Vibrant Valley Blue
Indigo grown in Portland, OR
Origin Story
Vibrant Valley Farm’s interest and connection with indigo has evolved through the years. It has been a gift to explore and work with a plant that offers a unique opportunity to work in the arts and fiber from the lens of a farmer. We were connected with indigo in 2016 with the Museum of Contemporary Craft and Rowland Ricketts via Chelsea at WIldcraft Studios. We witnessed the shifting color, the way it grows and dove right in learning, exploring and finding our role in artistic expression.
Persicaria Tinctoria
Here at Vibrant Valley Farm we grow Persicaria Tinctoria, also known as Japanese Indigo. We have had the pleasure of exploring this plant as a cultivar since 2017. We started by planting about 600 plants in 2017 and have grown up to 10,000 plants in a season since then. We source seeds from three different farms and seed breeders that we know and trust- Baliwick Blue, Rowland Ricketts, and Grand Prismatic Seed. Our techniques and planting methods have evolved and changed and we are fine tuning our systems to assure we have a sufficient amount in cultivation for our extraction goals, fresh dye workshops, body products, seed saving and art projects.
The Process
Our extraction process has been very inspiring, creating systems that allow us as Vibrant Valley Farm to be independent in our growing and cultivation and for Vibrant Valley Blue to grow, in our extractions and dyeing practices. We extract roughly 4000 pounds of indigo throughout the season and have saved an average of 50 gallons annually. More pigment allows Vibrant Valley Blue to study the extraction process, cleaning of the pigment, and ability to make dye vats for our own projects, while having enough saved to share our pigment (dried powder and wet!) with the world.
Education
Teaching was the initial outlet that sparked our interest and inspired us to dive deep into the world of indigo. The opportunity to share with people in an educational setting encouraged us to find our personal expression into curriculum, with a format that allowed us to intentionally study the cultivar, teach people what we were interested in, with facts and historical context of the plant; teaching is the best way to be an intentional student of the craft- and it has deepened our knowledge and relationship. Our educational structure and component has built community, allowing the farm a time to share our space and what we do as farmers with the world- with art and textiles as the catalyst. This portion of our business model has built community, and has grown exponentially annually and our collaborations are just getting started.
The Future of Vibrant Valley Blue
We are forever inspired with textile production, up-cycled dye projects, educational outlets, collaborations and body care production that has surfaced since we have started to grow Indigo. We are working effortlessly to find our edge, raise the bar and celebrate all we can from this gorgeous plant.
Vibrant Valley Blue is just getting started and look forward to all that is to come. Our relationship and potential with indigo is dynamic and we want to keep learning, exploring and collaborating with folks to be our best in this industry and most importantly, as stewards to this land.
