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Herbal Wisdom:  Soapwort Questions  |
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Sunflower64
True Blue Farmgirl
173 Posts
Janie
Canton
Ohio
USA
173 Posts |
 Posted - Mar 29 2011 : 05:50:01 AM
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Anyone grown it and used it for making soap? Love to hear how it went for you and if you like it etc.
Thank you in advance!
Janie
"The country way of life is the closest thing to heaven" |
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SylviaE
True Blue Farmgirl
350 Posts
Sylvia
Wichita
KS
USA
350 Posts |
Posted - Mar 29 2011 : 06:12:41 AM
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Is soapwort anything like soap berries? We have them that grow wild here, and my daughter uses soap berries (she calls them soap nuts) for all of her laundry-cloth diapers and all.)
Sylvia E
Farmgirl Sister #2871 |
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Miss Bee Haven
True Blue Farmgirl
4331 Posts
Janice
Louisville/Irvington
Kentucky
USA
4331 Posts |
Posted - Mar 29 2011 : 06:37:02 AM
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H, Janie. :) Years ago, I used to collect antique dolls. I washed their old, delicate dresses and other delicate fabric in a soapwort solution. I used the following recipe:
Soapwort(Bouncing Bet) Water:
4 oz. Soapwort root, in chunks(altho I have used stems and leaves, too)
2 1/2 pts. water
1. Soak soapwort in water overnight
2. Next day, gently boil the water for 15 min. then drain the mixture, reserving the water.
3. Pour 16 fl.oz. of water on the fresh cooked soapwort and boil again for another 5 min.
4. Filter the two liquids separately, then mix together. Simply stir the water to make it foam.
I used a commercial size(large) pickle jar and put the clothes in there and just swirled it all around and let it soak for awhile, too. I loved the way it worked. To me, it even seemed to make the fabric stronger. I had also used Woolite for doll clothes, but I liked the soapwort much better. I've been trying to get a good 'patch' going at our farm for the past couple of years so I can start using it again.
Farmgirl Sister #50
"If you think you've got it nailed down, then what's all that around it?"
'Br.Dave Gardner' |
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Sunflower64
True Blue Farmgirl
173 Posts
Janie
Canton
Ohio
USA
173 Posts |
Posted - Mar 29 2011 : 10:35:34 AM
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Sylvia~I don't know...I have heard of soap nuts and would love to try them...do you know Janice?
Janice~Is it hard to grow? I think I want to start a patch in my herb garden this year...gotta find seeds if you think it's worth a try??
Thanks girls!
Janie
"The country way of life is the closest thing to heaven" |
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Miss Bee Haven
True Blue Farmgirl
4331 Posts
Janice
Louisville/Irvington
Kentucky
USA
4331 Posts |
Posted - Mar 29 2011 : 2:34:06 PM
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No, Janie. It's not really hard to grow. It grows wild here in KY and our climate is pretty similar to yours. Once you do get it established, it can spread nicely. It doesn't root deeply, but the roots spread themselves out and send up new shoots all along the rootline. Some people confuse this type of soapwort with another kind that's more of a ground cover. Bouncing Bet grows about a foot above ground(gets sort of floppy sometimes) and has a white bloom that resembles a phlox bloom. Since it's a wildflower, it doesn't like being dug up and moved so much. I've seen it near railroad tracks a lot in the past. Check the internet and see if it's a wildflower that is indigenous to your area(I'm not advocating digging up wild tings, mind you, but I think I originally dug my clump from the side of a railroad track in the city). I'd send you some, but I don't think it would live to get there.
Farmgirl Sister #50
"If you think you've got it nailed down, then what's all that around it?"
'Br.Dave Gardner' |
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Sunflower64
True Blue Farmgirl
173 Posts
Janie
Canton
Ohio
USA
173 Posts |
Posted - Mar 30 2011 : 06:40:41 AM
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Janice,
I'll search on the net and see what I find, thank you for the advice. I think I'll make room for it in the herb garden this year and see what happens!
