Monday, February 10, 2014

Harvesting Color Part III

Today I learned some basics of natural dyes below are colors extracted from madder root, osage orange, and indigo. I am looking forward to using plants to make natural dyes. I purchased a packet of Dye Plants Seed Collection from Horizon Herbs Chamomile, Dyer's; Elecampane; Indigo, Blue; Madder; Marigold, African; Nettles; Our Lady's Bedstraw. I am headed to the greenhouse soon to plant some of these natural dye plants!
We revisited our TLC to compare lutein levels in all of our Marigold samples. This included (yellow/dried, yellow/fresh, orange/dried, orange/fresh) plus three for our control group (two lutein supplements and one beta-carotene). This time the experiment worked and we were able to record and compare the thin layer chromatography (TLC) separation. We recorded four different substance spots for almost all of our samples. The top being beta-carotene with a RF value of .97 below a few unidentified RF values at .73 / .369 / .27
I am keeping busy at the greenhouse I planted a variety packet of calendula, marigold, and natural plant dyes. I also planted lots of medicinal herbs and some vegetables! The second round of poppies in the drooping buds stage and an echinacea that is just starting to bloom!

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