Natural Easter Egg Dyes in your home :)

[LaLa]

I just got this list from my co-op

Tumeric - yellow gold

Chopped red cabbage (2-4 tblpn with vinegar, 1 tspn, and 1/2 tsp alum) boil water and add to mixture for blue/teal

yellow onion skins

grape juice

grated beets (red)

turmeric and red cabbage (speckled green)

beet and red cabbage

red onion

[pb_and_j]

Thanks! We are def using natural egg dyes this yr.

[Periwinkle]

These are the substances in the all natural colorings I use for making homemade play dough! The colors are fantastic! Turmeric and beet juice are especially vivid.

[boycrazy]

Just tried these and it is fun to see !

[pb_and_j]

Originally posted by TwinMommy
These are the substances in the all natural colorings I use for making homemade play dough! The colors are fantastic! Turmeric and beet juice are especially vivid.

I've started using veg dyes for play dough too. Tumeric makes the nicest yellow color. I got a lovely pink w/ beet juice. Cocoa for brown... do you do other colors? Which ones work the best?

(sorry for going T)

[mamaMAMAma]

Where can I find alum? Someone told me you can get it at Whole Foods, but I must not be looking in the right section. (I checked the loose herb/spices section).

We used tumeric for our eggs last year, and they turned out okay (I think we should try white eggs instead of the brown ones we used last year).

[Periwinkle]

I bought a pack of natural colorings (e.g., red "dye" is beet juice, etc.), and have also been experimenting with using other natural ingredients. Many may work for easter eggs too, if you use the vinegar?? So maybe it's not toooo off topic, if we just keep it to natural ways to color something... anything... tie dye, easter eggs, play dough....

Turmeric - deep golden yellow
Colemans mustard powder - can achieve a nice lighter yellow if used sparingly
Unsweetened natural cocoa powder - rich brown
Beet juice - red or pink
Prune juice - deep purply
Concord Grape juice - purple or light purply red depending on how much

And a happy accident: adding in ground cinnamon, while not great for color, makes the greatest smelling playdough!

I have noticed that I have to add a higher proportion of salt to the play dough for things like prune juice because otherwise it gets moldy pretty fast with all that sugar.

I love the red cabbage idea - I'll have to try it for blue/teal (haven't found homemade way to make blue yet.... blueberries??!!)

[LaLa]

this article recommends using white eggs that are cold. I'm not sure why they would need to be cold?
almost everything calls for added vinegear.

[Periwinkle]

I think we should try white eggs instead of the brown ones we used last year)

:LOL We always do the same thing. I look in the fridge and say, yep we have eggs, and then when it comes time to make them, well, the brown ones just aren't the same! Note to self: must buy white eggs this year!!!