he said as long as they were not eating the lard, it did not matter. If someone is keeping kosher, though, the pig slaughter needed to be handled a certain way, and witnessed by the proper authority.

I had no idea! That is very interesting!

 

[dixiedragon]

Yeah, I used to get horrible migraines. I learned quickly that cooking it myself saved me a LOT of headache days. One of the best things I learned was how to make "Cream of" soups from scratch. I make double batches every time and keep the extra in the freezer.

And they are SO MUCH BETTER! I made cream of chicken soup from scratch once, b/c I I was making a recipe that called for it and I didn't have any. It was SO GOOD.

BTW, I love love love the Cream of Celery and Cream of Zucchini soup recipes at Veggie Venture.

 

[HoneyLady]

Lard and / or tallow in soaps is wonderful!! Great for your skin.

Occasionally I run into crunchy granola "Boulder" types who protest. {shrug} Whatever.

I had one customer get fussy with me about it. I asked if she thought I should use soy oil instead. Thinking she was converting me, she said "YES!" enthusiastically.

I pointed out that *no one* is raising hogs just for lard. (Although at one time, that was another big reason hogs were useful on farms.) They actually throw away lard because people don't use it like they used to. I'm actually *protecting the environment and recycling!

LOTS of people are raising Round-Up Ready (TM) and other GMO soybeans JUST for the purpose of making soy oils and feed.

As a beekeeper, I have strong opinions :wink: about GMO plants, Round Up, herbicides and pesticides. (I know all y'all are shocked about that. )

Since the USDA does NOT label oils organic, and GMOs can't be labeled organic, it's not possible to make soap with organic soy oil.

The woman fumbled, mumbled, and left with her tail between her legs. We pick our soap boxes, I guess. In this mostly rural area, "home made soap" MEANS lard soap. Your customer base drives your product selection.

If you have a local meat market (quite possibly ethnic) near you, go make friends with them. Lard, tallow, you name it, they can help.

As for beef tallow, DH recently brought home a large box of beef bones from a meat market that sells our honey. We had shanks, legs, hips, etc. They were free, because otherwise they pay a rendering company to collect them. They ran them through the saws for us to break them down. We roasted them, saved the fat, and made lots of stock. We chilled the stock overnight, which turned to gelatin. Very nutritious. On top of that well chilled stock was a 2" layer of pure beef tallow. Bonanza!

Lard and tallow that has citric acid and BHT are fine to use. Those won't affect your recipe. They just keep the fats shelf stable, and retard rancidity.

Oink! Moo!
~ HoneyLady ~

 

[Earthen_Step]

Since the USDA does NOT label oils organic, and GMOs can't be labeled organic, it's not possible to make soap with organic soy oil.

I've seen certified organic soybean oil -- I don't understand this statement. But I agree with a lot of what you said. There is a lot of destructive practices in agriculture both with animals and plants. And some sustainable healthy practices with both animals and plants.

 

[reinbeau]

Serious organic producers do not care what the USDA labels as organic, frankly. I know there are soybean growers in this country who are growing non-GMO soybeans. Sourcing them, however, isn't that easy. I too have seen certified organic soybean oil. Way too pricey to use in soap.