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I know many of you prefer not to use food coloring and might be looking for alternatives to color your eggs this year.
I have been on the hunt for options for you and wanted to pass along this idea I found for all natural egg dying courtesy of Taste of the South Magazine and Better Homes and Gardens.
This is using food and juices that you might already have on hand and will be completely safe for the kiddos!
(And by the way I checked out Whole Foods for all natural food coloring and it was $13 a pop! AND sold out! Has anyone found this stuff cheaper elsewhere?)
These dyes seem easy enough- especially the one with grape juice but note you want to start dying them a few days in advance because some colors might take 12 hours or more to achieve the desired richness.
Pink to Red
Mix 1 (half-pint) container of berries with 1 cup water and 1 to 2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar. Boil for up to 10 hours, mashing berries occasionally. Strain into a bowl, discarding berries. Color will be light red to pink.
Jade Green
Peel the skin from 6 red onions and simmer in 2 cups water for 15 minutes; strain. Add 3 tsp. white vinegar.
Pale Pink to Lavender
Mix the stalks of 5 roughly chopped/diced beets with 1 cup water and 1 to 2 tablespoons vinegar. Boil for up to 15 minutes, then simmer for up to 1 hour. Strain into bowl, discarding stalks. Color will be pale pink to lavender. Soak egg for a couple of hours to achieve a pale pink shade or overnight for a lavender shade.
Pink
Mix 2 sliced beets to 1½ cups water and 2 to 3 tablespoons vinegar. Boil for up to 10 minutes. Strain into bowl, discarding beets. Color will be pale to rich pink. Soak less for pale pink and more for rich pink. Color may drip and mottle. Sometimes the color will tinge brown after drying.
Lavender
Mix 1 cup grape juice and 1 tablespoon vinegar.
Pale Yellow
Mix large handfuls of spinach, parsley, basil or carrot tops with 1 to 2 cups water and 1 to 2 tablespoons vinegar. Simmer greens in water until desired color is reach. Strain into bowl, discarding greens. Color will be pale yellow. Soak for a long time to achieve a pale color.
Golden Yellow
Mix 3 tablespoons turmeric with 1 cup water and 1 to 2 tablespoons vinegar. Boil until spice is dissolved. Strain into bowl. Color will be pale to deep golden yellow.
Yellow
Rich yellow: Simmer 4 oz. chopped carrot tops in 1-1/2 cups water for 15 minutes; strain. Add 2 tsp. white vinegar.
Mustard-yellow: Stir 2 Tbsp. turmeric into 1 cup boiling water; add 2 tsp. white vinegar.
Various shades: Steep 4 bags of chamomile or green tea in 1 cup boiling water for 5 minutes.
Pale yellow: Chop 4 oz. goldenrod and simmer in 2 cups water for 20 minutes; strain. Add 2 tsp. white vinegar.
Faint yellow: Simmer the peels of 6 oranges in 1-1/2 cups water for 20 minutes; strain. Add 2 tsp. vinegar.
Orange
Mix 3 tablespoons paprika with 1 cup water and 1 to 2 tablespoons vinegar. Boil approximately 10 minutes. Strain into bowl. Color will be burnt orange. Soak longer for more brownish hues.
Orange
Take the skin of 6 yellow onions and simmer in 2 cups water for 15 minutes; strain. Add 3 tsp. white vinegar.
Blue
Mix 1 entire head cabbage, leaves separated, with 2 to 3 cups water and 2 to 3 tablespoons vinegar. Boil for up to 15 minutes, then simmer for up to 1 hour. Strain into bowl, discarding cabbage. Color will be pale to deep rich blue. Soak at least 3 hours for pale blue and for up to 12 hours for rich, truer blue.
Gray-Blue
Mix juice with 3 to 4 tablespoons vinegar. Do not boil mixture; it creates a film around eggshell. Rinse after removing egg from dye or it will be marbled. Color will be light to deep grayish-blue. Soak overnight for gorgeous, rich hue.
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Does anyone else have great recipes for making all natural food color?
