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Sweet Potatoes in Orange Cups
Color Easter Eggs Naturally With Dyes From
Your Kitchen
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:
1. Put raw, white-shelled, organically-raised eggs in a single layer in a
pan. Cover with cold water.
2. Add a little more than a teaspoon of white vinegar.
3. 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.)
4. Bring water to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes.
5. 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.
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
Easter Traditions:
Seven Ways To Add Meaning To Your Family Celebration
By Susie Cortright
Family traditions connect us to past and
future generations. They provide meaning and connection, as well as a sense
of ritual and comfort. And they can create - and help to preserve - some of
life's most moving moments.
Easter traditions can help to usher in a
season of love, rejuvenation, and abundance. Here are seven ideas for
sharing the sweetness of this special season:
- Start a kindness wreath for your doorway.
For the week of Easter, give each family member 10 or more ribbons in bright
spring colors. Each time a family member reaches out to someone in kindness
during the week, they simply tie another ribbon onto the wreath.
- Ask your children to make a special drawing
or a collage that depicts what Easter means for them. After you display them
during the Easter season, scan them or take a photo and record the artwork
in a special journal or album for a treasured Easter keepsake.
- Create a Garden Journal. Cover a
composition book with spring patterned papers or photos/clippings of your
favorite flowers. Document the process of creating your family garden this
year. Make sure to include photos of your family members digging in the
dirt. Record their favorite flowers and their favorite part of working in
the garden...and, of course, lots of journaling and flower pressings.
- Fill an Easter basket with cheerful
messages, handmade cards, or simple gifts. Then leave the basket anonymously
on a friend's doorstep.
- If you have young children, video- or
audio-tape them singing a fun seasonal song. Tapes of "Here comes peter
cottontail" and "Little Bunny Foo Foo" can make treasured mementos. Share
the tapes with distant family and friends.
- When it's time for your Easter brunch or
Easter dinner, give each guest a 6x6 sheet of cardstock and ask them to
handwrite a couple of special messages for the holiday...perhaps ways they
are feeling renewed or grateful in their lives. Snap a photo of each guest
and create a quick and simple 6x6 mini-album as a keepsake featuring one
page for each guest (with their photo and contribution.)
- Make some handmade Easter greeting cards to
send to family and friends. Or renew friendships by hostessing a card-making
party where each guest makes 5 to 10 friendship cards. Make a point to send
out five cards this spring to people with whom you would like to rejuvenate
a relationship.
This holiday, may you embrace and celebrate
the beauty that comes into our lives through our family and friends. (And
enjoy lots of chocolate!)
Susie Cortright is the founder of
momscape.com -
http://www.momscape.com and Momscape's Scrapbooking Playground -
http://www.momscape.com/scrapbooking - devoted to helping visitors
record and preserve their cherished memories.
Susie also trains and supports new
scrapbooking instructors with a new and rapidly- growing direct sales
scrapbooking company. Find out how to join her team here:
http://www.momscape.com/scrapbooking/consultant
How the Easter Bunny Got His Start
By Sharon Graves MacRae
How the Easter bunny got his start:
Easter has many symbols to share,so many of which we have even forgotten
their origins. Take the bunny and egg symbols….how did we get from the
sacrifice and rebirth of Jesus to a fluffy bunny delivering eggs?? Well, I
had that same question. So after a little searching I found some information
I’d like to share with you. Well eggs have symbolized life and rebirth for
centuries and they were adopted as a gift to give at Easter time between the
royalty hundreds of years ago. They use to be crafted from gold and silver
though not chocolate, personally I prefer the chocolate, yummy. Great detail
was crafted on to those eggs and now they are worth a fortune to own. The
egg giving was a symbol of Jesus sacrifice of his life. The rabbit or bunny
has symbolized life,fertility and has been thought to bring spring by many
cultures. Then long ago in a tale began of women who hide Easter treats for
her children outside one Easter Eve and when the next morning children went
looking they saw a bunny next to their treats in what looked to them as a
nest. Thus spread the tale of the Easter bunny delivering the eggs. It was
later adopted by to add to our Easter celebrations. It’s amazing to me how
that wonderfully fun bunny is packed with a message of springs’ rebirth and
the sacrifices made to bring us all a new beginning.
The bunny has become an all time favorite symbol of Easter for Children.
This whimsical creature who slaves away to bring a special treat Easter
morning warms their hearts and brightens their eyes. Childhood is too short
not to enjoy with out some fun. Here are some simple Easter craft activities
you can share with your little ones as I have with mine.
Bunny Drops
2 cups Brown sugar
1/3 cup Chocolate cocoa
1/4 cup Milk
1/2 cup Margarine
3 1/2 cups Dry oatmeal
1/2 cup Coconut flakes
1/2 tsp Vanilla
A pinch Salt
Blend together sugar, cocoa, milk and margarine in a pot. Place on medium
heat and let it come to a boil. Remove mixture from heat Add oatmeal and
vanilla. Let cool for 5 minutes. Drop mixture in tablespoon size balls onto
waxed paper. Place in refrigerator for 1/2-hour until cool. This treat is a
big hit with kids.
By Sharon Graves MacRae
Owner and Editor of Woman to Woman Virtual Online Magazine
http://www.virtual-online-magazine.com.
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