Spring has sprung and Easter is a wonderful day of celebration and gathering of loved ones. Sharing laughs, healthy dishes, and building memories with friends and family is something to look forward to. Dealing with kids (and adults) hopped up on way too much sugar, artificial dyes, and cleaning up garbage from Easter baskets, however, is not! Holidays and their fun can often become overshadowed by the ‘stuff’ we expect them to contain and pressure to deliver. Since making things fun, fast, and simple and getting back to nature is what we’re all about, we loved the idea of using everyday food items to naturally die this year’s batch of Easter eggs. Artificial boxed dyes contain tons of artificial colors, preservatives, and chemicals, which often leads to people throwing the eggs out after dying them for fun. Easter eggs are an Easter holiday tradition that is shared among generations. Why not continue the tradition with natural egg dyes that are free from extra chemicals that don’t belong in your food? This simple dye recipe is easy to make and goes with your regular grocery shopping as well, making it budget-friendly. You can use any leftover ingredients from these dyes for your Easter lunch! Now let’s get cracking on this natural egg dye recipe!
Ingredients:
- 12-16 organic white eggs
- White vinegar
- Purple cabbage (for blue)
- Pureed blanched spinach (for green)
- Brown onion skins (for orange)
- Grape juice (for purple)
- Cooked, peeled beets (for red)
- Turmeric (for yellow)
Cooking Utensils:
- 6 mason jars or deep bowls
- Large pot to boil water
- Tablespoon measures
Directions:
- Boil eggs in a large pot of water with 2 tbsp of white vinegar
- Cool with cold water
- Add each of the dying ingredients into its own bowl/ jar
- Add boiling water & 2 tbsp white vinegar until ½-¾ full
- Add 1-2 eggs to each color solution
- Let eggs soak (in the refrigerator to prevent food poisoning for those eating them) for 2-12 hours, depending on depth of color desired
- Remove eggs from the dye and let sit on paper towels to dry
By: Dahlia Marin, RDN & Lauren Ticorat, RD to be
