Natural Easter Egg Dye

It is wise to avoid artificial colors since six of the seven  approved artificial colors for food have been linked to hyperactivity in children. These colors are allowed to contain lead, arsenic, mercury and benzidine, which is a known carcinogen. When children eat Yellow 5 they loose zinc through their urine and saliva. Already back in 1985 the Pediatrics, the journal of  the American  Academy of Pediatrics, stated that side effects of Yellow 5 are allergies, thyroid tumors, lymphomas (cancer), chromosomal damage, asthma, and  hives. It was the connection between Yellow 5 and asthma that made FDA force the manufactures to list it by name  it on the ingredient labels. Yellow 5 has also shown to damage the nerve cells' ability to to send and receive signals.

There are two different methods for dying eggs naturally, the cold or the hot method. In the hot method you boil the eggs with the material and in the cold method you add the pre - boiled eggs to the containers with the dye.

Hot Method

Put the eggs in a single layer in a large pan and add the dyeing ingredients. Cover everything with an inch of water. Add two tablespoons of vinegar per quart of water to make the color stick to the eggs. Bring it to a boil and let it simmer for 20-30 minutes or until you are happy with the color. You might want to adjust the cooking time since the eggs may get little tough after that long.

Cold Method

Here is the basic recipe for the cold method, however depending on the material I may change it  a little bit.

I cup of raw material, 1 cup of water and two tablespoons of vinegar. Chop, grate, crush or cut the material and add it to the water in a pan. Bring it to a boil and let it simmer for 10-30 minutes, the longer it simmer the stronger the color. Add more water if needed. Let it cool down until it is warm to the touch and strain the liquid into the bowl. Add the vinegar, stir and let it cool before you add the eggs. The eggs should  soak in the dye bath as long as possible since the longer they soak the deeper the color gets. Use 3-4 tablespoons of spices per quart of water.

Blue:
 Puree 1/2 cup of blueberries in a blender and add 1 1/2 cup of water and bring to a boil in a pot. Strain the fruit and add 2 tablespoons of vinegar. Or use red cabbage.

Pink:
 1 cup of beet juice from canned beets or 1 1/2 cup of cranberry juice. Add 2 tablespoons of vinegar to the juice. 

Pale pink:
 Puree 5 whole frozen strawberries in a blender, add 1 1/2 cup of water and bring to a boil. Strain the fruit and add 2 tablespoons of vinegar.

Red:
 Chop beets and use methods above.

Purple: 
Chop black grapes or red onion skins and use the methods above.  Or mix 1 1/2 cup of grape juice with 2 tablespoons of vinegar.

Green:
 Prepare the blueberry mix above, add 2 tablespoons of turmeric and 2 tablespoons of vinegar. Or chop artichokes or spinach and use the methods above.

Yellow: Chop yellow onion skins, celery leaves, turmeric, orange peel, lemon peel, carrot tops, and cumin using the methods above.

Brown: 
1 cup strong brewed coffee, 2 teaspoons of used coffee grounds and 2 tablespoons of vinegar.

Light orange/brown:
 Boil water for 2 cups of tea. Add 2 teabags and 2 tablespoons of vinegar.

Bright yellow:
 Boil 1/2 teaspoon celery seed in 2 cups of water. Don't add vinegar.

Orange:
 Boil 1 tablespoon of paprika in 1 1/2 cup of water. Add 3 tablespoons of vinegar.

These are just some ideas. Be creative and try new things.