True Colors: Creating Natural Easter Egg Dyes from Food Waste

By Madeline Crozier; Photography by Heather Schrock; Layout by Caryn Scheving

In food as in nature, color abounds. Natural dyes, made from food scraps that would otherwise go composted or unused, suddenly inspire creative opportunities that reduce food waste. They can replace synthetic chemical colorings in foods like frostings, icings and batters. They can also dye fiber such as yarn or fabric for clothing and pillowcases. And they can add color to DIY projects from paper crafts to home-made paints to Easter eggs.

Creating natural food dyes requires a willingness to experiment with ingredients to see what colors emerge. Here are some common food scraps and the colors they evoke. Visit EdibleIndy.com for a “How To” guide when dyeing at home including safety tips and our favorite books on natural dyes.

Lemons (Yellow)

Chopped lemon peels produce a soft lemonade-yellow color. When using natural dyes to color frostings or icings, add the dye little by little to achieve the desired shade. A small amount of flavor often remains from the original food, so taste as you go.

Onions (Orange)

Onion skins contain their own tannins, no fixative is required to dye fabric (see web story for details). There’s no need to treat the fabric ahead of time. Yellow onion skins produce a yellow-orange color, while red onion skins produce a pale orange with pink undertones.

Beets (Red/Pink)

Save beet trimmings, peelings and tops to produce a rich, reddish-pink dye. The color produced from beets often fades over time in fabrics but serves well in short-term uses such as coloring Easter eggs, frostings or batters.

Red Cabbage (Purple)

When boiled into dye, red cabbage leaves create a deep purple shade. Dye made from red cabbage leaves is generally difficult to fix to fabric, but the fixative will help for short-term projects (see web story for details). This dye is ideal for coloring frostings or batters.

Avocados (Peach/Light Pink)

Instead of tossing out avocado skins and seeds, store them in the freezer. Five or six avocados will create enough dye for smaller projects, but more scraps will encourage deeper color tones. Boiling the avocado skins and seeds draws out colors from warm peach to light pink.

Blueberries (Blue/Purple)

If you’ve picked more blueberries than you can eat, they can make a light blue or purplish dye, depending on the concentration of fruit. Experimentation is key.

Spinach (Green)

Wilted spinach can span a range of shades from deep green to soft celery. Increasing the amount of spinach deepens the color. Natural ingredients from artichokes to herb leaves to grass can create green tones. To develop your own natural green dye, experiment with different combinations.

Cuban Flavors Grow in the DMV

Colada Shop DC’s colorful facade. Photo by Rey Lopez.

By Jessica Wolfrom

Thinking of Cuban food, we conjure up the island’s famed sandwiches, strong coffee and sugary rum cocktails. But Cuban food is so much more; it’s a confluence of cultures, ideas and people, mashed together to delicious effect.

“The history of Cuban cuisine has incredible influence from around the world, from Africa to Spain, Portugal and France,” says Mario Monte, chef and co-owner of Colada Shop.

Monte, who was born in Miami to a Cuban father and Italian mother, doesn’t seem at all surprised by the uptick in Cuban outposts around the District. “The resurgence of popularity in this pearl of an island just proves that how good its flavorful origins are as well as the vibrancy of its people,” he says. Now, Washingtonians can experience more Cuban flavors at a number of spots around the DMV. We’ve rounded up the best of the new.

Colada Shop DC’s croquetas preparadas. Photo by Brian Oh.

Colada Shop

Coladas and conversation come easy at this 14th Street NW Corridor café. But Colada Shop serves more than just rum-drenched cocktails. This colorful shop from Barmini alum Juan Coronado, chef Mario Monte and Daniella Senior opened its doors (and walk-up bar window) to the District last February following the success of its original shop in Sterling, VA.

During the day, the shop brews the real-deal Colada—four shots of espresso sweetened with sweet crema and served with demitasse cups to share—as well as other caffeinated Cuban favorites like a cortadito (espresso steamed evaporated milk and foam) and café Cubano, a shot of coffee sweetened with crema.

