Coloring Easter Eggs The Eco Friendly Way...

[Saveinapenny18]

Kristin C you inspired me to find some eco friendly Easter Ideas and this is what I've found....

If you're planning on coloring regular eggs for Easter, choose natural dyes over those nasty pellets that come with traditional decorating kits. Natural dyes, in fact, give you more color possibilities: every shade from greenish-yellow and lavender to brown, blue and orange. Just boil your eggs in water with a bit of vinegar and one of these ingredients below, then let simmer for at least 15 minutes:

• Purple grape juice (for lavender)
• Red cabbage (for blue)
• Spinach (for green)
• Carrot tops, orange peels or lemon peels (for yellow)
• Coffee or black walnut shells (for brown)
• Yellow onion skins (for orange)
• Beets or cranberries (for pink)
• Red onion skins (for red)

[kristen.c]

I bet Kale would work for light green also, I know it turns the water a really gnarly color when I cook it. Red chard turns the water a maroon-ish color, so that's another option to try. I wonder if you could just freeze the red stalks until Easter time and then boil them that way?

You could also use turmeric for a yellow-orange color.

So many possibilities!

[Prizm99]

Would it make the eggs taste like whatever you used to boil with? Sometimes I get eggs that crack during the boiling process.

[kristen.c]

Originally Posted by Prizm99

Would it make the eggs taste like whatever you used to boil with? Sometimes I get eggs that crack during the boiling process.

Little known egg boiling tip: if you start with cold/room temperature water, and bring the eggs up to a boil in the water they almost never crack. Hopefully that will help you out some. (I usually bring up to boil, boil for 5 minutes, turn off heat and let sit in covered pot for 10 minutes, then cool. Perfect eggs!)

As far as if they do end up cracking, I don't think anything listed would flavor the eggs too much to be inedible and probably wouldn't be very noticeable. They will turn a funky color though if the coloring leaks in, but that can happen with regular dye also.

[RedSoxRosie]

From Kiwi Magazine:

Eco Easter Eggs


Most store-bought Easter egg dyes get their pretty hues from artificial colors. For a do-it-yourself alternative, dye your own naturally with this recipe from Sara Snow, green-lifestyle expert and host of Get Fresh with Sara Snow. Materials
Hardboiled eggs
Berries or vegetables
White distilled vinegar
Water

Directions
1. Choose your dyes: Use beets or cranberries for red, turmeric for orange, cumin or orange rinds for yellow, spinach for green, blueberries for blue and coffee grounds for brown.
2. In a saucepan, simmer water and your dying agent for about 15 minutes. (You’ll need about a ½ cup of berries or vegetables and 2 teaspoons of herbs or grounds per cup of water.)
3. Strain the dye into a bowl, then add 2 to 4 teaspoons of white distilled vinegar.
4. Submerge hardboiled eggs into the dye, allowing to sit until your desired color is achieved (about 15 minutes).

[DoreenGoinGreen]

There are so many awesome alternative ideas for coloring eggs this Easter. My kids are teenagers and will really enjoy a new aspect to coloring eggs.

Thanks to everyone!

[RedSoxRosie]

Some more egg dye info:

Yellow Dye: Mix 2 teaspoons of ground turmeric powder with 2/3 cup of boiling water and one teaspoon of white vinegar. Let the mixture cool before coloring your eggs.

Purple Dye: A cup of frozen grape juice from concentrate and a teaspoon of vinegar creates a beautiful purple hue. Let the mixture sit overnight before dyeing.

Red Dye: Use 4 tabelspoons of freshly grated beets, 2/3 cup of boiling water, and 1 teaspoon of white vinegar for a vibrant red color. Mix the ingredients together and begin dunking eggs immediately.

[kristen.c]

I saw on Martha Stewart you can also use colorful silk scarves or ties to color eggs. You cut the item into smaller pieces that wrap comfortably around the egg, then use a twist tie to secure it with the printed side against the egg. Then, overtop that you place a layer of muslin and use a twist tie to secure that. Boil for 20 minutes in a pot of water with a few tablespoons of vinegar. When they're cool, remove the fabric and expose the beautiful patterns. Polish with vegetable oil for a pretty shine.

Here's the article with the exact steps:
Silk-Tie Easter Eggs and more creative crafts projects, templates, tips, clip-art, patterns, and ideas on marthastewart.com