The Easter bunny has been seen lurking around the forest in our backyard. He was happily hopping about in the fog and mist, secretly hiding Easter eggs for all the little girls and boys. Inside, we too were happily hopping about dying eggs for Sunday.
Dyeing eggs with a three year old is tricky business, but we managed to salvage about 9 eggs after dying them using homemade vegetable dyes. I was quite impressed with the cabbage dyed ones that resulted in brilliant blue hues. As if doing all this egg dying wasn't enough, I decided to make homemade pita bread for our falafel supper tonight. (Note to self, keep it to one project a day with a small baby and young child at the helm.) I was going to save the L'Acadie Vineyards Organic (hard) Cider that I bought at the market last weekend for my birthday tomorrow, but I REALLY needed it tonight! So, as I write this I am enjoying it's bubbly goodness.......cheers!
DYEING EGGS
Growing up my family always dyed Easter eggs. We’d boil at least a dozen vibrant red ones, which are traditional in Greek families. I always ended up dying some multicoloured pastel ones too, because I think those colours really embody the essence of spring. The dyed red eggs signify the blood of Christ to Greek Orthodox Christians.
Another Greek tradition is playing a game with the eggs called tsougrisma. This game involves two players and Easter eggs. Players hold an egg in their hand, and the first person taps the end of her egg lightly against the end of the other player's egg. The goal is to crack the opponent's egg. When one end is cracked, the winner uses the same end of her egg to try to crack the other end of the opponent's egg. The player who successfully cracks the eggs of the other players is declared the winner and, it is said, will have good luck during the year.
HOW TO DYE EASTER EGGS NATURALLY
To avoid artificial food dyes that are in Easter egg colouring kits, try experimenting with different ingredients found in your kitchen. It is a fun activity to do with your kids to celebrate this festive season!
What you need:
* Hard boiled organic white eggs (they take on the dyes better than brown eggs, but brown eggs will work as well)
* 4 cups of fruit/vegetable solids, mashed and 3–4 tablespoons for spices per quart of water
* 2 Tbsp local organic apple cider vinegar for every quart of water
* Several pots and bowls
* Optional: stickers, rubber bands, and crayons for decorating the eggs and making interesting patterns
* Egg cartons for drying the dyed eggs
Natural egg dyes can be made from a variety of ingredients:
RED
Organic beets in cranberry juice (instead of water)
LIGHT PINK
Frozen cherries
YELLOW
Organic tumeric powder
GREEN
Wild blueberries and their juice mixed with a few tablespoons of organic tumeric
BLUE
Shredded organic red cabbage
METHOD:
Method 1—Hot (for eggs that won’t be consumed)
Place eggs in a single layer in a large, nonaluminum pan. Add the dyeing ingredient of your choice. Cover the eggs and other dyeing “agent(s)” with one inch of water. Add 2 tablespoons vinegar per quart to help the color adhere to the egg, and bring to a boil. Next, simmer for 20–30 minutes or until the desired shade is achieved. If you cook the eggs longer than 15 minutes, they will become rather tough.
Method 2—Cold (for eggs that will be consumed)
Simmer the dyeing ingredients of your choice in a large, non-aluminum pan for 20–30 minutes. Lift or strain the ingredients out of the water and allow the water to cool to room temperature. Submerge the eggs until the desired color is achieved. You may keep the eggs in the solution overnight as long as it is refrigerated. The longer the egg stays in the dye, hot or cold, the deeper the hue will be.
If your house is anything like mine, you will have so many boiled eggs leftover from easter eggs, that you won’t know what to do with them. So here are some potato salad recipes to help you out.
POTATO SALAD
Serves 4
1 1/2 pounds organic Yukin gold potatoes, cut into 3/4-inch cubes
1 ½ cups organic hard boiled eggs, diced
(1/4 cup organic white wine vinegar
2 organic scallions, thinly sliced
1/4 cup organic mayonnaise
1 stalk organic celery, sliced
2-3 Tbsp homemade organic relish
3 Tbsp organic parsley, chopped
2-3 organic eggs, hard boiled and chopped
sea salt and organic pepper)
Method: Set a bamboo steamer basket over a large pot of simmering water.
Place potatoes in basket, cover basket, and steam potatoes, tossing
occasionally, until tender, 15 to 25 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine vinegar, scallions, 1 teaspoon sea salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Add hot potatoes to vinegar mixture; toss to combine. Cool to room temperature. Add mayonnaise to cooled potatoes; mix gently to combine. Serve, or cover and refrigerate up to 2 days.
Variation #1
BLUE CHEESE, APPLE AND WALNUT POTATO SALAD
¼ cup organic mayonaise
1/3 cup organic yogurt
3 Tbsp organic red wine vinegar
1 tsp sea salt
½ tsp organic black pepper, ground
1 cup organic celery, thinly sliced
¼ cup organic red onion, diced
1 cup organic apple, diced
¼ organic walnuts, coarsely chopped
½ cup organic blue cheese, crumbled
Method: Prepare potatoes as described in master recipe. Substitute the white vinegar for the red and toss. Let the potatoes cool to room temperature then gently fold in all ingredients.
Variation #2
INDIAN SPICED CHICKPEA POTATO SALAD
1 cup organic cooked chickpeas
½ cup organic cilantro, chopped
¼ organic lime juice
1 Tbsp organic grainy mustard
1 tsp sea salt
½ tsp organic black pepper, ground
½ cup e.v olive oil
2 cloves organic garlic, mashed to a paste
1 tsp organic ginger, finely grated
1 tsp local honey
1 ½ tsp organic cumin, ground
1 ½ tsp organic coriander, ground
½ tsp organic turmeric, ground
Method: Prepare potatoes as described above in master recipe. Substitute the white vinegar for lime juice and toss. Fold in the remaining ingredients.
ARTICHOKE, BLACK OLIVE AND MINT POTATO SALAD
1/3 cup organic mayonnaise
1/3 cup organic buttermilk
2 Tbsp organic lemon juice
2 tsp organic Dijon mustard
2 cloves organic garlic, mashed
½ tsp organic red pepper flakes, crushed
2 tsp fresh organic marjoram, chopped
2 cups organic artichoke hearts, chopped
1 cup Greek Kalamata black olives, chopped
½ cup fresh organic mint, chopped
Method: Prepare potatoes as described in master recipe. Substitute the vinegar with the lemon juice and toss. Fold in the remaining ingredients.
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