Home Made Moisturizing Balm for Lips & Hands

I take simple but deeply gratifying pleasure from brushing up against aromatic herbs planted in my herb gardens which then release their delicious perfume in to the air. When I walk through the garden paths, the smallest brush or gentle breeze sends lemon scented geranium, thyme, lemon balm, rosemary and lavender wafting through the air. For me it is a genuinely calming and soothing experience. In light of this, I've been researching a way to encapsulate or bottle this experience. Below is a recipe for home made, all natural, moisturizing balm which can be used for skin and lips alike.

Here's what you'll need:

2 cups organic olive oil
1 cup herbs
20 or so drops of all natural essential oils
1 cup grated beeswax, packed
A double boiler
Containers for balm

My first batch was made from pineapple mint and lemon verbena. It was heavenly. In the process, the herbs are strained out of the mixture after infusing it so the end product is smooth and creamy light yellow. You can add color, but why? By using the essential oil, I added a small amount of flavor but really, I could have simply used the herbs and it would have been mild and pleasant. I happen to like a more robust fragrance so I added just a hint of all natural lemon verbena essential oil. I purchased small lip balm tins and pretty little glass ointment jars to pour the mixture in to. Once it's in the container, it sits for two hours and congeals becoming creamy and solid.

Almond Butter

Last night I made a batch of fresh roasted almond butter. I started by blanching and roasted four pounds of top quality California almonds to a uniform golden-brown. Once the almonds cooled, I placed them in the bowl of my food processor and processed the almonds in to a thick ball of almond paste. I continued processing, adding one tablespoon at a time of high oleic, GMO free, expeller pressed safflower oil until the paste became smooth. Safflower, a heart healthy oil, is high in antioxidants and low in saturated fat. In fact it has a very similar chemical composition to olive oil but with a completely nuetral flavor. In the end, I only added about 3 tablespoons of safflower oil to bring about a nice creamy consistency. I also added a pinch of sea salt to balance the natural sweetness of the almonds.

Roasted almond butter is absolutely heaven! It beats the pants out of peanut butter both in health properties and in flavor. Almond butter at the store can cost as much as a dollar an ounce... ouch! My almond butter cost me $9.00 for four pounds AND my kids prefer it in their sandwiches and to dunk their vegetables in as well. I have replaced peanut butter with roasted almond butter in many of my recipes with great results.