Coloring easter eggs with natural colors

Coloring Easter eggs with natural colors of spinach, red cabbage and beetroot

26.03.2012

In the trade, all kinds of dyes for coloring Easter eggs are offered. Many of these products contain artificial colors that promote allergies and are harmful to the environment. There are numerous ways to color the eggs with natural colors. Colorful vegetables such as beetroot, onions or spinach make the eggs look good.

Artificial dyes can provoke allergic reactions
The Easter festival makes children's hearts beat faster. Just as the custom for the resurrection festival wants, dyed Easter eggs should not be missing. However, many dyes available on the market contain artificial substances that can cause redness, itching and even asthma. Responsible for this are plastics such as tartrazine (E 102) and azorubin (E 122). In some cases, the consumption of artificially colored eggs even provoked asthma attacks, as the consumer initiative in Berlin explained. By cooking the eggs, small cracks appear on the eggshell, causing even the smallest amounts of the dyes in the interior of the egg´s can arrive. The result: The substances are eaten by children and adults. In addition, according to some study data, the art paints are suspected to increase the risk of attention deficit disorder in children.

Natural coloring of Easter eggs
For Easter, however, must not be waived on the coloring of Easter eggs. To color red eggs in a natural way, beetroot or red onion skins can be used. A golden or yellow color can best be made with black tea and onion and walnut shells. For green eggs are spinach, parsley and nettle. Blue or purple easter eggs are dyed with the help of red cabbage and elderberry juice.

Already the selection of the eggs is crucial. Instead of brown, white eggs are useful, so that the color comes into its own. The shell should be as smooth as possible, because the color usually adheres better to a smooth surface and shines. So that not only the children are happy, the eggs should come from organic farms where the chickens can run free. Because organic is not synonymous synonymous a species-appropriate attitude.

In order to avoid cracks in the eggs, rather small eggs should be bought. These were superimposed by young chickens and have a thicker shell. When cooking, the calcareous keeps better.

Natural brew has to cook for 45 minutes
In order to use one of the natural ingredients, 500 ml of water is applied depending on the color desired. In the water come 250 grams of vegetables and a dash of vinegar. The brew must then boil for up to three quarters of an hour. Only then are the eggs added and boiled for about 8 to 10 minutes. The eggs should be well rubbed with vinegar, according to consumer advocates. If no cracks have formed on the eggs, keep them refrigerated in the fridge for up to four weeks. Thereafter, the eggs should not be eaten.

For Easter, two or three eggs can be consumed. Because the eggs contain a variety of beneficial nutrients and vitamins. The body can utilize chicken egg protein very well and use it to build its own proteins. An average egg contains around four grams of polyunsaturated fatty acids and minerals such as iron, phosphorus, selenium, zinc, calcium and all vitamins except vitamin C. (sb)

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Image: Klaus Steves