Naturally Dyed Easter Eggs

What You’ll Need:

• Hard boiled eggs (as many as you want to color)
• 1/4 head red cabbage, chopped; 4 cups of water; 2 T of vinegar – makes blue
• Skins of 3 red onions and two handfuls of spinach; 2 cups of water; 3 T vinegar – makes a jade green
• 2 T paprika; 1 cup water; 2 T vinegar – makes a pale orange
• 2 T turmeric; 1 cup water; 2 T vinegar – makes a vibrant yellow
• 1 beet, peeled and chopped; 4 cups water; 2 T vinegar – makes a pretty pink
• Skins of 3 red onions; 2 cups water; 3 T vinegar – makes a purplish brown

I’ve heard you can do 1 cup frozen blueberries soaked in 1 cup of water (without vinegar) and get a grayish-blue if you want another color.

What to Do:

1. With each colored ingredients in a separate pot, bring to a boil with the designated amount of water. Boil for about 15 minutes.
2. Turn off the flame, remove the ingredients, and add designated amount of vinegar. Allow mixture to cool.
3. Pour the colored waters into separate dying containers with a hard boiled egg in each (you can do more than one if you want some of the same color).
4. Let your eggs soak in dye over night. We made them in the afternoon, and removed them from the dye the next morning and let air dry.

So for example for blue: Combine 1/4 head cabbage, chopped with 4 cups of water and bring to a boil. Boil for 15 minutes. Remove the cabbage from the water, and add 2 tablespoons of vinegar. Allow to cool before transferring to your dying container with the hard boiled egg. You would repeat this for each of the colors. Any leftover ingredients can be put to use after! We love boiled beets in salads, spinach with eggs, and cabbage with a number of other things. Ingredients you do not eat, can be composted. And since these eggs were dyed in food, feel free to use them for your favorite deviled egg recipe. Enjoy!