Our treasured Hackberry Trees

On our farm, we have many hackberry trees (Celtis occidentalis). They are a member of the elm tree family, but seem resistant to the diseases that often trouble elm trees. Furthermore, they are drought tolerant and not bothered by the high winds that we tend to get. In the fall, the small fruits turn to a deep purple color and they are popular with winter birds, especially the cedar waxwing, mockingbird and robin. The tree also attracts many butterfly species including American snout, hackberry, mourning cloak, and tawny emperor. These small fruits are also popular with me. I love to snack on them while doing chores. But be careful not to bite on them too vigorously – you might chip a tooth. Behind their peel is a wonderfully fruity tasting tiny layer of fruit flesh before your teeth hit the very hard seed. But what an explosion of taste you experience!

Homemade laundry detergent using Soapberries

Western Soapberry Tree- Sapindus saponaria var. drummondii

We are so lucky to have an abundance of the Western Soapberry trees on our property. I have admired the beautiful translucent  berries for many years. It wasn't until I met Jackie Dill on one of her wildcrafting excursions in Coyle, Oklahoma, that I learned these berries can be used as laundry detergent soap. Through more research I found out that Native Americans and pioneers used the soap berries. To this day, they are still used in Mexico.

Jackie Dill's recipe was to either use 6 berries in a laundry bag in your washer or to boil 40 berries in 6 cups of water to make a liquid soap. The liquid soap needs to be used within a week or so otherwise it will go bad. If you decide to boil the berries, it is easy to get the black seeds out and they can be used as beads. I used the beads to make earrings and necklaces.

If you use the berries as soap or shampoo, please be sure to test them first because they can be an irritant to some people with sensitive skin. Also, the berries are poisonous to humans- so don't eat them! My goats, however, love to eat them whenever they find them.

What we love about the laundry soap is that it is perfect for the zero-waste lifestyle enthusiast.