Tuesday, March 9, 2010

It's time to start thinking about EASTER eggs!!!!

This is a post from last year, but appropos for the season, so I thought I'd run it again......



We don't really dye eggs at our house much anymore, since my kids are older, but I'm thinking maybe you still do....well, maybe I'll do some this year for myself!!! I thought maybe you'd like to know how to dye them without using all those dyes that have to have a special number attached to them.....like Red dye #47 or Blue dye #23....why not try dying them with REAL food items???I've got some ideas for you and I even did a little Googling for some further research for you and me....Above is a picture of some naturally dyed eggs, and you can find some info here and here. Try looking here, too. You can also tea dye them, too as shown below, and the instructions are found here.Also, here are the instructions I have on hand for Elegant Dyed Easter Eggs using NATURAL food coloring.

Place colorant, from the list below in the pot with 1 quart of water and 2 T. white vinegar. Bring to a boil; let cool slightly. Place dye back in the pot with up to 2 raw eggs, bring to a boil. (If adding more than 2, stir gently to prevent eggs from settling against each other). Leave in dye until desired hue is reached, from 20 minutes up to 2 hours. Remove, pat dry lightly with paper towels; let air dry. Here is the list of colorants to use:
1/2 c. paprika= peachy salmon color
1 c. canned cherries in syrup=red
3 T. turmeric=yellow
1 c. fresh spinach leaves=green
4 c. chopped red cabbage or 1 c. blueberries with syrup=blue
12 medium sized onion skins=orange
1/2 c. grape juice concentrate=purple

For further decoration, take a crayon and make designs on the eggs before dying them. The dye will not absorb into the designs as the wax prevents it from absorbing and leaves the design in place. The process can be constantly repeated with the crayons for multiple effects on the eggs....these give you the look of Ukranian Easter Eggs.
Mostly have fun as you see nature's own hues softly displayed in your Easter Egg Basket Bounty!!! I'll be back next week with the recipe for the Easter Story Cookies, in case you need that one, too.

18 comments:

Debbie said...

What a great idea. I remember one year we colored ours with magic markers. Bad idea. I don't color them anymore either, since there are no children around here. I just buy the chocolate ones and eat all I want to console myself because I have no grandchildren:)
Debbie

Lisa said...

Wouldn't this make a great science fair project? LOL! I love it!

Screaming Meme said...

That is FUN!!!! I love coloring natural eggs...Great tips, girly!!!

Stacey @ The Blessed Nest said...

How fun! And it seems so much healthier too! Thanks for sharing this!
Stacey

Lisa said...

Cool! What fun!
Hugs, Lisa

Love the Decor! said...

My girls are all older but we still color eggs. My girls are big on tradition so we just do it cuz it's what we do : )

Amanda @ Serenity Now said...

Oo--I love the idea of using the natural stuff!!! :) I need to dye some eggs with the girls this year. Or maybe just Natalie. ;)

Diana Ferguson said...

Oohhh, too cute!!

Melissa Miller said...

I love these ideas Suzanne! ;)

Tara said...

Oh cool ideas. Thanks for sharing Suzanne.
Did you get that cup of Joe today?
Hugs,
Tara

Laura said...

What a great post!
I am going to print this for my daughter (and grandsons).

Thanks-
Laura

Low Tide High Style said...

I never even thought about using natural dyes, but I will now! Thanks so much for the info!

Kat :)

Embellished Bayou said...

What a great idea, I didn't even know this was possible. Thanks for sharing!

Tales From My Empty Nest said...

We did the natural eggs at pre-school one year. They were fun. There are so many neat ways to do eggs. I'm like you, now that I don't have small children, I don't do eggs anymore, but I still love all my Easter decorations. Love & blessings from NC!

April said...

Thank you so much, Suzanne...my girls and I LOVE to color Easter eggs!

Michelle said...

Martha has some great ideas in her magazine this month...she even shows how to do plaid ones! We love PLAID!!!!

Holly said...

How cool is that!? Really pretty.

jerriann said...

I just stopped by to say hi, hope everything is going your way. The easter eggs look great and fun too.