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[Peter Bauer]

Hey there. Anyone have a concrete recipe for making nixtamal?

I want to use wood ash for making lye, not cal or slaked lime or calcium hydroxite. I want to use WOOD ASH! Anyone know how to do this?

How much wood ash? what kind? Do you just throw a hand full of it into a bowl or what?

[Willem]

dude. just throw in a tablespoon or such. don't act like a coward.

but don't put in too much or it will kill you.

[yarrow dreamer]

Wild Fermentation by Sandor Katz has one. It calls for 2 cups whole grain corn to 1/2 cup sifted wood ash, and some water. It says be sure to use only the ash of untreated real wood, not plywood, particle board, or other glued-wood products (duh), or pressure treated lumber. If you don't have the book I'll post the rest?

[yarrow dreamer]

whatcha planning to do with it, make chicha?

[WildeRix]

dude. just throw in a tablespoon or such. don't act like a coward.

but don't put in too much or it will kill you.

Ha ha.  Willem's comment reminds me of:

Han Solo: Now don't get jittery, Luke. There are a lot of command ships. Keep your distance, though, Chewie, but don't look like you're trying to keeping your distance.
[Chewie barks a question]
Han Solo: I don't know. Fly casual.

whatcha planning to do with it, make chicha?

Is that what you kids call it now-a-days?

[Peter Bauer]

hey yarrow, that's awesome! I had the book once, but lost it in a break-up. If you could post the whole recipe that would rock! Oh, I'm planning on making tortillas.

[yarrow dreamer]

Nixtamalized Corn
2 cups whole grain corn
water
1/2 cup wood ash

1. Soak the corn in water for 12 to 24 hours.

2. Strain and transfer the soaked corn to a pressure cooker or other large cooking pot.

3. Add about 8 cups/2 liters of water to the pot; add wood ash (only from real wood, no particleboard/plywood/glued-together products or pressure -treated lumber). I'ts important to sift the ash as large chunks are difficult to rinse out.

4. Bring mixture to a boil. Pressure cook about an hour, or boil for about 3 hours, stirring periodically.

5. To test for doneness, rub a kernel of corn between your fingers to see if the skin is loose. If so, remove from heat; if not, continue cooking.

6. Rinse the corn, kneading and rubbing it to loosen and remove skins. Rinse until the water is clear.

7. Cook with the whole posole; it's great in chili, polenta, soups, and stews; grind it into a dough for tortillas or tamales; or ferment it as follows (Gv-No-He-Nv, Cherokee Sour Corn Drink), or as Chicha, an Andean chewed-corn beer.

Chicha sounds kinda fun. A bunch of people sit around and chew up gobs of the corn so their saliva starts breaking it down into sugars (like when you sprout barley to malt it for beer), then you make beer with it. You can do a little at a time and dry it as you go until you have enough. The merging of the spit. . . seems sort of magic, everyone is part of the brew.

[yarrow dreamer]

er, everyone contributes to the brew? everyone intermingles in the brew? e-prime blowout.

[Peter Bauer]

Hurray! Thank you Yarrow, this helps a lot!

[yarrow dreamer]

yeh, yeh, good luck with the tortillas!

will you grind it on the sidewalk, or did you find some kind of metate? as a kid, i made acorn pancakes on the water meter grate by the curb. blechh! tasted terrible, i didn't know about the soaking thing. . .