One of the most striking plant dyes to come from the ordinary Asian garden is the brilliant yellow of the gardenia seed pod. There are three gardenia bushes in my inherited garden, and though they produce multitudes of fragrant white blossoms to scent the summer nights, being more ornamental than functional, they produce no fruit or seed. (There are also two ornamental pomegranate trees. The flowers are beautiful, and when they are done blooming, they drop to the ground, and that is the end of the story.)
However, this year, one of my English students was kind enough to share two gardenia seed pods from her garden. The Japanese use the fresh pods to dye special New Year's dishes a brilliant yellow. I used the dye this year to dye Stollen dough bright yellow, and also to color the apples for the filling. My own melange of holiday joy!
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