Submit Articles | Member Login | Top Authors | Most Popular Articles | Submission Guidelines | Categories | RSS Feeds See As RSS
 
 
   
Forgot Password?    New User?


Welcome to iArticleBeach.com - Free Articles for Reprint. Add great content to your web site today!

Articles » Arts-&-Entertainment » Movies >> View Article

By: Debra Lynn Dadd
The most beautiful dyes for Easter eggs come from foodstuff you probably already have in your kitchen.

I have been delighted with the results of the colors I have tried and my friends have been thrilled to receive them as springtime gifts. The colors are very unusual -- gentle, earthy, soft, and very vibrant, without being harsh like the artificial dyes -- and when I tell people the colors come from plant dyes, they always want to know the origin of each color.
To color these eggs, you boil the eggs with the dyestuff, rather than boiling the eggs separately and they dying them.
Here are the general directions:

Put raw, white-shelled, organically-raised eggs in a single layer in a pan. Cover with cold water. 
Add a little more than a teaspoon of white vinegar. 
Add the natural dyestuff for the color you want your eggs to be. (The more eggs you are dying at a time, the more dye you will need to use, and the more dye you use, the darker the color will be.) 
Bring water to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes. 
Quickly check the eggs for color by removing them from the dye liquid with a slotted spoon. 
If the color is as desired, pour off the hot dye liquid and rinse the eggs immediately in cold water to stop the eggs from cooking. Continue to change the water until it stays cool in the pot because the eggs are no longer releasing heat. Drain and allow eggs to cool in the refrigerator.
If you wish a deeper color, strain the hot dye liquid into a container, then rinse the eggs immediately in cold water to stop them from cooking. Continue to change the water until it stays cool in the pot because the eggs are no longer releasing heat. Drain the last of the cold water, then cover the eggs with the strained dye liquid. Add more water if necessary so that the eggs are completely covered. Put into the refrigerator immediately and keep eggs in the refrigerator until the desired shade is achieved. Overnight is good. Longer than about twelve hours some of the colors just get muddier instead of deeper, and the lighter shades are more vibrant.
Try these foods to dye your eggs:
Red - Pink -- lots of red onion skins, cranberry juice, or frozen raspberries.
Orange -- Yellow onion skins
Brown -- Red beet skins or grape juice (produces a beautiful sparkling tan), coffee.
Yellow -- Saffron, tumeric or cumin, orange or lemon peels, or celery seed.
Green -- spinach, or carrot tops and peels from Yellow Delicious apples for a yellow-green.
Blue -- Red cabbage leaves make the most incredible robin's-egg blue.
Deep Purple -- Red wine makes a beautiful burgundy color
Tips for successful results:

Use filtered or distilled water. Chlorine and other chemicals will work against the dye, making it less intense. Buy distilled water or use your own filtered water.
For deeper colors, use more dyestuff or let the eggs soak longer.
For even coverage, cook eggs in a pot large enough to hold enough water and dyestuff to completely cover the eggs, even after some of the liquid has evaporated during the 15 minute of boiling.
Again, for even coverage, if you continue to soak the eggs in the refrigerator after cooking, make sure the eggs are completely covered with the dye liquid.
Blot the eggs dry or allow them to air dry, as for some colors the dye will rub off while still wet. On the other hand, if you wish to make a white pattern on the egg, you can rub off some of the dye for some colors immediately after cooking.
Make sure eggs of different colors are completely dry before piling them up in a bowl together, as wet dye from one egg can transfer to another.
Read more about natural dyes for Easter eggs at http://www.debraslist.com/food/aboutcoloringeggs.html.


ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Hailed as "The Queen of Green" by the New York Times, Debra Lynn Dadd has been a consumer advocate for products and lifestyle choices that are better for health and the environment since 1982. Visit her website for 100s of links to 1000s of nontoxic, natural and earthwise products, and to sign up for her free email newsletters. http://www.dld123.com



See All articles From Author





Wed, 08 Feb 2012 00:54:11 GMT Chairman, 3 others out in Yahoo board shake-up (AP)

FILE - In this Jan. 29, 2004 file photo, Roy Bostock, chairman of the Partnership for a Drug Free America, speaks during a news conference in New York. Yahoo Inc. on Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2012 announced taht Bostock, Chairman of Yahoo since 2008, and three longtime board members are stepping down, fulfilling the wishes of many frustrated shareholders who believe the directors have been part of the problem that has dragged down the Internet company's revenue and stock price. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer, File)AP - Yahoo Chairman Roy Bostock and three longtime board members are stepping down, submitting to the demands of many frustrated shareholders who blame them for contributing to the follies that have dragged down the Internet company's revenue and stock price.




Tue, 07 Feb 2012 23:58:47 GMT Disney 1Q revenue misses estimates but profits up (AP)

In this Feb. 6, 2012 photo, The Disney Soda Fountain & Studio Store marquee is seen on Hollywood Boulevard in Los Angeles. Walt Disney Co. releases quarterly financial earnings Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2012, after the market close. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)AP - The Walt Disney Co. said Tuesday that its net income rose 12 percent in the final quarter of 2011, as a slimmer movie slate and upbeat theme park results helped the company top earnings forecasts even while revenue gains were less than expected.




Wed, 08 Feb 2012 00:01:25 GMT 2.1 million viewers live stream Super Bowl online (AP)
AP - The first live stream of the Super Bowl drew 2.1 million unique viewers, NBC said Thursday.

