Easter eggs with natural egg color

There are only a few things that I love more than a basket full of colorful Easter eggs. Easter is important in our family and one of our favorite times of the year. However, I am often upset about over -commercialization. I am also upset when Easter is transformed into an apology to allow children (and ourselves) to allow them to allow with sugar, food dyes and artificial ingredients.

I am glad that the children have a few treats enjoy for a special occasion. However, I decide to keep some of our favorite traditions with healthy and natural twists.

Let me explain why!

“Of course colored Easter eggs … too extreme?

I admit that I understand the Easter tradition of a rabbit (they do not lay eggs) that deliver eggs and baskets filled with plastic with sweets. I think that the giving of our children in Easter (and in other holidays) Frequent junk foods is a precedent that the celebrations contact with unhealthy food. For me there are better ways to develop good food habits for a lifetime.

This may sound extremely extremely. It is certainly not the wrong thing about occasional enjoyment in a meal that is less than healthy. But I think most of the concerned parents would agree that children get this indulgence a little too often these days. From the birthdays of every child in his class in school until Valentine’s Day, Halloween, Easter, etc., there are more than enough ways for children to get the message that fun and celebration = unhealthy delicious sweet food.

(Maybe that’s just a pet of mine?!)

But let me climb from my soap box … on Easter eggs!

How to color Easter eggs without synthetic colors

Eggs are one of our favorite dishes, so I certainly have no problems with the eggs themselves. As you may suspect, it is the versions filled with sweets with which I have problems.)

It turns out that the harmless -looking color plates used to color Easter eggs contain harmful dyes that can have a bad effect on some children. Even this year, the FDA has banned certain red food dyes, but synthetic colors are still allowed in food. We don’t eat the mussels, but egg shells are permeable. Some children react so sensitively to the effects of artificial food dyes that I thought it was worth exploring more natural dyes.

There are various ways to use natural ingredients to color eggs. There is even dye kits with natural colors made of food that are now available in different colors!

Option 1: Natural egg dye bought in the shop

Use a safe, natural food coloring to easily color Easter eggs in a natural way. Mix in accordance with the following conditions and soak your eggs in the dye bath until you are the desired color. Or buy ready -made natural dye plates here and follow the package instructions.

Option 2: Natural egg dye made of fruits and vegetables

If you have no natural food colors (we often do not), you can also use fruit, vegetables and herbs to achieve the same. We tried a few years ago and will do it again this year.

Below you will find the food that can be added to boiling water when cooking eggs to produce different colors. You can also cool the ingredients of juice or cooking, cool to room temperature, add vinegar and use it as a natural Easter egg color.

Blue color: When cooking the eggs, add a cup of purple cabbage to the water.
Purple – Add a cup of blueberries to the water. This can make a very deep, purple color!
Brown color – Onion skins have a nice, golden brown color. Spinate leaves create a yellowish brown.
Green coloring: Add a tablespoon of Spirulina to the boiling water. You can also mix vegetables juice, the juice with vinegar and use it as a cool dye as soon as the eggs are cooked.
Red/pink coloring: Pomegranate or beet juice is added to the boiling water. You can also absorb a few tablespoons of vinegar in pomegranate or beet juice and use it on pre-cooked eggs as a cool dye.
Purple color: Add the grape juice to the boiling water or soak pre -boiled eggs in grape juice/vinegar mixture. This ensures a speckled purple egg.
Yellow/orange coloring: Add a few teaspoons of turmeric or saffron into the boiling water or cook these spices in water, cool it and mix it with vinegar for a cool dye.

Some notes: These natural variations make pastel -colored eggs, which in my opinion are more beautiful than the Neoneier with artificial colors. Just a warning, you will not get florescent colors with these methods!

DIY natural egg color tutorial

These beautifully colored Easter eggs have natural colors. A fun project with the children!

