tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694364001063554832.post4662163718804275849..comments2024-03-28T14:37:45.575-04:00Comments on 5 Acres & A Dream: Baking With Wood Ash? (Part 3: The Results!)Leighhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02435811789823712254noreply@blogger.comBlogger38125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694364001063554832.post-36208746336659409232020-12-04T08:04:13.878-05:002020-12-04T08:04:13.878-05:00Gumbootmama, welcome and thank you! It's one o...Gumbootmama, welcome and thank you! It's one of those skills you may not ever need but is handy to know!Leighhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02435811789823712254noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694364001063554832.post-46468126491750664682020-12-04T00:04:16.049-05:002020-12-04T00:04:16.049-05:00Thankyou ! I feel more prepared in the direction o...Thankyou ! I feel more prepared in the direction of going unplugged !<br /><br />Gumbootmamahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03743201028105769800noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694364001063554832.post-52499361419805636372019-02-28T12:40:15.112-05:002019-02-28T12:40:15.112-05:00Unknown, that would be fine. Please include my ful...Unknown, that would be fine. Please include my full name (Leigh Tate), my blog name, and a link to this post. And please let me know when the article is published and where! This is a top of interest to me too, and I'd be very interested in it. Leighhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02435811789823712254noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694364001063554832.post-42099804904194401012019-02-28T11:21:39.814-05:002019-02-28T11:21:39.814-05:00I write a bimonthly recipe column in a newspaper t...I write a bimonthly recipe column in a newspaper that includes a small history lesson. I would like to do a lesson on chemical leavening. I would like to recreate your ash water leavening recipe and give you credit if you will allow it. Thanks.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17799617932891395336noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694364001063554832.post-21142680125715461252018-01-22T22:00:36.931-05:002018-01-22T22:00:36.931-05:00Susan, no I can't say that I do. I assume the ...Susan, no I can't say that I do. I assume the wood ash would be to replace pickling lime, but I'm personally not too keen on using pickling lime for pickles. I know it's said to keep them crisp, but the problem would be one with pH. It's the acidity that preserves the pickles but by soaking the cucumbers in lime or ash water first, there's a probability that they would become too alkaline. Then the proper acidity couldn't be achieved for preservation. The most natural way to make pickles would be to lacto-ferment the cucumbers. Most lacto-fermented foods seem to retain crispness for quite awhile, although maybe that's my experience because we consume them so quickly, LOL. Leighhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02435811789823712254noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694364001063554832.post-4790586507234916462018-01-22T21:09:35.461-05:002018-01-22T21:09:35.461-05:00Do you know of a dill pickle recipe where you soak...Do you know of a dill pickle recipe where you soak the cucumbers in wood ashAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08918539533463756273noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694364001063554832.post-90325141554020810802017-08-02T07:34:08.340-04:002017-08-02T07:34:08.340-04:00Kasey, thank you for that! Very interesting about ...Kasey, thank you for that! Very interesting about the birch ash, and begs the question of how the various wood ashes effect flavor. We don't have birch around here, but you've got me curious. Every tidbit of information adds to the knowledge base. Leighhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02435811789823712254noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694364001063554832.post-88819313837331104402017-08-02T06:34:52.500-04:002017-08-02T06:34:52.500-04:00That's actually exactly what they used to do. ...That's actually exactly what they used to do. Cook up a very very small portion of what they'd mixed before cooking all of it. They called it "cooking the sample." My grandmother used to tell me about how she and her sister and brother would always hang around when their mother was baking, because with wood stoves and ingredients whose quality changed from month to month, they would put a small sample of whatever they were baking in to cook so they could see, taste, and feel it to know if they needed to change anything before baking the final product.<br /><br />Just a random tidbit I thought you might like. Thanks so much for this post. Another nifty wood Ash cooking tip is Birch Ash. We've used it several times while camping. Birch Ash adds a salty flavor, so it's good when you want a touch of salt flavor, but there's no salt to be found.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12470445600675775315noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694364001063554832.post-24782114697201267572017-05-07T16:48:45.988-04:002017-05-07T16:48:45.988-04:00Gloria, thank you! Very interesting that this woul...Gloria, thank you! Very interesting that this would be in a Louis L'Armour book. Sounds like he did a good job in his research!Leighhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02435811789823712254noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694364001063554832.post-22987899242239275512017-05-07T16:28:31.009-04:002017-05-07T16:28:31.009-04:00I was reading a
