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4.10.2004

The Natural Way To Dye Easter Eggs!
This Easter, why not color your eggs using nature's very own dyes? It's possible to come up with a great number of colors using natural ingredients that can easily be found in almost any kitchen.

Pale Red: Fresh beets or cranberries, frozen raspberries
Orange: Yellow onion skins
Light yellow: Orange or lemon peels, carrot tops, celery seed or ground cumin
Yellow: Ground turmeric
Pale green: Spinach leaves
Green-gold: Yellow Delicious apple peels
Blue: Canned blueberries or red cabbage leaves
Beige to brown: Strong brewed coffee

To dye the perfect Easter eggs the natural way,
here's what to do:
1. Put eggs in a single layer in a pan. Pour water in pan until the eggs are covered.

2. Add about a teaspoon of vinegar.

3. Add the natural dye appropriate to 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.)

4. Bring water to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes.

5. Remove the substance you used to color the eggs. Put eggs in a bowl. If you want your eggs to be a darker shade, cover them with the dye and let them stand overnight in the refrigerator.



Marbleized Eggs
Wrap fresh eggs in onion skin. Carefully insert the egg (with skin) into old pantyhose and ties the ends so the egg can't escape. Hard boil the eggs. Remove the pantyhose - eggs are marbled.



Paraffin Eggs
Melt some paraffin inside a can placed in a pan of hot water (on the stove). Paint the melted paraffin over fresh greenery or small Spring flower placed on a hard boiled egg.



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