Green Pergola blog

Sundance green quiz

greenpergola — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 12:50:13 +0000

Bongo Java

greenpergola — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 13:12:00 +0000

bongo java coffee

Green Pergola is now proudly serving Bongo Java coffee in our newly redecorated tea and coffee bar.

Our first selections are beginning with Bongo Java blend and the rich and dark Mystic Brew. Coffee is available by the cup for only $2.00 or one pound bags of Bongo Java coffee are available for purchase for $10.99.

Also, currently available are some great coffees out of Seattle – Dharma coffee and Ravens Brew coffee.

Free Wifi is now available in the tea and coffee bar.

Indoor seating: 10 seats and working on adding more
Outdoor seating: weather permitting
Monday – Thursday 10:00 – 7:00
Friday and Saturday 10:00 – 4:00 (considering extending these hours if there is enough interest)

GREEN PERGOLA
223 Donelson Pike
Nashville, TN 37214
615-889-0044

three doors down from Donelson branch post office, right next door to Secret Garden garden center. Orange brick building with large yellow YOGA sign out front. Yes, yoga classes inside as well!

Bongo Java serving sign in front window and have ordered a banner that reads: serving Bongo Java coffee.

Soap Making Book

greenpergola — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 13:55:38 +0000

If I were going to recommend a book on soap making, well, I’d have to point you to the one I wrote. It describes the history of soapmaking, the standard procedure for making soap as well as my own master batch method for soap making. Recipes for the master batch process and an aromatherapy essential oil guide in the back. In the future, I plan to expand this book to include more instructions and recipes for standard soapmaking, which would give the book equal time on the standard method as well as my own. But, here it is, the first edition of my soap making book that discusses the master batch method.

Teaching how to make soap

greenpergola — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 13:04:24 +0000

A woman asked recently if we ever taught classes on how to make soap. Locally, we don’t. Hands on soap making classes can often be difficult and you have to deal with a lot of safety issues and precautions. However, we have decided to start teaching how to make soap, lotions, body products, candles and more by doing it all online. We’re working on creating a brand new website Green Guys Aromatherapy. We’re in the process of creating a set design in the studio for filming how to videos about a large variety of soap making and body product lessons.

As soon as the studio space is completed, we can begin video taping our first online demonstrations. Realizing that many people would prefer to read instead of watch, we’ll be posting a complete transcript of every how-to class that we film and well as any other instructions that would help translate the visual lesson into a readable one.

Many friends are encouraging us to create a DVD on some of the processes such as soap making or candle making. We’re not leaving that option out, but we’re pretty sure that would involve aquiring a better quality camera than the one we currently have. We’ll create another post as well as an email announcement when the soap and candle teaching website is up and running.

Best Selling Handmade Soap

greenpergola — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 20:44:24 +0000

One of the first things customer ask when sniffing the soaps is: “which one is the best selling soap?”

our best selling soap - Garden Gate

Hands down, it is our bar called Garden Gate. And it has been the best seller since it was originally created nine years ago. A propriety blend of lavender oil, rosemary oil, peppermint and spearmint oils. The Garden Gate soap also includes lots of skin loving honey, which is what gives the soap its golden color.

Garden Gate soap is also extra exfoliating. In this particular bar, we add more botanicals than any other soap. In a 36 bar batch, it contains two full cups of lavender buds and a cup of peppermint leaves. Next comes the honey and a heaping amount of powdered rosemary. The addition of these herbs and botanicals adds to locking in the fragrance of the soap.

No matter what grand idea we have for a new soap or how luscious the ingredients, Garden Gate always stays on top as our best selling soap. I love the way a customer’s eyes light up when they take a sniff of this bar. The expressions this soap receives says more than any compliment could ever accomplish.

Sensitive Skin Soap

greenpergola — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 20:26:59 +0000

In the store, it always seems to be the question everyone asks me about the handmade soap. “Is it okay for sensitive skin?” I always tell them the same thing. Sensitive skin is the REASON why I make natural soap. If the soap is good for sensitive skin, then it will be good for everyone who doesn’t have troubled skin. Everyone wins. Of course, I do tell people who have super sensitive skin to steer clean of the strong mints and stick with the milder bars of soap.

I’m putting together a hand-out about the handmade soap. It is the same description that is included in our distributor’s manual that tells them about the soap. I think it pretty much covers everything. Here it is below:

good, handmade soap makes an amazing difference in the feel of your skin, experienced right away. Green Pergola soaps are made from scratch by talented artists in our Tennessee workshop; a large majority of it still manufactured by the Green Pergola owners. Daily, vegetable oils are blended together with herbs and flowers and real essential oils and stirred in pots to create fragrant batches of luxurious, good soap.

