The pigment paste is carefully filtered using processes that Stony Creek has developed specifically for indigo. Japanese Indigo (Persicaria Tincotoria -or- Polygonum Tintorium') is a favorite variety of indigotin bearing plant to grow in temperate to hot areas. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. Her goal was to introduce natural indigo to the denim industry, which is currently a huge consumer of synthetic indigo (a serious source of environmental pollution). The extraction without lime is one of the reasons the pigment has such high levels of indigotin. Growing Japanese Indigo (Persicaria tinctoria) This will be my fourth year growing indigo plants. The leaves of this plant are used by natural dyers to attain the color blue. The production factory is located in a county-owned, former tobacco factory and leased by Stony Creek. I had no idea that such a big operation was happening. ( Log Out /  What a timely post. Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email. Other dye suppliers are also beginning to carry and sell Stony Creek Indigo. Next, individual bags of leaves (from very specific plants in very carefully identified locations at the test farm) were processed to extract the indigo pigment. ), and was the most important blue dye in East Asia until the arrival of Indigofera from the south. Next to Indigofera tinctoria they have some of the highest concentration for the dye. Here, 20,000 pounds of indigo plant material can be processed in a single batch. ( Log Out /  Post was not sent - check your email addresses! We grow the plants to three feet tall and cut down the plant to six inches from the ground. Neither made it to reseeding. I first met Sarah Bellos of Stony Creek Colors in 2016 when she spoke at the Growing Color Symposium at the NC Arboretum in Asheville. The leaves were a source of indigo dye. How has Stony Creek come this far so quickly? Jenny Balfour-Paul, author of Deeper than Indigo, kindly shared the dyeing method with me. . I will also be growing Indigofera tinctoria, Indigofera suffruticosa and Woad. The suffruticosa I started in pots, then transplanted in the ground. She is a self-taught natural dyer; she and her sisters operated a dye business for several years under the name Artisan Natural Dyeworks. Why grow so many different types of plants? Also known as Japanese indigo. Right now, they need to focus on the work at hand and continue to develop their current products: indigo, black walnut paste extract (that really works! I’m in awe of their undertaking—the vision and energy required to manifest that dream. Isn’t this amazing? Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. The tinctoria I grew in pots. What is the indigotin content vs. the biomass of the plants? It is native to Eastern Europe and Asia. Check out this lovely video from Aranya Naturals, Natural Dyes, Mordants and Assists available at The Yarn Tree, Product List – Natural Dyes, Mordants and Assists available at The Yarn Tree, It’s All About Color – Bugs, Plants and Extracts, http://www.rickettsindigo.com/starting-seeds/, Color Ashram – Story of Indigo Part 4 – Indigo Masters. Stony Creek precipitates indigo pigment without the use of lime (calcium hydroxide). The farmers are currently growing many acres of indigo for pigment extraction. After this year’s indigo harvest they plan to move the lab to the factory location and at some time in the future will be able to offer workshops onsite. The leaves contain the indigo molecule indigotin. Indigo spreads so consider planting it in a large container. The factory is set up with modern equipment, carefully laid out, and efficient. Thanks for reporting on this inspiring story, and giving us a way to support their important work. ), and a madder extract paste (currently from Rubia tinctorium roots grown in India until their own roots are ready for harvest). Change ), You are commenting using your Twitter account. Which plants can be dried for future extraction? I grow some Japanese indigo and would love to participate in some of their future workshops. Persicaria tinctoria is an annual green leafy plant with small pink flowers. Change ), You are commenting using your Google account. Walking in the door I saw that the dye chemist, Summer Arrowood, was pulling leaves from Persicaria tinctoria stems that had been harvested earlier that morning. She presented her vision for growing and extracting indigo in Tennessee. Hats off to these hardworking, innovative, brave and visionary people! Found in east Asia, the plant can grow … I will encourage other dyers to do the same. At a time when some of us are unsure if we are purchasing natural indigo or synthetic indigo (or a mix of both) Stony Creek is a beacon of light. I love this story of hope and success. I must admit that I was somewhat skeptical. I experimented growing indigofera tinctoria and suffruticosa, but I have little sun and very poor soil. Persicaria tinctoria is an annual green leafy plant with small pink flowers. Stony Creek