Our Naturally Dyed Easter Eggs

I was in the mood for a project.

Following the suggestion of Martha, I decided to dye Easter eggs using vegetables and spices. This is how they used to do it right? Before PAAS? At any rate, I thought it would be a good learning opportunity for the kids, and me. It was more labor intensive than I had imagined. Not hard, just time consuming (which was kind of a good thing). Also, messier than I thought, once a two and three year old were factored into the equation.

We got some awesome results though. I used both brown and white eggs, blown out (even setting aside my salmonella fears, and let Samantha help me do the blowing out bit). Left them in the dye solutions overnight, because apparently natural dyes can come out a little subdued.

What we used....
Yellow- Ground Tumeric
Red- Beets
Blue- purple cabbage
Green-(cheated here) food coloring, vinegar and boiling water

The beets were my favorite. They dyed the eggs quickly, didn't stink (boiled cabbage), and I ate them, after straining off the water. (Thanks mom for the Harvard Beet recipe).





I'd be up for it again next year. Maybe even try a few new dyes...coffee, onions, paprika. I don't know how much the kids absorbed, but I'm sure it was something. I asked Samantha later that night "What did we use to dye our Easter Eggs today?" She replied, "I don't know. Blue Bonnets and beets?"