With all of this talk of milk weed, it got me to thinking and remembering. When I was growing up, we used to go out and collect all of the pods we could find; which was a lot of fun, especially considering how sticky we got and how long we were allowed to stay out searching for these sticky surprises that would explode sometimes in our hands. Anyway, I digress. As I was saying, I was remembering that we would collect these pods and then we would dry the "fluff" if you will or "silks" in these wire mesh drying racks, once the fibers and seeds were dry then we would gather them up and then fill pillows and blankets or re stuff the saddles for the horses if they were in need of this treatment. They were surprisingly soft and comfortable. I even recall a time where we tried mixing the silk fibers with wool from the sheep, very interesting combination.
I find myself curious to know if anyone else has had this experience and if so, would you happen to know the boiling recipe for the pods so that they are not poisonous?
Thanks for the memories.
Rev. Alimae
