I talked last time about some of the lore and uses of pokeweed. This post is going to be about how to make ink from pokeberries. I loosely based my project on this recipe. I'll admit that I didn't measure anything, but I feel pretty good about my very scientific approach of "eyeballing it."
So, you want about a cup of ripe pokeberries. You also want a container that you don't care about and some rubber gloves, because this stuff stains like crazy. Mash 'em up real good.
Once you have this purply pulpy pile of poke, set up a jar and a strainer. We're going to strain the juice from the mashed up berries. Patience is a virtue, so let it set in the strainer for a while to drain all the liquid out.
If you plan on using any of these instruments for food later on, wash them thoroughly. As stated in the last post, pokeberries are toxic to humans.
Next, you want to add about a teaspoon each of salt and vinegar, I decided to get a little creative at this stage by using magical ingredients. This is, after all, a magical ink. This post isn't sponsored or anything, but here are the items and brands I used if you'd like to try them out:
I used applewood smoked sea salt because apples are important to me and chock full of magical lore. I also used Four Thieves' Vinegar for general protection/health.
Always make sure to label your concoctions. I also put the date on the label just to see how long it'll keep like this. Generally, dark-colored jars are your friend, but I couldn't bear to completely cover up this beautiful magenta color, so a clear jar it is!
Here's some doodles to show you how the ink looks.
(I'm not great with using my glass dip pen, but I'll practice.)
That's it for now!
Stay safe!
- me