Kitchen Art

You may have heard that red cabbage can be used as a litmus test - that the water it is boiled in will change colour if it comes in contact with an acidic or alkaline substance. But have you put it to the test? I decided to try it out after coming across some red cabbage in a supermarket.

Turns out not only does it work very well, but it can also be used to create art works any 4-year-old would be proud of.

Red Cabbage

Lemon juice

Baking Soda

Drawing paper

Some cut up cabbage was boiled on the stove for about 10 minutes with some water. It was then strained through a paper towel, although I don't think the straining through paper was really necessary.

As I had a couple of lemons in the fridge which were past their prime, I squeezed one into a glass and then tested its pH with a meter (I had previously purchased to test the soil in my garden). The lemon juice was on the acidic side. A tablespoon of red cabbage juice (really its purple) was added. This turned the lemon juice bright red.

Next some washing soda was added to a glass and its pH was tested. It was on the alkaline side. After adding some purple cabbage juice and stirring, it changed to a greenish colour.

Purple cabbage juice really does work as a litmus test.

Having some purple cabbage juice, I wondered if litmus paper could be created by painting in on drawing paper? So, I purchased a drawing pad and removed a page. I painted the whole page with the purple juice and then squeezed on some lemon juice, causing the paper to turn reddish. Next, I tried painting on some of the washing soda solution. This caused the paper to turn green. My first 'masterpiece' had been created.

As washing soda is a little too strong to be handled without wearing gloves, I wanted to test baking soda as it is a milder alkali. I also wondered if 'art' could be created by using a stencil and spaying vinegar onto the paper which had been covered with purple cabbage juice. A stencil was cut out of some cardboard.

I painted some more sheets of paper with the purple cabbage juice and let them dry. The next day I used the stencil and sprayed vinegar on to the paper, it turned a darker green. I placed an absorbent paper towel on the artwork after removing the stencil to soak up any excess vinegar.

Next, I painted on some lemon juice - it turned the paper pink.

A baking soda and water paste was made and painted on, it went green - similar to the washing soda, which was also tried. In my opinion using baking soda or lemon juice works best.

I tried testing my garden's soil pH. Some soil was scoop up, mixed with water and left over night. In the morning a couple of litmus strips were placed in the mixture and then allowed to dry. As a control a litmus strip was placed in some water and allowed to dry. As can be seen there may be a slight colour change in the strips placed in the soil water, maybe going slightly a darker green. But to be honest it was a bit hard to tell.