Distinctive Aromas

One thing I should have mentioned about the birch bark dye bath is its distinctive aroma. I can't think what, exactly, it reminds me of, but it was definitely evocative of some distant memory from my childhood. I'm preparing some rhubarb root this morning, and that emits a tangy peppery smell. The chamomile dye bath obviously evoked chamomile tea, but so many of the plants, barks and roots that I'm steeping in this winter season have clear culinary associations that I sometimes feel that I'm cooking up a storm!