American Agriculturist, January 26, 1924 
I Learn to Make Soap 
Aunt Charlotte Shows How to Use Cracklings 
“HTHROUGH at last” I sighed aloud, 
A vigorously shaking the last of the 
lard cracklings on the heaped up bucket, 
and in doing so spilling about half of them 
on the floor. I slammed the pan down on 
the stove and began viciously to pick up 
the offending bits. 
“What are you going to do with all 
those cracklings, child?” questioned Aunt 
Charlotte. 
“Throw them and about seventy-five 
other buckets full of meat scraps into the 
creek,” I asserted. 
“Why, child alive!” ejaculated Aunt 
Charlotte, in horror. “Waste all that 
precious fat! Why don't you make soap 
out of it?” 
“How can I?” I asked, “when I don’t 
know how?” 
“Well, I will show you how to make all 
three kinds, hard and soft soap and hard- 
boiled soap. You have enough meat fat 
and scraps to make all the soap you need 
till next butchering time. Lucky I came 
along. Now, you just sit down and rest 
till I go home and get some lye,” she 
ordered. 
I was glad enough to obey her com¬ 
mands, and sat down thankfully in my 
little sewing-rocker. “If she helps me 
make soap that will do,” I thought, 
“those precious dollars saved will help 
me to get all sorts of things.” While I 
was thinking of what we needed and 
wanted. Aunt Charlotte tripped into the 
kitchen. 
“Now,” she said, “tell me where I 
can find things, for you look tired 
enough, child, and I can fix the soap. 
First of all I want some iron or stone 
jars to mix the soap in.” 
I brought her several stone jars and my 
good aluminum kettle. 
Use Even the Bits on Bones 
“You must never use aluminum,” she 
protested, “but the jars are all right. 
Now where are your meat scraps? 
Every bit can be used; even the pieces 
having bones in them are all right for the 
boiled soap, which we will make tomor¬ 
row. Now we weigh out about ten pounds 
of scraps and let them melt. Here, we 
will put them on in this kettle,” and she 
placed the kettle full of scraps on the fire. 
“Now while they are heating I will empty 
can of lye into this jar and dissolve it in a 
two and a half pints of cold water. You 
must be careful to get it well dissolved.” 
“I see,” I answered. “And the grease 
has melted.” 
Aunt Charlotte lifted the kettle from 
the stove and poured the contents into 
another jar, then lifting up the jar in 
which she had dissolved the lye she 
slowly began pouring it into the grease. 
She kept stirring with an even slow 
motion all the while. 
“Never pour in the lye fast or stir 
hard,” she cautioned, “for if you do it is 
liable to separate the two things.” 
“How long must you stir it?” I asked. 
“About ten minutes is the usual length 
of time,” she replied, “but sometimes it 
takes longer, and you can tell best about 
how thick it gets. It should be stirred 
until it gets syrupy, a little thicker than 
molasses. While I am stirring, you put 
the waxed paper into those boxes, which 
we will use for molds. The paper keeps 
tlie soap from sticking and if you have 
unbroken bars they look nicer.” 
By the time I had the paper fitted into 
the boxes she had brought, Aunt Char¬ 
lotte pronounced the soap ready, and she 
poured it into the boxes. 
Don’t Move the Soap for Several Days 
“Now we will cover the boxes with an 
old blanket and take them into the wood¬ 
shed. Let them set two or three days and 
then cut the soap into bars. You can do 
that, can't you?” 
I nodded. “Mother used to make good 
soap, but I never could.” 
Aunt Charlotte smiled. “Well, you 
will after this, I know. And if you want 
to make nicer soap you can add some 
kind of toilet water, or some perfume, and 
with less lye you can make good toilet 
soap. Well, you have lots more meat 
scraps to fix and we’ll get busy. I like 
best just to make a little at a time, and 
then if it doesn’t come out well you won’t 
have so much bad soap.” 
“Will this be hard soap?” I inquired. 
“Yes,” replied Aunt Charlotte, “and 
and we will mix up some stuff for hard- 
boiled soap and soft soap to make 
tomorrow. You see you can’t make them 
the same day. The hard-boiled soap is 
made much like the hard soap that isn’t 
boiled. Here we will put on ten pounds of 
the fat to melt, and while that is melting 
I’ll stir up a can of lye with two and a half 
pints of water.” 
“The grease has melted,” I announced 
a short time later. 
“All right, bring it here and we will mix 
it together, just as we did the other time.” 
Aunt Charlotte stirred for a time. 
“Now it is all right,” she said, “and we 
will cover it up and set it in a warm place 
till morning. Then we will cut this up 
into bits and add seven pints of water 
and put on the fire and heat very slowly. 
When all this is thoroughly dissolved the 
fire can be made hotter, and it should be 
cooked until it is about as thick as gravy. 
Soft Soap Needs Good Fat 
“Stir it now and then to keep it from 
sticking. When you have cooked it long 
enough, put. it into something in which it 
can stand for several days, then cut it 
into bars. After that, take it from the 
boxes or kettles and lay out in a cool room 
for two or three weeks before using.” 
“Is the soap better than that which 
isn't boiled?” I asked. 
“I like it about the same, but some 
think it is better,” explained Aunt Char¬ 
lotte,” and maybe the lye in it doesn’t 
seem so strong. Now for the soft soap we 
will take three pounds of this rancid lard, 
and I will mix with it three pounds of 
rosin that I brought. Now pour in that 
can of lye and two points of water, but 
put it in slowly and I will stir. One ought 
to stir it about ten minutes, and just 
scraps won’t do for this kind of soap. 
You watch the clock,” she commanded. 
“Time’s up,” I shouted. 
“Now we will let this stand till tomor¬ 
row morning, too, and then we will add 
two pints of water and heat very gently. 
I always let mine simmer, stirring every' 
now and then till it is real thick; then I 
pour it into molds and cut it when it 
starts to harden.” 
The next day Aunt Charlotte came over 
early and before night I had rows and 
rows of the nicest looking soap, and it was 
good too!— Lena C. Ahlers. 
BERMUDA SANDWICHES 
1 cup meal 
1 tablespoon bacon grease 
1 teaspoon molasses 
Pinch of salt and enough boiling water 
to make the meal easy to handle. 
Shape with the hands into thin round 
cakes and cook in an iron skillet until 
brown and crispy. Split, butter lightly 
and insert a slice of sweet onion that has 
been salted. Crisp lettuce and bacon 
may also be added. Serve with greens 
or any kind of beans.—II. H. Harris. 
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T a home bureau meeting in Canton 
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