Green Pergola soaps are completely vegetable-based with no animal fats added. Our own recipe consists of olive oil, coconut oil and soybean. Since 1998, this unique and balanced blend has created a long list of satisfied customers who have seen a definite difference in the health of their skin. Many of our avid soap customers have reported they now have little or no need for lotions.

Handmade versus “Over the Counter” Soap. What is the Difference?

The technical definition of soap is “the result of a chemical reaction between a fatty acid and an alkali solution.” Fatty acids are the actual fat content of animal or vegetable oils; there are many different fatty acids which combine to make up different oils. The alkali solution is commonly known as lye and is usually sodium or potassium hydroxide. (sodium hydroxide creates bar soap, potassium hydroxide creates liquid soap) By this definition, soap must be made from animal or vegetable fats/oils and lye. However, note that in the finished product there is no free lye – it is all combined into the resulting soap.

In the 1940’s chemists discovered how to change the molecular structure of some naturally occurring substances and also how to synthesize necessary components. What they discovered was called “detergent” (to differentiate it from soap). The big advantage to detergents then and now is that they work well in cold or hard water and can be formulated to clean specific types of dirt and stains. Modern detergents (known as syn-dets, or synthetic detergents) have become quite sophisticated and are seen in many, many forms. In fact, the majority of the cleaning products on the market are actuallydetergents of some type or another. Even commercial bar soaps commonly contain all or part detergents. As a result of these developments, a common definition of soap has emerged. The common definition of soap refers to any product that bubbles and cleans, particularly if it is in a bar form. In our opinion, this is what has created the confusion over what good, real soap actual is. Hardeners, whiteners, lather boosters, chemical fragrances (sometimes with as many as 500 separate chemical components to create their unique scent) are often found in “over the counter” store-bought, “soap” or detergent bars. Sodium tallowate, a common ingredient in many manufactured soaps, is in fact derived from rendered beef fat. Green Pergola soaps are completely vegetable-based with no animal fats added. Our own recipe consists of olive oil, coconut oil and soybean.

Coconuts (the source of coconut oil) are grown in tropical regions where they grow wild, but they are also cultivated in Thailand, India, Indonesia, and Mexico. The coconut comes from the coconut palm (Cocos nucifera), which is grown primarily in Malaysia as well as Hawaii, the Pacific Islands, and parts of India and South America.

Olives (the source of olive oil) is primarily a crop that comes from Mediterranean countries. While some olives are grown in California, 95% of olives and the manufacturing of olive oil is still a business centered around Italy, Greece and Spain.

Soybeans (the source of soybean oil) have been a crucial crop in Asian countries since before written records were kept. However, today, 45% of the soybean growing area and 55% of soybean production is done in the United States. The addition of soybean to our main soap recipe creates a stable, consistent lather and helps to support American Farmers.

BENEFITS OF PURCHASING HANDMADE SOAP – OVERVIEW

• artisan made by hand, not machine manufactured

• includes American-grown soybean product

• all vegetable oils, contains no animal fats

• most soap selections are vegan friendly

• less likely to trigger allergies

• scented with real essential oils derived from plants

• colored with mineral oxides (same substance as mineral makeup)

Frequently Asked Questions about handmade soap:

Q: Does your soap contain lye?

A: soaps, both handmade and store-bought are initially made by using lye (sodium hydroxide) or a similar caustic agent. The process of soapmaking is a chemical reaction. When made properly, no lye remains in the finished product; it is simply the catalyst needed for turning oils into soap.

Q: Will your soap help my eczema?

A: Soaps are not allowed to be promoted as having curative or medicinal properties unless they are treated as, and get tested and certified as, medicines. So, we are not allowed to answer with a “yes” or a “no”. But we have had several regular customers who have stated that the soap has helped with problem skin. This may possibly be attributed to the relatively natural ingredients in our soaps. It may be preservatives, colorants or fragrances in commercial soaps that cause unpleasant reactions. Our suggestion is for an eczema sufferer to try our mildest bar, Oatmeal-Milk-and-Honey, and see how itworks for their skin.

Q: Why do your soaps cost more than store-bought soap?

A: Simply, our soaps are created from expensive, luxury ingredients.

Q: How long does a bar of soap last?

A: Most couples tell us that a bar of soap lasts four to six weeks. This is based on using the soap according to directions, by not letting it stand in water; always use a vented or ribbed soap dish or shower caddy to allow the soap to dry between uses and last longer.

Lavender Soap

greenpergola — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 20:02:33 +0000

lavender handmade soap

Customers are going nuts over lavender soap lately. We can’t keep enough of it made. Usually when customers are browsing through our soap store they go for the lavender rosemary soap and the lavender patchouli. Men usually pick the lavender lime and kids are always happy with the lavender orange soap because, quite by accident, it turned out smelling like fruit loops.

