natural Archives

So, where are we?

Thanks to Adam’s last post and the last year and a half of blogging you know we have moved on from our initial “Rookie” gardener status.

We have grown from eight to twenty four garden beds in garden that now produces food three quarters of the year. We also can and freeze our homegrown vegetables to eat throughout the winter. We have our cute, free range hens and now raise pastured meat chickens each fall.

But, it’s not just the garden that has grown.

In just the last couple weeks there have been a few clear indicators that we may have even moved beyond the “novice” gardener status that we thought we were just a few months ago. We know we still have so much more to learn to even begin to be considered an expert, but we just might be flirting with whatever it is that is in between “novice” and “expert.”

Last week, I went back to Purdue and spoke to undergraduate Hospitality Management students about their career goals, answered questions about classes that I found valuable, and even reviewed a few resumes.

Surprisingly to me, many of the students I spoke with were very interested in local food. They wanted to know of Farm to Table restaurants and argitourism destinations that might be offering internships. I didn’t know about any specific internships, but I was able to rattle off a handful of restaurants, companies, markets and farms or wineries in the region that they could look into.

This opened up a really good conversation about the shift in the food service industry and how responsible sourcing or even growing food is becoming a common component of restaurants and food service management companies. Something that even my company has discussed. The students were receptive and excited.

Then, over the weekend, a young man who is working on an incredibly creative food delivery concept stopped by my house to drop off his product for me to review in early December. His company, Fresh Artistry, has partnerships with local butcher shops working with Hoosier meat producers, local vegetable growers and Indiana chefs to put together recipes and all the components of a delicious, restaurant style meal.

While here, Adam and I asked him about his business, how he got started and made his connections. We knew many of his connections and we even began to talk about the potential future of the company. He has reached out to bloggers like me in Indiana to help build his customer base through our like-minded readers, but after hearing about his company Adam knows we could help more. Our knowledge and goals for sustainability and growing the most food as possible on our land had Adam’s wheels turning like crazy.

And just in the last forty eight hours, an old friend and sorority sister who I hadn’t spoken to in years reached out for help trying to understand words like “organic,” “natural” and “local” better. She was curious to know if organic really is better for you and why Adam and I grow our food.

I could explain strong, real answers to her and was even able to point her in the direction of materials to learn even more.

I have surrounded myself with people who are driving locally grown food in Indiana. Adam and I have networked with people who are growing vegetables and raising pastured animals. We have read books, magazines, blogs, articles and watched YouTube. We are now very well informed.

To the point that growing food, raising animals, and all the great people who are doing things like this are things that I not only hold intelligent conversations about, but that I can get other people excited about.

I initially started this blog as a creative outlet, but knew in the bottom of my heart that there was, and still is, a piece of me that wanted to influence people. To make them passionate, informed to make the best food choices possible and to be inspired to cook more. By becoming a good reference for people I know that I am on the right path towards that goal.

And I love that this is where we are.

Hive and Honey Photography

If I didn’t already know Easter was one week away, I would be able to tell by Pinterest.

Lately, my Pinterest feed has been an Easter Explosion.

It’s full little deviled eggs made to look like baby chicks that you might need an art degree and tons of patience to create, Cadbury Egg stuffed cupcakes (… because why wouldn’t you stuff an indulgent dessert with another indulgent dessert?), and more ideas for how to decorate Easter eggs than you can begin to think of.

I have seen glitter covered eggs.

Eggs to look like the Despicable Me minions.

Or, Ninja Turtles.

Or, Super Mario Brother’s characters.

I have even seen, what the pinner called, “Hipster” eggs… complete with mustaches and the saying “Keep Calm and Easter On.”

As silly as these Easter eggs pins seem, there was one that really caught my eye. It was a beautiful shot of pastel eggs that looked like the epitome of spring. The caption said that they were dyed naturally.

I was intrigued.

When working at the school there were a handful of students allergic to food dyes, which I first thought was odd. Then, after a little research, I learned that food dye allergies are relatively prevalent and can cause many issues from eczema to breathing problems. In this research, I also learned that some grocers are making naturally dyed baked goods in order to reach those who suffer from the allergy. I read about an example of how Whole Foods made a little girl’s birthday cupcakes pink by using beets.

Thanks to how pink my hands get when I cook beets, I knew it must work well.

So, I decided to give naturally dyed eggs a go in hopes of the pretty pastel eggs on Pinterest.

But, I didn’t get pastel.

I got these amazing jewel tone eggs.

Here is what I did for each color:

Red/Pink- One medium beet cut in pieces added to four cups boiling water, two tablespoons white vinegar, strain (Note: I was kind of disappointed in the shade of pink I got… I was expecting more. Next time, I would use two beets.)
Orange- Two Tablespoons paprika added to one cup boiling water, one Tablespoon white vinegar
Yellow- Two Tablespoons turmeric added to one cup boiling water, one Tablespoon white vinegar (This dye was the best. So vibrant and strong. Even my hands had a yellow tint 24 hours and two showers later.)
Blue- One quarter red cabbage cut in pieces added to four cups boiling water, two Tablespoons white vinegar, strain
Grey Blue- 1 cup frozen blueberries defrosted in one cup water, One Tablespoon white vinegar
Purple- 1 cup red wine

Hard boil eggs and let cool completely.

Let all dyes come to room temperature before dying.

(I used mainly white eggs. I tried with a couple brown ones, but they don’t get as vibrant.)

In some of the dyes, brown eggs just got more brown…

Paler shades sat in dye for about ninety minutes. Darker shades were submerged in dye over night.

Mason jars worked great for holding the dye and eggs.

After removing the eggs from the dye, I put them on a wire rack to dry.

Place a paper towel under the rack to keep messes to a minimum.

Keep the finished eggs refrigerated and eat within a week. I think egg salad might be for dinner one night this week… 🙂

“Where We Are” by Claire

Natural Easter Egg Dyes