Preserve fall’s glorious color

I think fall is my favorite time of year. The colors are so vivid and bright. The lowering angle of the sun backlights plants and trees bringing out the colors of the changing leaves, so that the plants virtually glow. Throw in what’s left of the summer garden and it’s a kaleidoscope of every color of the rainbow.

All too soon though, the color will be gone. One good wind storm and the colorful leaves will be scattered across the yard. Nature will take its course and they will become food for worms and bacteria. We will have to wait another year for the next show.

Or do we? Why not capture some of the fall color to have around during the dark, stark days of winter? Preserving the fall colors of leaves is relatively easy and a great activity to involve kids.

Collect some of your favorite leaves as they reach their peak color. This will vary from plant to plant, depending on what it is and where it is in your yard. Trees and shrubs that are out in the sun will likely have more color than those tucked into shady areas.

The leaves will need to be processed immediately as they dry out and start shriveling within a day.

One tried-and true-method is to press the leaves. This involves placing them between sheets of absorbent paper and then applying a weight to keep them flat until they dry out completely. Old phone books are great for this.

Start with fresh but dried-off leaves. Place several leaves to a page and put several pages between groups. Place heavy objects like books evenly on top of the phone book and leave it for a few weeks until the leaves have completely dried. Once dried, the leaves will be fragile but colorful. I have used these to make note cards by simply gluing them to blank note paper.

Leaves can be pressed between layers of wax paper and then cut out to make translucent sun catchers for windows. Place fresh leaves between two layers of wax paper and cover with an old towel. Set your iron to low and gently iron the leaves until the wax paper fuses together enough to encapsulate the leaves.

When the leaves have cooled, cut them out and suspend them with thread in a window, incorporate them into a mobile or simply scatter them on the Thanksgiving table. Because wax paper can easily catch fire, be sure to use as low a temperature on the iron as possible and supervise children during this activity.

Soak leaves in a mixture of water and glycerin so you can handle them easily. Glycerin is a non-toxic substance that absorbs moisture and therefore tends to soften things. It is commonly used in moisturizing soaps and skin creams, cake and candy making, some printing inks, and to prevent hydraulic jacks from freezing in the winter.

The leaf-softening recipe: Mix two parts water with one part glycerin. Pour into a flat pan and completely cover the leaves. If the leaves float, weigh them down flat with another heavy pan. Leave them for up to six days. The leaves slowly absorb the solution and become soft and flexible. Glycerin is available at drug stores for a nominal cost.

The last method of preserving leaves is to dry them in the microwave. High-tech, but a bit tricky.

Start with freshly picked leaves. Place the leaves between sheets of paper towels and microwaves at a low power setting for 30 to 180 seconds. The defrost setting may be a good place to start, but you will probably have to experiment several times to find the right level. Be careful, because it is easy to scorch the leaves and start a fire.

Fine, thin leaves like Japanese maple will dry much more quickly than heavier leaves like oak and maple. I found it helpful to place a Pyrex dish on top of the leaves and paper towel to keep them flat. Let the leaves finish drying for a couple of days and then seal them with an acrylic craft spray.

You may get better results by placing your leaves in a flat, microwavable dish on top on one inch of silica drying gel. Cover the leaves with another inch of the gel and microwave at 200-300 watts. Estimated drying time is about two minutes when using a half-pound of gel, or about five minutes for two pounds of gel.