What’s the point of a homemade, natural egg dye for Easter festivities? While most conventional dyes are boasted as non-toxic, many food-grade, FDA approved dyes are made with toxins such as coal, tar, and other petroleum based products. For those with sensitivities this can be a huge issue … and for those who have just gone out of their way to purchase organic eggs or vegan EggNots for their family, these harsh dyes can be an eco-friendly buzz kill.
Luckily, the earth-kind people at Pangea Organics have enlightened us with easy, edible, and completely natural egg dye options that will leave your eggs with brilliant Easter hues while easing your mind about what might be entering your children’s mouths.
The following are some everyday cooking ingredients that you can use in the recipe below to color your eco-friendly, natural egg dye:
- Pink or Red: Pomegranate juice; red onion skins; beets; cranberries or cranberry juice and raspberries.
- Orange: Yellow onion skins, paprika or chili powder.
- Green: Spinach.
- Blue: A mixture of red cabbage, canned blueberries or blueberry juice, blackberries or purple grape juice.
- Purple: A small quantity of purple grape juice, violet blossoms plus two teaspoons of lemon juice and a small quantity of red onion skins.
- 1 tablespoon spice (another use for that pungent turmeric!) OR 4 cups chopped fruit or veggies from the list above
- 4 cups water
- 2 tablespoons white vinegar (helps the dye adhere to the eggs)
- Combine all these ingredients in a pot, and bring them to a boil, then reduce the heat and let the mixture simmer for 15 to 30 minutes (the longer it simmers, the darker the resulting color).
- Remove the dye from the heat and let cool completely.
- Dye your hard-boiled eggs or EggNots and let the hunt ensue.
1 Comment
Pingback: Egg-Free Easter Eggs: For Vegans and Egg Allergies - Go Dairy Free