Easter Blessings~

Easter was probably the earliest of the church’s annual festivals; it was fused with elements of pagan spring festivals celebrating new life. Folk customs attached to the festival date from pre-Christian times. Eggs, traditionally forbidden during Lent, symbolize new life. The Easter Bunny recalls the hare, the Egyptian symbol of fertility. Easter may have derived its name from the Saxon goddess Eostre, whose feast was celebrated each spring at about this time, or it may have come from the word oster, meaning “rising.”
Eggs are a symbol of fertility and spring renewal across many cultures. For Christians, eggs were traditionally forbidden during Lent and always eaten on Easter Sunday. During the Jewish Passover, a roasted egg sits on the seder plate.

Eggs  are very healthy-and when they are produced in a sustainable fashion even more so....why not keep the health benefits at 100% by using a natural dye to beautify them this Easter. This is so much fun and a great educational plug for the children .

Natural Dye Colors

First you need to determine your colors. Here are some of our favorite natural dyes:

Blue/purple: red cabbage (coarsely chopped), blueberries or blackberries (crushed), grape juice
Brown: black tea
Green: spinach, parsley
Orange: chili powder, paprika
Pink: beets (grated or canned with juice), cherries, cranberries, pomegranate juice
Yellow: yellow onion skins, ground cumin, ground turmeric, lemon or orange peels
(To make it simple, you can use just the primary colors of red, yellow, and blue; then mix the colors to create more colors.)

Directions on How to Dye Eggs

• Remove eggs from the refrigerator about a half hour before boiling.
• Boil your eggs in enough water to cover the eggs, 2 tablespoons of vinegar, and one of the above ingredients.
• You can also try boiling the eggs and ingredients separately. Let the dye cool, strain it, and then dip the eggs for 10 to 20 minutes. (You can also leave the eggs in the liquid overnight for a stronger color.)

Boiling the eggs in the dye is our preferred method because it gives the eggs stronger color. With this method, the fun isn't in the dipping; it's just neat (not to mention educational) to see how different foods create different colors; the eggs "transform" without a magic wand!

Tie-Dyed Easter Eggs

Here's another idea that the older kids especially love—tie dye!

• Hard-boil some large white eggs (use brown eggs for darker colors) and allow them to cool.
• One way to color an egg with an interesting tie-dyed effect is to wrap a number of long rubber bands of various widths around the egg, covering the entire egg.
• The rubber bands should be long enough to wrap around the egg a couple of times. (If the bands keep popping off, don't wrap them quite so tightly, or use thicker bands.)
• Dip the egg into homemade dye.
• Remove from dye and let dry.
• Remove some or all of the rubber bands, then wrap them around the egg again and soak it in a different color until you have the shade you want.
• Allow to dry and remove the rubber bands. You should now have a uniquely interesting egg.
• Another way to create a tie-dyed look is by wrapping and twisting damp strips of cloth tightly around an egg.
• Drop different colors of dye onto the cloth and let the colors blend together.
• Let the egg sit until the cloth is dry, then carefully unwrap the egg.

Have a very blessed Easter holiday-if you are in my neighborhood...stop in and share an egg !

Bea Rigsby-Kunz
http://www.sagehillfarmsandvintagestore.com

Happy Easter ~