Natural Easter Egg Dyes

Make dyes for Easter eggs from materials in the kitchen:
-Red cabbage leaves, believe it or not, produce a robin's egg blue color.
-Canned blueberries do a nice blue, too.
-Orange or lemon peels, celery seed, or ground cumin create a tender yellow.
-Carrot tops yield a smoky yellow green.
-Ground turmeric develops a nice yellow.
-Yellow Delicious apple peelings dye eggs pale lavender flecked with soft rust.
-Brown (not white) onion peels dye a nice orange.
-Fresh spinach gives you a pinkish color with gray-green buffs.
-Fresh beets, cranberries, or radishes, or frozen raspberries produce a pinkish-red tone
-Strong brewed coffee makes beige to brown eggs.
-Dill seeds will dye eggs a brown-gold shade.
-Chile powder will make a brown-orange one.
-Purple or red grape juice or beet juice will dye a gray color.

If eggs are to be dyed, washing in a mild detergent solution helps to remove the oil coating so that the color adheres more easily.

To dye eggs, place in a pan and cover with water. Add 1 tablespoon of vinegar to each cup of water and add the chosen dying material. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer gently 20 minutes. The color will deepen or change if the eggs are left in the dye solution overnight.

Make sure to keep eggs refrigerated after coloring process, if hard-boiled. You can also color empty, washed & rinsed (inside and out) eggshells.

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