Nice heavy-duty pressure cooker

Cedar bark basket weavers need not cook the sap out of the bark as part of their preparation of their materials.  Those who are Chilkat weavers need to cook the sap out of the cedar bark before spinning the bark and wool to make their Chilkat warp.   In the olden days, a large pot full of water filled with cedar bark strips was placed on a fire outside.  The water boiled for an hour or two, then dumped and clean water added and brought to a boil.  This procedure continued for a week until there was not a whole lot of sap mixed with the water.  This is a long procedure; I did it this way for several years until (the late) Agnes Bellinger, daughter to my weaving teacher (the late) Jennie Thlunaut, taught me how to do it the modern method:

1)  With a paper towel, rub the interior and the lid of a large pressure cooker with vegetable oil; 2) Fill the pressure cooker with 2/3 water; 3) Add just enough cedar bark strips to fit into the pot comfortably – do not stuff the pot full; 4) Cover, bring pot to a boil – let boil at 10 pounds pressure for at least one hour, at the most two hours; 5) Release steam; 6) Open lid, let cool down up to an hour; 7)  Find a place outdoors where you do not mind sap water being dumped.  Do Not dump sap water on your lawn, in a flower bed or where trees (other than cedar) are growing.  NEVER dump sap water down your drains or in the toilet.  Follow these procedures…

Strips of cedar bark awaiting to be lifted out of their sappy water

With a stick, lift out cedar bark strips from the sap water and place on news paper.  (Note:  if you use paper towels, there will be a tendency for the paper towel to stick to the bark).

Rule of Thumb:  Always take the bark out of the water before dumping the sap water.

Lifting cedar bark out of the sap water

Find a place to dump the sap water.  Do Not dump sap water on your lawn, in a flower bed or where trees (other than cedar) are growing.  NEVER dump sap water down your drains or in the toilet.

Dumping sap water

8)  With a paper towel or rag, immediately wipe all the sap residue from the interior of your pressure cooker including the lid – then wash with pressure cooker with soap and water

Your cedar bark should be free of most of its sap, ready to be split into fine silky strips for spinning with wool to create Chilkat warp.

9)  Store your bark in paper bags; never plastic bags nor plastic containers unless you know for sure that your bark is completely dry.

Happy sappy-free bark!