I’m lucky enough to know two small businesses that are woman-owned and based in Brandon. They are filling niches and amazing supporters of doing things local and sustainably. Elizabeth and Erin are the two sisters behind Maker’s Way Fiber Mill and Stephanie is behind Fruit of the Coop. We met at the Fiber Mill for a morning of putting all our skills and goods together: eggs, natural dyes, and kids crafts! Stephanie knows just about every way to make a beautiful or fun craft with an egg and Erin and Elizabeth know exactly how to make a beautiful color and work with natural materials. These women are so knowledgeable and passionate about what they do!
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Photos: Stephanie Peterson |
I love that these dyes are food based so that the eggs can still be eaten! Elizabeth brought Onion Skin and Marigold (did you know that marigolds are edible?!) and I brought Beet and Carrot/Turmeric. Stephanie kindly brought some of her whitest and largest eggs pre-hard boiled -an essential step to avoid accidents while creating!
With the help of some very sweet kiddos we got to experimenting! Doodling on the eggs with a white crayon is a fun extra step and makes the colors pop. Elizabeth pointed out that natural dyes aren’t always as consistent in color as regular ones. I’m all for this natural look and texture. The longer your eggs soak the more brilliant the color - up to six hours is a good number to keep in mind. Have fun with your kids checking on on them throughout the day. I learned from Elizabeth and Erin that adding vinegar to natural dyes gives them a boost. Most vegetables need to be chopped or grated and boiled with water just covering them to release their natural dye or try it with a juicer if you have one!
Questions to ask your kids as you go: What color do you think this dye will turn the eggs? What do you think this dye is made out of? Do you like the taste of befries? What about onions?
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Photos: Stephanie Peterson & Andrea Koch |
Onion Skin Dye: ½ cup onion skins boiled in 1 cup of water. Orange. I was the most amazed by this dye! While the dye was pale looking in the jar the eggs we soaked quickly turned a brilliant dark orange!
Beet Pulp Dye: Chopped beets boiled in water to just cover. Dusty rose. Elizabeth added baking soda dissolved in water to one batch of beet dye to make a blue-violet (don’t add vinegar to this batch) almost like magic! This experiment was very fun to try!
Carrot/Turmeric dye: chop or grate carrot and add 1 Tbs turmeric boil with water or juice. Golden. You could also experiment with using one or the other! The bright green egg in our photos was made by dying a pale blue backyard egg with this potion.
Marigold Dye: Marigold flowers (dried or fresh) boiled in water to just covering. A pretty peach.
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Photos: Stephanie Peterson & Andrea Koch |
Additional Dyes to try:
Mashed Berry Dye
Red Cabbage Dye
We also used the egg cartons to start some marigold and zinnia seeds bringing our craft sesh full circle! Thank you for the amazing morning of creating Fruit of the Coop & Maker’s Way Fiber Mill!
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Photos: Stephanie Peterson |
Checkout Maker’s Way’s artisan products and see what events they’re up to on their Facebook and Instagram @makerswayfibermill! You can also find their products at Prarie Road Yarn in Sioux Falls.
You can buy pasture-raised Fruit of the Coop Eggs at:
Breadico Sourdough Bread Company, Root Cellar Public Market, and Songbird Kombucha
(Trust me, they’re better!)
These local restaurants use farm fresh eggs from Fruit of the Coop:
Morrie’s Steakhouse, Grille 26, Parker’s Bistro, Breadico Sourdough Bread Company, Harvester Kitchen by Bryan, Sioux Falls Food Co-op, La Luna Cafe
