Recipe for Colorful Easter Eggs, Naturally Dyed: Fun with the Kids!

A fun craft to do with the kids, a learning opportunity, and healthy eating all in one! There are many foods & spices that you can use to make natural Easter egg dye, and kids can learn about where dyes first came from.

I am going to put in the extra effort this year and make the dyes myself with the kids' help. Here is a list of some natural items straight from your kitchen that you can use to dye your eggs:

Blue: red cabbage (leaves) and/or blueberries:

Red-Pink: blackberries

Green: mix blueberries and turmeric

Beige or brown: Tea, coffee

Red: Beets, cranberries

Orange: Outer skins of onions

Light Yellow: Carrot tops, orange or lemon peels

Dark Yellow: Turmeric

Marbled Effect: Add a little vegetable oil to the dye

To make the aforementioned colors, boil the ingredients in water with 3 tablespoons of vinegar per quart. The vinegar will help the colors adhere to the eggs. using white eggs is recommended, as the colors show more clearly. Dip the eggs into the bowls of coloring until desired color is reached. Natural colors usually take longer to dye the eggs than do the ones from the store. The colors you make will look like they came right out of the field or out of an exotic bird's nest!

You can leave eggs in the dye overnight if they are refrigerated (I recommend doing this for deeper hues). Checkout Amy Gates' website for pictures of beautiful home dyed eggs and for more information on colors and methods: http://crunchydomesticgoddess.com/2009/04/04/how-to-dye-easter-eggs-naturally-a-tutorial/