Louis L'Armour book and they ...I was reading a <br />Louis L'Armour book and they were making biscuits using ash as soda substitute...I googled for info and found your blog. Very informative...well written!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13148247928470343260noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694364001063554832.post-67747687491986688832017-05-07T16:25:02.987-04:002017-05-07T16:25:02.987-04:00I was reading a
Louis L'Armour book and they ...I was reading a <br />Louis L'Armour book and they were making biscuits with ash as substitute for soda....I googled for info and found your blog...thank You! Great info.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13148247928470343260noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694364001063554832.post-18296147776108469512016-01-28T05:42:33.438-05:002016-01-28T05:42:33.438-05:00Soap making is on my to-do list too. :) And you&#...Soap making is on my to-do list too. :) And you'd probably enjoy the "Lye Soap" page at the old Caveman Chemistry website, <a href="http://cavemanchemistry.com/oldcave/projects/soap/index.html" rel="nofollow">here.</a> It doesn't specifically mention wood ash, but I was particularly interested that he said lye was easy to make.Leighhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02435811789823712254noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694364001063554832.post-60195855946067552122016-01-28T05:38:41.050-05:002016-01-28T05:38:41.050-05:00Hi Stephanie, I'm so glad you took the time to...Hi Stephanie, I'm so glad you took the time to comment!<br /><br />You're questions are exactly along the lines I've been thinking and what I've been researching. In fact, this is the section I'm working on in my upcoming eBook. I have to say that the more I dig into the science of cooking, the more fascinated I become. <br /><br />You are correct about evaporating the water from the ash solution, and I found several places online that gave instructions for that. The resulting residue is potash, but I wanted to keep it simple to start, so I stayed with the ash water. Apparently it takes a <i>lot</i> of ashes to make a little bit of potash.<br /><br />From what I understand about the bitter taste, it occurs because the potassium ions combine with the water’s hydroxide ions to produce potassium hydroxide. Hence the bitter or soapy taste. Increasing the acid helps neutralize the potassium hydroxide like you suggest. <br /><br />Based on the frugalness principle of "less is more," I made a couple more batches of biscuits the other day, trying a less strong solution (4:1 water to ash and 2:1 instead of 1:1), but left the vinegar amount the same. I still got decently risen biscuits, although I couldn't replicate the pretzel flavor with the weaker solutions. Next step is to try full size batches!Leighhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02435811789823712254noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694364001063554832.post-6626459145285123662016-01-27T16:48:52.570-05:002016-01-27T16:48:52.570-05:00Hi Leigh, I'm a long time reader but this is m...Hi Leigh, I'm a long time reader but this is my first time posting. I tried commenting under your "Part 2" post but for some reason it doesn't seem to have worked! I'm currently working on a chemistry PhD, so I wanted to chip in my two cents. I love that you are experimenting with this, so many people think chemistry isn't relevant to their everyday lives, but all baking and cooking is in fact chemistry! I wanted to say that if you evaporated the water you would get solid potassium carbonate, which is a white powder, and that's probably why it was called "pearlash" (coming from pearl colored ash, but this is just me speculating). So if you wanted to make sure you were using equivalent amounts of potassium carbonate as sodium carbonate (baking soda) you could try to dry it into the powder. I wonder if the bitter/soapy taste people complain about comes from the leftover potassium in the baked goods compared to leftover sodium. Another possibility (if the problem was in fact that there was just too much used) is that the carbonate base reacted with the fats in the milk to make soap (because fat/oil + base = soap, which is how people make homemade soaps). Also, definitely try experimenting with acid amounts too. In order for the max amount of carbon dioxide to be produced you have to have the equivalent amount of acid molecules as base molecules. Also, one reason the store bought baking soda works best is probably because it is in a pure form. Lots of other things will get extracted out of the wood ash in addition to the desired potassium carbonate! I'm excited to read about your future experiments, so unleash your inner researcher :)<br />Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12587783445511297545noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694364001063554832.post-57470719673496009022016-01-26T03:59:10.919-05:002016-01-26T03:59:10.919-05:00I can't wait for winter to do some experiments...I can't wait for winter to do some experiments of my own! Thanks so much for sharing what you figured out and getting the rest of us thinking.... I particularly want to try using wood ash to make soap...Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12874273438983052621noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694364001063554832.post-64696645493659369772016-01-25T15:01:55.086-05:002016-01-25T15:01:55.086-05:00You know, I've seen a lot of "X amount of...You know, I've seen a lot of "X amount of things you can do with ashes," but I don't ever recall seeing baking with them on any of those lists!Leighhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02435811789823712254noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694364001063554832.post-24208380319091769152016-01-25T15:01:10.590-05:002016-01-25T15:01:10.590-05:00Definitely. Good emergency info to have just in ca...Definitely. Good emergency info to have just in case. Leighhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02435811789823712254noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694364001063554832.post-53646920092986918922016-01-25T15:00:49.901-05:002016-01-25T15:00:49.901-05:00It's all been very fascinating. I see the ash ...It's all been very fascinating. I see the ash water as an emergency measure, and the pearlash of historical interest, although I can't help but wonder if it isn't too concentrated. For myself, I'll keep a good stock of baking soda around, with the security of a back up in the hardwood ash. :)Leighhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02435811789823712254noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694364001063554832.post-31682551256511625622016-01-25T14:58:34.550-05:002016-01-25T14:58:34.550-05:00Thanks! I plan to work in my wood ash recipes to i...Thanks! I plan to work in my wood ash recipes to include - not that I think anyone will actually try them, but it will round out the collection. :)Leighhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02435811789823712254noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694364001063554832.post-68029662353593583902016-01-25T11:03:38.060-05:002016-01-25T11:03:38.060-05:00Leigh,
I've learned something new about ash. ...Leigh,<br /><br />I've learned something new about ash. Very interesting!Sandy Livesayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06183449816586125720noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694364001063554832.post-22972331476168534472016-01-23T18:35:47.757-05:002016-01-23T18:35:47.757-05:00Well that's interesting. Need to file this und...Well that's interesting. Need to file this under very useful information.<br />PioneerPreppyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09269878017447335944noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694364001063554832.post-59079187408751620882016-01-23T17:23:24.909-05:002016-01-23T17:23:24.909-05:00They say 'a day in the library can save a week...They say 'a day in the library can save a week in the lab,' but sometimes it works in reverse, too! I'm glad to see that, even if the texture is a bit different, there's no bitter or soapy flavor when you use straight ashes.<br /><br />Also, thanks for posting your bibliography; I'm also still curious about the chemistry of your ash water and the pearl ash.Jakehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05302653400986920552noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694364001063554832.post-20805976510970116462016-01-23T12:34:06.791-05:002016-01-23T12:34:06.791-05:00I also wanted to mention that I think the rise cou...I also wanted to mention that I think the rise could be improved with some experimentation. I just happened to get a result my first time around, but I'd like to see if I could do better by increasing the vinegar. Leighhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02435811789823712254noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694364001063554832.post-48840690635399073962016-01-23T11:39:47.445-05:002016-01-23T11:39:47.445-05:00Impressive experiment, and documentation. Definit...Impressive experiment, and documentation. Definitely "how to" book worthy. <br /><br />jewlzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13388035539612539051noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694364001063554832.post-67395492648824705232016-01-23T10:48:53.978-05:002016-01-23T10:48:53.978-05:00I always though of wood ash for soap too, until I ...I always though of wood ash for soap too, until I read that statement in Wikipedia. The lye from wood ash isn't as strong as the sodium hydroxide sold as drain cleaner and for hard soaps, but I believe it makes a good softer soap. Still, to be able to make these ourselves! Priceless!Leighhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02435811789823712254noreply@blogger.com