Natural Easter Egg Dyes

At the Baltimore Chef Shop, we are all about using fresh, natural ingredients -- even when it comes to dying our Easter Eggs. We did some experiments and came up with a few natural dyes from ingredients we had in the kitchen. We love that your kids will be able to see how the dyes are made from things we eat every day.

You'll need:
Eggs
White Vinegar
Cooked beets
Frozen blueberries
Turmeric
Coffee grounds
Leafy greens (spinach or kale would work best)

Rough chop the beets and the leafy greens. We used parsley stems, but it wasn't as bright green as we were hoping for. Kale or spinach would work much better.

If you're worried about staining your hands or your clothes, now is a good time to put on gloves and an apron.

Here are the formulas to make the dyes:
1 c. beets + 1 c. water, simmer for 15 minutes, strain and add 2 tbsp. white vinegar.
1 c. blueberries + 1 c. water, simmer for 15 minutes, strain and add 2 tbsp. white vinegar.
1 c. leafy greens + 1 c. water, simmer for 15 minutes, strain and add 2 tbsp. white vinegar.
3 tbsp. coffee grounds + 1 c. water, simmer for 15 minutes, add 2 tbsp. white vinegar.
2 tbsp. turmeric + 1 c. water, simmer for 15 minutes, add 2 tbsp. white vinegar.

Our tried and true way to make hard boiled eggs: fill water to one inch above the highest egg, and bring to a rolling boil. Turn heat off, and cover pot for 12 minutes, then remove eggs and run cold water over them, to stop them from overcooking. Voila!

The longer you let your eggs sit in the dyes, the darker they'll be.