Organic Indigo from Living Blue

Description

Organic Indigo from Living Blue

We are proud to offer a beautiful organic powdered indigo from Living Blue, from one of the great historical indigo-producing centers located in Bangladesh (formerly Bengal). This superior indigo comes to us from an organization called Living Blue. We offer Living Blue’s indigo in 100g and 250g packages. It creates a very rich and dark vat. In addition, the purchase of this product supports farmers and craft workers in Bangladesh.

Established in 2008, Living Blue empowers farmers and artisans through the cultivation and use of native Indigofera tinctoria. Living Blue provides seed, land access and know-how to those wishing to grow indigo. They also purchase indigo from small scale growers, providing additional cash crop opportunities for farmers.

Most indigo is grown in buffer zones, leaving areas for food cultivation intact. We cannot overstate the significance of this approach as the history of indigo cultivation in this area reflects a very painful past. The inhumane treatment of Bengal farmers has left a stigma on the idea of growing indigo, as Bengali farmers suffered greatly under colonization. Living Blue mindfully addresses this dark history and works directly to re-frame indigo production as a cultural heritage crop of high value. In addition, they also encourage exquisite craft work and expert indigo dyeing as complementary practices to indigo production.

Indigo History

During the British colonial era, indigo cultivation was a brutal practice. Bengali farmers, growers and sharecroppers were thrust into slavery, beaten, coerced into forced indigo production, forbidden to raise food, and cheated of a fair wage for their labor. Most were indentured to British overlords. The conditions were so terrible that in 1859 a rebellion roiled indigo production. The plight of the indigo farmer in Bihar was one of the rallying causes that Gandhi used to hone his non-violent protest strategy in 1917. Indigo production declined due to the rise of synthetic indigo. Many years later, it was Living Blue who led the efforts to identify and begin cultivation of this historic and valuable crop. They encouraged farmers to cultivate it.

Notes from Kathy

This powder is a slightly coarser texture than other indigo powders and you’ll get beautiful results if you first hydrate and grind the indigo powder to a finer consistency before making your vat. Measure out the amount of indigo you wish to use, then use a mortar and pestle and a few drops of water to make a thick paste. At first, it will be very stiff and shaggy, and as you add a few drops of water at a time, the mixture will become smoother and less gritty. It should smooth out to the consistency of very thick batter and look quite luscious.

You can also use a coffee grinder to grind the dry powder, then transfer to a mortar and pestle and hydrate the powder with a small amounts of water to make the thick paste, as above.  Wear a dust mask or respirator when working with dry powders.