Recycle those wood ashes

[ORChick]

Nobody has mentioned using ashes in nixtalamizing corn for tortillas and hominy - http://www.motherearthnews.com/Real-Food/2004-04-01/Make-Masa-Nixtamalize-Your-Corn.aspx - you only want to use hardwood ashes for this, I have read. I tried this once, and the tortillas were tasty, but my technique still needs work
And I also fill a hole in the chicken run with ashes for "dust" bathing - under the coop to keep them dry.

 

[me&thegals]

We sprinkle it on the gardens for fertility and occasionally on the driveway when it is icy to melt the ice faster (dark drawing the sun's heat).

 

[dacjohns]

I'm pretty sure that ash from wood burning is basic. You can use ash to make lye and lye is a base, correct? If you add ash to soil that is basic you can make the soil more basic which may not be good for growing plants. If you add ash to soil that is acidic you can make it less acidic or more towards neutral. You should have an idea whether your soil is acidic or basic and what pH you need for your plants. I think limestone based soil is acidic so adding ash might help.

 

[Denim Deb]

Actually, limestone has a pH of around at least 7 or higher, which would make it either neutral or a base. Lye is also a base, so if you add ashes to a limestone soil, it will actually make it more basic.

 

[edjanuary39]

We just cleared a BUNCH of woods to put up fence. I have 3 gigantic piles to burn once we loose some of the wind and I was thinking of putting it in the compost, but is it a green or a brown? I have ostly wood shavings from chickens in my compost- which I just started, and yes I know its going to compost slowly because its not quite bablnced. But would the ashes make it worse or better? I have no idea what kind of soil I have, most of the trees we cut down were blackjack oak- I call it scrub oak. We live in a very rocky environment, but im not sure what kind of rocks we have- may be limestone- its very hard rock and bedrock is about a foot and half down- so building fence has been super fun. So maybe my driveway would be the best place for it?

 

[dacjohns]

Actually, limestone has a pH of around at least 7 or higher, which would make it either neutral or a base. Lye is also a base, so if you add ashes to a limestone soil, it will actually make it more basic.

Oops. Just failed basic chemistry.

 

[Gypsi]

I'm guessing alkaline, I have alkaline (aka basic) soil, so I'm putting my ashes on the gravel drive where I do NOT want anything to grow, but grass keeps infiltrating. And with our cold front, I generated quite a bit.

 

[Dawn419]

Our soil is very acidic so I use light spreadings of wood ash in the gardens, to help slowly raise the ph of the soil.

I also keep some ash saved back for the winter as we tend to get a lot of ice before our snows and use the ash for traction.

Use it for the chickens and guineas for dust bathing.

I'd like to try using the ashes to make lye soap, just not set up for that one yet...and to make hominy.

Here's some neat info on uses for wood ashes...Using Lye.

 

[moxies_chickennuggets]

Nobody has mentioned using ashes in nixtalamizing corn for tortillas and hominy - http://www.motherearthnews.com/Real-Food/2004-04-01/Make-Masa-Nixtamalize-Your-Corn.aspx - you only want to use hardwood ashes for this, I have read. I tried this once, and the tortillas were tasty, but my technique still needs work
And I also fill a hole in the chicken run with ashes for "dust" bathing - under the coop to keep them dry.

Yeah...dust bathing for the chickens. I am currently burning wood scraps with nails.....when I get done, they get sifted and the chickens will get them.

 

[okra]

We use our ashes in the veggie garden as our pH is quite low but reading through this topic we will spread some around weedy areas to kill weeds