permaculture

["Guilherme Neves Castagna" <guilherme@permacultura.org.br>]

Dear Robyn and friends,

        I've recently found some useful info, including how to make soap with 
wood
ash at:

http://sleekfreak.ath.cx:81/3wdev/CD3WD/INDEX.HTM

        Home soap making is at

http://sleekfreak.ath.cx:81/3wdev/VITAHTML/SUBLEV/EN1/SOAPMAKE.HTM

All luv!

Guilherme Castagna
Ajissé - Soluções Naturais!
+55 (12) 3845-3613
Ubatuba/SP

Date: Mon, 18 Dec 2006 08:23:36 +1100
From: Robyn Francis <erda@nor.com.au>
Subject: Re: [permaculture] Re Wood Ashes - a multifunctional resource
To: permaculture <permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org>
Message-ID: <C1AC0088.20E1%erda@nor.com.au>
Content-Type: text/plain;       charset="US-ASCII"

There's many uses for wood beyond sparing garden applications - here's a few
of the things I use it for.

Wood ash is the main cleaning agent I use in the home - I sift out the fine
white ash for cleaning sinks, stove top and oven, pots and pans, any
stainless steel surfaces, grease, oil etc  I often make up batches lightly
fragranced with an antiseptic essential oil (lemon myrtle's my favourite)
and pack nicely as gifts for friends who don't have access to wood ash as a
natural cleaner - they love it and invariably ask for more when it runs out.

I also use wood ash to cure my olives as a substitute for salt for the first
2-3 soakings to reduce the saltiness of salt-brine treatment.

I keep a jar of the sifted ash mixed with a little fine sand for washing
hands, especially for when I've been handling oily or sticky things. I mix a
little fine wood ash and sand into my "gardeners soap" as well.

BTW does anyone know proportions for making the correct strength Lye from
wood ash for soap making. I make an annual batch of soap and would prefer to
make my own lye from wood ash rather than caustic soda.

I also use wood ash for storing things - keeps bugs out of stored seed, and
roll my Jerusalem artichokes in ash before I put them into clamp storage
etc.

In the garden it can be used as snail barriers but use sparingly. Pumpkins
can handle a bit more wood ash than most other veg.

Ciao

Robyn
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