Dipping your favorite flowers in hot wax can preserve them for several weeks without water. Wax flowers are great for decorating ahead of time for parties and it’s a fun thing to do.
The best flowers to use are ones with sturdy petals and single or semi-double rows of petals. If a flower has too many petals the wax gets clogged up between the petals. Carnations and hybrid tea roses do not do very well. Because the wax is white, pink, yellow and white flowers do better than red.
Camellias & daffodils are just a few of the flowers you can try. Make sure the flowers are fresh, dry and clean.
You might want to do this outside –the wax is messy and flammable and cover the table with old newspapers.
Small batch
2 boxes of gulf wax –(found in the canning section of your grocery store)
1 cup mineral oil (found in the pharmacy section)
Digital meat thermometer
1 large tin coffee can and electric frypan or wax hand spa
Deep bowl filled with ice cold water
Put wax and oil in a hand spa or make a double boiler with the electric Fry Pan, can or old pot.
Heat to 135 to 140 degrees. Careful this is flammable.
Now you are ready to dip.
Hold the leaves back and just dip the flower with a side sweeping motion. Do not push the flower straight down or you will get an air pocket in the center of the flower. Dip quickly and shake off the extra wax, next dip the flower in the ice water, leave it in there for a few minutes until the wax cools.
Carefully lay the flower on the newspaper, and do some more.
Wax may be saved and used repeatedly – you might want to double this recipe
