Spring is in the Air

It's that time of year again. I've been looking at the various seed catalogs all winter long, and now its time to prepare to plant the garden. I've found that I'm producing WAY to many vegetables for my husband and I to eat, so this year I'm doing something different. I'm planting a "double" garden. Part will be a Salsa Garden (Tomatoes, onions, peppers, herbs) so I can put up the seasons salsa supply. The rest will be a dyers garden. I haven't gotten my camera out for the 'before' photos (but will before the plow comes).

First, I took stock of what I already have available to me, either in my gardens already, or in the woods and fields near the house. As I try the item I'll replace the * with what I was able to produce: (* indicates I haven't tried using this yet)

White Birch (Inner) Bark* Aspen (Cottonwood) (Med. Brown)

Rhubarb Leaves and roots* Assorted Fruit Tree Twigs and Bark

Queen Anne's Lace (pale moss green) Sugar Maple*

Coffee (Deep tan)

Balloon Flower (Blossoms and leaves)*

Burdock*

Bindweed*

Milkweed (Rich True Yellow)

Goldenrod (Brilliant Yellow-green)

Jewelweed (Pale peach to deep orange)

Maximilians's Sunflower (Non-descript yellow)

Next, I took stock of what I'd like to try, but didn't have available. The following items have been ordered as seeds or plants: (I rationalized these purchases to my amazingly tolerant husband that they'd also provide beautiful cut flowers for the table)

Deep Orange Safflower Dyers Coreopsis

Indigo Black Eyed Susans (Wildflower)

Peppermint Marigolds

Black Hollyhocks Dyers Coneflower

Hopi Red Dye Amaranth Hopi Black Dye Sunflowers

Madder

Last, but not least, were the items I plan on using (or have used) that I'll have to purchase ready to use:

Logwood, Anatto Seed, Black Beans, Sandlewood, Osage Orange, Lac, Cochineal, Brazilwood, Madder (for the next few years at the very least) and other items I'm unable to grow or wildcraft.

I'm slowly developing a library of dye books:

The Art and Craft of Natural Dying: Traditional Recipes for Modern Use (J.N. Liles)

Dying the Natural Way (Frances E. Mustard)

Indigo, Madder and Marigold: A portfolio of colors from natural dyes (Trudy Van Stralen)

Dyes from American Native Plants: A practical guide (Lynne Richards & Ronald J. Tyrl)

The Rainbow Beneath My Feet: A Mushroom Dyer's Field Guide (Arleen Rainis Bessette & Alan E. Bessette

My copies of A Dyers Garden and A Weavers Garden have mysteriously dissappeared and will be repurchased. I also plan to Purchase Eco Colors (India Flint) and Wild Color (Jenny Dean).

I also admit freely that I rely heavily on the experience of dyers from the Natural Dye Forums on Ravelry. If you work with fiber in any way sort or form and have access to a computer (which you must if you're following this blog) I STRONGLY recommend you consider joining!

More news to follow!

Leah