Place 1/2 cup of berries
into a strainer and place over a bowl. Use berries that are fresh or
have been thawed. You may use one type of berry or a mixture of berries
depending on the color ink you want. Cut large berries, like
strawberries, into smaller pieces.
Press the berries against the strainer with a plastic or wooden spoon
so that the berries crush and release their juice. Move the berries
around in the strainer and continue to press to ensure that you remove
as much juice as possible. Press the fruit pulp against the sides of the strainer with a spoon. If
you use a wooden spoon, it may become stained permanently. Don't try to
drain the fruit of all its juice. Forcing the juice from the skins of
the fruits results in cloudiness, affecting the final product.
Remove the strainer containing the berry pulp. The bowl below should contain only berry juice.
Add 1/2 tsp. of vinegar to the berry juice and mix with a spoon. The vinegar allows the ink to retain the color.
Mix 1/2 tsp. of salt into the berry mixture. Salt will preserve the berry juice so that it can be used as ink without molding.
Pour the berry ink into a clean, small jar and tightly place
the lid on the jar. Keep the lid on the jar when the ink is not in use
to preserve the ink.
Store natural ink the the refrigerator or freezer when you are not using it to preserve the ink for as long as possible.
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