Pokeberry Ink Tutorial
make vibrant crimson ink from berries
This is a tutorial for making ink from abundant (and poisonous!) pokeberries. The best time to harvest is in the early fall, when they are plump and dark purple.
If you learn better through visuals (or want clarification on the written directions) there is a video version of the tutorial at the bottom of this post.
Harvest + Prep
Supplies
gallon zipper plastic bags (I reuse tortilla bags)
pruners or shears
gloves (optional but helpful - the juice can be an irritant)
for prep: wide-mouthed container you can rest the bags in so they stay upright, scissors
Hold the bag under a sprig of berries and snip at the base of the sprig to drop the whole thing into the bag - don’t worry about separating the berries yet.
When you get home, put one empty zipper bag inside the other to minimize leaks and put the whole thing inside a wide-mouth plastic or glass container as though you’re lining a trash bag. (I use an empty nut container.)
Hold a sprig of berries above the bags. Take the scissors and, holding them half-open, run the V of the blades down the stem of the berries to strip them off the stem and into the bag below.
When all the berries have been stripped off into the double-bag setup, seal the bags and put in the freezer. The freeze/thaw cycle makes them softer and easier to juice.
Juicing
All supplies should be dedicated to crafting, not food.
Note: this is the most mess-free method I’ve found, but feel free to experiment with what you’ve got around the house.
Supplies:
Double-bagged thawed berries
Gloves (NOT optional this time!)
Scissors
Glass or plastic container with a spout (I used an old French press)
Fine-mesh food strainer / nut milk bag - mine is 80 micron (could try panty hose as well)
Sieve
Spoon
Bottle for ink (I used an old maple syrup bottle)
Funnel that fits into bottle
Some kind of covering or surface protector to lay down dirty tools (e.g. a cutting board, glass mixing bowl, wax paper, etc)
Optional supplies
Plastic wrap + large jar (for pressing seeds)
Split key ring to prevent vacuum between funnel and bottle
Directions
Put on the gloves and begin to squish the bag of berries with your fingers, breaking them up as much as possible.
Line your spouted container with the fine-mesh bag. Rest the sieve on top, using a kitchen canister if necessary to rest the sieve handle so it will balance hands-free. (NOTE: this is different than in the video, but if I were making the video again I would start with the sieve rather than adding it later).
Hold the bag of berries over the sieve and cut the corner off as though you’re making a piping bag. Start with a small hole at first and squeeze gently to start releasing the juice. Use the scissors to gradually widen the hole as the seeds start to clog it up. You’re trying to get as much juice without the seeds as possible at first.
When you’ve gotten as much juice out as you can, open the hole wide enough to squeeze the seeds out into the sieve. Use the back of a spoon to press down gently on the seeds to release more juice
If you wish you can put a piece of plastic wrap on top of the seeds and balance a mason jar or similar on top to press out a little more juice. Wait until no more juice is dripping from the bottom of the sieve and then remove it.
At this point you can set up your bottle by putting the funnel in the top. You want the funnel to rest on it hands-free, so you may need to rest the handle on a jar or canister of the proper height. If you are using a syrup bottle like I did, it can be helpful to thread the bottom of the funnel through a split ring that rests on the mouth of the bottle, allowing for airflow and smooth pouring.
Pick up the mesh bag from the top and gently squeeze it to strain most of the juice into the spouted container. When the flow slows down enough to transfer the bag over to the mouth of the funnel, squeeze the remainder of the juice out. If your bag is fine enough (80 microns) you don’t have to worry about sediment, so wring it out.
Pour the remaining juice from the spouted container into the bottle.
storage
Some sources recommend placing a few cloves or a few drops of wintergreen or thyme essential oil into the bottle to keep the ink from molding. I used a little isopropyl because it’s what I had on hand.
You don’t strictly have to refrigerate the ink, but it will stay fresh for longer. You will notice a fermented smell if you don’t.
The color will shift over time to become less vibrant and more of a pale / dull pink. This is natural! For best results, use within a few months.
This ink is extremely light-sensitive and will fade with exposure to light. A UV coating may help, but I haven’t tried it. I recommend that you look at it’s fugitive nature as part of its charm. :)
color variations
Like many natural inks, pokeberry shifts color when its pH changes. Here’s a sampler I made that shows the way it responds to various additives like washing soda, vinegar, and ammonia.