Easter family traditions and tips on coloring easter eggs

“Mom, come on. It’s almost Easter and we have to color the eggs.” These words were spoken in a voice of desperation and a full two weeks before Easter. Out came the huge soup pot. In went 3-5 dozen eggs. Out came 15 cups, vinegar and boiling water. In went the dye. (Cake decorators have a lot of colors!) Fifteen large spoons followed. Nine chairs around the table. Very tight!

“I want blue.” “No, I want blue.” “Guys, guys, you can all do blue.”

“Barry!!!”, as six, yet to be colored, eggs hit the floor. “Don’t worry guys; this will be cool, tie dye eggs. You’ll love them”. (Said with all the enthusiasm I could muster.)

“Quick, grab the paper towels. Run!”, spoken in a voice of slight hysteria by one child as pink dye moved slowly across the table top and onto the floor. I ran for the towels.

“Kate, you have to remember to put the lids back on the markers. They’re gonna dry up.” “Stop that, your bumping my elbow. Now

my tree is crooked.” “Look mom, you really can see my name. You couldn’t even see my name before and now you can. How does that work.” “Hey, we are running out of eggs. I only got to color six. Not fair. Can we boil some more?”

And so it went each year of the forty years that we colored eggs. Nothing really changed much even when we were down to just three, Kate, Don and I. There were still spills and someone would think we didn’t have enough eggs.

I love holiday traditions and this egg dying ritual was one of ours. Some years went better than others but each one brought us closer as a family. Each one tied us together in a bond that exists today. Traditions matter to children. These are the things that they can depend on; certain foods on the table at holidays, special activities done year after year, favorite people gathered together. Family traditions are important to me.

Let me share some Easter egg  dying tips that I learned as I went along. If you keep them in mind when dying easter eggs things will go smoother.

Less is more. Keep it simple, nine cups of dye not fifteen.

Keep all the eggs, un-dyed and dyed in egg cartons. They can’t roll; much safer.

Cover the table top with two or three layers of newspapers, the whole table. You will save paper towels!

No rugs anywhere within a four foot radius of the table. This is a must.

And, if you don’t live in Montana (as we did) and the weather is good, do it outside! : )

Here is a fun egg dying project that you just might want to try. Why not dye your eggs with everyday kitchen ingredients.

How to make and dye easter eggs:

Before you begin, you’ll need hard-cooked eggs that are completely dry and room temperature.

For each color of dye, find a container that won’t get stained or that you can discard when finished. Make sure it is big enough to completely submerge an egg or several eggs.

Place an egg in the container. Pour dye over the egg, covering completely. Refrigerate until the desired color is achieved. (The longer the egg sits in the dye, the darker the color.) Remove the egg and let dry; refrigerate.

Coloring easter eggs with natural ingredients:

Lavender – Small Quantity of Purple Grape Juice, Violet Blossoms plus 2 tsp Lemon Juice, Red Zinger Tea

Violet Blue – Violet Blossoms, Small Quantity of Red Onions Skins (boiled), Hibiscus Tea, Red Wine

Blue – Canned Blueberries, Red Cabbage Leaves (boiled), Purple Grape Juice

Green – Spinach Leaves (boiled), Liquid Chlorophyll

Greenish Yellow – Yellow Delicious Apple Peels (boiled)

Yellow – Orange or Lemon Peels (boiled), Carrot Tops (boiled), Celery Seed (boiled), Ground Cumin (boiled), Ground Turmeric (boiled), Chamomile Tea, Green Tea

Golden Brown – Dill Seeds

Brown – Strong Coffee, Instant Coffee, Black Walnut Shells (boiled), Black Tea

Orange – Yellow Onion Skins (boiled), Cooked Carrots, Chili Powder, Paprika

Pink – Beets, Cranberries or Juice, Raspberries, Red Grape Juice, Juice from Pickled Beets

Red – Lots of Red Onions Skins (boiled), Canned Cherries with Juice, Pomegranate Juice, Raspberries

Here is more fun with Panoramic sugar easter eggs for children to make

Here are some of the sites where I found these gorgeous pictures of naturally dyed eggs. Check them out.

http://www.mamalisa.com/blog/how-to-dye-eggs-naturally/

http://craftastica.blogspot.com/2007/04/naturally-dyed-eggs.html

http://www.instructables.com/id/Colored-eggs-using-onion-skins-and-beet-juice/

http://www.ehow.com/how_4891392_dye-easter-eggs-natural-way.html

http://frugal.families.com/blog/frugal-easter-egg-dyes

Why not share some of your egg dying experiences here, along with tips to help us all have more fun this Easter. I would love to hear from you and so would my readers!

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Tagged as: a family tradition, Coloring easter eggs with natural ingredients, coloring easter eggs with onion skins, coloring easter eggs with tea, dying easter eggs, easter egg tips, How to dye easter eggs, How to make easter eggs, importance of family traditions