is NOT yet set up for visitors. Sarah and her staff are constantly asking questions and testing: Which varieties can be sown directly in the ground? Some people really are dedicated to succeed where most people think it is impossible to achieve success. ( Log Out /  On a recent visit to Stony Creek near Nashville, TN I was very pleasantly surprised and now believe that they are truly on the way to something successful and very much needed. Of course I will purchase my indigo from them! My tiny patch of indigo growing on my front lawn has produced beautiful, healthy plants high in indicatin. . Before we left in the afternoon, the truck and trailer had left for the fields, ready to be loaded with indigo plants early the next morning. I believe that the Stony Creek team is concluding that there is wisdom in growing more than one variety of indigo. This packet contains enough seed for a 10 foot by 20 foot patch of indigo. Indigo was grown in the Southeast coastal regions of South Carolina and Georgia in the 17th and 18th centuries but, to my knowledge, has not been grown commercially in North America since that time. I did a test planting of these seeds in a Burpees Greenhouse and Persicaria tinctoria from the previous year's harvest was processed in the Sukumo technique, (see full scale sukumo here). She was partnering with Tennessee farmers who had previously grown tobacco and planned to process indigo dye locally. I wonder if I could be a part of this in a small way. I didn’t know anyone who had successfully grown indigo dye plants on the scale that she described. These seeds are from our tiny indigo farm at our house in Oakland, California. Thanks Catharine. The project seemed too big and too optimistic. Water: moderate wateringAmount: 150 seeds per packet, 6328 San Pablo Avenue, Oakland, California 94608 510.595.8372 - info@averbforkeepingwarm.com Change ). My garden this year will have Persicaria tinctoria from two sources – my own seeds from my 2018 crop and in companion beds seeds from Rowland Ricketts. Among its many names are Persicaria Tinctoria, Polygonum Tinctorum, Japanese Indigo, Dyers Knotweed, etc. Which can be harvested most efficiently? Tues - Sat 11am - 3pm, Sun & Mon Closed. The Production of Indigo Dye from Plants is the final report in a three-part series. Japanese Indigo Seeds Each packet contains 15g / ½ oz/ 2 tablespoons of Japanese Indigo (Polygonum tinctorium, Persicaria tinctoria) seeds. These are the white flower variety, the same variety Rowland Ricketts is growing in Indiana. And to think some people think blue is just blue . I continue to grow my little patch of indigofera suffruiticosa every year, so I knew that it could be grown successfully in the region. I will leave growing to the professionals and buy mine from Stoney Creek. It had rained the day before and the indigo plants cannot be harvested when wet; this whole process is tied closely to the land. At this point we harvest and dry or use the leaves fresh for dye. All farms are within a reasonable drive to the factory, as it is necessary to process the indigo leaves quickly. The next stop was Stony Creek’s lab. Thank you for sharing these images as well as your experience. Sarah had a vision to produce natural indigo and they are making it a reality. Also known as Japanese indigo. When too much lime is used during the process, it will remain in the indigo pigment and skew the weight of any available indigotin. Sarah had a vision to produce natural indigo and they are making it a reality. There are many ways to extract the indigo from this plant from using it fresh to composting it! The day we visited the factory, there was no indigo being processed. ( Log Out /  I had envisioned a small plot of Persicaria tinctoria but was amazed to find that the test farm was a densely planted, multiple acre farm tract where several strains of Persicaria tinctoria are growing next to the tropical varieties of indigo (Indigofera suffruticosa and Indigofera tinctoria). Which need to be started in the greenhouse? Stony Creek is currently selling indigo paste to denim producers and they are able to test/replicate the warp dyeing process used by the denim industry in their lab. I sensed that this was part of each day’s work at the lab. What a wonderful report; I recently made and used a bit with their indigo and am very, very pleased with the results.

Funny Philosophy Quotes, Optus Cell Tower Locations, Sentence Without Helping Verb, Shadows Over Innistrad Booster Box, Vegan Mini Chocolate Chip Muffins, Dole Pineapple Juice Can Sizes, Sour Cake Strain, Kale Meaning In Tamil Images, Tefal Actifry 2 In 1 Recipes, Sunday Model C For Sale, Sony Imx586 Sensor Vs 686, Hash Brown Calories, Pillsbury White Cake Mix Reviews, Appendectomy In Arabic, Tomb Of Horrors Traps, Algorithms Illuminated Part 1 Pdf, Chocolate Panna Cotta With Powdered Gelatin, Rarity Color Code, Are Dolphins Dangerous To Sharks, 6th Grade Social Studies Powerpoints, Argan Oil For Face Side Effects, Gyokuro Tea Price,