Charcoal Crystal Garden

6 or 7 charcoal briquettes

6 tablespoons warm water

6 tablespoons liquid bluing

4 tablespoons of table salt

1 tablespoon ammonia

Pile the briquettes in a shallow dish. In a separate dish mix the water and bluing together, then stir in the salt and the ammonia. Pour evenly over the charcoal.

Fluffy white crystals grow on the charcoal. As the water in the solution evaporates, the chemicals left behind on the charcoal form crystals. These crystals are porous and the solution continues to be wicked up through them resulting in layers of beautiful white crystals. For different crystal colors place a few drops of food coloring onto the coals after pouring on the solution. You can keep your garden growing by adding more solution every day.