Preserving Water With Tannic Acid
kcaj
Saint Marys River, which is one of two main rivers fed by the
Okefenokee Swamp National Wildlife Refuge, in Georgia,
http://www.gorp.com/gorp/resource/us_nwr/ga_okefe.htm
to load up on fresh drinking water. The tannic-acid preserved
water would store for large periods of time and was very fresh
for the return trip to England. The waters of the Okefenokee
Swamp are tea colored or a dark brown color because of the
decaying vegetation producing tannic acid. There are other
swamps worldwide in places like South America, etc., that have
this tannic-acid stain to them. The swamp is supposedly fed by
many underground springs and other arteries. The water is
drinkable right out of the swamp and has a good taste. It tastes
like normal springwater and I have drank it myself. Does anybody
know of any type of "recipe" that would allow the adding of
tannic acid to stored drinking water to use as a preservative?
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Perry Noid
> The tannic-acid preserved water would store for large periods of time and
> was very fresh for the return trip to England. The waters of the
> Okefenokee The water is drinkable right out of the swamp and has a good
> taste. It tastes like normal springwater and I have drank it myself. Does
> anybody know of any type of "recipe" that would allow the adding of tannic
> acid to stored drinking water to use as a preservative?
i don't believe any swamp water is drinkable untreated. And i think i'd
be difficult to make any drinkable water from it that you'd want to rely
on for very long.
but anywho, i just read this section about using natural tannic acid for
tanning skins in "Live Off the Land in the City and Country" by Ragnar
Benson (page 179).
"Historically the technique has been known as bark tanning. It makes use
of tannic acid salvaged from oak bark, sumac leaves, buckeye bark and
nuts, or other simular materials. Some old-timers like myself don't like
to use bark on furs becuase of the staining effect. This does not,
however, preclude using natural materials. There is always the tannic
acid extract from ground, leached acorns. The extract works much faster
and better than straight bark, and will not dye the hides as dark as the
other method."
"For each gallon of acorn leaching, add 2 gallons of good clean soft
water. The original liquid must be good and sour, leached from finely
ground acorn meal. Prepare enough liquid to totally submerge the hide.
If acorn juice is not available, fine-grind oak or sumac bark and pour
boiling water over it. Use about 35 pounds of bark for 50 gallons of
water."
"Let the tanning liquid sit for two weeks, then filter thorugh a cloth
and use it as is without further dilution."
Walter Daniels
Sellers) wrote:
>Check with a tropical fish store. I used to keep Neon Tetras.
>They need tannin which I bought from the fish store.
Better yet, get some "high quality" tea, and just use that. :-) Not
that s--t lipton, but some good quality stuff. Tea really does have
"tannic acid," that's why it makes you. . uh, excrete water.
>Jim
>
>On Thu, 10 Feb 2000 09:19:29 -0800, kcaj
><kcaj_sout...@yahoo.com.invalid> wrote:
>
>>English Sea Captains in the 1600's and 1700's would sail up the
>>Saint Marys River, which is one of two main rivers fed by the
>>Okefenokee Swamp National Wildlife Refuge, in Georgia,
>>http://www.gorp.com/gorp/resource/us_nwr/ga_okefe.htm
>>to load up on fresh drinking water. The tannic-acid preserved
>>water would store for large periods of time and was very fresh
>>for the return trip to England. The waters of the Okefenokee
>>Swamp are tea colored or a dark brown color because of the
>>decaying vegetation producing tannic acid. There are other
>>swamps worldwide in places like South America, etc., that have
>>this tannic-acid stain to them. The swamp is supposedly fed by
>>many underground springs and other arteries. The water is
>>drinkable right out of the swamp and has a good taste. It tastes
>>like normal springwater and I have drank it myself. Does anybody
>>know of any type of "recipe" that would allow the adding of
>>tannic acid to stored drinking water to use as a preservative?
>>
>>
>>* Sent from RemarQ http://www.remarq.com The Internet's Discussion Network *
>>The fastest and easiest way to search and participate in Usenet - Free!
>
>Later....Jim from Texas
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kcaj
probably one of the reasons Tea is so brown. Thanks for the
feedback. Preserving Tea for certain periods of time might not
be so bad. I don't know if the taste would be that good but you
might go to a health food store and get the strongest organic
Tea on the market. The Swamp Water I mentioned is usually
flowing. It is not just stagnant. The times I tried it 10 years
or so I thought it tasted good. Not bitter, but good drinking
water. I have heard that 50 years ago (+/-) there were many
gallons of Moonshine Whiskey made from the Swampwater.