Don’t throw out those husks!

If you have, say, two weeks free, try your hand at producing paper from the fiber in corn husks

Ever heard of making paper from corn husks? In a unique demonstration at last summer’s Midwest Old Threshers Reunion in Mt. Pleasant, Iowa, Steve Alt, West Liberty, Iowa, showed how it is done. To make corn husk paper, start by cutting off the portion of the husk next to the stalk and clean the remaining leaves. It takes about two plastic grocery bags full of husks to make roughly 50 sheets of paper measuring 5-3/4 by 8-3/4 inches. Next, break down the fiber in the husks by boiling them with a small amount of soda ash in a large pot for three hours. Remove the pot from heat and let the mixture cool overnight. The next day, rinse the husks thoroughly to remove all soda ash. Typically, a Hollander beater…

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Farm Collector (Digital) - 1 Issue, January 2022

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