I got this from an article in USA Today when looking for info on how long it is safe to store hard-boiled eggs ( 1 week, max).
Excerpt from:
04/13/2001 - Updated 04:33 PM ET
A hard-boiled look at Easter egg safety
By Mike Falcon, Spotlight Health
With medical adviser Stephen A. Shoop, M.D.
It is important to remember that any dye used on eggs to be eaten should be warmer than the egg itself.
While approved food colorings are dandy for edible eggs, creating your own colors from natural sources can be an educational experience for children. It allows them to see how pigments and colorings are produced from natural sources.
For any of the following natural color sources, put tap water at least an inch above the color source. Use about a cup of water for each handful of the material, bring the water to a boil and simmer for 15 minutes to an hour — until you see the color you like. Turn off the heat and sieve the color through cheesecloth. Add 2-3 teaspoons of white vinegar to each cup of color.
Use these natural sources to create these colors. Remember that the colors will usually appear a little more pastel than commercial food dyes.
• Red: Fresh beets and cranberries.
• Pinkish red: Frozen raspberries or radishes.
• Yellow: Ground tumeric.
• Pale yellow: Orange and lemon peels, celery seeds, and ground cumin.
• Orange: Yellow onion skins
• Green: Spinach leaves
• Blue: Canned blueberries or red cabbage leaves
• Green-gold: Yellow delicious apple peel
• Brown-gold: Dill seeds
• Brown: Chili powder
• Beige-brown: Strong brewed coffee.
Excerpt from:
04/13/2001 - Updated 04:33 PM ET
A hard-boiled look at Easter egg safety
By Mike Falcon, Spotlight Health
With medical adviser Stephen A. Shoop, M.D.
It is important to remember that any dye used on eggs to be eaten should be warmer than the egg itself.
While approved food colorings are dandy for edible eggs, creating your own colors from natural sources can be an educational experience for children. It allows them to see how pigments and colorings are produced from natural sources.
For any of the following natural color sources, put tap water at least an inch above the color source. Use about a cup of water for each handful of the material, bring the water to a boil and simmer for 15 minutes to an hour — until you see the color you like. Turn off the heat and sieve the color through cheesecloth. Add 2-3 teaspoons of white vinegar to each cup of color.
Use these natural sources to create these colors. Remember that the colors will usually appear a little more pastel than commercial food dyes.
• Red: Fresh beets and cranberries.
• Pinkish red: Frozen raspberries or radishes.
• Yellow: Ground tumeric.
• Pale yellow: Orange and lemon peels, celery seeds, and ground cumin.
• Orange: Yellow onion skins
• Green: Spinach leaves
• Blue: Canned blueberries or red cabbage leaves
• Green-gold: Yellow delicious apple peel
• Brown-gold: Dill seeds
• Brown: Chili powder
• Beige-brown: Strong brewed coffee.
(. But I am sure your suggestions, above, wouldn't cause stickiness except maybe for the canned blueberries.