By Adri Warrick, Founder of The Whole Tulip Blog
Easter eggs can be dyed naturally with foods. We are learning more and more each day about the dangers of dye in our children’s diets. Why not have fun showing them the amazing colors you can make from real food? Cabbage, beets, turmeric and onions are just a few of the foods that are commonly used to dye egg shells. The best part is that if you keep them refrigerated, your kids can eat them without the worry of toxic dye’s leaching through the shell.
Instructions:
1. Place a quart of water (4 cups) into a saucepan.
2. Add 2 tablespoons of white vinegar.
3. Bring the water and vinegar to a boil.
4. Reduce the heat to simmering and add one of the following foods depending on the color desired:
Red: 4 cups onion skin or beets
Yellow: 3 Tablespoons turmeric (find it in spice isle) or 1 whole pomegranate chopped
Brown: 4 Tablespoons coffee grinds
Blue: 4 cups of cabbage
Lavender: 2 cups of blackberries
Simmer the natural food dye for 30 minutes and strain the food out. If the food isn’t strained, it creates splotches on the egg. If you like the marbled splotches, there is no need to strain it.
5. Place the eggs in the food dye and simmer for 30 minutes, or soak them overnight at room temperature. Soaking them overnight reduces the chance of the shells cracking from boiling and it also gives the eggs a rich, deep color.
Have you tried this before? Please share any tips if you have or any other food suggestion that would make pretty colors for the Easter Eggs. Happy Hunting!
Don’t forget to save your egg carton! You can organize small objects, such as buttons, pins, change, or beads. Or, plant some seeds with your kids and watch them grow. Cartons are always great to have on hand for crafts.
Are you confused more then ever about which additives are safe in foods and which are not? CSPI (Center for Science in the Public Interest) has an app, links below, that features a searchable and filterable list of food additives, their descriptions, and safety ratings to help you make healthy decisions. You learn about a new additive every time you start up the app on the home screen.
iPhone App
Android App
Register for our Earth Day Giveaway!
Our friends at The Greener Good have put together a fabulous green package for CSP readers valued at $110! Winner will be selected on Friday, Earth Day, so don’t wait! You snooze, you lose! Click here for deets.
