Natural Dyes

At Blackberry, we’re always thoughtful about our food waste – how to reduce it and how to use or dispose of it properly. Our food waste from the restaurants is added to the compost pile to enrich the soil in the Garden. But before you compost or dispose of your final scraps, Chef Cassidee has an idea!

Food has beautiful natural color that we love to see on our plates. So why not use it off the plate too? Creating natural dye is easy, fun for all ages, and a great way to get the most out of the food you’re cooking with.

Natural Dyes
Onion skins – golden, yellow
Beets – pink
Stinging Nettles – green
Carrot peels – orange
Purple Violas – purple
Coffee Grounds – brown
Potato Peels – light yellow
Blueberries – blue

Collect about one cup of food scraps. You’ll want to use twice as much water as food, so two cups of water for one cup of ingredient. Chop any larger bits into smaller pieces to release more color into the dye.

Add your food element to two cups of boiling water, and allow it to simmer for at least 20 minutes to extract the color. You can leave it in until you reach your desired color. Cover your pot while it simmers.

Let the dye cool to room temperature, and then strain it into a container.

You can experiment with homemade tie-dye, dye fabrics for home decorating, or even play with dying paper to create unique stationary. (Tip for paper, put something heavy on it during the drying process so the edges don’t curl.)