Who doesn't love rich wood cutting boards and beautifully hand made wooden spoons?  I know I do.  They're really easy to take care of, so make sure yours last for years to come!  Properly maintaining the finish helps prevent cracks and splits, and just keeps everything looking much better.

Here's a picture of one of my monogram cutting boards, that is in dire need of a little TLC.

Despite not getting any love for months on end, even just a single coat of board butter helps the surface so much!

A simple board butter is really easy to make.  I used this recipe from The Kitchn.

Ingredients

2 ounces natural beeswax
8 ounces cold-pressed sunflower oil

Yep, that's it.  Beeswax is nearly impossible to remove from a vessel once you've melted it.  So, the easiest thing to do is to make it right in the jar you'll store it in.

Follow these easy steps:

1. Place your beeswax and sunflower oil in the jar.

2. Heat a saucepan filled with a few quarts of water.

3. Once simmering, turn the heat to low and lower your mason jar into the water.

4. After about 10 minutes, turn the burner off and leave the mason jar in the water for another 10 minutes.

5. Remove the jar from the water and give it a good stir.  Let it sit for 10-20 minutes.  Once the liquid begins to cloud over, stir well.  Let cool at room temperature, then cover.  It should last for 4-6 months!

If you'd like to pour the mixture into smaller containers, like I did for sale in the shop, you can use a pouring pot.  Simply place the pouring pot into the simmering water in place of the mason jar.

A few tips for caring for your wood cutting boards and spoons:

1. Never soak your boards or spoons in water.  And never, ever run them through the dishwasher!  They deserve better!  A wash with hot, soapy water and a good scrub after use are all you need.

2. How often you apply board butter depends a bit on how much you use them and how dry your house is.  But, once a month will be enough for most people.

And, that's it!  That's all you need to properly care for your lovely boards and spoons.

Don't feel like making it yourself?  (Or just don't want to buy twice as much beeswax and 4 times as much sunflower oil as you'll need to make a 6 month supply?)  You can purchase a 3 ounce container of board butter from my second Etsy shop by clicking here!