Color Easter Eggs Naturally With Dyes From Your Kitchen

The most beautiful dyes for Easter eggs come from foodstuff you probably already have in your kitchen.

I have been delighted with the results of the colors I have tried and my friends have been thrilled to receive them as springtime gifts. The colors are very unusual -- gentle, earthy, soft, and very vibrant, without being harsh like the artificial dyes -- and when I tell people the colors come from plant dyes, they always want to know the origin of each color.

To color these eggs, you boil the eggs with the dyestuff, rather than boiling the eggs separately and they dying them.

Here are the general directions:

1. Put raw, white-shelled, organically-raised eggs in a single layer in a pan. Cover with cold water.

2. Add a little more than a teaspoon of white vinegar.

3. Add the natural dyestuff for the color you want your eggs to be. (The more eggs you are dying at a time, the more dye you will need to use, and the more dye you use, the darker the color will be.)

4. Bring water to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes.

5. Quickly check the eggs for color by removing them from the dye liquid with a slotted spoon.

If the color is as desired, pour off the hot dye liquid and rinse the eggs immediately in cold water to stop the eggs from cooking. Continue to change the water until it stays cool in the pot because the eggs are no longer releasing heat. Drain and allow eggs to cool in the refrigerator.

If you wish a deeper color, strain the hot dye liquid into a container, then rinse the eggs immediately in cold water to stop them from cooking. Continue to change the water until it stays cool in the pot because the eggs are no longer releasing heat. Drain the last of the cold water, then cover the eggs with the strained dye liquid. Add more water if necessary so that the eggs are completely covered. Put into the refrigerator immediately and keep eggs in the refrigerator until the desired shade is achieved. Overnight is good. Longer than about twelve hours some of the colors just get muddier instead of deeper, and the lighter shades are more vibrant.

Try these foods to dye your eggs:

Red - Pink -- lots of red onion skins, cranberry juice, or frozen raspberries.

Orange -- Yellow onion skins

Brown -- Red beet skins or grape juice (produces a beautiful sparkling tan), coffee.

Yellow -- Saffron, tumeric or cumin, orange or lemon peels, or celery seed.

Green -- spinach, or carrot tops and peels from Yellow Delicious apples for a yellow-green.

Blue -- Red cabbage leaves make the most incredible robin's-egg blue.

Deep Purple -- Red wine makes a beautiful burgundy color

Tips for successful results:

* Use filtered or distilled water. Chlorine and other chemicals will work against the dye, making it less intense. Buy distilled water or use your own filtered water.

* For deeper colors, use more dyestuff or let the eggs soak longer.

* For even coverage, cook eggs in a pot large enough to hold enough water and dyestuff to completely cover the eggs, even after some of the liquid has evaporated during the 15 minute of boiling.

* Again, for even coverage, if you continue to soak the eggs in the refrigerator after cooking, make sure the eggs are completely covered with the dye liquid.

* Blot the eggs dry or allow them to air dry, as for some colors the dye will rub off while still wet. On the other hand, if you wish to make a white pattern on the egg, you can rub off some of the dye for some colors immediately after cooking.

* Make sure eggs of different colors are completely dry before piling them up in a bowl together, as wet dye from one egg can transfer to another.

Read more about natural dyes for Easter eggs at http://www.debraslist.com/food/aboutcol oringeggs.html.

Hailed as "The Queen of Green" by the New York Times, Debra Lynn Dadd has been a consumer advocate for products and lifestyle choices that are better for health and the environment since 1982.

Visit her website for 100s of links to 1000s of nontoxic, natural and earthwise products, and to sign up for her free email newsletters.

http://www.dld123.com

---

Simplify the Season

Let's take a look at a typical Christmas To-Do list:... Read More

How to Have the ?Perfect? Christmas

"This year will be different. I vow I won't get... Read More

Valentines Day - A Guide for Men

Did you know that after Christmas, Valentine's Day is the... Read More

Advantages of Online Greeting Cards Over Paper Cards - Part II

So, let's review a little what we said in the... Read More

Jeweled Shamrock Pendant

March 17th is St. Patrick's Day and according to tradition... Read More

Eggs-travagant Eggs

Wonderfully simple to do and oh so impressive!You don't need... Read More

12 Things That Make Life Worthwhile!

Happy New Year! Around the world, this is a time... Read More

Texas Exotic Hunting

Texas Exotic Hunting is a popular sport in this state.... Read More

Find Your Favorite Swashbuckling Pirate Costume!

"Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate's life for me!" If... Read More

Thanksgiving

I was not planning to write this article. Instead, I... Read More

10 Stress Free Tips to Pamper Mom This Mothers Day

Mothers Day is the day we set aside each year... Read More

Unique Gift Ideas -- The Gift Of Fitness

Well, it's almost that time of year again ? the... Read More

Is Buying a Gift for Mom as Difficult for You as it is for Me?

I have walked through a countless number of stores searching... Read More

9 Fantastic Formulas for a Stress Free Holiday!

The holidays are officially here. And so the season for... Read More

Easy Gift Ideas For Dad On Fathers Day

Father's Day is just around the corner. If you're looking... Read More

Valentine?s Day Ideas for Singles

Maybe your significant other is overseas in the military. Maybe... Read More

2 Inexpensive Halloween Costume Ideas

Did you know that you can make your own Halloween... Read More

30th Birthday Gift Ideas

Choosing a birthday gift for a friend about to turn... Read More

The Christmas Dress

From the time I was a very little girl, I... Read More

Holiday Beauty Dos and Donts

Why is it that whenever you go to a holiday... Read More

Relaxing Holidays - Five Ways To Make Your Next Holiday Stress Free

For many people the end of a year is a... Read More

Event Planning 101

One of the tools I use as a professional organizer... Read More

Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas - How to Tap in to the Holiday Publicity Bonanza

If your product or service can be given as a... Read More

The Evolution of Christmas Ornaments

Things have come a long way since a Christmas ornament... Read More

Valentine Gifts From The Heart

One of my fondest childhood memories is of my mother... Read More

Valentine?s Day - Online Worship

Gazing the wide stretched blue carpet, with blows of zephyrs... Read More

Gifts: What Do You Give A Couch Potato?

So you know someone who likes to "veg out" in... Read More

Valentines Day

Ever wondered how February 14 became, the day on which... Read More

A Mothers Keepsake

A mother's bracelet is a personalized bracelet that celebrates the... Read More

Easy Costumes Kids Can Make

The kindergarten class I was teaching was scheduled to perform... Read More

Halloween Safety Tips

Halloween is an exciting night for children and a busy... Read More

Consider the Egg

The glorious egg, with its deep links to Creation mythology,... Read More

Trick or Treating Safety

Halloween is such a fun time of year for kids... Read More