Sustainable Saturday - Coloring Easter Eggs Naturally!

Easter is only two weeks away and my children are ready to color their Easter eggs!  I've wanted to dye the eggs more naturally, but have yet to experiment with natural food coloring dyes. Here’s why: Many food colorings contain color additives such as Red No. 3 and Yellow No. 5, which, according to a 1983 study by the FDA, were found to cause tumors (Red No. 3) and hives (Yellow No. 5). 

Below you will find several resources for Natural Easter Egg Dyes.  I have highlighted in bold below the colors and ingredients we plan to use.  As for directions as to how to boil, incorporate the fruits, vegetables and spices, vinegar and soaking times, we will follow primarily what is outlined in the foodnetwork.com video below.  We will report back with our results!

Directions for all colors:

• In a saucepan add 1 quart of water and vegetable/ fruit/ spices. 
• Boil and cook for approximately 15 minutes.  
• Allow to cool to room temperature and add 2 tbsp distilled white vinegar.  
• Add hard boiled eggs to each color and allow to soak for 1-2 hours.  

Directions for brown (coffee):

• Brew coffee
• Allow to cool to room temperature and add 2 tbsp distilled white vinegar.  
• Add hard boiled eggs to each color and allow to soak for overnight.

All of the ingredients and egg shells you use can be composted when you are done as they have been dyed with natural ingredients and are compost friendly!

Color	Items To Dye With
Blue	Fresh or Frozen Blueberries Red Cabbage Leaves (boiled) Purple Grape Juice
Brown or Beige	Strong Coffee Instant Coffee Black Walnut Shells (boiled) Black Tea
Brown Gold	Dill Seeds
Brown Orange	Chili Powder
Gold	Turmeric
Green	Spinach Leaves (boiled) Liquid Chlorophyll
Greenish Yellow	Yellow Delicious Apple Peels (boiled)
Grey	Purple or red grape juice or beet juice
Lavender	Small Quantity of Purple Grape Juice Violet Blossoms plus 2 tsp Lemon Juice Red Zinger Tea
Orange	Yellow Onion Skins (boiled) Carrots Paprika
Pink	Beets Cranberries or Juice Raspberries Raspberry Tea Bags Red Grape Juice Juice from Pickled Beets
Red	Lots of Red Onions Skins (boiled) Pomegranate juice Canned Cherries (with syrup) Raspberries Fresh or Frozen Strawberries
Violet or Purple	Violet Blossoms Hibiscus tea Small Quantity of Red Onions Skins (boiled) Red Wine
Yellow	Orange or Lemon Peels (boiled) Carrot Tops (boiled) Chamomile Tea Celery Seed (boiled) Green tea Ground Cumin (boiled) Ground Turmeric (boiled) or Saffron

Chart courtesy of http://whatscookingamerica.net

If you are looking for more specific, step-by-step instructions, check out the following for more detailed information:

• The Go Green Blog - Naturally Dyed Easter Eggs
• Natural for Easter Eggs 
• Organic.org - Natural Dye
• Crunchy Domestic Goddess - How to dye Easter eggs naturally - a tutorial

If you are looking to simplify, but still want to color Easter eggs naturally, check out these Easter Egg Kits:

• Eco-Eggs Easter Egg Coloring Kit

Resources: http://whatscookingamerica.net, Food Network.com and Organic.org - Natural Dye

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