Preparation time30 Minute

Active time30 Minute

Coloring pages8 hours

Total time9 hours

Author: Katie Wells

1 cup Red onion skins
1 cup Yellow onion skins
2 Cup Purple or red cabbage
2 Cup spinach
2 Cup Blueberries
¼ cup turmeric
2 Cup Beet (chopped or crushed)
2 Cup Grape juice
2 Tbsp Vinegar (Used color)
White eggs (Brown eggs also work)

For each color you need 1-2 cups of plant material per 2 cups of water. Use 2 cups for a more lively color. Since the turmeric is a dried powder, you only need 1/4 cup of it to produce yellow turmeric dye.
Add 1-2 cups of a fruits or vegetables of choice to the pot and 2 cups of water and for cooking. Reduce the heat and simmer for 20-30 minutes with the lid. You can add the raw eggs and vinegar to the water and to the fruit/vegetables, but boil the boiling time to 15 minutes or they get hard and overcooked.
Let the liquid cool down to room temperature and then release fruit/vegetables and the compost. Press the plants together to extract as much color as possible. If you cook the eggs with the dye fluid, simply remove the eggs from the liquid as soon as it has cooled and you are ready.
Place unable, tight eggs in the natural dye fluid and add 2 tablespoons of vinegar. Let them soak in the fridge for a few hours or overnight.
For a stronger dye effect, dry the eggs after a few hours with a paper towel or a fabric towel/clean old shirt that does not take, and put them back in the dye for a few hours.
Remove the eggs from the liquid as soon as they are colored and dab dry. Grate the bowl with a little oil to make it desired if desired.

You can color brown eggs, but the colors are a little different and a little more steamed than white eggs.
If you make the dye first, soak hard eggs in the water, the colors become more lively than cooking the eggs in the water.
Before dying, you can use a white colored pencil to make designs on the egg. The patterns are displayed as soon as it is colored!

Strategies for Easter egg hunt

I have never been a big fan of Easter egg hunt and would do without her completely, but the children are really looking forward to seeing you. Unfortunately, they usually lead to a large bag of sweets that somehow disappear when my children sleep (maybe the Easter bunny stole it!)

In the past I also hid hard -boiled eggs (the dogs found they missed!). Or we only have a family day outside in which many other activities are involved. Last year we made a treasure hunt with clues that led at a better price (seeds that they plant in their own small corners of the garden).

Healthy candy -free Easter basket ideas

I have no problem with the fact that Easter is a time happy celebration and small gifts. As I mentioned already (probably too much!), It is the parts of this celebration filled with candy with which I have problems. Apart from that, I love baskets and store everything in them, so that my children get a (reusable) basket with (not sowing) treats filled with (not sowing).

Here are some ideas that we have tried over the years that were a hit!

Grow your own grass

Grass grass with wheat, alfalfa or clover shops in a small bowl that fits into the bottom of your basket. Use this instead of the plastic Easter grass that you will find under the couch in September. Children love the novelty of the growing grass indoors. As a bonus, grass is said to be great in cleaning the inner air. You can even plant it with the children after Easter. If you are not ready to grow your own grass, chop paper in a Shredder and use it instead. Recyclable when it is finished!

Give your child a flowerpot instead of a basket

Give a small pair of gloves in the pot, a pack of heed seeds and a small shovel and let your child grow his own container garden. There are even prefabricated bags for this. Herbs are a simple option and children can be used in the kitchen! This is guaranteed to deliver fun for longer than plastic toys and pixie sticks.

Check out second -hand stores

We have a limited budget and Easter baskets make up for every child! In the local used goods shops you will find some funny gifts for Easter baskets. For example, each of the children received a film, a book and some shoes for a year, and I spent less than 10 US dollars in total.

Adopt a family of the family

If you are brave, think of a small pet. This increases the “new focus” of Easter and will be much more exciting than sweets and toys. Just be human! Only Adopt a pet to keep it and take care of how many baby chickens, ducks and rabbits are abandoned after Easter.

Give healthy foods instead of garbage

If your children look forward to edible treats, replace some delicacies that are healthy and funny. Consider beef, fruit, nuts or homemade energy. Really brave? Make a few homemade “Peeps” with my probiotic marshmallow recipe.

Take a look at this post for some other Easter basket ideas! Happy Easter!

What are your favorite methods to color your Easter eggs? Do you stick to healthy versions of the usual treats for sweets or do the children simply enjoy the unhealthy versions for a day? I would like to hear your tips and tricks below!