I always mark Conker Day on October 8th, and it just happens to be my birthday!
I love going out for a walk and picking up all these beautiful, shiny nuts.
At this time of year, the conkers, also called horse chestnuts, are at their peak and dropping everywhere. It's great fun!
The ground under the tree is full of them.
Although being underneath a conker tree can be a little painful! 😂
Why? Because every now and then, one or two suddenly come crashing down and BONK you on the head.
Like this one, it could drop from above at any time.
See those clusters still on the tree? Sometimes it's even more fun to throw a conker at them, trying to knock them down.
Just be ready to run away!
And if it hits you… well, it doesn't hurt too badly. Just enough to make you say "OUCH!"
🌰 So why do I collect them?
I mainly use them for washing my clothes.
Conkers contain natural compounds called saponins, which have soap-like properties and can help clean clothes. So instead of buying conventional laundry detergent, I make my own.
It’s eco-friendly, sustainable, and a great natural alternative to conventional laundry detergent.
Conkers aren't edible and should never be eaten.
They contain several compounds, including aescin (escin) and aesculin, which can be toxic if consumed internally in large amounts. However, aescin is known to be effective for varicose veins when applied topically.
Horse chestnut also has a long history of use in herbal medicine, but proper preparation is essential.
🧺 Back to the laundry!
I normally collect a basketful. I usually need around 500 conkers to last me the whole year.
And I prefer it to do this way…
🌰 My fresh conker liquid
For 1 litre of detergent:
6-8 medium fresh conkers, blended (about 4-6 tablespoons of fresh blended conker, or 60-90 grams).
1 litre of warm water
Method:
Remove the green/spiky outer husks if any.
I wash them.
I blend them while they are fresh because dried conkers need soaking and are hard to grind. I find that I can extract the saponins better when using them fresh.
I mould them into batches. Here, I have ¾ cup, which is enough for 1 litre (4 washes).
I also like to freeze some of my blended conkers in portions, so I can make fresh detergent whenever I need it.
I have 100 washes here!
Add 1 litre of warm water to the blended conkers.
Leave to soak for 4 to 8 hours, or overnight. The liquid turns milky and bubbly.
Strain really well through a fine sieve or cloth.
Transfer to a container, keep the liquid in the fridge, and use it within about a week.
I normally use: 1 cup (240 ml) for a light/normal load.
1½ cups (360 ml) for an everyday load.
2 cups (480 ml) for a heavier wash.
So 1 litre gives roughly 2 to 4 washes.
I love this time of year.
A birthday walk, beautiful autumn colours, a basket full of shiny conkers and the occasional OUCH! from conkers falling on my head… 😂
…and enough natural laundry detergent to keep me going for months.
Happy Conker Day!
Mariah 🌰🍂🧺
