Natural Dyes

Well, we are too late for Easter this year, but keep this in mind for next year:

Dye Easter Eggs in Nature's Hues
- more detailed info found here on Vegetable Gardener.

I bet you didn't even realize how many edible items in your kitchen you could use for coloring eggs; I sure didn't! And, there are so many on the list that I always have on hand like coffee, frozen berries, cinnamon, onions, and carrots to name only a few.

We used the standard box of red, yellow, green, and blue liquid food coloring this year, but now I can't wait for Easter to come around again! The shades of colors from the natural dyes are even softer and more beautiful than the artificial stuff - go take a peek on Vegetable Gardener. Plus as our son gets older, I can see experimenting with new veggies and spices for new colors becoming really fun for him.

See the difference? While the eggs from the picture on top are bright, don't they appear a bit chalky and fake looking compared to the softer, natural dyed eggs in the bottom picture?

What a great opportunity to teach your children about the many uses of herbs, flowers, and veggies. Help them appreciate the abundance God has given us during springtime. Anyone else have creative Easter traditions? Any out of the ordinary ideas for the vegetables coming out of your gardens?