Week Three: Oak Galls, Fungi & Flax

This week I've been learning more about Oak Galls. Princetown Press are running a course titled 'From Galls to Nettles' which focuses on natural colour making through the Autumn and Winter months. I'm blown away by the ethics that natural colour makers hold and that it is challenging me to be more considerate of the natural environment. The more I learn about Oak Galls, the more I am fascinated by them. Galls are protective 'wombs' found on oak trees. They occur when a wasp injects the oak tree with a wasp egg. For this reason it is important to only use Oak Galls that have an exit hole so that we know that the wasp has left and the gall is now empty. Iron Gall ink has been used for more than 2000 years. It is considered to be permanent and has been used for legal documents until recently.

Oak Galls

I've also been up at the Heartwood Social Farming Centre as part of the 'Crafts in the Woods' sessions. The Heartwood Social Farming Centre is a beautiful regenerative farm that sits at the top of a hill in the Derbyshire Dales surrounded by woodland. I've been learning more about the history of the farm and its agroforestry plans for the future.

Heartwood Social Farming Centre

Woodland Walk

We took a walk to the through the woodland to search for different types of fungi which has got me thinking about how to make natural colour with mushrooms. We found a wide variety of fungi includng fly agaric, inkcaps, puffballs, blushers, horse's hoof and earthballs.

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We arrived at the Forest School Camp ready for a brew sat around the fire. We spent the day learning about Flax that had been grown on the farm. Flax is used for its fibre to make linen textiles. First we took the seed heads off and threshed them with a rolling pin to get the seeds out. We winnowed the seeds with wind to separate them from the chaff. Then we worked with some retted flax to get the fibres, getting rid of the shiv and combing it into fibres that could be twisted into twine.

Flax

Flax Fibres Twisted into Twine

Whilst the process can be time consuming, it is helping me to reflect on slower processes that connect to the seasons, and the joint efforts of a community group that are working towards a common goal. It felt like we had a production line of flax in the forest and we questioned how differently this might look if it was on an industrial scale.