Dye Easter eggs natural way with edibles

Associated Press

The tinting of these colored eggs is completely natural. You can do it at home with common products in your kitchen. On the Web: www.napastyle.com Associated Press

Chiarello has expanded on that family heritage by creating his own Easter rituals centered around seasonal living – combined with his professional interest in artfully served meals and fresh produce.

One of Chiarello's favorite Easter activities is gathering friends and family to dye Easter eggs naturally. Dyes from simple kitchen ingredients produce eggs in surprising variations of soft, subtle hues, a change from the more commonly seen bright, pastel colors.

You can use almost anything edible in your kitchen to color eggs, Chiarello has found. Try beets for beige to bright pink eggs; coarsely chopped red cabbage for pale to royal blue; blueberries for lavender shades; brewed coffee for deep mocha color; cranberries for pale pink; turmeric for bright orange; or yellow onion skins with black peppercorns to produce beige to mauve tones.

Use 2 to 4 cups of the ingredient per pot, more for onion skins (about 4 to 6 cups) and less for spices like turmeric (start with about 1 tablespoon).

A warning: Use just one ingredient per batch to avoid muddy colors.

Instructions:

• Place eggs in a deep, nonreactive saucepan. Add your coloring ingredient, then cover with a quart of cold water and 2 tablespoons of white vinegar to fix the dye.
• Gently simmer the eggs for 20 minutes or up to 3 hours, until you like the color.
• For a beautifully delicate, shattered look, remove a few eggs and gently roll each in a soft towel. Return eggs to the pot for another half-hour.
• You can eat the eggs so long as you haven't used anything toxic in the dye. If you don't eat them right away, you can store them, unshelled and with uncracked shells, in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 weeks.

Michael Chiarello is author of "The Tra Vigne Cookbook: Seasons in the California Wine Country" (Chronicle, 1999).