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Thread: How to make Potash (if you like corn, you better read)

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  1. #1
    Senior Member Lysander's Avatar

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    How to make Potash (if you like corn, you better read)

    Ok, so after talking with Mark in another thread, it dawned on me that there are probably no small number of folks here who have no idea how to prepare corn, much less other grains, for grinding.

    I covered how to "crack" corn out of it's husk in that thread, but I'll cover how to actually make potash here.

    Potash, essentially, is the first base that man discovered. It's what's left when you burn word and then soak the ashes in water. Welcome to the wonderful world of lye (also handy for soap making). Caveman to Chemistry covers this in depth.

    Here's the short and sweet of it:

    burn a big pile of wood to ashes. MAKE SURE THERE ARE NO PLASTICS OR OTHER CONTAINMENTS IN THIS WOOD OR YOU WILL DIE. Then scoop up the ashes and put them in a 5 gallon bucket of water. Eventually, the water soluable potassium and sodium salts will separate and the junk will float to the bottom. Pour this through a mesh strainer and use the limewater to crack corn kernels for grinding. You can also use the the lye for making your own soap and the ashes also make good fertilizer.

    Lye/limewater is a deadly poison and will kill you, your children, and your little dog too. Keep them out of it, dispose of it away from your sources of drinking water, and make sure nobody drinks it.
    Last edited by Lysander; 03-12-2011 at 03:59 PM.
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  2. #2
    romak10/63UF
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    very helpful thank you . A+ !

  3. #3
    Team GunsNet Bronze 07/2011

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    I think I'm missing something here. How do you use the limewater to process grains for grinding, when its a deadly poison?

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    Senior Member Lysander's Avatar

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    Quote Originally Posted by Dafapa View Post
    I think I'm missing something here. How do you use the limewater to process grains for grinding, when its a deadly poison?
    They won't absorb the lye, just the water. The lye weakens the husk enough to slough it off as the kernel absorbs the water. What makes lye so bad is that it is a base, think quicklime. If you drink it, the lye would literally destroy your esophagus.
    Last edited by Lysander; 03-13-2011 at 07:15 AM.
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    Senior Member Mark Ducati's Avatar

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    Lysander,

    Thanks for taking the time to explain what Potash is...

    But what's wrong with grinding the whole kernel even with the husk? Just a little extra fiber I would think? (Edit, just read your other post in my other thread... bitter taste, but is okay to consume right?)

    So if you soak dry corn kernels in the Potash water... soak 2-3 days, then rinse 2-3 times with fresh water each time, then how do you separate the husks from the portion of the kernel you want? Each one by hand? Or let dry then toss like chaffing wheat to the wind?

    I'm thinking that if you're making a meal or grain for grits/bread... you're probably only dealing with 8-10 cups of grains anyways, maybe hand cleaning won't take that long?
    Last edited by Mark Ducati; 03-12-2011 at 08:19 PM.

  6. #6
    Senior Member Lysander's Avatar

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    Quote Originally Posted by Mark Ducati View Post
    Lysander,

    Thanks for taking the time to explain what Potash is...

    But what's wrong with grinding the whole kernel even with the husk? Just a little extra fiber I would think? (Edit, just read your other post in my other thread... bitter taste, but is okay to consume right?)

    So if you soak dry corn kernels in the Potash water... soak 2-3 days, then rinse 2-3 times with fresh water each time, then how do you separate the husks from the portion of the kernel you want? Each one by hand? Or let dry then toss like chaffing wheat to the wind?

    I'm thinking that if you're making a meal or grain for grits/bread... you're probably only dealing with 8-10 cups of grains anyways, maybe hand cleaning won't take that long?

    Mark,

    It's a very, very bitter taste. Plus, this also rehydrate's the kernel and expands it to 2-4 times it's normal size. Also, the husk falls away from the kernel, so it's no big deal. This is for dried grain, btw, not straight off the cob. Think popcorn kernels.
    Because you suck. And I hate you.

    Proud member of GeorgiaCarry.org, Ohio CCW, and the Second Amendment Foundation. Ex-NRA member.

    "He that would make his own liberty secure must guard even his enemy from oppression." - Thomas Paine

    Brutus was a prophet.

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