This was my first year decorating eggs with Poppy. I decided to try my hand at making our own natural dyes from vegetables and spices etc. Other than it taking a bit of time it was super fun and easy. I can’t wait for next year to see what new colours I can come up with.

I used:

purple cabbage

beets

blueberries

turmeric

hibiscus tea ( this didn’t turn out as well as I had hoped )

TO DYE:

Use 1 cup of vegetable or fruit per cup of water or 2 tbsp of spices/herbs per cup of water. Pour water into pots and add whatever you are using for colouring. Bring the water to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cover for 30 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature. Once cooled pour through a strainer into jars. Add 1 tbsp of vinegar per cup of strained liquid. Transfer your room temp hard boiled eggs into the dye. Refrigerate until you are happy with the shade.

Tip*

If you want to add some patterns to your eggs try wrapping them with rubber bands or tape cutouts before emerging into the dye. Remove the rubber bands and tape after the eggs have been dyed and dryed.