If you are all about reducing what you use and introducing more reusables into your life, then the beeswax wrap is for you! These little beauties are used daily in our house and I no longer need expensive single-use sandwich bags or cling film.
In case you were wondering, beeswax wraps are a food-safe alternative to cling film. They are made from cotton fabric and beeswax, so are antibacterial, and biodegradable. You can usually use them for up to a year before you have to dispose of them and they are perfect for wrapping pretty much anything including fruit, vegetables, covering bowls, covering open packets, tins …anything you like. At the end of their life, you can pop them in the compost, and if they start to get a bit tatty, you just pop them back in the oven to re-pasteurise.
You can, of course, buy them, or quite easily and inexpensively make your own. You can make them in any shape, size and colour that you like. You may have fabric lying around which is too small for any other use, or your could pop to a fabric shop and get a couple of fat quarters. Beeswax is readily available from a number of online retailers. It really does only take a few minutes.
WHAT YOU NEED
- Fabric
- Beeswax (cosmetic grade)
- Scissors
- Baking tray and paper
- Paint brush
HOW TO MAKE BEESWAX WRAPS
- Cut fabric to the desired size.
- Lay on the baking tray and paper.
- Sprinkle with beeswax (grated or pellets).
- Place in the oven on the lowest possible heat.
- As soon as the beeswax starts to melt and looks translucent, take it out.
- Spread across the fabric with the paintbrush, work quickly as the wax dries quickly.
- Remove and leave to dry completely before use (which is about a minute!)
- Voila! Home made beeswax wraps! Use to wrap and cover your food!
WHAT I LEARNT
- This really is a simple thing to do! It took me a few goes to get the distribution just right but by the fourth wrap I had cracked it.
- I found that a lighter coloured fabric was easier purely because I could see where the wax was a little more easily.
- I used 50g of beeswax, and this covered about 50 square cm of fabric.
- Once they are finished you’ll be able to see how the wraps repel water.
I am looking forward to putting these to use and getting one step closer to being totally cling film free!
If you have any questions, do drop us a line! We promise you they are as easy as pie!
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