Beeswax wraps aren’t just a great alternative to single use plastics, they’re also magic at keeping foods fresher for longer.
They’re perfect for:
- Keeping loaves of sourdough bread fresh in humid weather
- Wrapping herbs like coriander and basil – they keep their colour for much longer and wilt less in the fridge
- Preventing ginger from going slimy (this photo was taken after two weeks in fridge)
- Wrapping sandwiches for lunch
- Covering bowls and trays
- Keeping vegetables like eggplant and fennel fresher for longer in the fridge (photo shows eggplant after a week wrapped in fridge)
- Wrapping prepped veg that might oxidise quickly, like sweet potato (photo shows them after half an hour, but sweet potato usually goes black on me as soon as it’s cut!)
- Storing cut avocados in the fridge
Beeswax wraps shouldn’t be used to wrap meats and there is some debate over whether they should be used for cheese. I personally wrap cheese in a piece of greaseproof paper first and then in a wrap (but that’s mainly to save on washing up).
Maintenance
Beeswax wraps are easy to maintain. Wipe them with a damp towel after use and hang them on a towel rail to dry. If they get particularly dirty, they can be washed in a lukewarm water with a little dishwashing detergent, rinsed, and then hung up to dry. Each wrap should last for months – some of ours have been in constant use for over a year. We recently retired a large bread wrap – it’s now a cover for the worm farm.
Best of all, in the 18 months that we’ve been using these wraps, we haven’t opened the cling film container once!
This blog was written by Celia Callow from Fig Jam and Lime Cordial.
“I’m a blogger and sewer, and the mother of two wonderful sons who didn’t complain when they had to go on school camps in patchwork raincoats made from Reverse Garbage scrap. I’m also an avid bread baker. With my 12 year old sourdough starter ‘Priscilla’, we try to keep our neighbourhood well fed on freshly baked loaves. “
