Let's talk about Saffron

[bubba]

Hit your head with a hammer and it'll stop.

[prattw]

Incidentally, there are 28.4 grams per ounce.

If saffron today, costs $4.95 per gram, then that means it's $140 an ounce....what did it cost in the 17th century, in ancient Eire? And a leinte is a BIG piece of material, you know?

The thing is, saffron, the dye, is related to but not the same as the spice. When you have removed the stigmas, you are left with the rest of the flower, whch is the source of the dye. You can buy a packet of the dried flowers at ethnic grocery stores here in Las Vegas for a dollar or so. One packet will dye enough fabric for about 1 1/2 leintes. The resultant color, incidentally, is a nice canary yellow, as per Matt. (My shirt for wearing with my feiladh beagh for Renfaire was done that way.)

Saffron is actually a Crocus (_Crocus sativus_), It's native to the Mediterranean region, but in the US will grow from the Arid Southwest to the milder parts of interior Alaska. It does best in a climate with cool to mildly warm summers and mild winters, like the British Isles. It's not too picky, though, my wife grows it successfully here in the Mohave. Actually picking the stimas is a pain, however. Of course, manual labor came cheaper back then, and you don't have to recover the spice before using the flower for dyestuff.

Will Pratt

[Andrew Breecher]

Keep in mind that the saffron dye must be cheap, since it's traditionally what Buddhist monks (of certain orders, anyway) have dyed their robes with for centuries - and they have a vow of poverty, and can only wear clothes which have been given to them. Obviously they aren't using the most expensive spice in the world to dye their robes that nice golden colour.

As for heather in beer, I've used it myself for a scotch ale, and it was wonderful. It's long been used in Scottish gruit beers, before hops were common (hops are a German/Czech introduction, relatively recent in beer history).

Andrew.

[Blu (Ontario)]

Keep in mind that the saffron dye must be cheap, since it's traditionally what Buddhist monks (of certain orders, anyway) have dyed their robes with for centuries - and they have a vow of poverty, and can only wear clothes which have been given to them...

Maybe they were poor 'cuz they spent all their money on saffron!

[Alan H]

PrattW...the dye isn't made from the stamens?

Well, that changes things, then. But I STILL bet that the local weavers used local dyes to get their yellows, and that means broom or heather of ragwort.

[prattw]

PrattW...the dye isn't made from the stamens?

Well, that changes things, then. But I STILL bet that the local weavers used local dyes to get their yellows, and that means broom or heather of ragwort.

They probably did to some extent, but there was a major saffron dye industry in Ireland. And if prices are cheap enough, which they appear to have been, people will buy such things rather than going through the whole process of collecting and preparing them. Even at the cottage-industry level, it would be a lot easier to devote a small plot to raising saffron for dye yourself than to go collect it, especially if your area had been largely cleared and put to the plow at some time. The fact that saffron is so easy to raise may have been a major contributor to the dominance of the color in clothing of the period.

Will Pratt

[Valencian Kilted]

But why? It's an ugly color akin to the yangtze river and the comings from the south end of a northbound dog!
Slainte

... what do you exactly mean??? :confused: