Let's talk about Saffron

[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