I've been wanting to try natural dyes for Easter eggs, and since Roscoe's little paws are in the mix this year the timing is perfect. I bought a short ebook online and gathered my supplies.
We took the easy route and used ingredients that we already had on hand: saffron, beets, paprika, chili powder, and grape juice. For each color I combined two tablespoons of spice in two cups of boiled water and let it simmer for 10 minutes. Then I poured the dye into a bowl with two tablespoons of vinegar. I boiled three dozen eggs and prepared the dyes the night before so that we were all set to go when Roscoe woke up this morning.
I rolled out the splat mat (one of our best baby/toddler purchases to date) and set out the bowls of dye. Roscoe hand dropped all the eggs into his bowls of choice and then stirred them around with a spoon. We let them sit over breakfast and when he pulled them out they were so pretty!
Once they dried, we rubbed each egg with a few drops of olive oil intensifying the color and giving it a glossy finish (maybe we used a tad too much!). I love how they turned out though--more beautiful than any dye from a Paas box.
Now that we've tried it, I can't imagine going back to our old ways. There's a lot of opportunity for creativity with this method too. Different ingredients, different colors, lots of fun to be had reinvigorating an Easter tradition. I'd love to make green and blue next year.
looks like he had a GREAT time!!
ReplyDeleteI was going to do this, too! But my only concern would be that the flavors would transfer. Like I saw a recipe using curry powder, but does that mean the eggs will taste a little like curry? Or beet eggs? Or chili eggs?
ReplyDeleteMaybe this year I'll wait until you taste them and report back :)
Wow! The eggs came out beautifully. Great job! Thank you for purchasing our eBook. We love trying 1-2 new plants each year. :)
ReplyDeleteGorgeous! I love the glossy finish. I never thought to rub them with olive oil!
ReplyDeleteSo cool! Snatching your idea for next year :) Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteSaw this blog post and thought of your post :)
ReplyDeletehttp://www.comfytummy.com/2011/04/01/natural-easter-egg-dyes-that-actually-work/
Interesting idea. I too am curious about the transfer of flavor to the egg. Could you taste the seasoning?
ReplyDeleteSorry I responded directly to Navigating the Mothership! I couldn't taste any of the dye flavors in our eggs. Although some of the egg whites were colored--the eggs colored in saffron in particular.
ReplyDeleteAshley: thanks for the article! I'm going to try her method next year. I agree that the result is muted, and more in the pastel family. I think it depends on how long you let the eggs soak though. We soaked ours for an hour or two, but soaking overnight would be better I bet. I love the intensity of her eggs!