ecobites.com

Making your life greener - one bite at a time.

When Peter Cottontail comes hopping down the bunny trail, surprise him with a basket of organic eggs dyed in gorgeous, eco-friendly colors.

Most egg dye kits are labeled as non-toxic, but even some food-grade, FDA-approved dyes are made from coal tar and other petroleum products, so they’re not necessarily eco-friendly. Look for plant-based dyes instead. Create your own colors from the garden with beets, cabbage and onion skins ....

 The Benefits

Most egg dye kits are labeled as non-toxic, but even some food-grade, FDA-approved dyes are made from coal tar and other petroleum products, so they’re not necessarily eco-friendly. Look for plant-based dyes instead.

 Skip the fizzy tablets and make all-natural dyes from common foods: spinach (green), red onion skins (violet), orange peel (yellow), red cabbage (blue…no really!) and beetroot (pink). Don’t forget to buy organic and compost everything when you’re done.

Natural dyeing agents (red cabbage, turmeric, onion skins, beets, and coffee)
3-quart pot (or larger)
White vinegar
Strainer
Small bowls
Eggs
Large metal spoon
Paper towels
Drying rack

Dye Recipes
Select a dyeing agent, and place it in the pot using the amount listed below. Add 1 quart water and 2 tablespoons white vinegar to pot; if more water is necessary to cover ingredients, proportionally increase the amount of vinegar. Bring to a boil, then lower heat. Allow the ingredients to simmer for 30 minutes. Strain dye into a bowl.

Red-cabbage dye: 4 cups chopped cabbage
Turmeric dye: 3 tablespoons turmeric
Onion-skin dye: 4 cups onion skins (skins of about 12 onions)
Beet dye: 4 cups chopped beets
Coffee dye: 1 quart strong black coffee (instead of water) Cold-Dipping Method

Cold-Dipping Method
With this method, the eggs and the ingredients for the dye are boiled separately. Using a metal spoon, lower cooled hard-boiled eggs into a bowl of cooled dye, and let them soak for as little as 5 seconds or as long as overnight, depending on the depth of color you desire. Remove eggs with spoon, pat dry with paper towels, and let dry on a wire rack. The cold-dipping method produces subtle, translucent shades, but can result in uneven coloring unless the eggs are rotated vigilantly while in the dye. For hollow eggs that will last indefinitely, cold-dip raw eggs, then blow them out after they are dyed.

Boiled Method
This method involves boiling the eggs with the dye; the heat allows the dye to saturate the shells, resulting in intense, more uniform color. Set raw eggs in a pot of strained dye; bring to a boil for the amount of time specified in the guide below. Remove and dry eggs as with the cold-dipping method.

Natural dyes can sometimes produce unexpected results.

Use the following guide to help you achieve the colors you desire.

Deep Gold: Boil eggs in turmeric solution, 30 minutes.
Sienna: Boil eggs in onion-skin solution, 30 minutes.
Dark, Rich Brown: Boil eggs in black coffee, 30 minutes.
Pale Yellow: Soak eggs in room-temperature turmeric solution, 30 minutes.
Orange: Soak eggs in room-temperature onion-skin solution, 30 minutes.
Light Brown: Soak eggs in room-temperature black coffee, 30 minutes.
Light Pink: Soak eggs in room-temperature beet solution, 30 minutes.
Light Blue: Soak eggs in room-temperature cabbage solution, 30 minutes.
Royal Blue: Soak eggs in room-temperature cabbage solution overnight.
Lavender: Soak eggs in room-temperature beet solution, 30 minutes. Follow with room-temperature cabbage solution, 30 seconds.
Chartreuse: Soak eggs in room-temperature turmeric solution, 30 minutes. Follow with room-temperature cabbage solution, 5 seconds.
Salmon: Soak eggs in room-temperature turmeric solution, 30 minutes. Follow with room-temperature onion-skin solution, 30 minutes.

Marbleized Pattern: marbleized effect, stir in a few teaspoons of organic coconut oil into the cooled, strained dye. The oil will stick to the shell in certain places, preventing the dye from continuing to color the shell in certain spots.

Try dripping wax (use the end bits of your children's beeswax crayons) on the shell, or color them with beeswax crayons. Dye as above, and then stick them in a 200° oven for 8-10 minutes to melt the wax.

Cover the shell with rubber bands, stickers, tape, stencils, leaves, flowers, etc before dying them.

Finish your eggs with a coat of organic coconut oil for a nice shine.

If you are going to use blown eggs for Easter (those with the egg blown out through a hole in the end of the shell), color the eggs before blowing. If you blow the egg from the shell before dying, the empty, fragile shells will be difficult to immerse and handle in the dying water.

Green Eggs and ham????

Would you like to avoid that green coating on the yolks of your hardboiled eggs? You can do so if you time your cooking carefully. It's a matter of temperature. Always use an egg timer.

Here's how:

1. Use only clean, fresh organic eggs. Discard eggs that are cracked.

2. Lay the eggs in a heavy saucepan, one layer deep.

3. Cover them with cold water just to cover the eggs.

4. Bring the water in the pan to a rapid boil.

5. Remove the pan from the heat, cover it with a lid, and let the eggs stand in the hot water for 14 minutes.

6. Remove the eggs from the pan and place them in ice water until they are cool enough to handle.

Refrigerate any unused eggs.

Skip petroleum-based plastic grass, or reuse it. Sprouted wheat grass, raffia and shredded paper from the paper shredder are good all-natural alternatives.

Make it organic chocolate without packaging. Resist the temptation to buy live rabbits, ducklings or chicks as gifts. Though cute and fuzzy, they’re not kid-friendly pets, and many thousands are abandoned each spring.