Mr Witty Bar

One of the things I like about soapmaking is the types of cold process soaps you can make. Goat milk is one that I really love.. it's so wonderful for your skin & makes a fine bar of soap. I tend to keep my GM soaps pretty simple.. only adding herbs, veggie powders or spices for colors & use only essential oils in them. I generally use fresh goats milk, but some other options are already prepared.. canned & powdered to be reconstituted gm. To me.. the natural fats in fresh milk is extraordinary in a bar of soap & yet so gentle on your skin.

All soapmakers have their own tricks to making a nice gm soap.. I've tried many.. but for me, the easiest process is to add my fresh goats milk to my already warmed & cooled oils before adding the lye/water. I split my water portion 50 % add it to my lye.. set aside the balance of 50 % what would be water in most cases... for my gm portion. Once the lye water & warmed oils & butters has cooled down to around 90 degrees .. I then warm up my room temp goats milk to about 85-90 degrees.. add it to my oil pot & any essence I will be using and blend in well. Once blended, I then add my lye water mixture while stick blending all the while to get a nice creamy emulsion type mixture. I'd then add my additives if any .. hand stir well until I come to an early trace.. which at these lower temps should be quite soon. I have my molds all readied.. so pouring is efficient & rapid.. I only cover my mold with saran wrap.. no other insulation.. and set it out in garage on cool cement floor.. or place into refrigerator.. as I don't want my goat milk soaps to come to a gel. If they gel.. they will become much darker from overheating. Sometimes.. this IS the effect I want.. so I lightly insulate.. it all just comes down too what I am trying to achieve.

Before we had our own flock of Nigerian dwarfs, I'd get my fresh goat milk from a local goat farmer/breeder friend, Mr Garth Witty. He was quite a character... full of anecdotes and philosophies..and a wonderful conversationlist, well known to most in the area as being a throwback from the 60's.. a former MIT researcher and brilliant man.. who dropped out of the rat race,for a slower paced new life. To look at him now in his suspendered trowsers, long long mid chest beard and grey pony tailed hair you'd of never guessed. LOL I just love Garth to bits!! I don't think there is a more knowledgable man in New England when it comes to raising any bovine creatures that Garth can't help you with. He has an inner sense around creatures that's just remarkable. So for farmer's market we'll be offering..our Mr.Witty Goat Milk Bath Bar formulated in honor of Mr Witty along with our Lemon Drop 'Kid' and Shea Butter and Oatmeal goat milk bars.