[Sca-cooks] beet dye

[Pixel, Goddess and Queen]

I honestly have no clue why we're talking about the use of beets in
dyeing, but...

IIRC, beet juice is a stain, rather than a dye. Indigo is special WRT
dyes--it's a substantive dye, rather than a reactive dye. The dye
particles don't make a chemical bond with the fiber, rather, the particles
get wedged in the microscopic crevices, then the oxidizing turns them
blue.

A stain is also a substantive dye--it sticks in the crevices and does not
form a bond with the fiber. Unless of course you aren't trying to dye your
cloth with beet juice on purpose, in which case the stain will never come
out. ;-)

[Urine isn't strictly necessary, you can dye with indigo with modern
chemicals. Urine was just easier to get in period.]

And, to get a food mention in here, I still have no idea if inert indigo
is food-safe. Nobody seems to know, at least not the people I've asked.
*shrug*

Margaret (dyer, spinner, knitter, scribe, painter, cook)


>
> i wonder if what they do to blue jeans might be a good idea this is before they faded them i only heard it on a radio info show 30yrs ago but a good dyer might know for sure a salt water bath might set the beet dye i cannot tell u even what the proportions ere but i dearly hope it is not like the beautiful indigo quilt 100 yrs old with blues so bright they might have been set that day unfortunately it was  set with  urine,  ewwww
>
> back to beets borscht and harvartd beets but if u decide to try it beet jam is marvie just make sure  u age  it with the grape koolaid flavour  to cooome thro
>
> Scarlett