Sweet Winter! Courtesy of Mohawk Valley Trading Co.

It was 1993, I was nine years old. I had entered the 18th century John Greenhow general store in Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia. The wide plank hardwood floors squeaking beneath my small boots, my hands clasped in anticipation. I was overwhelmed by the spicy smells of pine, cinnamon, and my favorite – lavender. I picked up the small bar of soap hand wrapped in paper and breathed in the scent.

A box arrived on my doorstep a few weeks ago from Utica, New York and in it was Colonial Williamsburg in a box, a.k.a. THE BEST smells of my childhood. I learned about Mohawk Valley Trading Company’s quality honey for my honey tasting party last fall and wanted to try a few more of their products: Handmade soaps and candles, a beautiful glass bottle of dark maple syrup, the most delicious smelling, gorgeous chunk of beeswax a honey loving girl could ever want.

The timing couldn’t have been sweeter. As much of the east coast knows, January was a blur of snow and heat. Yes, I said heat. One day we are barefoot and celebrating potty achievements with Rory girl by adventuring to the beach and the next we are covered in snow. The Mohawk Valley Trading Company gifts fit in no matter the temperature!

Rory excitedly tried each new bar of soap: Castile Soap made with 100% olive oil; shea butter enriched Tea Tree Oil Soap; and the winner, Goat’s Milk Lavender Soap. Welcome to a perfect childhood memory Rory-girl, the scents will remind you of potty triumph and beach celebrations for years to come!

 

Ryder couldn’t wait to snag a bar for his bathroom. He declared the soap “smooth! And this bar thing? That’s so cool!” Talk about a throw-back opportunity, “bar o’ soap”, soap doesn’t just come in a bottle!

Of course, one cannot let hands be clean for too long in this house. We must play! Snow provided the perfect opportunity. What better than a day of snow adventures than to follow it with snow cream! Not just any snow cream, but dark maple syrup snow cream! A bucket of snow, a bit of vanilla, some milk (or cream), and the Pièce de résistance, 100% dark maple syrup provided by Mohawk Valley Trading Company.

This was beyond good! Ryder is a no-syrup pancake kid and yet I couldn’t get him to stop licking the table where it was dripping from the bottle. Since his introduction to this rich, nutty, and perfectly sweet syrup, Ryder has since converted to syrup on his pancakes – well, only if it is Mohawk Valley’s Maple Syrup.

I served it to a few of my crepe loving book club friends, both of which are syrup connoisseurs, and they thought it was the best they’d had, “Better than fresh syrup from Michigan or Vermont. Thick, dark and rich without being too heavy with a smooth finish. Perfect for crepes!”

Surely after the smooth and best smelling soap or the tastiest syrup a cute little red head could have ever have, Mohawk couldn’t do much better. I was wrong. Their beautiful 100% pure beeswax candles: taper, votive, and birthday candles are beautiful, burn bright and even, and have the slightest hint of honey scent! Need I say more?

Last was the chunk of beeswax, a pound to be exact! What does one do with such an unusual treasure? Well, when the weather changes from 60 to 25 on a daily basis, one could benefit from some quality lip balm. So we mixed up a batch in no time!

Taking just three ounces to make four adorable lip balms, the possibilities are endless! Throw in a teaspoon of your favorite honey and you might just find your daughter eating half the balm (Ok, it isn’t recommended to eat your lip balm, but being that it smells so sweet, it is hard to resist. Nothing to worry about, beeswax is 100% natural and edible, it is used in many candies). There are many different uses for beeswax – crayons, candles, polish for boots, counters, furniture, and so much more!

Thanks to Mohawk Valley Trading Company it has been the sweetest winter we have ever had!

Products Featured in this Post
Maple Syrup
100% Pure Beeswax Candles
100 % Pure Beeswax
Goats Milk Soap
Castile Soap
Tea Tree Oil Soap