But, this entire month, people are walking through the doors and asking, “do you have plain lavender soap?” Was there an article somewhere recently about the benefits of lavender soap and I missed it? So far this month, we’ve already made over twenty lavender gifts baskets for birthday presents and a few for boss’ day.

And it’s not only the retail store, either. Every internet order this month has included at least one bar of plain lavender soap. If my mental count is correct, we have sold over one hundred bars of lavender soap since the beginning of the month and there are that many more on the drying racks in the soap shop.

Personally, our lavender soap is one of my favorites. Whether it was an article, a television show or a news report about lavender – all I can say is that we’re grateful for the boost in soap sales.

History of Soap

greenpergola — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 13:34:11 +0000

You’ll be surprised to learn that many of the ingredients that go into soap making are already in your kitchen. Soap is the end-result of mixing oils, lye and water. Whether you pull it off the supermarket shelf, buy the melt-and-pour soap from your local craft store or make it yourself from scratch, all soap begins with this process which is know as saponification.

During the excavation process of ancient Babylon, clay cylinders were found with a soap-like substance inside. This shows evidence that the process of soap making was around as early as 2800 B.C. The cylinders had inscriptions describing the process of boiling fats with ashes (a primitive form of soap making).

Records reveal that the ancient Egyptians bathed on a regular basis. The Ebers Papyrus, a medical document dated around 1500 B.C., describes combining alkaline salts with animal and vegetable oils to form a soap-like substance used for washing.

The story that sticks out in my mind most is the Roman legend of Mount Sapo (which, by the way, gave soap its name). Women noticed that washing their clothing was easier when done in the Tiber River which was directly below Mount Sapo, where ritual animal sacrifices took place. After a rainfall, a mixture of animal fats and ashes made its way down the mountain, turning into a crude form of soap along the way.

Later, early soap makers used potash, which was leached from wood ashes as their alkali base for soap making. Its results were often-times unpredictable, sometimes unpleasant in smell, and created soap that was more utilitarian than luxurious.

In the 1700’s, A French chemist named Nicholas Leblanc, invented a process for making an alkali using common salt.

During the 1800’s, a Belgian chemist named Ernest Solvay, discovered a process in which ammonia helped to extract the soda ash from salt efficiently. It soon became more readily available and its superiority, in turn, increased the quality of soap making.

In the 1940’s chemists discovered how to change the molecular structure of some naturally occurring substances. What they discovered was called “detergent” (to differentiate it from soap). The big advantage to detergents is that they work well in hard or cold water and can be formulated to clean specific types of dirt and stains. Modern detergents (known as syn-dets, or synthetic detergents) have become quite sophisticated and are seen in many, many forms. In fact, the majority of the cleaning products on the market are actually detergents of some type or another. Even commercial bar soaps commonly contain all or part detergents. As a result, there is a new, common definition of soap. The common definition of soap now refers to any product that bubbles and cleans, particularly if it is in a bar form.

This seems to have created the confusion regarding what real soap actually is. Hardeners, whiteners, lather boosters, chemical fragrances (sometimes with as many as 500 separate chemical components to create their unique scent) are often found in “over the counter” store-bought, “soap” or detergent bars.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard the phrase, “oh, but I can’t use lye soap on my sensitive skin.” Let me reiterate something one more time: ALL soap begins with lye (or something just like it) and don’t let anyone try to tell you differently. The chemical name for lye is sodium hydroxide. When you read the label on a bar of soap, this is appears to be a bit disguised. Sodium Tallowate is the main ingredient found in most commercial soaps. What they are actually saying is that sodium hydroxide (lye) has been mixed with tallow (rendered from beef fat) and, in mixing these ingredients together, they have created a brand new word for you, the consumer — sodium tallowate. How clever.

So, what is the difference between making your own soap at home and the lye soap that our great-grandmothers made? There is a big difference. Most people I have encountered usually mention this is conversation, saying, “My grandmother used to make lye soap and it would rip your hide off.” That may be true but granny didn’t have a digital scale, back then, did she? Today’s modern soap maker has greater access to a wide range of quality ingredients. Granny did not have help from modern technology to let her know exactly, down to the gram, how much lye she was supposed to use in her combination of oils. Furthermore, dear Granny’s oils may have consisted of anything from beef fat to a whole season’s worth of saved-up bacon grease drippings.

Soap making has come a long way since the days of using old bacon grease. It took several months to formulate our Green Pergola soap recipe. We use a combination of olive oil, coconut oil, soybean oil and shea butter. Most soap makers today use similar luxury oils as well as cocoa butter, mango butter, etc. On the other hand, there are still soaps made from lard, but, it is almost always made from fresh, clean lard — not used. Handmade soap has become a luxury item in today’s market where it originally was only used for utilitarian reasons and was discovered, quite by accident. The rest is soap history.