phila*craft

good outside and in

yarn steeped in turmeric
turmeric tea

The yarn was dyed with turmeric by the handwork teacher at my son's school who followed Jenny Dean's instructions in Wild Color. The actual color is more than a little brassy and that doesn't show in this photo. I took the hank home to overdye it with indigo when I set up my vat in a few weeks.

For tea, I put a tablespoon of ground turmeric and about two teaspoons of grated fresh ginger into a heatproof bowl and cover the mixture with about a quart of boiling water. I let that stand for at least five minutes and then strain it into a container I can keep in the refrigerator. Whenever I want a cup of the tea I mix a half cup of the steeped turmeric/ginger with a half cup of boiling water, a teaspoon of honey and a squeeze of lemon (and sometimes a small pinch of cayenne pepper).