Naturally dyed Easter eggs... colored with beets, red cabbage, and turmeric.

Happy Easter!!  My daughter and I love to dye Easter eggs together every year.  In the past we've purchased the package of Paas dyes and produce the neon colored eggs that 8 year olds adore, complete with a wax pen to etch our family member's names on each egg.  With a little bit of arm twisting, I convinced my daughter to try natural dyed eggs with me this year.  My friend, Toni, from Boulder Locavore, had an inspiring post last Easter about dyeing eggs with foods from the kitchen.  I was intrigued by the rustic marbled beauty of her eggs and vowed to give it a try someday.   

Very interestingly, our eggs came out completely different than, Toni's eggs.  Hers were earthy and rustic (like Colorado) and mine came out slightly more vibrant (like Florida).  Perhaps the light in which they were photographed played some part in the outcome?  I'm sure, however, that every time one dyes eggs this way, they will come out differently each time... and that is the beauty of them!!  

In three separate pans, I boiled water with turmeric to make a lovely golden yellow dye, the beets made a vibrant pink (which faded a bit over time) and the red cabbage made a lovely Robin's egg blue color.  I was baffled how the red cabbage would make blue dye and was skeptical until I saw the results for myself.  The water is purple after boiling the cabbage in it, but sure enough the eggs came out blue!

I used Toni's recipe for dying... she seamed to do lots of research on the matter.  So hop on over to Boulder Locavore for the recipe and many great tips on how to dye eggs naturally!

I'd love to hear your comments on dyed eggs.  Click here to leave a comment.

Comments

[Angie@Angiesrecipes]

Lovely!
Can't stand the smell of some bought dyed eggs....
Wish you a fun Easter!
Angie

[Jill Colonna]

Your post couldn't have come at a better time, Lisa - merci! Just about to do the eggs with the kids this afternoon and I'm going to add some turmeric since LOVE that golden egg! Looks like you've had lots of fun with them. Great ideas! Have a wonderful Easter! J xo

[Lynda]

These are beautiful! I love how you used food to dye the eggs.

[Lisa - Tarte du Jour]

I hope it went well, Jill, and you enjoyed your egg dying with your kids as much as I did!