Soda Ash from Barilla: Saltwort Burned, Washed and Boiled Dry

Before soda was made from salt, it came from barilla, the ash of the seashore plant Salsola soda, which gave soda ash its name. Andrew Ure (1839): cut the ripe plants, dry them and burn them just hot enough for the ash to half melt into hard lumps. Wash the soda out of the lumps with water and boil it dry. The lye is caustic: wear gloves and glasses. The picture: Salsola soda growing by the sea.