Homemade Natural Easter Egg Dye

It's Holy Week!

Aaron's school (which is Catholic) has a week and a half of Easter vacation, so I have my hands full with our two kids right now. Pray that we all experience lots of grace and patience up in here!

In preparation for Easter, I've been doing some fun, creative things with the kids. We have been reading about Jesus from The Jesus Storybook Bible, decorating and sending Easter cards, and dying eggs.

We tried something new this year - homemade, all-natural Easter egg dye. Though I do have fond memories from childhood of those store-bought neon-colored tablets fizzling in cups of vinegar, I was excited to make our own natural dyes. We spent the morning finding ingredients around the house, and simmering the dyes. I think the blueberries and turmeric made the most vibrant colors. The green from the spinach was more grayish than anything. You can experiment with all sorts of spices and foods - beets, raspberries, coffee. It was a fun kid-friendly activity, and we were quite pleased with our colored eggs.

As we celebrate Easter with church, a potluck, Easter egg hunt, and Easter baskets for the kids, I am reminded of the new life, freedom, and joy we receive from Jesus.

Happy Easter to you!

Homemade, Natural Egg Dye
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Hard-boiled eggs
Vinegar
2 tablespoons turmeric (for yellow)
2 tablespoons paprika (for orange/red)
2 cups blueberries (for blue/purple)
2 cups torn spinach (for green)

Bring 2 cups of water to a boil, and add your chosen color ingredient. Let simmer on medium for 10 minutes. Remove from heat, and let cool. Strain the liquid into cups or bowls large enough to hold 1-2 eggs. Stir in 1 tablespoon vinegar into each dye. Set your hard-boiled eggs into the dyes, and let stand in fridge for 30 minutes to a few hours, depending on how deep you want the color. Remove eggs from dye, and wipe dry with paper towels.