MAKE A MILKWEED DOWN JACKET

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Believe it or not, it's time to forage up some cold-weather clothing!

You don't have to spend $20 a pound for goose down—or even know much about the intricacies of stitchery—to make inexpensive, toasty parkas. First, however, you'll have to locate a plot of land that contains a big patch of milkweed plants (genus Asclepias). Then—just before the first hard frost—gather a few grocery bags full of the perennials' seedpods ... which will yield a pound or mom of lightweight, water-resistant insulation to help protect you against the coming winters chilling snow, ice, and bluenose winds.

A MILKWEED PRIMER

The value of milkweed down as an insulating material has been recognized for a good many years. During America's colonial days, for instance, the silken fibers were used to stuff pillows and comforters. Yet this nation's supply of the valuable plants has been largely ignored ... with the exception of a brief period during World War II, when school children collected the pods for use in military life jackets.

When you take a close look at the plant's tiny "parachutes", you'll see that they're very similar in structure to goose down. Both the vegetable and animal "fluffs" consist of numerous fibers that radiate Rom a central cow And—while goose insulation tends to be the denser of the two materials—milkweed plumes are composed of longer filaments. Furthermore, once you've collected a small supply, you'll see that the "weed fiber" springs back after being crushed ... with much of the same resilience (also called "loft") which gives goose down its insulative quality.

Better yet, milkweed "cotton" is both free and a whole lot easier to come by than is goose down. The demand for the latter material has made it difficult to find, while milkweed plants can be located in any number of fields, fencerows, railroad right-of-ways, and vacant lots. Or—if you'd like a large supply of the seedpods and have a little extra land—you could even collect enough wild seeds this year to establish your very own milkweed farm!

However, most folks won't want to wait through another round of seasons to collect some free-for-the-taking jacket stuffer ... and now's the time to get out and gather wild milkweed pods for both this year's projects and next spring's garden!