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🫐 Huckleberry Harvest

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Notes from Grandma’s Soap Shed

🤍Vegan Recipes

Some of my favorite memories begin with a bucket in one hand, full of sweet berries.

We’d wander along country roads and wooded paths, searching for the ripest berries tucked beneath the leaves. The baskets always seemed too small, and somehow we always came home with purple fingers and happy hearts. That’s what inspired this soap.

Huckleberry Harvest reminds me of those late summer afternoons when the sun hangs low in the sky and the fields seem to glow with golden light. The scent is sweet and comforting, while the soft lavender swirls remind me of berries gathered fresh from the patch.

As I poured this batch, the colors folded into one another like berries stirred into sweet cream. Every swirl seemed to tell its own little story. By the time the loaf was finished and sprinkled with delicate botanicals, it looked like something that belonged on an old farmhouse table beside a fresh pie cooling on the windowsill.

The shed felt especially cozy that day. A gentle breeze drifted through the open door.

The curing racks were full. And for a little while, everything seemed right in the world. That’s one of the things I love most about soapmaking. It teaches us to slow down.

To appreciate simple things. To find joy in ordinary moments. Like a basket of berries or a handful of fresh picked flowers. Even my favorite, a freshly poured batch of handmade soap. Sometimes that’s all it takes to brighten up your day.

So if you’re reading this while your own Huckleberry Harvest bars are curing nearby, take a moment to enjoy the journey. Soapmaking isn’t only about the finished bar, it’s about the quiet hours spent creating something beautiful with your own two hands.

And those moments are worth savoring.

With love from the soap shed

-Soapmaking Hobby 🫐

Watch the making of Huckleberry Harvest on my YouTube Channel 🫐🎥✨

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🫐Huckleberry Harvest

🫐Recipe Notes for a 65 oz. Batch

Distilled Water: 17.87 oz

Sodium Hydroxide: 8.93 oz

75%Olive Oil: 48.75 oz

20%Coconut Oil: 13 oz

5%Castor Oil: 3.25 oz

Rosehip Oil: 1-2 droppers- do not count towards total oil percentage

Purple mica: 1-2 teaspoons dispersed in olive oil

Kaolin Clay: 2 tablespoons

Colloidal Oats: 2 tablespoons or grind your own whole oats

Cornflower Petals

One of my all time favorites

Huckleberry Harvest

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🫐 The Method from the Soap Shed

Huckleberry Harvest (Vegan)

“A basket of berries, a handful of wildflowers, and a little patience go a long way.”

🫧 Step 1 – Prepare the Soap Shed

Gather all ingredients and equipment before beginning. Line your mold, measure ingredients, and prepare your work area.

Grandma’s Tip:

“A tidy soap shed makes for a peaceful soapmaking day.”

🫧Step 2 – Mix the Lye Solution

Carefully add the sodium hydroxide to the water and stir until fully dissolved. Allow the solution to cool.

Once cooled slightly, add the sodium lactate and stir gently.

Set aside.

🫧Step 3 – Prepare the Oils

Melt the coconut oil and combine it with the olive and castor oils.

Allow the oils to cool to a comfortable soapmaking temperature.

🫧 Step 4 – Bring to Emulsion

Slowly pour the lye solution into the oils.

Using a stick blender, alternate between blending and stirring until a light emulsion is reached.

🫧Step 5 – Add the Good Things

Add:

🤍 Kaolin clay

🤍 Oats

🤍 Rosehip oil

🤍 Fragrance oil

Blend gently until fully incorporated.

The batter should be smooth and a light cream color.

🫧Step 6 – Create the Huckleberry Swirl

Reserve a portion of the batter and add the purple mica , deepen the color if desired.

Pour the purple soap into the base batter and do a figure eight mix for an in-the-pot-swirl.

Pour into the mold to create soft swirling patterns. You may use a spatula or hanger tool if you like.

Grandma’s Tip:

“Think of cream stirred into berry preserves, gentle swirls are often the prettiest.”

