Madder, Rubia tinctorium, also known as common madder, dyer's madder, and rose madder is a historical natural dye plant. It's importance as a dye plant throughout history cannot be over stated.

The attractive pointed leaves and long stems of Madder plants tend to lightly cling when you brush over them. They have very strong growing roots that spread. The tops of the plants will also sprawl in sticky low lying vines. Around mid summer lots of tiny yellowish star shaped flowers bloom. These form green berries, which develop into dark purple-black seeds.
 
In order to encourage lots of roots, these long vine-like stems should be gently pulled down to the ground as needed and covered with soil. You can also increase your crop by propagating from stem clippings rooted in water.

After three years of growth, your madder roots should be thick enough to use for dyeing. They can be used fresh or dried for later use. Dig up part of your madder patch in the fall, cut off the spent top growth, (this can be used for pale pink shades), and wash the roots.

To use as a dye, crush or break up the roosts as much as possible. To make a dye bath, soak in water and heat. Madder can also be used as a light fast dye without the need for an aluminum mordant. You can use a tannin with your madder root instead.

Madder can be used to dye silk, cotton, rayon, hemp, wool and any other natural fiber.

If you wish to continue growing madder, be sure to re-seed the area you harvested for roots in the spring. Starting three dedicated patches, harvesting one patch after three years, then re-seeding, insures you three year growth to harvest each year.

Growing Guide

Although growing madder does require patience, it really is worth the wait. The colors (pink, orange, red, purple, all from the same root depending on mordant used) from a madder root dye bath are very rich and beautiful.

Soak seeds in tepid water for 1-24 hours prior to planting to improve the germination rate.

• Botanical Name: Rubia tinctorium
• Sow Inside: In small containers 4 weeks before your last frost

• Sow outside (preferred method): In spring after danger of frost has passed
• Soil Temperature For Germination: 65-80°F
• Size: 24" Sprawling, Bushy
• Zone: 5-9
• Sun: Full
• Water: Moist, Well Drained
• Soil: Acidic, neutral, or alkaline (higher alkaline content tends to make the dye more vibrant)
• Seed Planting Depth: 1/2"
• Seed Spacing: 12"
• Days to Germination: 2-3 Weeks (tends to have a low germination rate, soak to improve the germination rate)
  

Seed Savers:
Allow plants to bloom and set seed. Harvest when hard and black. Old stagnant growth should be clipped back annually following setting of seed

Madder is a hardy herbaceous perennial plant in the coffee family. It can be considered an invasive plant depending on your growing goals and conditions.

Caution:
Madder is extremely dangerous if consumed. If you, a family member, or a pet has ingested any amount of plant material contact Poison Control, or your veterinarian immediately. Yes, I grow madder and have farm animals and cats. But please be advised, madder is not recommended for homes with children, cats, or dogs.

Stronger The Untold Story of Muscle in Our Lives by Michael Joseph Gross

The best thing about this book for me was that it was very motivating to keep up with strength training, aka weight lifting. The author makes a strong case as to why we all need to perform strength training in our daily lives. Age is irrelevant. Young or in a nursing home, we all need to lift weights. This isn't about being a body builder. Instead it's about building health through muscle.

The author starts with Greek times and then goes into more current events with the focus on a particular individuals weight training journey. This back and forth repeats for the entirety of the book. Initially, I was okay with this, but it became frustrating rather quickly. I would have much rather the author started in the past, then moved the reader through to the present. Save the silly jumping around for the fiction writers.

Each individual in the book has certain challenges to overcome. For example, determining that particular movements caused pain, the individual figured out the strength exercise to correct this issue by strengthening another area of the body. This is very interesting to me. Learning how to fix the cycle of exercise, pain, rest, repeat by understanding which areas of the body need to be strengthened in order to keep the body in balance is something I think we'd all like to know.

Frankly, just about anything mentioned in more current times was fascinating trip through the more recent past. From woman in weight lifting, to runners, to the elderly, Stronger shows how incredibly important it is to utilize resistance training in order to improve cardiovascular and bone health. How aerobics, walking, and balance exercises simply are not enough. Instead, to get the most "bang for your buck", weight train.

My father was a body builder. He instilled this into me. Plus I grew up watching Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone. Personal experience has taught me exactly what the various people in this book discovered, weight lifting improves health. It improves self confidence because you can do the thing. You feel good in your own body. It's not about dieting or weight loss or gain. It's about strength and mobility. Retaining ones independence to move through the world.

Sadly, while highly motivating, the book is also lacking. The back and forth between Grecian times to more recent was frustrating. Adding to this frustration was that there wasn't a chapter showing or at least describing in great detail the various movements that were so beneficial in the various studies that were done.

Finally, I read this on my Kindle. Due to how dense of a read it is, I think this is one of those books I'd like to have on audio. Normally, I like to have physical copies of non fiction books so that I can bookmark, take notes, flip through the pages at will, etc. But with this book not providing any actual guidelines, a printed copy doesn't really seem necessary. It's just a story. Not so much a guide or how-to. Granted, it is not promoted as such, but I cannot help but think the book would have been greatly improved had this been added.

I received an advanced readers e-copy (ARC) of this book from Netgalley, Michael Joseph Gross, and Penguin Group Dutton.