PaperMaking from Plants:
Arugula

I love arugula, planted some two years ago and it "ran away", crossing the driveway, entering the garden from its other spot, growing now, green and sharply delicious in third place, a crack in the driveway around the carport rail.

I gathered the weathered stalks on which its yellow flowers bloomed; cooked them in soda ash for 4 hours. Rinsed and blendered some. Alone, the paper was hard to couch so I left it to dry on a screen, very dense, goldenbrown.

Mixed with 40% cotton it is incredibly easy to manipulate (couch) though very slow draining.

I have some in the Critter, but like teasel, I couldn't get it to circulate and added about 5% abaca and 3% cotton linters and will turn it back on sometime later this week.

In the next image posted the darkest is the 100% arugula, the other two sheets are the 60-40, both air dried. One was made with a sugeta and one was formed on deckle-less mould.

So much value in my pruning and trimmings! I'm following Gin's example (plant documenter extraordinare, access her journal here)Thanks to Gin and the papermaking list folks for reawakening me to the possibilities right outside my door.

Pulp on, people!

PaperMaking from Plants: Arugula

PaperMaking from Plants:
Arugula