Some Very Sooty Recipes!

photo by ana traina

The WRITTEN word has been a key means of communication for many centuries. The Romans used an ink made of soot mixed with water. The Egyptians made ink by mixing water, plant fluids and lampblack. These inks were simple to produce and use, but they faded over time.

In medieval times, scribes started to use iron gall ink, which soaked into the parchment and so did not fade in the same way. There were a number of ways of producing this type of ink, but they all involved mixing tannic acids with ferrous sulphate and gum. Old English recipes suggests the following ingredients: gall (growths on oak trees caused by insects or fungus), copperas or vitriol (copper or other type of ferrous sulphate) and gum. Gall ink was so successful that it continued to be used until Victorian times.

On January 23rd, it will be National Handwriting Day, and what better way to celebrate than by making your own ink, and perhaps writing a handwritten letter to someone you adore, miss, loathe, haven’t seen in the longest time, etc! You can even perfume them with your own personal fragrance just like the charming Victorian Ladies. 

I prefer India ink because it the easiest to make; the term refers to any ink pigmented with lamp black (soot), of which the simplest is just water mixable lamp black pigment thinned with pure water to a usable viscosity.  

Basic Permanent Black Ink:

• 1 egg yolk

• 1 tsp gum arabic

• 1/2 cup honey

• 1/2 tsp lamp black (buy in a tube or make by holding a plate over a lit candle)

Mix egg yolk, gum arabic and honey in a small bowl. Add lamp black to make a thick paste. Store in a jar. To use, mix a little paste with a little water to make a fluid.

Prussian Blue Ink:
Dissolve Prussian Blue (available as laundry bluing) in water. Makes a rich blue ink.

Brown Ink:

• 1/2 cup boiling water, 4-5 teabags (or 4 tsp of loose tea), 1 tsp gum arabic

Pour boiling water over the tea bags in a large bowl, add gum arabic. Steep for 15 minutes. Squeeze teabags to extract as much tannic acid as possible. Strain and allow to cool before bottling. Use with a paintbrush or quill pen, etc.

WALNUT SHELL INK:

Now you need some ink to go with your pen. Read the directions below and in a few minutes you will be an expert on making walnut shell ink!

The ingredients you will need are:

• 4 empty walnut shells (crushed)

• 1 cup of water

• ½ teaspoon salt

• 1 teaspoon of vinegar

The utensils you will need are:

• A paper bag

• A hammer

• A small saucepan

• A measuring cup

• A cheesecloth

• An empty jar with a cover (needs to be clean)

1. Put the walnut shells into the paper bag, then crush them with a hammer (on the ground).

2. Next, put the walnut shells into the saucepan, then add a cup of water to it.

3. Bring the mixture to boil.

After that, you strain the ink through your cheesecloth and into the jar. Then put the cover on the jar and put it away so you know where to find it when you want to use it.

Very BERRY INK

Blackberry

Wild blackberries are said to symbolize separation as they were planted to keep animals and people out of areas. The brambles and thorns were a natural deterrent, and when planted close together, they created a wall of thorns. This was also useful as the Indians were able to use much of the blackberry bush in daily life. The berries were not only used as food. They made a dark purple dye and ink.

One recipe calls for collecting the juice of half a cup of crushed blackberries, then adding a half teaspoon of vinegar and salt to preserve it. Indians most likely would have used a recipe similar to this but would have substituted soot or ash as the preservative. This ink is made in small batches as it will sour easily.

Pokeberry

Pokeweed or pokeberry may get its name from a pre-Columbian American word meaning "plant used for red or yellow dye." The pokeberry is a very common weed that is found all over America and was used by Indians as food and for making dye and ink. The pokeberry dye is not colorfast and fades quickly after washing, but has lasted many years as ink. The berries would have been crushed and mixed with soot or cinders to make a thicker paste to be used as ink. The berries are poisonous as they cause digestive problems such as vomiting and diarrhea.

Elderberry

Some consider it a weed; however, many people still use it for making jelly, wine, teas, dye and ink. The Indians used elderberry for all of these purposes as well. The ink from an elderberry plant was made by crushing the berries and either cooking the juice down to make it thicker or adding ash or cinder.

Elderberry makes a deep reddish purple ink and dye. Turkey feathers were often used as quills for writing with elderberry ink or simply dipping a finger in the dye and making symbols on paper, animal skin or rocks.

photo by ana traina

Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827), one of history's most famous and mysterious composers died at the age of 57 with one great secret. Upon his death, a love letter was found among his possessions. It was written to an unknown woman who Beethoven simply called his *Immortal
Beloved.*

July 6, 1806

My angel, my all, my very self -- 

only a few words today and at that with your pencil -- not till tomorrow will my lodgings be definitely determined upon -- what a useless waste of time. Why this deep sorrow where necessity speaks -- can our love endure except through sacrifices -- except through not demanding everything -- can you change it that you are not wholly mine, I not wholly thine?

Oh, God! look out into the beauties of nature and comfort yourself with that which must be -- love demands everything and that very justly -- that it is with me so far as you are concerned, and you with me. If we were wholly united you would feel the pain of it as little as I!

Now a quick change to things internal from things external. We shall surely see each other; moreover, I cannot communicate to you the observations I have made during the last few days touching my own life -- if our hearts were always close together I would make none of the kind. My heart is full of many things to say to you - Ah! -- there are moments when I feel that speech is nothing after all -- cheer up -- remain my true, only treasure, my all as I am yours; the gods must send us the rest that which shall be best for us.

Your faithful,
Ludwig 

BITS OF ODDS AND ENDS -- Gum arabic is a water soluble golden-colored sap collected from Acacia trees native to North Africa. Instead of water use brandy, with the composition of any ink, and it will never freeze.