[Herbalist] Bayberry wax

[Corwyn and Carowyn]

Greetings!

>Hello, all.  Does anybody know of a good source for bayberry wax?  I'm
>doing a candlemaking class before the holidays, and would love to demo
>this.  But, the prices I'm finding are, well, exorbitant, and I hate
>to charge a fee for people to take home samples of what we make.

You probably won't find a good source of bayberry wax that isn't also
cheap.  Bayberry, the bush, is still considered an endangered species,
and IIRC, there are only one or two companies that have permits to
harvest the berries off a certain limited acerage of land.  The problem
is that the wax, while one of the best, is so tiny an amount per berry
that it takes a HUGE!! amount of berries to make one candle.  (Kinda like
murex shells back in the period for dye! ;-)  Pilgrims started decimating
the bushes for the berries, and the destruction wasn't halted till the
early 70's (again, IIRC).  I can't remember off my head what is so
important about the berries - 5 year germination sticks in my head, but
I'd have to look that up - but it takes a loooong time for the bushes to
grow.

Just out of curiosity, what are your sources for bayberry wax?  Would you
be willing to share?  I've always wanted a smidge of real bayberry wax,
just a smidge, as a keepsake...

-Caro

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