Paper Making With Scottish Broom

road to Sweethaven being used to dry broom

lots of cutting and stripping branches

 fibrous material packed in a gallon jar

add the baking soda 1/4 cup

passive solar cooking on the garden bench after adding water

Photos to be continued through ths process. Keep checking for new posts.

Scottish Broom is everywhere here and there is no beating it into submission.
But there is the possibility of using it's tough fibrous qualities for purposes other than incineration.

The first project is paper making.

Equipment
garden gloves
safety glasses
paper face mask (to keep dust and debris from being inhaled)
garden sheers
3 large food grade buckets
large pots
stove
large spoons (wooden are best)
water source like a garden hose, rain barrel, sink or river
soda ash, salt ,caustic soda or weeks of soaking
large glass jar
deck or table
deckle
absorbant cloth
drying rack




1. Cut down a medium size to tall plant. Rinse it to help deal with the dust and any debris.
2. Cut the smallest branches and strip them from the bottom up using your gloved hand.
3. Save the longer, thicker branches to make fleece with . Tie them in bundles of six soak the in water with soda ash or caustic soda for a few days. Instructions later.
4. Put branches, leaves, salt or soda ash for papermaking in a large glass jar for a a passive solar cooking. Leave them in the sun for a few days to soften. Or use your stove top and a large pot. Keep simmering until they start to soften. Ventilation should be adequate because of the oils in the broom. Many people are sensitive to it. Let the soaked plant material cool.
5.Rinse well. 
6. Snip the cooled plant material in 1/2 inch pieces and simmer for about two hours
7. Throw the mess in the blender and blend into a paper slurry using water. It can be combined with
khadi papers, junk mail or other papers as an option.
8. Use your slurry as with any other you work with.