Recipe Manuscript

Grasse-Greens

Name: Grasse-Greens
Prep time: PTPT2D2H
Cook time: PTPT3H30M
Yield: 10
Cuisine: European
Ingredients: 900g dried flowers (choose depending on shade desired; e.g., calendula, marigold, or substitute with spinach leaves for modern green dye projects); 228g potassium alum (aluminium sulfate, food grade); Straw water (about 1 liter; substitute: pale chamomile tea or very light straw-yellow herbal infusion); 2 liters aged urine (substitute: household ammonia, approx. 5-7%; use with caution); Water (enough for boiling and steeping)

1670

From the treasured pages of Receipt book

Unknown Author

Renaissance (1400 - 1700)European Advanced Other

Original Recipe • 1670

Original Manuscript(circa Renaissance, 1400 - 1700)

As inscribed by the original author's hand, transcribed with care by Lost Kitchen Scrolls

Grasse-Greens

"Take light or sad flowrs, as you would have your green Light or sad; then dry them; & allum them; as you doe all other workes; which is, to each Troy's pound of wargot, four ounces allum small brayd, and boyl your wargot three hours in water; And when it is allum'd, to each two Troy's pound of wargot take a point of English or French straw water (the small & yellowest watr, being very good, is always the best) put your watr very small, and steep it two dayes in water; Then boile it in two severall waters; till you have all the strength from the watr; Then wring out your wargot from the hot allum broth; & put in two chamber pots full of strong old pisse; and stirr it about well, it will make it turne immediatly grasse green: And then draw out your wargot."

Note on the Original Text

The original recipe combines narrative instruction with period spelling and units ('Troy's pound,' 'allum,' 'wargot'). 'Sad' and 'light' refer to dark or pale colors. The directions are sequential but expect a certain level of familiarity with dyeing among readers, leaving some steps implicit (such as rinsing). Spelling variants like 'allum' (alum), 'boyl' (boil), and 'wring' (ring/wring) are typical for the time.

Modern Kitchen Interpretation

Recipe's Origin

Receipt book - Click to view recipe in book

Title

Receipt book (1670)

You can also click the book image above to peruse the original tome

Writer

Unknown

Era

1670

Publisher

Unknown

Background

A delightful voyage through 17th-century kitchens, this manuscript tempts the senses with timeless recipes, forgotten flavors, and the intrigue of historical culinary craft. Savory secrets and sweet indulgences await within its well-worn pages.

Kindly made available by

Folger Shakespeare Library

Historical Background of the Recipe

Learn about old traditions

This recipe appears in a 17th-century English manuscript recipe collection—an era when households often dyed their own textiles using locally available natural materials. The recipe demonstrates how people creatively achieved vibrant colors before modern synthetic dyes, relying on combinations of plant extracts and chemicals, including something as humble as urine (a readily available source of ammonia). The process vividly illustrates the ingenuity, resourcefulness, and pragmatic approach to color that characterized early modern domestic arts.

Culinary Tools when the Recipe was Crafted

Tools and techniques from kitchens of old

In the 1660s-1680s, dyeing would have required a large cauldron or kettle for boiling and mordanting the fabric and flowers. Households would also use wooden sticks or paddles for stirring, a linen sack for wringing out hot materials, chamber pots for collecting urine, and a hearth or open fire for heating. Simple knives or mortars might be used to crush the flowers for better extraction.

Modern Kitchen Adaptation

Ingredients and techniques for today's cooks

ounces, cups, Fahrenheit

Prep Time

PT2D2H

Cook Time

3 hrs 30 mins

Servings

We've done our best to adapt this historical recipe for modern kitchens, but some details may still need refinement. We warmly welcome feedback from fellow cooks and culinary historians — your insights support the entire community!

Ingredients

2 lbs dried flowers (choose depending on shade desired; e.g., calendula, marigold, or substitute with spinach leaves for modern green dye projects)
8 oz potassium alum (aluminium sulfate, food grade)
Straw water (about 1 quart; substitute: pale chamomile tea or very light straw-yellow herbal infusion)
2 quarts aged urine (substitute: household ammonia, approx. 5-7%; use with caution)
Water (enough for boiling and steeping)

Instructions

To recreate 'Grasse-greens' today, select fresh or dried flowers, choosing paler or deeper colors depending on how intense a green you want.
Dry them thoroughly, then mordant (pre-treat) them with alum by dissolving about 4 oz alum in water per 1 lb of flower material.
Simmer the flowers in the alum solution for at least three hours.
After mordanting, prepare a straw water extract (use pale, straw-yellow grass juice or a substitute, like pale chamomile tea), and steep about 2 lbs of the mordanted flowers in this liquid for two days, finely crushed.
Then boil the soaked mix in fresh water twice to extract the color.
Wring out the flowers from the hot alum liquid.
Finally, add two chamber pots (around 2 quarts) of strong aged urine (substitute: household ammonia, diluted to similar strength) to the hot liquid and stir vigorously.
The color will transform to a vivid grass green.
Remove the flower material—your fabric or yarn, now richly emerald, is ready.

Cooking Estimates

It takes time to prepare, mordant, and simmer the flowers, plus waiting for soaking and color transformation. This recipe does not produce a dish for eating, so there are no calories. It will dye enough fabric or yarn for about 10 medium scarves or skeins.

As noted above, we have made our best effort to translate and adapt this historical recipe for modern kitchens, taking into account ingredients nowadays, cooking techniques, measurements, and so on. However, historical recipes often contain assumptions that require interpretation.

We'd love for anyone to help improve these adaptations. Community contributions are highly welcome. If you have suggestions, corrections, or cooking tips based on your experience with this recipe, please share them below.