Deviled Easter Eggs
Kiddos in the Kitchen – Kids’ Activities
Using Natural Dyes for Eggs
Egg dyeing is a fun springtime tradition. Did you know you can use various fruits, leaves, roots, seeds, and other natural things to create a wide range of colors? Ever notice your fingers stained after picking berries? Yep, that’s a natural dye! The dyes included in the Deviled Easter Eggs recipe below can also be used to dye egg shells. Looking for other natural dye ideas? Our partners at National Co-op Grocers have some great ones. You’ll find a list of ideas and instructions for dyeing hard-boiled eggs using a variety of natural materials if you click the button below. Another option is to pierce a hole in the top and bottom of a raw egg, blow the insides of the egg into a bowl (you can use it for baking or scrambled eggs). Then you can dye just the empty shell of the egg. Keep in mind, white-shelled eggs work best for these activities.
Baby Chicks Hatching
When it comes time for a chick to hatch, they’ll use their “egg tooth” a tiny hard bit at the end of their beak, to begin breaking their way free from the egg. The egg tooth will fall off the beak sometime in the next few days. Meanwhile, the baby chick is kept warm, either by a protective mother hen or a heat lamp, as it learns how to survive. Like human children, chicks need to be taught how to do just about everything, from eating and drinking, to scratching at the ground. That job belongs to the mother hen, or the humans raising the chicks. Teach a chick to drink by carefully holding the egg-sized bird, dipping their beak gently in the water, and tilting them back so it runs down their throat.
Now Let’s Make the Recipe!
Turmeric, Beets, and Cabbage will serve as dyes for these colorful treats. Since these vegetable-based dyes are completely safe, you can really get creative. After all, who says the shell is the only part worth coloring? Everyone will love the colorful fun, and learn about the hidden super powers of vegetables! Just make sure everyone is in old clothes and using old towels, because these veggie-based dyes will color more than just eggs.
- 6 eggs
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- 1 tsp yellow mustard
- 1/4 purple cabbage, chopped
- 2 tsp ground turmeric
- 1 med. beet
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- vinegar
- salt
Instructions:
Hard boil the eggs (15 minutes in simmering water). Using a slotted spoon, transfer the eggs from the hot water into a bowl of ice water and allow to cool for a few minutes. Peel eggs and slice carefully in half the long way. Set the whites aside in a tray in the refrigerator. Collect the egg yolks into a small bowl. Add mayonnaise, mustard, 1 tsp vinegar and a pinch of salt to the yolks and mash with a fork until well mixed and smooth in texture. Refrigerate this mixture while you prepare the dyes.
Peel and dice the beets. Place in a pot with 1 1/2 cups of water. Bring to a boil, simmer for 20 minutes. Chop purple cabbage and place in a pot with 2 cups of water. Bring to a boil, simmer for 20 minutes. Put 1 1/2 cups of water in a pot and stir in 2 tsp turmeric. Bring to a boil, simmer for 10 minutes.
Turn off all burners. Drain beet water into a bowl. (These cooked beets can be used for salads or other recipes.) Stir in 1 Tbsp vinegar and 1/2 tsp salt. Pour turmeric water into a bowl and stir in 1 Tbsp vinegar and 1/2 tsp salt. Drain cabbage water into a bowl. Stir in 1/4 tsp baking soda and 1/2 tsp salt. Be sure the kids are watching when you add the baking soda! Before adding it, the water will look purple and after adding, it will turn blue!! Allow all dyes to cool. Drop egg whites into bowls of dye and allow dye to permeate eggs. The beets will take the least time and you may pull some out early if you’re looking for a lighter pink. When the egg whites are colored, pull them out, rinse briefly under water and lay on paper towels or clean rags to dry.
You can fill all the colored whites with the yellow yolk mixture, or if you like, take a tiny amount of the beet red dye and mix it in with some of the yolk mixture to make some of the filling pink. Fill your deviled easter eggs and serve on a platter!