Oogst – Madder

Description

Madder (E) Madder (Rubia tinctorum)
Family: Rubieceae, star-leaved
Paint: orange-red

Madder has been the 'king' of the grand complexion for centuries and is also called mee or mead.
The roots of this plant were already used in ancient times by the Egyptians, Indians and Persians for dyeing wool and silk.
In 1700 the plant also came to Europe, also to the Netherlands. The madder plant grew well on the moist clay soil of the Zeeland and South Holland islands.
The Zeelanders were even the largest supplier of madder for a while and it brought great prosperity to the Netherlands.
It is the reddish brown roots that are used. These stick up to a meter deep into the ground. The dyes alizarin and purpurine are extracted from this, which give an intense deep orange-red color. After three years, the roots contain enough dyes and can be harvested.
The name Rubia is derived from the Latin 'ruber', which means red.

Facts
Madder…
… was used by famous painters from the 17th century, including Rembrandt van Rijn, to make paint.
… roots were dried in colder climates in small stone buildings with chambers, these were called co-ovens.
… is also a medicinal plant. It can be used against skin conditions and internally it ensures the removal of moisture.
… was also grown on a small scale in Eierland (on Texel).
… was used to color Persian carpets until the advent of synthetic dyes.

This is one of the natural dye products described in the book Eco-dye by Anja Schrik.

Recipe

Basic recipe for 100 grams of wool, silk or cotton.

Supplies:

• 100 grams of madder
• 2 old (cast-iron) pans
• 15 grams of alum
• electric cooker or cooker
• 2 grams of tartaric acid
•  apron, gloves
• 1 cup vinegar
• (glass) pots, buckets or trays
• laundry bag or cheesecloth
• 2 cups baking soda (if you are going to dye cotton)

Step 1: Washing (only if you are going to dye cotton, skip step 1 if you are going to dye wool or silk)

Fill a bucket with plenty of water and 2 cups of household soda and leave your cotton in it for 24 hours. Rinse well the next day.

Step 2: Pickling
Bring plenty of water to the boil in a large saucepan and add the alum and tartaric acid. Stir well.

Bring to 80 degrees (no hotter) and add the fibres. Let this simmer for over an hour.

Then let the fibres cool slowly in the stain bath. You can leave this overnight or get started immediately.

Step 3: Painting
Soak dried madder in plenty of water for at least 48 hours, then pour the decoction into the dye pan through a wash bag. You can leave the madder in the wash bag in your dye bath during dyeing.
Make sure the fibres can 'swim' well.

Bring your dye bath to 80 degrees and simmer for an hour.
Lower the temperature to 30 degrees and add the wool, silk or cotton. Bring the temperature back up to 80 degrees and simmer for an hour.

Let the fibers cool slowly in the dye bath.

Fix:
Rinse your fibre well and leave it in a bucket with 1 cup of vinegar for an hour. Then rinse and hang to dry.