Sometimes I come across recipes that pique my interest. I’ve been fascinated with the home life of people who lived in our area back in the 1800s. From their clothing to their homes, transportation, health remedies, train schedules, and their cooking habits. Last week while doing some research I came across a hard soap recipe from June 11, 1881. It’s hard to imagine making soap instead of just going to the store and picking up a few bars of the many brands available. I remember hearing stories from my mom about her grandmother making soap and the grandchildren helping. Usually, the soap would be made outdoors after rendering lard from pork skins. After rendering the lard the pork skins and cracklings would be removed from the lard. The lard was then strained and the soap-making would begin.

Since this recipe contains a few products that I’m still unsure of where to buy, I decided to try an alternative recipe that uses only three ingredients: lard, water, and lye.

*As with any recipe that uses lye, extreme caution is advised! Directions should be followed exactly! The order of adding ingredients matters.

Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to leave a comment and subscribe!

On Saturday I decided to try my hand at making soap.

Above it a peek at the bars while they cure.