Not in this house - you're kidding, right?
So many wonderful things happening at the Double Up these days. I have been harvesting hibiscus and processing into Hibiscus Tea. It is a bit time consuming - cut the calyx from the plant, strip the outer leaves from the seed pod, dry the seed pods to collect seeds for next year, dry the leaves to make tea. This stuff is so delicious, tart and cranberry-ish, and full of vitamin C. As always, love to my big sister who got me started on this a few years ago with some of her seeds.
And now that the honey harvest is in, I am processing beeswax. Of everything to do with bees, this has got to be the most thankless job. If you are a crafter and buy beeswax, get down on your knees and thank whomever you get it from, because....this is an ordeal.
While processing honey, set aside the comb. Put the comb into a big double boiler with equal amounts water (in this picture, I am using my high tech can in a pot to melt it down). Once melted, pour through a strainer into a bucket. Let it sit overnight; the wax rises to the surface and hardens. Take that wax and throw away the water goo. Do NOT just set it outside because then the bees smell it and get really pissed that you are desecrating their hard work and will sting you when you try to move it later.
Using your high tech can and double boiler, melt the wax down again. Pour it through a strainer into a mold (in this case, I use a nylon knee-hi stocking and a half-n-half carton). Once it hardens, tear off the mold and cut it up. I think next year I will just accidentally throw it all away....
