Thrifty Crafter: Natural Egg Dyes

Spring has sprung and Easter is around the corner! Such a fun time, filled with bright colors, candy, family, and more. It can also be a scary food time -- candy filled with corn syrup and other artificial ingredients, eggs dyed with petroleum products, and thousands of empty calories to name a few issues. I can't stop you from overindulging on your ham dinner, but I can help out reducing some of the artificial ingredients you're putting at your table this year.

Colored Easter eggs have long been a staple at Easter time, whether you hide them for a Easter Egg hunt or put them out as decoration. Coloring Easter eggs is also just plain fun! That is until you start looking at what is in that dye you are using. Yellow 5, Red 40, blue 2.... Does that sound like something your body can digest well? If you dig a bit deeper you find that these colors are actually petroleum based and are known carcinogens. Yet we use these on food we are feeding our families.

This year you can still have fun and be safe about it!

Food to use for coloring

Brick Red: Paprika

Red/Pink: Beets/Beet Juice, Pomegranate Juice, Beet Powder

Light Pink: Cranberries/Cranberry Juice, raspberries, strawberries

Orange: Carrot Juice, Carrot Powder, Paprika (2 Tbsp/Cup Water)

Sienna(yellow-Brown): Yellow Onion Skins

Yellow: Turmeric, Saffron, Turmeric Juice, Carrot Tops, Chamomile or Green Tea, Orange Peel

Green: Spinach, Grass, Parsley Juice, Spinach Powder, Matcha Powder, Liquid Chlorophyll, Kale
            Red Onion Skin, Fennel Tops, Almost anything green!

Light Blue: Purple Cabbage (may mix with baking soda for lighter blue)

Lavender:  Blueberries/Blueberry Juice, Purple Sweet Potatoes, Purple Carrots, Grape Juice

Deep Purple: Red Wine

Black: Activated Charcoal Powder (Food grade), Black Cocoa Powder, Squid Ink

Brown: Coffee, Cocoa Powder, Cinnamon, Black Tea

Liquid Colors:

1. Add fruit/vegetable to a medium saucepan (enough to fill about half full).
1. If you are using spices (cinnamon, paprika, etc), add 2 Tbsp to boiling water and kkip to adding vinegar step. 
2. Add water to cover pieces and boil until liquid takes on the color of the food. More water may need to be added as your boil off water.
1. Continue added more fruit/veggies as the old ones get mushy if you want an extra strong shade.
3. Remove when you have achieved desired color.
4. Add 1 Tbsp Vinegar to 4oz of colored water.
5. Use as normal for dying eggs.
1. Eggs will pick up deeper coloring the longer they soak.

** USE FOOD COLORING WITHIN A WEEK OF MAKING-- IT WILL GO BAD**

For information on how to make the food dye powders and other shelf stable natural food dyes visit:

Eatplaylovemore.com

While these foods can be used to color anything else you wanted to make (frosting, bread, milk), be careful as the can also change the taste. It is not concentrated food coloring so more will have to be added. Adjust recipe for liquid as needed. The brighter the food the more flavorful it will become. That might be great if you are making pink cupcakes(raspberry-yum!), but adding the same amount of paprika may make your dish inedible. Natural food colors are typically a lot less vibrant than artificial ones, but it will be worth the switch!

For those of you who don't want to use artificial colorants, but just don't have the time or desire to make your own you can buy natural food dyes at the following places:

http://www.colorgarden.net/store

http://www.naturalfoodcolors.com/