How to Make Natural Easter Eggs

What would Easter be without baskets of colorful Easter eggs to serve as colorful holiday décor? You’ll also get the thrill of hiding them so you can see the look of joy on your kid’s faces when they discover them during the annual Easter egg hunt. Although you may be tempted to buy the standard box of Easter egg dyes to create colored eggs, who wants the kids to be exposed to synthetic dyes? Why not dye natural Easter eggs this year?

Creating natural Easter eggs using non-toxic dyes is easy and fun. Explore the kitchen to see what natural dyes you already have hiding in your cabinet. Canned fruits, particularly blueberries, cherries, raspberries, and blackberries, are a good source for blues, purples, and dark reds for creating your own natural Easter eggs. You can also use bottled fruit juice, or add fresh blackberries, strawberries, blueberries, or raspberries to a juicer to create your own natural dyes. If you want pink eggs, use cranberry juice. To get orange and yellow colors for natural Easter eggs, head for the spice cabinet. Tumeric or paprika will give all natural dyes with yellow and orange tones. For more ideas, look through your stash of tea. Chamomile tea makes a pale yellow color, while hibiscus tea gives a pleasing shade of lavender.

To create the dyes for your natural Easter eggs, add a small amount of your chosen natural dye to a metal pan. The amount you add will vary depending on how dark you want the final color to be. Slowly add water while stirring until you’ve covered the dye component completely. Cook the water with the dye until boiling. Once boiling, reduce the heat to low and allow the pan to simmer while stirring periodically. You may need to add more of the dye if the color isn’t as dark as you intended. Be aware that when the dye is applied to the eggs it will appear lighter in color.

Once the dye is thoroughly cooked, measure the amount of liquid and pour it into a large bowl that’s deep enough for dyeing your natural Easter eggs. Add three teaspoons of white vinegar to the bowl for each cup of liquid dye you place in the bowl and stir the mixture well. When you’re ready to dye the eggs, place them on a slotted spoon and lower them into the liquid. Allow them to soak up the dye until the desired color is achieved.

Keep in mind that your natural Easter eggs don’t have to be solid in color. Let the kids use beeswax, stickers, or tape to block off areas to create interesting designs before putting them into the dye. Make an afternoon of it! Your kids will enjoy

the challenges of dyeing the eggs and you’ll feel good knowing it’s all natural.