Start your day with a potato and sofrito tortilla or a classic Cuban tostada. For lunch, the shop offers a lineup of sandwiches like the famous Cubano (ham, slow-roasted pork, Swiss cheese, mustard, pickles and cilantro on Cuban-style bread) or the croqueta preparada (crispy chicken croquet served over ham and Swiss). Late-risers can snag empanadas, croquetas or pastelitos at any time.

By night, rum cocktails flow to Caribbean beats and spending time here with friends is hard to beat.

Colada Shop DC, 1405 T St. NW, Washington, DC
Colada Shop VA, 21430 Epicerie Plaza, Sterling, VA
coladashop.com

Little Havana beckons diners in with colorful murals.

Little Havana

When Alfredo Solis and Joseph Osario teamed up to open Little Havana, a colorful Cuban eatery in Columbia Heights, their mission was to bring Cubano food to the district.

The space is a multichromatic celebration of Latin American culture. The walls are adorned with murals by artist Ernesto Zelaya, who painted portraits of Cuban icons including revolutionary leader Che Guevara, Washington Nationals pitcher Gio Gonzalez and “Queen of Salsa” Celia Cruz.

But the food here is the main attraction. Hearty dishes like braised oxtail, Cuban chicken stew, jerk salmon and guava barbecued ribs showcase Cuban home cooking and the lineup of sandwiches includes the iconic Cubano as well other versions brimming with slow-roasted shredded pork, grilled chicken or chorizo. Shaking your cocktails is Copycat Co. veteran Heriberto Casasanero, who’s taking tiki seriously, serving up rum-focused drinks in frozen pineapples and coconuts.

Little Havana, 3704 14th St. NW | littlehavanadc.com

El Sapo Cuban Social Club

In Cuba, when people play the lottery or make bets they place their fate in la charada china, a mystical guide of numbers and pictures deeply rooted in Cuban superstition.

When Havana-born chef Raynold Mendizábal opened El Sapo in Silver Spring last year, he bet on the number 22. Mendizábal, who’s also the chef at the nearby Urban Butcher, opened El Sapo exactly 22 years after fleeing Cuba and stepping onto American soil. According to la charada china, the number 22 corresponds to el sapo: the toad.

Mendizábal has said that he wants his guests to entrar bailando, or “come in dancing.” And even for those of us with two left feet, it’s hard to resist the rhythm here. As you enter, Latin music and mojitos fill every corner. Mendizábal’s meat-heavy menu highlights both the foods of his childhood and the foods that defined his culinary journey from Cuba to the United States. You will find the Cuban national dish, puerco asado (roasted pork) as well as Mendizábal’s favorite childhood dish rabo encendio (fiery oxtails). Drinks flow freely from the rum cart, and the chef makes sure meals wrap up with their famous cortaditos or Cuban coffee, ensuring you leave the same way you entered: dancing to the music.

El Sapo Social Club, 8455 Fenton St., Suite #1, Silver Spring, MD | elsaporestaurant.com

Good Food Can be Hard to Find, but Now There's an App for That

The Bainum Foundation rolls out a Food Learning Locator

By Jessica Wolfrom, Edible DC contributor

Working like a Google maps locator, the Food Learning Locator helps connect people to food-focused education and job training opportunities.

Last week, the Bainum Family Foundation rolled out an updated version of its Food Learning Locator, an online tool which works a little like Google Maps helping connect residents to food-focused education and job training programs across the DMV.

Whether you are interested in cooking classes that celebrate the food traditions of the African diaspora, curious about the food education available at your child’s school, or looking for nearby job training -- the DMV is full of events and resources like these. You just need to know where to look.

Launched in 2017, the Food Learning Locator was designed to help area residents make these connections.

“We found there was a wonderful abundance of food programming happening in our region,” said Katie Jones, Director of the Bainum Foundation's Food Security Initiative. “But the barrier was the ability to find these programs and figure out what your options were in an easy way.”

The new version of the Food Learning Locator has been updated to make the user experience more intuitive, including information about pricing and links to each program’s website and social media. The updates make it easier than ever to tap into the large and growing network of local programs.

