It's no secret that Easter is coming, and that the supermarkets are already selling chocolate by the tonne, about which; I have a confession. My oldest daughter was about two years old before she found out that behind all that gold paper was something edible; I had her convinced that the eggs and rabbits were decorations similar to the 'ball-balls' and other decorations we put on the Christmas Tree. The first time someone unpeeled the wrapped and popped a chocolate in their mouth she nearly fainted. My gig was blown, and her youth was all that saved me from a withering death stare, which if you're wondering, she perfected aged-four.For last year's giveaway Easter gifts we tried the old fashioned, more eco-friendly approach to dying blown-eggs: using onion peel. There are plenty of 'recipies' on the web, but the three ingredients are water, yellow/brown onion skin and vinegar. You brew it all up, then strain out the leaves, pop in the eggs and let them stew for awhile. It was quick and pain free, but even with an olive oil rub they never went the rich red color I was hoping for... perhaps my onions were more brown than yellow... I also hear red cabbage can dye eggs blue - how fascinating!
When our eggs were done we then laid them (haha) in a nesting bowl, lined with shredded paper and raffia, added a blue paper butterfly on a stick. They could easily be accompanied with a few candied eggs or a cheeky chicken on top. Ours were given as gifts, but something similar could be used as a party decoration, rainy day activity, keepsake, or even a save-the-date alternative.
If you have any eco-friendly ways to decorate eggs, leave a link in the comments.
Until next time... I'm off to the supermarket to face-off with all those tempting chocolates.