🫧Step 7 – Decorate the Top

Texture the top of the loaf with a spoon or spatula.

Sprinkle cornflower petals across the surface.

Add just enough to create a beautiful harvest-inspired finish.

🫧Step 8 – Let It Rest

Place the mold in a safe location and allow the soap to saponify undisturbed.

The hardest part of soapmaking is often waiting.

🫧Step 9 – Unmold & Cut

Once firm, remove the loaf from the mold.

Cut into bars and enjoy the reveal of the beautiful huckleberry-inspired swirls inside.

Every bar will be unique.

🫧 Step 10 – Cure

Place the bars on a curing rack in a cool, dry location.

Allow them to cure fully before use.

Grandma’s Tip:

“Like berries ripening in the sunshine, good things take time.”

🫐 Notes from Grandma’s Soap Shed

As this batch cures, the scent will settle, the bars will harden, and the colors will soften into their final beauty.

Take a moment to enjoy the process.

The soap shed isn’t just where soap is made. Every batch creates a new memory.

-Soapmaking Hobby 🤍

🫐 Huckleberry Harvest

Frequently Asked Questions from Grandma’s Soap Shed

“Every batch has a story, and every soapmaker has a few questions along the way.”

🫐 Why is it called Huckleberry Harvest?

This soap was inspired by berry-picking season and the simple joy of gathering nature’s treasures. The soft purple swirls, botanical topping, and cozy farmhouse feel remind me of a basket filled with freshly picked huckleberries on a late summer afternoon.

🫐What gives the soap its purple color?

The lovely purple swirls come from purple mica, which creates the beautiful berry-inspired tones throughout the soap.

🫐What oils are used in Huckleberry Harvest?

This vegan recipe is made with:

• Olive Oil

• Coconut Oil

• Castor Oil

Together they create a gentle, cleansing bar with a creamy lather and good hardness.

🫐Why are oats included in the recipe?

Oats are a favorite in Grandma’s soap shed because they add a comforting, rustic touch. They help create a gentle, skin-loving bar and fit perfectly with the farmhouse theme of this soap.

🫐What does kaolin clay do?

Kaolin clay is often added to help create a silky feel in the finished bar. It also contributes to the smooth, creamy appearance of the soap.

🫐 Are there real huckleberries in the soap?

No. Huckleberry Harvest is inspired by the colors, fragrance, and feeling of berry season rather than actual berries. The design captures the spirit of a berry harvest without using fresh fruit.

🫐What are the petals on top?

The soap is topped with cornflower petals, which add beautiful natural color and a charming cottage-garden appearance.

🫐Why choose cornflower petals?

Cornflowers bring a lovely blue-purple accent that pairs beautifully with the huckleberry theme. They make each bar feel a little extra special.

🫐Why does every loaf look different?

Handmade soap is much like a basket of berries, no two are exactly alike. Swirls, colors, and botanical placement vary from loaf to loaf, making every batch unique.

🫐What is sodium lactate used for?

Sodium lactate is commonly added to help create a firmer bar and make unmolding easier. It is one of those little soap shed helpers that quietly does its job behind the scenes.

🫐Why does the ingredient list include sodium hydroxide?

Sodium hydroxide is necessary to turn oils into soap through the soapmaking process. When the recipe is properly made and cured, the finished soap no longer contains active lye.

🫐 What inspired this soap?

Huckleberry Harvest was inspired by:

• Berry-picking season

• Wildflowers growing along country roads

• Vintage farmhouse kitchens

• Weathered wooden tables 

• Quiet afternoons in the soap shed

🫐Grandma’s Favorite Tip

When creating Huckleberry Harvest, don’t worry about making perfect swirls. Nature isn’t perfectly symmetrical, and that’s part of its beauty. Let the batter move naturally and enjoy the surprise when you cut the loaf.

🫐 Soap Shed Wisdom

“The sweetest harvest isn’t always measured by how much you gather, but by how much joy you find along the way.”

“The sweetest harvests are gathered one berry, one bloom, and one handmade bar at a time.”