Happy Easter, Healthy Easter

For the second year in a row, this Easter we painted our eggs with all-natural plant-based colours. This simply means that we used plants and other kitchen ingredients in either boiling or very hot water, mixed with some vinegar and/or salt, instead of the traditional chemical-filled dyes.

Even though this is our second go at it, we are still very much in the experimenting phase. The process isn't nearly as simple and reliable as those Internet articles that we've been reading make it seem. There were times when we were seriously worried that we would be left with completely colourless eggs and frantically added similar coloured items into the mix in the hopes of getting even a hint of colour, and we have yet to find the right ingredient for a true red, but in the end it is so much fun to see the results.

This year we ended up with four colours: yellow from turmeric and yellow onion peels (by far the most reliable ingredients and the most intense colour), blue from purple cabbage, green from a mix of wheatgrass and liquid chlorophyll, and purple - that was actually meant to be red - from a combination of cranberries and sour cherries. I couldn't even believe how pretty they turned out. I honestly like them so much more than the colours we get from the chemical dyes. I find that the colours are - unsurprisingly! - so much more natural, and I like the little details like the lack in uniformity of the colour and the generally lighter, more pastel shades.

Now I can't wait to try out new colours and I'm thinking we should conduct a few egg painting experiments throughout the year to avoid those Easter Eve nerves of potentially colourless eggs.