Make Ink by Jason Logan

Author:Jason Logan
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Abrams
Published: 2018-03-19T16:00:00+00:00

WILD GRAPE INK

COLLECTION

There are a handful of species of wild grape in North America, the most common being the fox grape. They are smaller than cultivated grapes, tend to be sour, and often grow high in trees. The vine is recognizable by its rough bark. Make sure you have a close look at photographs of fox grapes before foraging, as there are similar berries that are poisonous and not good for ink. They grow in abundance in hedgerows, roadsides, and untended lots—even in cities. They occur in every part of the world, excluding Antarctica. In the late fall, when they are most plentiful, a stand of wild grapes may be indicated by birdsong.

MATERIALS

large, old pot

4 cups (600 g) wild grapes (see Note; I like to collect a big potful when they are at their juiciest from mid to late fall)

potato masher

fine-mesh strainer

large bowl

coffee filter

wintergreen oil or whole cloves

glass container with a tight-fitting lid

Note: Some people find that the juice of grapes irritates their skin, and after an hour of picking, your hands will definitely be stained purple, so if either of these things worries you, be sure to wear gloves.

METHOD

1. In a large, old pot, combine the grapes with ½ cup (120 ml) water. Heat to just below boiling. Cook for 10 minutes, or until the liquid begins to thicken, occasionally crushing the grapes with a potato masher.

2. Pour the cooked grapes and juice through a fine-mesh strainer with a bowl underneath to collect the liquid. Discard any solids. A further round of filtering the liquid through a coffee filter should give you an ink that is quite easy to use.

3. Add a few drops of wintergreen oil or a whole clove to prevent molding. Pour the ink into a glass container with a tight-fitting lid.

4. Keep refrigerated.

Use: Wild grape, without any additives, makes a rich purple ink. You can control the thickness of the ink by how much water you add, as well as by how much is evaporated away as it’s cooking. Because of the sugars in wild grape juice ink, you will want to keep all of your bottles sterilized (see Sterilizing Your Materials, this page) and well-sealed, and store the ink in the refrigerator to keep it from fermenting.

Suggested color pairings: Wild grape looks beautiful with everything. I particularly like it with silvery acorn cap ink (this page).

Other sources of purple: Lichen, purple cabbage, mulberries, blueberries, black beans, and red onion skins.

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