Have you ever noticed most Easter treats take something from nature and make it, well, a little unnatural? Chocolate bunnies, marshmallow chicks, jelly beans and eggs that are either plastic, creme-filled or dyed bright blue … not exactly how Mother Nature intended.
This year, add a little natural back to your Easter festivities with natural egg dyes. Local Harvest Café and Catering shared few tips on how to color eggs using plant-based ingredients easily found in most kitchen.
“It’s a fun thing to see that you can create your own colors,” said Local Harvest owner Maddie Earnest. “It’s a neat thing for the kids to see, and the grown-ups will have fun, too.”
So before you gnaw the ears off your chocolate bunny or count your jelly beans as a vegetable, have some fun with these DIY dyes. Follow the instructions below, or click here for a handy printout from Local Harvest’s Lisa Carrico.
Naturally Dyed Eggs For pink: 1 cup beet water and 1 Tbsp. vinegar
For blue-purple: ½ cup frozen blueberries, thawed and smashed, and 2 Tbsp. vinegar
For red: 1 cup red onion skin water and 1 Tbsp. vinegar
For yellow: 1 cup warm water, 1½ Tbsp. tumeric and 1 Tbsp. vinegar
For orange: 1 cup yellow onion skin water and 1 Tbsp. vinegar
For blue-green: 1 cup purple cabbage water and 1 Tbsp. vinegar
• Hard-boil eggs at least 1 week old and let cool completely.
• For blue-purple and yellow only: Bring 4 cups water to a boil. Add 2 to 4 cups chopped dye material and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, covered, 15 to 30 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature. Strain the dye into a small, deep container.
• For each color, fill a small, deep container with the chosen dye. Submerge the hard-boiled eggs in liquid and refrigerate, checking occasionally until the desired color is achieved.
• When the egg reaches the correct shade, gently lift it from the dye and place it on a wire rack to dry. (The color will not set until the eggs are completely dry.) Colored eggs will keep in the refrigerator up to 1 week.
-photo courtesy of Lisa Carrico
This article appears in April 2014.