What will you need
colander
Stainless Steel Pan max 1 litre
Vinegar
Wood Spoon
Potato Masher
Stainless Steel Sieve
Measuring Jug
Plastic Funnel
Coffee Filter
Glass Jar with Lid
Vinegar
Salt
Table & Teas Spoon
Gum Arabic
Wintergreen Oil
Foraging for Rowan Berries
Where I live in Northern England Rowan Berries are normally ripened Early to Mid August. I am lucky to have 3 Rowan Trees along a hedgerow which every year are abundant. I only take what I need and leave the rest for nature to sustain itself. I take equal thirds from each tree. For this exercise I have taken by volume 1 litre of berries.
I take a small secateurs with me and gently snip clusters of berries from where I can reach and once at home I will pull the berries of the stems.
It is fun to seek out where you can find rowan trees , they are often found along Hedgerows. I have provided a picture of a rowan tree for your identification.
Rowan Berries in English Folklore
Clean Berries.
Take berries of the stems and put into a colander to rinse in clean water to remove dust and dirt from the berries.
Thoroughly rinse so you get nice shinny clean berries ready to process
2. Place Berries in Pan ready to cook
I batch my ink making mainly as I have a tiny kitchen but also it is easier to control in smaller quantities furthermore , we are making something natural and not always goes to plan , therefore I am limiting quantity of potential fails.
I have measure. half a litre by volume berries into a pan ready to process.
I then will turn on the heat to gentle/low heat and just for a few minutes soften the berries.
3. Add Vinegar
I work everything by volume and ratio as it helps me remember when making ink and its easier to translate as people have different measuring units
I will add quarter by volume of vinegar to berries
My 500 ml of berries I have added 125ml of vinegar to the pan.
Add teaspoon of salt
4. Cook Berries in Vinegar
Bring the vinegar to simmering point
The berries should of softened by now and you can begin to crush the Berries in the pan carefully so you do not splash and scold yourself.
Keep on crushing the berries. The liquid will turn red
As the berries in vinegar begin to cook the berries will begin to disintegrate creating a thick solution.
In total no more than 10 minutes from turning the heat on to finishing.
I am always looking for solutions which minimise the use of Energy as it is so expensive.
5. Extract Ink
I do this operation in 2/3 batches as it is easier to work with smaller quantities when sieving the berry solution.
Use a back of a wooden spoon to squeeze out as much juice from the berry mixture.
The berry mixture will become dry
Discard Berry Mixture into compost
Repeat process until all of the Berry mixture has been sieved through into a measuring jar or container big enough for the sieve so it doesn’t spill over and lose the juice.
6. Repeat Sieve with retained Ink
The retained juice in the container will be cloudy and contain bits of berries which will need further sieving
I will pour the retained ink through the same sieve once more into a container or jug.
7. Finely Sieve Ink
The ink liquid is ready now to be finely sieved to remove all organic material contained within the liquid.
I sieve the Ink directly into the glass jar I am going to keep the ink in.
With an appropriately sized funnel for the jar and place coffee filter funnel , I use size 4.
I am not an expert of filter sizes
Place the liquid into the lined funnel in batches and leave to pass through the filter paper into the container.
If it still look cloudy then pass through a fine coffee filter once again.
8. Add Gum Arabic Solution & Lemon Juice
When I am working with cold ink liquid I will add Gum Arabic Solution rather than powder which easily dissolves in warm water.
The link below takes you to another page to make Gum Arabic Solution.
From 1 litre by volume of Rowan Berries , made in two batches I have made 125ml of ink.
I have added 1 teaspoon of Gum Arabic Solution to the Ink
I have also added 1 teaspoon of lemon juice
9. Add Wintergreen Essential Oil
To help preserve the Ink I ad a few drops of Wintergreen Essential Oil to the Ink.
You could place a clove in the Ink
Or use another essential oil which preserves such as Clove or Thyme.
It should last for least 12 months
10. Label the Jar
Ensure you have labelled your jar and dated it.
As I know Rowan Berries are foraged in August I do not label the month but it maybe advisable if you are prone to forget.
11. Document your Ink
I have multiple places where I document the made ink for future reference.
It is a good comparison for the next year to see whether the Berries had more or less pigment within them
12. Different Papers
Different paper have different qualities.
Highly absorbent water colour and hand made papers may render the Ink lighter as it absorbs the Ink more.
It is good to experiment with paper.
Some Inks are more like washes which you build up its intensity whist some are very strong and can be used to calligrapghy
You can try to intensify the Ink further
Not all papers are equal
Rowan Berry is a great teacher that not all paper you buy is equal. They may all state “Acid Free” but not all are PH Neutral. This makes natural inks fun.
Within my document ink book I use Khadi Paper 100% cotton rag hard backed sketch book. The colour is exactly the hot pink colour within the jar
However , this paper is really greedy and soaks up the colour needing multiple coats. Playing with paper , to find the right paper for your ink and what you want from it is a great fun part in experimentation.
The Arteza watercolour sketch book turns the hot pink rowan berry ink into a lovely vibrant green. This was with one coat. Knowing this is so valuable as achieving such a green is quite difficult with green plants
The cartridge paper provides a different green , again with one coat.
I love the versatility of natural inks and the wonderful surprises they give.
Generally the PH will affect the colour of the Ink. Although all three are acid free. Only the Khadi paper is PH neutral , the other 2 papers have a PH alkali value.
13. Share with Friends
I am a sharer and a gift giver. Giving something which you have made from nature is spreading the love and awe of nature to others.
It helps other re connect back to nature
I collect Victorian Ink Glass Vessels which I fill and gift my arty friends with the ink I have made. I will always make enough for my projects but add a little for sharing.
It does not need to be Victorian Glass Vessels , you can buy quite cheaply modern glass vessels which come with lids to use for your sharing.
