My daughter is very creative and so she has always loved Easter because it is filled with bright colors, tasty treats and lots of arts and crafts. Dying eggs has been a fun tradition for her because she loves getting creative with how she colors and decorates the eggs. While dying eggs can be fun, some children are allergic or have a food intolerance to artificial food dyes which can take the fun out of Easter!
Even if your children don’t have an allergy to artificial food dye, it’s fun to teach your children how to make their own from scratch! Since we are focusing on vegetables this month, I thought I would share with you how you can use the vegetables in your fridge to make your very own natural food dye. You’re kids will probably think you’re pretty cool for showing them this.
First, you will need eggs (I suggest white for dying) that aren’t perfectly fresh and are hard-boiled. Here is your guide to making the following colors: (the ratio is 1:1, 2:2 etc. for contents to water).
- 1 cup red onion skins per cup of water- creates a pretty lavender color or red
- 1 cup yellow onion skins or chopped carrots per cup of water- creates orange
- 1 cup shredded beats per cup of water-creates pink
- 1 cup chopped purple cabbage per cup of water- creates blue
- 2 tablespoons of ground turmeric- creates yellow
Directions:
I suggest having a different pot for each color. Add the one cup of water to a pot and place the vegetable or spice in there and boil. Once you bring it to a boil, turn it on low and let it simmer for about 15-20 minutes. The longer you let it simmer, the deeper hue it will get. You know it’s ready when the color is a few shades darker than you actually want it to look on your eggs. When the dye reaches the color desired, remove from heat and let the dye reach room temperature.
Once it is cooled, pour the liquid through a fine mesh strainer into a bowl. Add 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil for one cup of dyed liquid and stir.
Place the hard-boiled eggs into the dyed liquid until they are completely submerged in the dye and place in refrigerator until it reaches the color you want.
Once they are the color desired, pull them out of the liquid and place on a drying rack or upside down egg carton.
Naturally dyed Easter Eggs have a matte finish, so if you want to give them a little shine, just rub some coconut or olive oil on them with a paper towel once they are completely dry.
There you go! You’re practically as magical as the Easter bunny!