Janie
"The country way of life is the closest thing to heaven" |
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Miss Bee Haven
True Blue Farmgirl
4331 Posts
Janice
Louisville/Irvington
Kentucky
USA
4331 Posts |
Posted - Mar 30 2011 : 07:32:45 AM
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Good luck with it, Janie. I know my friends and my dh think I'm some kind of a nut about it. I've dug it up and carried it with me everywhere I've moved since that first little clump from the side of that waste place near the railroad. Like some old pioneer woman clutching her prized possession as the wagons rolled west! LOL! I think if I've got some Bouncing Bet and my long handled iced tea spoons, I'm ok, any where I go! :)
Farmgirl Sister #50
"If you think you've got it nailed down, then what's all that around it?"
'Br.Dave Gardner' |
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Sunflower64
True Blue Farmgirl
173 Posts
Janie
Canton
Ohio
USA
173 Posts |
Posted - Apr 01 2011 : 04:53:40 AM
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Thanks Janice, they guys think we are nuts about most everything, and the older I get, frankly darling I don't give a bleep!! They know we are right 90% of the time they just hate it we're that smart...haha. What's the long handled iced tea spoons about, I gotta know : )
I'm that way about my gardening clock I found at a garage sale...it's really old and has the moon phases and all the gardening phases etc and I'm totally in love with it...it would be the second thing I grab (my cat Baby first) then I'll look around for the dh...no seriously...(laughing).
Janie
~Janie~
"The country way of life is the closest thing to heaven"
www.kitchenweekendwarrior.blogspot.com |
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Sunflower64
True Blue Farmgirl
173 Posts
Janie
Canton
Ohio
USA
173 Posts |
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Miss Bee Haven
True Blue Farmgirl
4331 Posts
Janice
Louisville/Irvington
Kentucky
USA
4331 Posts |
Posted - Apr 01 2011 : 06:16:49 AM
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The long handled iced tea spoon thing...HAHA! Well, it's hard to find them any more. I don't think anybody uses them or something(think fast food places with giant plastic cups and long straws for their 'iced tea'), b/c I can't find any new ones and I haunt thrift stores rooting through bins of old knives, forks, spoons, etc. and snatch up everyone I find. My girl friends and I feel like such 'ladies' when we can sip iced tea in actual glasses with our long handled spoons! LOL! This past winter, I found the perfect thing to keep them in. When I found it in an antique mall, I thought it was a 'spooner', just a very tall one. When I showed it to a friend, she said that it is a 'celery vase'(What? celery used to be served in a vase?). It's early american pattern glass and is very pretty. And I don't like celery, so the spoons stand up in there instead. :)
And about the guy thing...no, my poor dh doesn't know a flower from a weed...or what I consider a flower(some of the wild things might be considered weeds by some). So the poor man is constantly asking me before he weed eats anything. Takes a long time to clear a fencerow. :)
Farmgirl Sister #50
"If you think you've got it nailed down, then what's all that around it?"
'Br.Dave Gardner' |
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SylviaE
True Blue Farmgirl
350 Posts
Sylvia
Wichita
KS
USA
350 Posts |
Posted - Apr 01 2011 : 10:21:27 AM
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The soap nuts(berries) that I have used come from a tree that grows wild around here. Medium size tree with clumps of the berries that come out in the summer. the berries dry out on the branch and are easily harvested in the fall.
Sylvia E
Farmgirl Sister #2871 |
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Sunflower64
True Blue Farmgirl
173 Posts
Janie
Canton
Ohio
USA
173 Posts |
Posted - Apr 02 2011 : 12:45:18 AM
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Sylvia,
What is the tree called? Very interesting! Love to barter for some if you have them to spare. I'm going to google and see if I can find out more out the soapnuts. Thank you so much!
~Janie~
"The country way of life is the closest thing to heaven"
www.kitchenweekendwarrior.blogspot.com |
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nubidane
True Blue Farmgirl
2864 Posts
Lisa
Georgetown
OH
2864 Posts |
Posted - Apr 02 2011 : 06:44:42 AM
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Hey Janice!
