Preserving Autumn Leaves
by Michelle Jones
Many children have
completed a leaf collection for a school project,
it can be a lot of fun for their siblings, parents
and grandparents too. And it's practically free!
So, here's a great idea for Fall - just think how
pretty an Autumn array of red, orange and yellow
leaves arranged in a leaf collection album would
be, simply beautiful!
And instead of just drying the
leaves between sheets of paper under a heavy book,
here's a few more tips for preserving those
beautiful colors...
Wax Paper
Take the leaves and place them
between two paper towels. Dry one side of the
leaves by ironing them for 10 minutes, on medium
heat without steam (move iron continuously). Then
turn the leaves over and using a fresh paper
towel, repeat process for about 5 minutes.
Now take the dried leaves and
place them in-between two sheets of waxed paper,
waxy side against the leaves. Add another sheet
of waxed paper to protect the iron and press them
again for a minute or so, until the leaves are
coated with wax.
Now, peel off the waxed paper
and see how the leaves have become beautifully
preserved.
Microwave
Try drying your leaves in the
microwave oven, by placing them between double
layers of paper towels. Start with 30 seconds and
continue until the leaves are completely dry
(please use caution as leaves can catch on fire.)
Glycerin
We found two ways of using
Glycerin to preserve leaves, the first is to place
the leaves in a flat pan in a single layer, then
cover with a mixture of one part glycerin and two
parts water. Then weight the leaves down to keep
them submerged for 2-6 days. Remove the leaves
and dry with paper towels.
The second way is to bring the
mixture of 1 part glycerin and 2 parts water to a
boil in a saucepan. Pour the mixture into a
heat-proof container and submerge a few leaves.
Keep in a dark, cool place until the leaves begin
to change color slightly. Remove the leaves and
dry with paper towels.
Going, Going...
Whichever way you choose to
preserve those beautiful Autumn leaves is fine,
just make sure to get outside and collect them
before they're gone!
If you live in an ever-green
area like Florida (where I grew up), maybe you can
ask family members who live further north to
collect and preserve some leaves for you and your
children. Or, maybe you can schedule a weekend
trip up here to see the colors yourself, I promise
you it will be worth the trip!
