Chaotic gardening

So, where possible, I really enjoy making things from the ground up. Since people have always relied on plants, there is significant literature out there that describes these uses and the southeast is no different in this regard. I like to mash it up, though. :-) 

Studying traditions from other places in the world and applying them with species that are related is fascinating to me. Hence, this project. For two years (really three, but I skipped one year of doing) I have been collecting, processing and fermenting persimmons on a quest to produce my own kakishibu dye. 

Kakishubu was/is made in Japan (different species of persimmon) as a fermented dye (really, more of a surface treatment). It's great for making paper stronger and waterproof and was once used to make paper rain coats! As a surface treatment, you can apply it to almost any surface. Certainly, kakishibu is available for sale. I hope to share the results of my experiments as they develop. 

Did I mention that the dye is supposed to age 5-7 years?