From london@calypso-2 Fri Jul 29 05:34:37 1994 From: Adam Finkelstein Date: Thu, 28 Jul 1994 10:42:36 -0400 (EDT) -- ================================================================================ Adam Finkelstein adamf@hopper.itc.virginia.edu adamf@vtaix.cc.vt.edu =============================================== |Bees To Please| =========== _______________________________________________________________________________ Book Review - News Release Contact person: Karl Langberg jkl2@nova.msstate.edu Valley Hills Press 1864 Ridgeland Drive Starkville, MS 39759 USA Telephone: (601) 323-7100 Crafting with Honey and Beeswax New Book Available If you want to make a non-food product from honey or beeswax, chances are the recipe is in the book, SUPER FORMULAS, ARTS & CRAFTS. Author, Elaine White, said, "I'm a beekeeper. I wrote SUPER FORMULAS so beekeepers could make more profit from their honey and beeswax. I knew our secret was out at the second printing, when sales to other markets surpassed the sales to beekeepers." SUPER FORMULAS has been well-received in publications of the beekeeping world. In the United Kingdom, "Bee Craft (December, 1993) reported that this book, "...does not appear to lose anything, as sometimes happens, by being written outside the UK." The "Irish Beekeeper" (February, 1994) reported that SUPER FORMULAS, "...must be the most comprehensive publication containing recipes associated with honey and beeswax ever produced." The author won first place in the international 1993 Ambrosia Adventure Mead (honey wine) Competition held in Denver, Colorado. In the book, she shares her home-brewing knowledge in chapters about making honey ale, mead, carbonated soft drinks, mead vinegar and honey liqueurs. Some of the recipes in SUPER FORMULAS were developed from manufacturers' recipes dating before 1920 and before so many synthetic ingredients were used. History buffs enjoy reading about the "old-time ways." Herbalists and naturalists enjoy adding herbs and essential oils to the recipes to craft natural products such as soap, skin cream and ointment. In the "Business of Herbs" (December, 1993) Paula Oliver said, "SUPER FORMULAS...is the most interesting how-to book I've seen this year!" SUPER FORMULAS introduces artists and crafters to batik, wax dolls, encaustic painting, skep-making, candle-making, mold-making and modeling wax. Do-it-yourself formulas include beeswax furniture polish, shoe polish, wax finishes for wood furniture and exterior wood finish. Jd Belanger, Editor of "Countryside and Small Stock Journal," said, "While the book was written specifically for beekeepers, its appeal is much broader. Artists and crafters will find much of value here...and we think all self-reliant homesteaders will find it useful, even if they don't keep bees." The author says, "People with all kinds of hobbies buy my book. A lot of them want to make something to sell." When asked about her favorite formula, she said, "I like to surprise people with unusual formulas like beard wax, canary paste and fly paper, but my favorite formulas are the ones that are simple and quick to make, and they turn out better than anything you can buy in a store -- like the petroleum jelly and the bath oil." The following two formulas are taken from SUPER FORMULAS: "Beeswax Petroleum Jelly" Petroleum jelly is easy to make. Instead of petroleum products such as baby or mineral oil, naturalists may prefer to substitute grapeseed oil or sweet almond oil to make an "non-petroleum" jelly. Ingredients: 1 ounce (weight) beeswax 1/2 cup baby or mineral oil Directions: Melt the beeswax in a microwave or a double boiler. Stir in the oil. Remove the mixture from heat and stir until it cools. The shelf life is indefinite. ------------------------------------ "Dispersing Bath Oil" Most bath oils simply float on bath water. "Dispersing Bath Oil" mixes evenly with water, clings to your skin and forms a thin, protective coating. Ingredients: 1 whole egg 1/2 cup baby or mineral oil 2 teaspoons liquid soap or detergent 1/4 cup vodka (any proof) 2 tablespoons honey 1/4 cup milk fragrant essential oil (optional) Directions: Mix the ingredients in a blender for 30 seconds. Add only 1 or 2 tablespoons of the oil to a bathtub of water. The shelf life of this oil at room temperature is about one year. SUPER FORMULAS, ARTS AND CRAFTS: How to make more than 360 useful products that contain honey and beeswax by Elaine C White ISBN 0-9637539-7-5, copyright 1993. Soft cover, 8.5 by 11 inches, 120 pages. Published by Valley Hills Press, 1864 Ridgeland Drive, Starkville MS 39759 USA. In the US, telephone toll-free: 1-800-323-7102. Outside the US, call (601) 323-7100. Cost of the book is $14.95 US funds, which includes shipping to the US and Canada. Other countries $18.95 US funds, postpaid. Major credit cards accepted. Contact Valley Hills Press at: jkl2@nova.msstate.edu