we’re still trying to define our own family traditions, but this would be our first Easter to decorate eggs with drew. i was pretty uncertain about his level of interest, so i didn’t want to go all out but knew i wanted our experience to be a departure from the norm. i’d found several natural recipes online, watched a few how-to videos and decided we’d go for it!
next thing i knew, i was plucking petals from our garden roses, found expired spinach in the fridge, and snagged chili powder and tea bags from the spice cabinet. red cabbage was the only item i actually bought specifically for the eggstra special project.
turns out, it wasn’t the fastest route, but it was easy, fun and very inexpensive…not the most common combination.
of course, drew had a blast. it was a perfect activity for his current and very toddler-esque “let me do it” phase. and because little man and his precious hands haven’t quite mastered the concept of gentle, most of the eggs ended up cracked with lots of character.
regardless, the au naturel method produced a collection of beautifully “marbled” and uniquely-colored eggs of which we were all very proud. i’m already looking forward to the 2012 challenge of finding more creative resources to expand our options. after all, little sis will likely not be satisfied watching from the sidelines next year!
Simmer the ingredients in two cups of water for at least 30 minutes. Strain into dipping bowls and add two tablespoons of vinegar. After (gently) turning the hard-boiled eggs in the colors for 20-30 minutes, we moved the eggs/bowls to the refrigerator overnight to achieve these rich and au naturel results.
spinach, black tea, rose petals, chili powder, cabbage
