This week at the green market information tent we will be having a quick, interactive activity to test your knowledge on “What Vegetable Made This Color”.  We learned a lot in the process of creating this exhibit and would love to share that with all of you!  

Using natural materials as dye for textiles has been a practice for thousands of years. Evidence has been found dating the use of fruits and vegetables (along with other natural materials such as bark and bugs) as a dye back to the Neolithic Era.  In China, natural material dyes have been used for over 5000 years.  The technique used to produce natural material dyes has not changed much over the years.  One gathers their veggies, fruits or other items, chops them up (to help release more of the color) and then places them in a pot of water.  The water and materials are then heated up to a boil and allowed to simmer.  This process pulls the dye extracts out the material. The textile to be dyed is then placed into the pot. Oftentimes it is required that a substance called a mordant, or a metal salt, is used to help bind the dye to the textile fibers. 

Plant based dyes such as indigo, saffron and madder were raised commercially and were very important trade goods throughout Asia, Africa and Europe.  Dyes that were more brilliant and permanent in color were extremely valuable and sought after in the medieval world. Tyrian Purple is an example of this.  Tyrian Purple is a reddish-purple dye that was created from the mucus of predatory sea snails and was extremely valuable, expensive and was considered to be a luxury item.  Procuring the dye would take tens of thousands of snails and a lot of labor, hence the hefty price. Another example of a valuable dye is crimson kermes which was made using the dried bodies of the female Kermes scale insect.  The result was a rich crimson red dye similar in production, price and demand to Tyrian Purple. 

In the 19th century, the manufacturing of synthetic dyes, such as Rit,  reduced the demand for natural dyes. Synthetic dyes worked well with the synthetic textiles that were starting to be produced at this time.  However, many of the artists in the Arts and Crafts movement preferred natural dyes and maintained and saved many of the processes and practices involved with natural dyes.  Today, in the 21st century, natural dyes are seeing an uptick in popularity.  Many people are concerned with the environmental and health risks that synthetic dyes can produce.  

Some of the most popular natural dyes are made using a variety of fruits and vegetables.  Here is a list of a “rainbow” of colors and some of the fruits and veggies that produce those dye colors:

Red: Raspberries and beets. 

Orange: Carrots and turmeric

Yellow: Orange and lemon peels 

Green:  Spinach and carrot tops

Blue: Blueberries, blackberries, and red cabbage

Indigo: Plants in the Indigofera genus (not a fruit or vegetable) 

Violet: Elderberries, blackberries, some varieties of basil, grapes

See You At The Market! 
Alex, Market Manager