And yeah, I've seen urine used for various purposes, but not as a dye mordant... Not for the squeamish!

20 Natural Dye Plants You Can Forage and Grow in Your Garden

By Catherine Winter

Excerpt: "Would you prefer to go a super-natural route, since you’re using plant-based dyes? If you’re aiming to be as self-sufficient as possible, there are also all-organic mordant options as well.

Natural Mordants:

- Sumac: Simmer fresh sumac twigs for about an hour, strain out the twiggy bits, and reduce the liquid by half
- Urine: human urine is ideal for mordanting, but you’ll need to age it. Collect it in a jar and allow it to age for several days. [🤢 ]
- Salt: You can use standard table salt as a mordant, but Kosher salt can yield some of the strongest color-fastness. [I've used that]
- Vinegar [That too]
- Wood ash lye

"You’ve probably noticed that some of these are alkaline, and some are acidic. Alkaline mordants tend to work best with plant-based fibers like cotton, linen, and #hemp. In contrast, acidic mordants like vinegar are better with animal fibers like #wool, #alpaca, and #angora.

"Note that if you use an acidic mordant and your colors still run, you can set the color by dipping the fabric in a 50/50 vinegar/water solution. In contrast, if you’ve used an alkaline mordant like lye or baking soda [another one I've used], an acidic solution will strip the color rather than setting it." [Been there, done that!]

Learn more [includes a list of #DyePlants -- does not include #BlackWalnuts though]:
https://morningchores.com/dye-plants/

#SolarPunkSunday #DIY #FiberArts #NaturalDyes #Gardening #Foraging #Goldenrod #Elderberries #Chicory #Beets #Onions #RedCabbage

[Canada] Halifax woman who photographed 2SLGBTQIA+/women's rights movements has work archived
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/halifax-woman-who-photographed-2slgbtq-women-s-rights-movements-has-work-archived-1.7469416

Spanning 40 yrs, Anita Martinez's photos "brings the past forward" -- archivist

I'm a Vol. Board Member (as is Dan MacKay - ft. in article) of 2SLGBTQIA+ seniors advocacy group
Senior Pride Network Canada/Réseau de la Fierté des personnes aînées du Canada

SPNC/RFAC: https://spnc-rfac.ca

#Canadiana #LGBT #NovaScotia #Halifax #QueerHistory #Elderberries #archivists #SPNC

Codename : Westfort Saskatoon/Elderberry Mead
Until now, I had used 1-2 lbs of honey to make my mead, it was time to increase it to about 3 lbs, and try get a mead that comes in over 16%. Plus I wanted to throw in some Saskatoons for good measure. Stay tuned, I may opt to add in some French oak chips to enhance the flavour.
Ingredients 

3 Lbs […]

https://breowanthorpe.beer/2024/05/melomel-mead-2/

A selection of Elderberry (Sambucus) Recipes by renowned herbalist Susan Belsinger: https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2024/02/elderberry-recipes.html

#gardendc #elderberry #herbs #herbalmedicine #herbalremedies #herbalremedy #recipes #sambucus #elderberries