Care in the kitchen – Olive oil wood butter

Only a few days and we’ve finally reached the point of so many preparations and expectations. Too many?  I guess, expecting perfection, having perfect pictures in your mind, can be very smothering. So, I try to take it easy and have a look what this years holidays will bring. I am looking forward to spending a relaxed Christmas Eve solely with him before the whole hustle and bustle, to visiting my home town, eating good food, gathering with my family, hopefully pleasing them with my presents.

So, with a last recipe that you could easily whip up in the remaining days, I am wishing you as well some peaceful, relaxed Christmas holidays!

I have a ever growing collection of wooden spoons, boards and other utensils in my kitchen. Wood is a great material to work with in the kitchen, and I especially love the beautifully patterned olive wood. But wood needs care. As a lot of my utensils are made from olive wood, it suggested itself to care for them with olive oil. But the application always was a little mess. A few months ago I came across this wood butter via Dani. The idea immediately appealed to me. … although I didn’t want my wood boards to smell like coconut. But I kept the idea…

… and after some testing, I had found my perfect olive oil wood butter. Soft and easy spreadable, with all the benefits of the olive oil I had appreciated so far. And with the addition of beeswax (Yes, I am in a beeswax hype, lately) the wood becomes water-repellent. Besides these two main ingredients I also added some jojoba oil and orange essential oil which both have antibacterial effects. Orange oil can also deodorize bad smells.

Wood butter with olive oil and beeswax (ca. 150 ml)

ingredients
6 tablespoons olive oil, 2 tablespoons beeswax, 1 tablespoon jojoba oil, 1-2 drops orange essential oil

preparation
In a water bath melt olive oil and beeswax. I used a glass beaker for this step, but this isn’t obligatory. You could also use a small bowl. When the beeswax has melted, take beaker off the heat and out of the water. Stir in jojoba oil and orange essential oil. Fill into small tins or jars and let cool and harden. You can store this wood butter at room temperatur or in the fridge, but keep in mind, that olive oil hardens at cold temperatures.