Dyeing with Pomegranate rind (Punica granatum)
“It was the nightingale, and not the lark, that pierced the fearful hollow of thine ear; nightly she sings on yon pomegranate tree.”
Another great dye that can be found in your kitchen is pomegranate rind. The rinds contain condensed tannins and hydrolyzable tannins and lots of flavonoids (one of the compounds for dyeing) and granatonie which are present in an alkaloid form.
Known as a symbol of love in antiquity, the pomegranate has been a popular fruit for thousands of years. It is one of the oldest fruits in cultivation, with the rind being used for used as a dye by carpet makers for millennia to produce golden yellows, greens, greys and blacks.
Pomegranate rind has been used as a dyestuff since ancient times. In Mesopotamia the yellow dye was extracted as early as 2000BCE from pomegranate by grinding the rinds and extracting them with water. In Egypt, it was in use from around 1500BCE. It was also used as a colourant for medieval illuminations. In Palestine, it was used as dyes and inks.
Due to the rinds having a high tannin content and being light-fast and wash-fast, they make another perfect dye for beginners because a mordant isn’t required, particularly when working with cellulose fibres like cotton or linen. Because tannins work similarly to a mordant in the sense that they assist dyes to adhere to the fibre. However, if you wish to improve the colour-fastness of the dye a mordant is recommended.
Pomegranate dye Recipe:
Rinds - 100% WOF (weight of fibre)
Place the rinds into your dye pot and cover with hot water overnight.
Add enough water for your fibres to move freely in your pot and bring the dye bath and rinds to a simmer and hold at a low simmer for 45 mins to 1 hr, or until you are happy with the strength of colour.
Strain out the rinds and add to your compost.
Add your pre-mordanted, wet fibre to your dye bath and slowly bring the bath back up to a simmer.
Stir the fibre frequently to ensure an even dye on your fibre.
When you are happy with the colour remove the fibre from the dye and gently wring out the excess liquid.
Rinse your fibre in lukewarm water and pH-neutral soap and hang to dry away from direct sunlight.
Other Applications
Pomegranate rinds due to their high tannin content can be used for a pre-mordant tannin bath.
Overdyeing with Tumeric will increase the lightfastness of the Tumeric dye, which can often be fugitive.
Over dyeing, indigo-dyed fabric with pomegranate rinds will create beautiful bright greens, and if you over-dye with a small amount of lac you can obtain peach.
Dye Garden
Pomegranates can be grown in Aotearoa, they require a long, hot summer for the fruit to ripen sufficiently and be sweet and juicy. It should ripen six to seven months after flowering, which inches into our cooler part of the year.
Planting in the warmest spot in the garden against a heat-reflecting wall will assist fruit development, though. Growing in a tunnel house or glasshouse to increase the temperature in the later part of summer would also be beneficial. Pomegranate trees are very hardy in a range of soil conditions, thriving in poor and heavy soil. And being deciduous, they're cold hardy to around -12°C.
Harvesting is usually from March through to May when the skin turns orange-brown. This can differ between varieties, so make sure you check the label for the variety you have.
Place the peels near a window with direct sunlight for 2 or 3 days, or until they're completely dried. You can add the peels to a blender or food processor and grind them into a fine powder this is recommended if you are using the rinds for a tannin bath. Store the powder at room temperature in an airtight container, or the rind pieces in a paper bag.
