Natural Easter Egg Dye

So, I heard this thing on the radio about natural dyes for eggs this Easter. Sounded interesting, so I decided to try it. Here's the website address if you're interested: http://www.ksbj.org/eblogs/afternoonShow/?p=458

To make pink eggs:

Boil 3-4 peeled beets (no greens or stems) in enough water to cover, then turn down heat and cook for 20 minutes. Add raw eggs, bring back to a boil, then turn off and let sit for 20 minutes.

To make yellow eggs:

Place eggs in pan with enough water to cover. Add 2 tablespoons turmeric to water. Bring to a boil, then turn off and let sit for 20 minutes.

To make blue eggs:

Place 1 bag frozen blueberries in pot with eggs. Cover with water. Bring to a boil then turn off and let eggs sit for 20 minutes.

To make orange eggs:

Take left over beet water and left over turmeric water, add eggs, bring to a boil, turn off and let sit 20 minutes.

To make green eggs:

Take left over turmeric water and left over blue berry water, add eggs, bring to a boil, turn off and let sit 20 minutes.

To make purple eggs:

Take left over beet water and left over blue berry water, add eggs, bring to a boil, turn off and let sit 20 minutes.

Our results were less than stellar. I didn't follow the directions exactly and had to make a substitution, so I got blah results. I didn't peel the beets, so they turned out pale yellow. That was weird, because the water looked magenta. I guess I found out the hard way that there is a pigment in the skin.

I didn't have 12 oz of blueberries, so I used what I had (about half that). This was our best result, but it wasn't as vibrant as the picture on the website.

I didn't have turmeric, and Mom said I could use chili powder, so I tried that. It was supposed to be dark orange, but it turned out light to medium yellow.

I think I'll try the beets again and follow the directions this time.

Here's a picture of what I got:

The 4 on the top left are blueberry. The four across the bottom are beet (really!) and the top 4 on the right are chili powder.

I was going to show the girls how to use the dye for cloth, but with less than stellar egg results, I decided not to do the fabric. Besides, I hadn't washed the fabric to remove any finish and prepare it for dying. Maybe next time. . . . .