{"id":463150,"date":"2010-03-23T16:12:43","date_gmt":"2010-03-23T20:12:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.greenrightnow.com\/?p=10102"},"modified":"2010-03-23T16:12:43","modified_gmt":"2010-03-23T20:12:43","slug":"making-easter-eggs-with-natural-homemade-dyes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/463150","title":{"rendered":"Making Easter eggs with natural, homemade dyes"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Melissa Segrest<\/a>
\nGreen Right Now<\/strong><\/p>\n

Do you want a more Earth-friendly Easter? Start with the star of the annual\u00a0hunt \u2013 the egg.<\/p>\n

\"Eggs<\/p>\n

Eggs soaking in a natural dye bath of onion skins<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Don\u2019t cop out and run to the grocery store to buy the same old brand-name eggs. Do a little
\nhomework and find a farmer\u2019s market or farm in your region. Then you can start with local, organic eggs with a miniscule carbon footprint. Check out Local Harvest<\/a> to find nearby farms, or search the web for farms in your area.<\/p>\n

Even if you grew up using the grocery-store egg-dying kit, you can give your kids a healthy, eco-friendly holiday by using food, tea, even flowers to give their eggs new hues. And while Easter is a Christian celebration, these recipes work just as well for secular celebrations of spring or as Passover eggs. (See these beautiful creations<\/a> at a Jewish parenting blog.)<\/p>\n

There are numerous suggested ways to go about creating natural colors and dyeing eggs. Some say create the dyes first by crushing ingredients \u2013 everything from blueberries to coffee, beets to spinach — and adding water to cover the eggs. Too much water will, well, water down the dye.<\/p>\n

Some chefs suggest you heat the food, water and eggs together. Others say cook the eggs first, then let them steep in cooled dyes. Another chef recommends you cook the eggs, then soak them in the dyes made earlier, each in a separate pot. Some eggs may need to sit in their dye overnight, while others will absorb color faster.<\/p>\n

There is no consistent amount of water and food called for in the recipes.<\/p>\n

There is unanimous agreement on the need for a bit of vinegar, the use of either fresh or frozen organic fruits and vegetables, and sufficient soaking time. And all the recipes say you\u2019ll need to do some experimenting.<\/p>\n

Here are a few we found:<\/p>\n