Sprouting is much easier than one may think. You can sprout seeds, grains, or legumes (peas, beans, and lentils) with a little time and very basic equipment. Most people use jars and cheesecloth. The process takes a number of days (depending on what you are sprouting) and involves soaking the seeds, draining, then rinsing and draining in a low lit area until sprouting occurs. You can also use bags. Sprouting bags can make things even easier since you simply soak and hang the bag. Either method works great so it just comes down to personal preference; you may have a green thumb and enjoy having your kitchen and pantry stocked with sprouting jars, or you may just like to have a bag of your favorite sprouts hanging around.

Sprouts are a great addition to your diet and we like to offer what resources we can to get you started including seeds, jars, bags, and growth charts.

Happy Sprouting!

Here are some ways to create your own natural colors for a unique Easter egg dying experience.

Color Ingredients

Lavender

Small Quantity of Purple Grape Juice, Violet Blossoms plus 2 tsp Lemon Juice, Red Zinger Tea

Violet Blue

Violet Blossoms, Small Quantity of Red Onions Skins (boiled), Hibiscus Tea, Red Wine, BlackBerries

Blue

Canned Blueberries, Red Cabbage Leaves (boiled), Purple Grape Juice

Green

Spinach Leaves (boiled), Liquid Chlorophyll, Mix Blueberries and Turmeric

Greenish Yellow

Yellow Delicious Apple Peels (boiled)

Yellow

Orange or Lemon Peels (boiled), Carrot Tops (boiled), Celery Seed (boiled), Ground Turmeric (boiled)

Golden Brown

Dill Seeds

Brown

Strong Instant Coffee, Black Walnut Shells (boiled), Black Tea

Orange

Yellow Onion Skins (boiled), Cooked Carrots, Chili Powder, Paprika

Pink

Beets, Cranberries or Juice, Raspberries, Red Grape Juice, Juice from Pickled Beets, Crushed Red Currants

Red

Lots of Red Onions Skins (boiled), Canned Cherries with Juice, Pomegranate Juice, Raspberries,

3 tbs of Chili Powder

There are Two methods that you can use to dye the eggs. First there is the Boiling Method:

To dye 8 eggs, use 2 tablespoons of vinegar per quart of water. Place eggs in a large pot; cover the eggs with an inch of water. Add the natural dye ingredient, bring to a rolling boil then, reduce to a simmer for 20 to 30 minutes. Remove from heat, rinse eggs in lukewarm water, then air dry.

Second is the Cool Dipped Method which most of us may be more familiar with:

First, hard boil the eggs. Except for spices, place a handful (or two or three handfuls) of a dyestuff in a saucepan. Add about a cup of water per handful of dye ingredients and bring to a boil. Let simmer about 15 minutes or up to an hour until you like the color obtained. Keep in mind that dyed eggs will not get as dark as the color in the pan. Remove the pan from the heat. Add 2 to 3 teaspoons of vinegar per cup of dye. Allow dye to cool then place eggs in dye bath until desired color is reached. Eggs can be left in the refrigerator over night for really deep colors.

Natural dyes tend to be lighter in color than conventional dye, but a bright color can be achieved by allow the eggs to remain in the dye bath for a longer period of time. Adding a tablespoon of vinegar helps to make the colors brighter. You can also rub the egg with vinegar to help the dye to saturate the shell. Brown eggs will create warmer tones, white eggs are good for cool tones.

If you’re looking to add some artistic flare to your Easter eggs then consider some of these Dying Techniques. Keep in mind that it is not recommended to eat eggs that have been boiled with dying ingredients as they tend to take on the flavor of what they are boiled with (blueberry flavored eggs??)

• Rub or squish blueberries and cranberries directly on the dry shells for soft blues and pink. Mix them up for blotchy colors.

• Once the eggs have been hard-cooked and dried, hold one egg in your hand and drip glue onto the egg’s surface. Drip the glue carefully to make a particular pattern, or just let the glue drip freely for an abstract effect. Allow the glue to dry then place the eggs in a prepared dye mixture until they are tinted to your liking. Remove them from the liquid and peel off the glue to reveal your design.

• Collect a handful of different sized rubber bands. Wrap the bands, one at a time, around the eggs. Dye the eggs, remove them from the liquid and let them dry completely before pulling off the rubber bands.

• Draw a design onto your eggs with a crayon or beeswax and then dye as you would any other Easter egg.

• This method is a little messy, but the results are always a pleasant surprise. Rub eggs with white vinegar and wrap in onion skins. Secure the skins with cotton string, dental floss, narrow rubber bands or nylon stocking. When boiled, the skins dye the shells giving a natural tie-dye look. To achieve a full, rich effect, practice using many layers of onion skins. Hint: Pre-dampening the skins helps them stick to the egg.

• Fill a small bowl with course sea salt. Immediately after removing egg from dye bath, roll it around in the salt. Allow to dry then brush off salt. This gives the egg a starburst, tie-dyed look.
• Add a small amount of vegetable oil to the dye mixture for a marbleized effect. Dye egg as usual when egg is removed, oil will cause a marbleized look.

• After dyeing eggs with your own colorful concoctions, you’ll find yourself looking at your garden and products in the store with an artist’s eye. Don’t limit your egg dyeing adventures to the Easter holiday. Colorful, hard-boiled eggs are fun any time of the year. A variety of greens for St Patrick’s Day eggs?