I have soapwort & in cleaning out my beds yesterday discovered that mulching them with last years 15 ft high weeds does wonders. The stuff has already spread to kingdom come.
& I have long handled iced tea spoons too (of course they were my Granny's), but I think I would have to add Miss Wilma's bed pillows to my "must take" list! |
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adnama
True Blue Farmgirl
171 Posts
inge
fargo
north dakota
USA
171 Posts |
Posted - Apr 06 2011 : 6:26:09 PM
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| Oh ladies I think I have the market cornered on those long handled spoons, sorry, I have been collecting them for years, just cause I could. Those and little pickle/olive forks, and seafood forks and... |
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nubidane
True Blue Farmgirl
2864 Posts
Lisa
Georgetown
OH
2864 Posts |
Posted - Apr 06 2011 : 6:57:30 PM
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Inge
I know where you live, so keep your spoons hidden (just kidding)..
But kidding aside, hubby is obsessed with North Dakota! Right now he is on the computer watching a press conference with the Dakota Fighting Sioux college hockey team. We will be watching the Frozen Four all weekend.
We hope to vaca there sometime in the next 5 yrs. We both love cold! |
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SylviaE
True Blue Farmgirl
350 Posts
Sylvia
Wichita
KS
USA
350 Posts |
Posted - Apr 06 2011 : 7:10:30 PM
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Janie
My husband says it is called a soap berry tree. I am not sure we have any laying around but I could get you some this weekend. With the soap berry you have to remove the seed, but I have read where the seed can be used for jewelry. I just noticed that you are the one planning the 50th birthday trip on the motorcycle!
Sylvia E
Farmgirl Sister #2871 |
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Sunflower64
True Blue Farmgirl
173 Posts
Janie
Canton
Ohio
USA
173 Posts |
Posted - Apr 08 2011 : 04:09:29 AM
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Hey Sylvia,
Thank you : ) I've been researching this soap nut tree thing...love to have just enough to try a load or two, what can I send you in return? Must have interesting seeds to use for jewelry?
Yes! The year of my 50th I want to do Route 66 by motorcycle, California back to Ohio, so bikes will need to be shipped (nervous about that). Doesn't that sound awesome??? Do you ride?
~Janie~
"The country way of life is the closest thing to heaven"
www.kitchenweekendwarrior.blogspot.com
www.etsy.com/shop/redzingerfan |
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SylviaE
True Blue Farmgirl
350 Posts
Sylvia
Wichita
KS
USA
350 Posts |
Posted - Apr 08 2011 : 06:53:42 AM
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I will get together a package of soap nuts for you this weekend. I dont really care what you send me, maybe just surprise me:) if you feel the need to send anything.
I prefer to be the passenger/navigator on our Harley. I do have my license but not the confidence to ride by myself. We talk about getting me an ugly bike to practice on because my husband doesnt want me to damage either one of our two Harleys. We might want to meet you on Route 66 across Oklahoma when you make your cross country ride.
Send me your address via email so I can get these mailed to you.
Sylvia E
Farmgirl Sister #2871 |
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Sunflower64
True Blue Farmgirl
173 Posts
Janie
Canton
Ohio
USA
173 Posts |
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SylviaE
True Blue Farmgirl
350 Posts
Sylvia
Wichita
KS
USA
350 Posts |
Posted - Apr 22 2011 : 7:07:33 PM
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Hey Janie, sorry it took so long to get back to you, but Iwent out of town for work this week and just got back to the computer. Unfortunately, all the soapberries I have and all that I can find on trees are very dried out and hard. I am trying to rehydrate some so that I can get the seed out, but I am not sure they are going to work. I will be happy to send you some of the dried out ones to play with, or we can wait until fall and get fresh ones. You tell me.
Sylvia E
Farmgirl Sister #2871 |
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Herbal Wisdom: Soapwort Questions |
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Soapwort Questions