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 02:49:44 GMT Just Show Me: 3 great and free cooking apps for the iPhone (Yahoo! News)
Yahoo! News - Welcome to Just Show Me on Tecca TV, where we show you tips and tricks for getting the most out of the gadgets in your life. In today's episode we'll show three great cooking apps for the iPhone. BigOven Epicurious Serving Sizer Take a look …

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 02:39:36 GMT Transparent Screen app saves you from bodily injury while texting (Yahoo! News)
Yahoo! News - Fond of texting while walking? Unless you're extremely nimble, you may have bumped into people, objects, or even stumbled. In extreme cases, you may have even bruised yourself or broken a few things. But if you have an Android device, you can …

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 23:45:44 GMT NASA Launches Facebook Game to Test Space Program Knowledge (Mashable)
Mashable - How much do you know about the NASA space program, Earthling?

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 05:37:34 GMT Analysis: More than just Great Firewall awaits Facebook in China (Reuters)
Reuters - When it comes to China, Facebook should consider itself forewarned. Cracking the world's biggest internet population might seem an obvious ambition for the social networking giant as it trumpets its global growth before a $5 billion initial public offering, but the chances it will succeed look slim.

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 01:23:46 GMT Yahoo chairman exits, review drags on (Reuters)

In this image released by Yahoo!, documentary filmmaker Morgan Spurlock is shown in 'The Failure Club,' a series about people trying to do the things they've always feared, for Yahoo! After years of drips and drabs of experimentation, the top video destinations on the Web are flush with original projects and teaming with a new wave of niche-oriented content creators. (AP Photo/Yahoo!)Reuters - Yahoo Inc Chairman Roy Bostock and three other directors will step down as the struggling company ploughs ahead with an internal overhaul, including discussions on dealing with its stakes in China's Alibaba Group and Yahoo Japan.




Wed, 08 Feb 2012 00:26:41 GMT Social Gaming Apps for Android -- Steam, Xbox Live and More (ContributorNetwork)
ContributorNetwork - For many people, gaming is no longer a solitary experience where you buy a game and bring it back home and play it -- not even on Android-powered smartphones and tablets. Because it's not just that people are buying games from the Android Market, or Gameloft's store, or other online marketplaces. They're making friends, playing online, and earning trophies and achievements through gameplay that their friends can then see on their profiles.

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 22:50:41 GMT Google Android Mascot Merchandise -- Own Your Own Tiny Robot (ContributorNetwork)
ContributorNetwork - COMMENTARY | Say what you will about the relative merits of Android smartphones vs. the iPhone, but the Android mascot wins against the iPhone's hands-down. This is largely because the iPhone doesn't have a mascot, but that's not the point. The point is that the cute little green robot seen all over Android phone commercials (and depicted in Google branding) can be yours, and can sit on your desk or even do useful things for you. And yes, he comes in more colors than just green.

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 01:31:45 GMT CalSTRS wants Facebook board to expand, add women (Reuters)

An illustration picture shows the log-on screen for the website Facebook, in Munich February 2, 2012. REUTERS/Michael DalderReuters - The California State Teachers' Retirement System, the second-largest largest pension fund in the United States, wants Facebook Inc to expand its board of directors and diversify a panel that has no women.




Tue, 07 Feb 2012 23:35:39 GMT Halliburton to abandon BlackBerry, turn to iPhone (Reuters)
Reuters - Oil field services company Halliburton plans to stop issuing BlackBerry smartphones to employees and switch over to Apple's iPhone, which it said was better suited to its needs, marking another setback for Research In Motion.

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 23:13:00 GMT Path iPhone app shown to be uploading iOS address books to its servers (Appolicious)
Appolicious - One of the most popular social networking apps available for iOS and Android devices is in a bit of hot water.

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 20:50:06 GMT Summary Box: Jobs flow from mobile, Facebook apps (AP)
AP - CAREER OPPORTUNITY: All those apps being made for smartphones, computer tablets and Facebook's online social network are helping the U.S. economy lower its unemployment rate. A study released Tuesday by the technology trade group TechNet estimates apps are responsible for creating about 466,000 U.S. jobs since 2007.

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 22:51:02 GMT Amazon, Viacom close to Web video deal (Reuters)
Reuters - Amazon.com Inc is about to announce a Web video deal with Viacom Inc in what sources said was one of the last steps in a plan to launch a standalone subscription service to compete with Netflix Inc.

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 22:00:00 GMT Don’t stress tax time with these helpful iPhone apps (Appolicious)
Appolicious - It’s tax time! What, it isn’t a happy time for you? Well maybe you should spend more time prepping throughout the year with your iPhone apps so you don’t get so stressed out come the beginning of next year. Tax time shouldn’t be stressful, it should be routine. Here are some helpful tax apps to get you started on a road to financial stability.

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 22:53:55 GMT RIM tells European developers it's "ready to compete" (Reuters)

A sign of Research in Motion (RIM) is seen at its headquarters in Waterloo, Ontario, January 22, 2012. REUTERS/Geoff RobinsReuters - Next-generation software for BlackBerry's smartphones is "ready to compete", Research In Motion's new chief executive, Thorsten Heins, told more than 2,000 technical developers on Tuesday, expressing confidence in RIM's long-term future.




Mon, 06 Feb 2012 23:21:16 GMT Cisco seen reporting solid second quarter (Reuters)
Reuters - A year after network equipment maker Cisco Systems Inc unnerved investors with yet another weak quarterly outlook the company looks set to report a stable quarter buoyed in part by improving enterprise demand in the United States.



Learn to profit from niche markets