Soap making is a great farm and rural tradition. Immigrants also brought their recipes. Studying soap is a secret passion of mine.
For some odd reason, I’ve always been interested in soap. I buy different kinds, try different types, admire the colors, and explore the contents. My Amish neighbors sell soap, as do many goat and sheep farmers. It’s a kind of hobby.
I can tell by looking at soap how good it will be, how sweet the smell is, and how long it might last. Some people collect baseball cards and old toys, I collect special soap.
I have a whole drawer full of soap, different colors and sizes. Some of it seems so beautiful to me I can’t bear to use it. Most of it doesn’t last long or have the right feeling for me.
When I met Cindy Cassavant, I fell in love with her soap.
I’ve been writing about her and her soap, and several people have asked me what it looks like. This is the soap I’ve been looking for – the size is perfect, it has a uniquely smooth feel, and there is a rich and lasting smell. Mostly, it just makes me feel clean. Making soap involves a lot of work, choice, and creativity.
There are so many ways to make it; I love mixing oils and boiling everything. Where I live, farmers and their wives always used to make their soap, and many still do. There is always good soap to buy at farmer’s markets.
I tried to make my own a few years ago, but it didn’t work out – mine was too gloppy and slimy. It’s not easy to make good soap. But here on the farm, I’m the soap connoisseur. I buy it, save it and replace it when the time comes.
I didn’t ask Cindy for her goat milk soap recipe, her blog is http://www.cazacrez.com, and her e-mail is [email protected]. Maybe she’ll let me watch her make her soap one day. Perhaps it’s the goat milk that makes it work. Finding the perfect soap is a big deal for me, I’ve been looking for years.
So here is a photo, as requested:
Goat milk soap is my favorite! We are blessed to have some very talented soap makers here, in my part of Connecticut, so I have quite the collection, too!
Jon, This soap looks great. Normal soap makes me itch. I use soap from Kentucky. The coal tar soap Grandpa’s soap and Kirk’s Natural. The only soaps that don’t make me itch but the goat milk soap looks good too.
Since she advertised on her site that it produced a good lather, I am giving it a whirl and ordered several bars! I too love and use hand made soaps!
My mom used to save up fat from cooking, and meat trimmings to make soap. I still have a few bars that I covet. It works great for laundry.
I also love a good shampoo bar and I like one that is made by J. R. Liggett’s. I first discovered it a few years ago and now I buy it once a year or so through Amazon.
Have fun collecting soaps!
Stout Goat sounds like a good name for a beer. I’m not a beer drinker but the name sounds good. I’d try it.
My all time favorite was a sheep milk soap I found in England. The lanolin I think was the secret. Much harder to find since fewer people raise sheep for milk. I’ll have to give goats milk soap a try.
I am a huge fan of the soap Barclay makes in southern Maryland (where I lived for decades). I use it exclusively and gift it often. It smells fantastic and rinses so clean. I imagine you want to stay local, but I encourage you to broaden your search and try some of her soap too. Her inventory is a little low now. I adore her Rustic Lemongrass which is currently sold out. Here is the link https://www.barclaysoapco.com
I bought a bar of soap in a little shop in the mountains in NM years ago. I loved it. In doing research, I found out the guy who makes it is from Boonville NY. I used his soaps for years. The fresh scents stay on your skin all day. Sandia Soap Company. My favorite is Jemez Morning. I also used locally made goat milk soap for years.