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I have always used the food colorings from the store for my cooking and baking needs but when I found out that those little bottles are actually full of yucky chemicals that I have been staying away from! My first attempt was to make some all-natural red food coloring for a batch of homemade play dough I made for the kids but will definitely be using more fruit- and veggie-based colorings from now on!
Red food coloring from raspberries:
All you need to make red food coloring from raspberries are just a couple items that you will have on-hand already in your kitchen! I started with frozen raspberries because with it being Winter in North Idaho, I can’t find good, fresh berries right now..
First, I added a handful of frozen raspberries to a bowl and poured some hot water over them. I let them set for a minute or two to soften up and then I threw them into the food processor for a few seconds {you can also use a blender for this}. Once the raspberries were all pureed, I poured them onto a wet paper towel to act as a cheesecloth. {If you have an actual cheesecloth or a fine strainer, this step will be a lot easier. It is doable, however, if you use a durable paper towel and squeeze the juice out slowly..}. Make sure no seeds or pulp gets into your coloring and you’re good to go!
If you use frozen berries, the coloring will save for 1 week in the fridge. If you use fresh berries, you can also pour the food coloring into ice cube trays to freeze small portions to always have on hand {next time I am definitely doing this}!
Fast and easy, as well as being chemical-free and very inexpensive! Next time, I will be making a bigger batch of colorings so I can freeze it for later.. What a great idea! 
What do you use for food colorings in your home?
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I use raspberries for red
blueberries for blue, blackberries for a purple, tumeric or pumpkin for yellowish orange and spinach for green. That is what I can think of at the moment anyways. I will never go back to store bought chemical dyes, ever.
We use natural dyes to dye our Easter eggs as well. I’m learning how to create more and more colors through experimentating! Turmeric makes an unbelievable color! As do blueberries! Learning how to make safe face paints!