***Ashes To Ashes***

[ThisOldGarageNJ]

Re: ***Ashes To Ashes***

thats too cool, may have to give it a try,,, Isnt lye kinda caustic though ??

[Archena]

Re: ***Ashes To Ashes***

Arch,, are you serioous, can you really make soap out of ashes ??

...

Yup. Wood ash supplies the lye. It's actually the original way to make soap.

To make lye in the kitchen, boil the ashes from a hardwood fire (soft woods are too resinous to mix with fat) in a little soft water (rain water is best) for about half an hour. Allow the ashes to settle to the bottom of the pan and then skim the liquid lye off the top. You can do this daily and ? when you've got enough of the weak solution ? start the soap making process by boiling the liquid down until it'll float an egg. (One word of caution: DON'T use aluminum dishes or pots. The lye will eat right through `em!)

SOAP MAKING IN THE BUSH

But by far the most common soap was made from potash and pearlash. Potash and pearlash are forms of the potassium based alkali present in plant and wood material. Potash and pearlash soaps were used by everyone from the reigning monarchs to the peasant or cottager, who made their own soap from the waste fats and ashes they saved.

Colonial Soap Making. Its History and Techniques

[ThisOldGarageNJ]

Re: ***Ashes To Ashes***

2. Make soap. A lot of soap.

Arch,, are you serioous, can you really make soap out of ashes ??

7. Pump up tomatoes. For the calcium-loving plants, McGrath places 1/4 cup right in the hole when planting

I will certainly be doing this one next year, But that still leaves a lot of ashes,,, definitely the compost pile too..

I just feel like its a shame to let all this by product go to the dumps where we aleady have too much stuff
Cheers
Mark

[Archena]

Re: ***Ashes To Ashes***

1. Compost - don't over do it. A little goes a long way in the garden.
2. Make soap. A lot of soap.
3. Insulation. Yes, really, but don't let it get wet.
4. Hearth cooking. Yes, really. See insulation.
5. Special effects for disaster movies.
6. Land fill - I hear fxpose is looking for some. Be nice and offer free shipping.
7. Diamonds - assuming you have a strong enough compactor...


Other ideas:

10 Uses for Wood Ashes | Fireplace | This Old House - 1


Serious but offbeat uses:
1. Cat box odor control. A little mixed in sand or clay helps (never clumping - really icky things happen). Requires a lot of prep but can be used to line bottom of box (great with sand or paper) - not worth it for a cattery of less than 10 adult cats.

2. Drawing - charcoals. Very messy but can be very impressive.

3. Weed control in side walks. Fill in the cracks really well. The stuff makes lye - in high concentrations it does bad things to plants.

[egalecki]

Re: ***Ashes To Ashes***

I have a big galvanized can I haven't dumped yet, but I was thinking about sifting it over another can thru some chicken wire to get the bigger chunks to use for charcoal and putting the rest in my compost heap.

[RTflorida]

Re: ***Ashes To Ashes***

hate to say it.....TRASH. I have a trash can lined with a trash bag in my outdoor kitchen are, I just dump my ash pail in it when full.

RT

[ThisOldGarageNJ]

Out of curiousity, What do most of you do with your ashes from your ovens ??
are they helpful to the garden ?? Any Other suggestions ??

Cheers
Mark