Homemade Lye Soap

Trew: Homemade remedies got the job done

In days of old, long before the many sprays, powders and pills of modern-day agriculture, old-timers used what was at hand to combat cut worms, borers, beetles, termites, mites and ticks. Here are a few remedies I have encountered:

The milky-white effluent left over after making acetylene gas, (think early gas lights and welders) from carbide worked great for pouring around the bases of fruit trees to keep the ground-crawling creepies from entering the bark. Both the slight odor and slick hard surface acted as a deterrent to most bugs.

Another remedy that was economical and efficient was to take a small square of home-made lye soap, drill a small hole through the middle and nail it on the tree. The rains and dews melted the soap and coated the tree trunk below with just enough gunk to keep the insects away.

Most old-timers remember helping with the laundryand seeing a bright blue dye added to a tub of water to "make white clothes whiter." I still don't understand how this works though I helped my mother many times.

The old expression of "lit a shuck out of here" came from the time before lanterns and flashlights when someone went to visit a neighbor at night. To help light the way they made a torch of corn shucks and held it aloft to provide light.

When old-timers, especially cowboys said, "I love bear sign," really means he loves doughnuts. The term originated because bear poop often resembles doughnuts. Chuck wagon and other cooks often made doughnuts using sour-dough batter and adding sugar, cinnamon and maybe raisins.

Here are a few old sayings that are good advice still today: "A bargain is a transaction in which each party thinks he has out-traded the other." "Everybody gives pleasure at some time. Some by arriving and some by leaving."

"Never ask a barber if you need a haircut." "A clear conscience is often the sign of a poor memory." Advice to the married: "Sometimes it pays to be a little deaf." "No husband has ever been shot while doing the dishes." "If love is blind, why is lingerie so popular." "Nightshirts are usually a waste of time." "Never question your wife's judgement. Look who she married."

"Raising teenagers is like nailing Jello to a tree." "When troubles occur, take it like a man. Blame it on your wife." "By the time I finally found time to have a mid-life crisis, I didn't have the energy and had lost the directions."

Delbert Trew is a freelance writer and retired rancher. He can be reached at 806-779-3164, by mail at Box A, Alanreed, Texas 79002, or by email at trewblue@ centramedia.net. For books see delberttrew.com. His column appears weekly.

Making Soap From Wood-Ash Lye | Submit Links

The key to staying clean is using soap. Soap helps break the chemical bonds of dirt and stains to fabric and other items. It also helps to kills germs, including dangerous bacteria, which serves to keep us healthier. However, when you’re living amongst the trees, miles from any town or store, soap is difficult to come by. And even if you live down the street from a store and have access to soap, you may wish to make your own, for the experience and to save a little money.

A story I read says that the ancients noticed that when washing their clothes in the river, the clothes usually got cleaner after a rain. So, initially it was thought that rain water helped clean the clothes. However, later it was realized that this cleaner process only occurred in the river downhill from the area where animals were sacrificed as burned offerings. Now, whether this story is factual or not, it describes the three very basic ingredients of soap: 1) Water (rain water is preferred); 2) Fat (any animal or plant fat); and 3) Lye (homemade or commercial).

There is a difference between homemade, or original lye, and commercial lye. Homemade lye  is Potassium Hydroxide and can be made rather simply at home from wood ashes Potassium Hydroxide makes a softer soap, so the fat or oils used will need to be beef tallow (beef fat) or even lard (pig fat). You can use other fats, but the finished product will be much softer.