Natural egg dyes

Whether you celebrate Easter or not, decorating eggs is such a lovely way to welcome spring.  Here in the neighbourhood we have an annual egg hunt in a nearby park, which has become a great gathering moment for reconnecting with families we haven't seen during the long winter hibernation. We like to colour our eggs using natural dyes, and this year we used the method described in the exciting first issue of the new Taproot magazine (which we are loving!).

To dye eggs:
a) Using onion skins for reddish-copper colour, turmeric powder for sunny yellow, frozen blueberries for blue, and coffee grounds for brown, we came up with a nice variety with just items found in the kitchen. 

b) The recipe calls for 1 quart water and 2 Tbsp white vinegar, plus dye agent.  This is simmered for at least 20 minutes.

c) Then uncooked white eggs are added and again simmered for about 30 minutes (until they achieve desired level of colour).  Simple, effective, fun that little helpers can easily enjoy lending a hand with.

d) Other ideas - wrap strings, elastic bands or cloth around the white eggs before dyeing.  Wax the eggs with melted wax or draw on them with wax crayons before dyeing to get variety of patterns and shapes.