[Sca-cooks] cochaneal

[Pixel, Goddess and Queen]

On Sun, 6 Jan 2002, Gorgeous Muiredach wrote:

> Thank you for the most interesting tidbit on this.
> As I pointed out in another mail to the list though, these references
> appear to be for colouring and dying fabrics.  The use I see right now are
> for foodstuff :-)
>

Well, yes, but you're still going to have to go to fiber arts supply to
get it. It comes in whole bug form, extract, or powder, depending on where
you get it from (and it smells nasty). I suggest going for the prepared
stuff unless you know a dyer who is willing to powder it for you--after
grinding cochineal your mortar and pestle (or grinder, or whatever
else) is pretty much useless for anything except dyes. It's a fairly
strong dye, so you won't need a whole lot.

IIRC, the color is a bit different depending on whether the solution is
acidic or basic--most good natural dye books should discuss the
differences.

Margaret