HOMEMADE SOAP!

Well today we are going over and get a growth off of grandpa's tongue. I really don't think it is much to worry about, but the dentist sent him to a specialist and today is the day. I'll let you know how it turns out.

Well, since I told you that I would let you know how laundry soap was made years ago, I will try to explain. On butchering day, they would take the fat and render it and get lots and lots of grease. This grease was turned into laundry soap.

The kind that seemed to stick in my mind was the no cook variety. My mother would take the grease and add lye to it and stir it up for a given period of time. I think she added borax and water but don't know what else.

Then this potion would be let set for awhile (a week or so). The top of it would be white soap and the bottom would be kinda brown juice. The brown juice would be thrown away and the white part would be cut into bars and set out to dry. When dried, the soap would be added to the hot water that was taken from a copper oval container or boiler (size-2 ft X 1 1/2 ft X 1 1/2 ft) and it would be our laundry soap.

Believe me, it was really a good soap and got the clothes gleaming white. In those days, everyone put out their clothes on the line outside and prided themselves in their white clothes. My husband's mother was one that the neighborhood always said had the whitest clothes they had ever seen. She used homemade soap. I do remember sometimes they made another variety and it was cooked. I believe this kind was made very close to the butchering day and it was made in large black kettles. This soap was usually more brownish in color. I'm sure lye was used in this soap, also. Oh my, am I glad we can go to the grocery store and purchase our laundry soap, without going through all of this. I will tell you more about wash day at another time. It was an all day process!!!!

Words of wisdom for the day "Those who let God provide will always be satisfied".