I agree with Emma. Leaching was done by taking a wooden barrel or keg, boring holes in the bottom and lining it with straw. Then ashes would be placed over the straw and rainwater would be strained through this. The strange thing is that this is exactly the way lye was made. "Grandma's lye soap" was made by taking the water that was used in the leaching and boiling it with fat. The result would nearly take your skin off if you washed with it because of the lye. This would certainly not make the salt that was used in food. Richard