Bret Hinsch on mon 28 may 01
Chemical composition of two herb plants of the same species can probably
vary considerably, depending on where they are grown (each plant leaches up
local chemicals in the soil) and what part of the plant you are using. So
the experiences of people in other places are probably of limited value -
you should just try your local mint and see what happens.
But it seems to me that there's no need to burn up your perfectly good mint
- weeds would probably work just as well. Save your mint for iced tea and
experiment with crabgrass instead.
Bret in Taipei
>From: Stephani Stephenson
>Reply-To: mudmistress@earthlink.net
>To: CLAYART@LSV.CERAMICS.ORG
>Subject: Herb ash
>Date: Mon, 28 May 2001 09:19:02 -0700
>
>Does anyone on list use ash from plants and herbs,( as opposed to
>wood), in glazing or saggar firing?
>I was making a pot of mint tea today , remembering that some herbs,
>particularly
>nettles and horsetail (equisetum) have especially high silica content.
>many common herbs such as nettle and even alfalfa, have very
>high concentrations of minerals and would seem to be good glaze
>additives .
>so I am wondering if some of the ash glaze and saggar fire enthusiasts
>have favorite herbs....
>
>(I can hear it now, "And today mademoiselle, we feature a fragrant
>tarragon based sangre de bouef.
>and of course our staple, the honey luster with mustard.".)
>
>At one time I pulled some grass and plants from the ground and laid them
>whole on plates in a woodfire kiln. the dirt turned to a brown to
>gunmetal glaze and the latticework skeleton of roots hardened and
>remained intact even at stoneware temps. The outline of the plant was
>delineated on the plate. It was a fun experiment, though I never took it
>much further.
>
>Of course, I have to chuckle as I sit here contemplating what lovely
>things might arise friom burning up lovely little plants. That's what I
>get from making tea in one of Dannon's teapots! Well, you are all
>potters! you understand!
>
>Stephani Stephenson
>Leucadia CA
>getting ready for a good size
>"pride of potters" (sounds better than gang of..)
>to flock in for the tile workshop this weekend.
>expect coastal marine cloud layer , but it is fresh and fragrant.
>
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Stephani Stephenson on mon 28 may 01
Does anyone on list use ash from plants and herbs,( as opposed to
wood), in glazing or saggar firing?
I was making a pot of mint tea today , remembering that some herbs,
particularly
nettles and horsetail (equisetum) have especially high silica content.
many common herbs such as nettle and even alfalfa, have very
high concentrations of minerals and would seem to be good glaze
additives .
so I am wondering if some of the ash glaze and saggar fire enthusiasts
have favorite herbs....
(I can hear it now, "And today mademoiselle, we feature a fragrant
tarragon based sangre de bouef.
and of course our staple, the honey luster with mustard.".)
At one time I pulled some grass and plants from the ground and laid them
whole on plates in a woodfire kiln. the dirt turned to a brown to
gunmetal glaze and the latticework skeleton of roots hardened and
remained intact even at stoneware temps. The outline of the plant was
delineated on the plate. It was a fun experiment, though I never took it
much further.
Of course, I have to chuckle as I sit here contemplating what lovely
things might arise friom burning up lovely little plants. That's what I
get from making tea in one of Dannon's teapots! Well, you are all
potters! you understand!
Stephani Stephenson
Leucadia CA
getting ready for a good size
"pride of potters" (sounds better than gang of..)
to flock in for the tile workshop this weekend.
expect coastal marine cloud layer , but it is fresh and fragrant.
Stephani Stephenson on tue 29 may 01
Bret wrote
Chemical composition of two herb plants of the same species can probably
vary considerably, depending on where they are grown (each plant
leaches up
local chemicals in the soil) and what part of the plant you are using.
So
the experiences of people in other places are probably of limited value
-
you should just try your local mint and see what happens.
But it seems to me that there's no need to burn up your perfectly good
mint
- weeds would probably work just as well. Save your mint for iced tea
and
experiment with crabgrass instead.
Bret in Taipei
Hi Bret
Don't fret, I am not thinking of burning my mint!. (though of course I
could always burn it AFTER I make the tea, therebye having BOTH my tea
and ash! :) )Drinking the mint tea started me thinking about herbs in
general. Often times common herbs ARE in fact, seen as 'weeds' and grow
in abundance.( I was thinking about a stand of 5 - 6 foot tall nettles
that use to grow in a pasture down by the river. )
Often times herbs grow in rocky or sandy soil which is very poor in
organic material but rich in mineral content .
herbs and plants growing in poor soil such as desert plants often have
high concentrations of oils and minerals.
Herb ash will OF COURSE vary by location, type of soil, and by time of
year and type of plant,just like wood ash.
Also , plants SPECIES do vary with regard to concentrations/types of
minerals they extract from the soil.
I am not looking for a consistent commodity, just musing about
alternatives and wondering if some potters use on a regular basis. So
many glaze recipes call for wood ash, just curious if potters make use
of other botanical sources , aside from the typical use of leaves,
straw or pine needles in the raku reduction chamber.
It is simple curiosity on my part, but just wondered if or how that
knowledge is utilized in our craft.
regards
Stephani
Leucadia , CA
iandol on wed 30 may 01
Dear Stephani Stephenson,=20
I think you will find that all botanical materials can make a =
contribution to a glaze when burned or calcined. Whether culinary herbs =
offer anything special will depend on their natural history. I think you =
will find that plant ashes share the following elements in common and =
they will be present in ash as oxides or carbonates; Phosphorus, =
Calcium, Potassium, Sodium. Some plants have selective use for other =
elements. I believe Silica has been mentioned. Almonds tend to =
accumulate Selenium. Sugar beet incorporates Magnesium. Many green =
vegetables furnish Iron.
Considering that it takes about a hundred pounds of dried vegetable =
matter to make a pound of ash, you may well be looking at rather small =
test samples but the effort may be worth while. If you live in France =
where they make Lavender Oil, then you might have access to a good =
supply of raw material. If you live hear the coast and there are salt =
marshes, Glasswort would supply good amounts of Soda. In South Australia =
it would be possible to use Horehound which is a noxious pest covering =
great acreages.=20
I hope you have a lot of fun with your investigation.
Best regards,
Ivor Lewis. Redhill, South Australia
Best regards,
Norman van der Sluys on wed 30 may 01
According to Richard L.Wilson in Inside Japanese Ceramics; Weatherhill, New York,
1995, Rice straw was regularly used by Japanese potters as a source of silica.
Stephani Stephenson wrote:
> I am not looking for a consistent commodity, just musing about
> alternatives and wondering if some potters use on a regular basis. So
> many glaze recipes call for wood ash, just curious if potters make use
> of other botanical sources , aside from the typical use of leaves,
> straw or pine needles in the raku reduction chamber.
> It is simple curiosity on my part, but just wondered if or how that
> knowledge is utilized in our craft.
>
--
Norman van der Sluys
by the shore of Lake Michigan
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