Sunday, April 4, 2010

New Greenie on the Block!

Good morning friends! For those who celebrate, it is Easter Sunday here in the good old United States. On this day a few interesting traditions have taken hold such as egg hunts, baskets filled with candy and other goodies, and dying eggs to turn them into funky colors.

I don’t really know where the tradition of coloring eggs game from but when I was a kid we used to pick up the little kits that were sold at grocery stores or drug stores, shake the powder into a bowl, pour boiling water over it then dip our hard boiled egg into the liquid with the handy egg dipping thingie that came with it.

Now that I am older, and don’t have any kids, dying eggs fell by the wayside. I hadn’t paid it much thought until I was reading Jennifer’s blog, Green Earth Goodies, this morning only to discover she had posted a fantastic tutorial on how to accomplish this fun activity using all natural ingredients that are better for the planet and probably already right there in your own home!

Here’s a snippet from the post:

…depending on preference for depth of color (and keep in mind, these will look more like natural Easter eggs – earthy, soft and muted, so don’t expect the harsh color that comes from artificial food dye or kits); if you plan to eat the eggs, then you should move your glass containers into the fridge once the dye has cooled off…

Obviously pastel colored eggs will be tough to achieve using the at home dye creation method but kids (or adults alike!) will have double the fun squishing up berries or veggies to use in the mixes too.

If you haven’t gone out to buy a kit (or even if you have) I suggest checking out Jennifer’s DIY Coloring Easter Eggs Naturally tutorial and giving it a try. Then be sure to use the eggs for egg salad, deviled eggs or any other treat you like after the day has passed.

Does anyone have suggestions for what to do with the leftover “dye”? Has anyone used this method before?

Would love to hear feedback, and please welcome Jennifer to the Greenie blog roll!

1 comment:

Almost Precious said...

Don't know a lot about it but I do know that many fabric colors/dyes were once obtained through natural sources. Think it was an order of Tibetan monks that used saffron to dye their robes a deep yellow, saffron (for those who are unfamiliar) comes from the stamens of a crocus flower and is used also in cooking...especially in rice dishes. I know all too well that the pollen from the stamens of lilies, such as the Star Gazer lily and the Easter lily, will leave permanent stains if it happens to fall upon your nice tablecloth. :( There are also Mud Dyed tee shirts one can buy, where they actually use the deep red pigmented earth as a dye, being rich in iron it tends to stain everything. It has made many a mother very unhappy. LOL