“The tool is especially useful for partner organizations,” said Mayra Ibarra, Produce Plus Manager at DC Greens. “The job training creates opportunities for connections between community members and concrete steps to reach career goals.”

Founded in 1968 by Stewart Bainum of the Choice Hotels empire, the Bainum Family Foundation has supported early childhood education for kids across the DMV through scholarships, healthcare, and other educational opportunities.

The Middleburg farm team harvests fresh produce that is targeted for District Wards 7 and 8.

When Bainum passed away in 2015, the Foundation was gifted 263 acres of farmland in Middleburg, Virginia. Originally, the Foundation planned to use the land to grow and distribute fresh produce to D.C.’s food deserts, specifically catering to residents in the District’s Wards 7 and 8. But the farm proved to be the jumping off point for what is now the Food Security Initiative.

“We knew when we started the farm that food learning was going to be an important corollary to food access,” said Jones. In the future, the Foundation plans to offer “on the farm” education programs to help connect communities directly to their food.

The food system doesn’t serve everyone equally. But with Jones’ guidance, the Foundation is committed in its investments that can help balance the scales. “We see our role as threefold,” said Jones. “One is that the farm is a demonstration site of what good food can look like.”

The second is to act as the intermediary between the mainstream food system and the emergency food system -- which Jones contends is a really big space.

“Our third role is being a convener and a knowledge sharer,” said Jones. The Food Learning Locator is part of this mission to connect communities to non-profits and educational services, to assist job-seekers in finding training programs, and even, to help the occasional home chef make healthier choices in the kitchen.

Founded in 1968 by Stewart Bainum, the Bainum Family Foundation has supported early childhood education for kids across the DMV through scholarships, healthcare and other educational opportunities.

Good food is a term that gets thrown around a lot in our organic-obsessed culture. But it isn’t as simple as avoiding pesticides. To Jones, good food looks like food that is grown in an ethical and environmentally sustainable way. It is food that serves both the nutritional and cultural needs of the communities that produce it. And it is food that creates economic opportunities for everyone -- from seed to mouth, from tractor to table.

“There's a lot that goes into creating that and were a long way as a country from getting there,” said Jones. “But it's important to have that north star.”

Good food is an idealistic goal, but Jones and the Foundation are working hard to prove that it isn’t an impossible one.

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Jessica @jessicawolfrom is a freelance writer covering food, wine, farming and the environment in and around Washington D.C. She's also an Edible DC intern and student at Georgetown University, getting her masters in journalism. When she's not in school, you can likely find her sipping on something sparkling somewhere in the District.

How to Enjoy the Cherry Blossom Season in DC

“Hanami” like a pro: Our tips, an event round-up & a cheery cherry Cosmo recipe!

By Thomas Martin, Edible DC Contributor

The Tidal Basin full bloom. Photo by Hannah Hudson.

The annual National Cherry Blossom Festival is peak outdoor time, with stunning rosy vistas of trees are transformed into clouds. And DC doesn’t disappoint locals and tourists with ample opportunities for hanami, the Japanese word for cherry blossom viewing. Although the stars of the celebration are the flowering trees, this annual festival encourages us to welcome spring with arms wide open and remember the international spirit of goodwill that spurred Mayor Yukio Ozaki of Tokyo to give 3,000 cherry blossom trees to the United States in 1912.

The Tidal Basin is a classic destination—though to beat the crowds, you might want to come very early in the morning or late in the evening. You could even arrange a yozakura, or a nighttime hanami celebration, with your friends.

So, how to enjoy? We’ve got ideas.

Build an all local picnic basket and think pink!

Here are some food and drink items we love that you might incorporate into your hanami picnic basket: 

Astro Doughnuts
This beloved spot for fried chicken doughnut sandwiches is bringing back their iconic cherry blossom doughnut on March 18, featuring a cream cheese glaze and a decadent filling of cherry jam. (Astro Doughnuts & Fried Chicken, 1308 G St NW)

Courtesy of Scott Suchman

Bullfrog Bagels
Maintaining three locations around the District, Bullfrog Bagels offers a variety of bagels that are hand-rolled, boiled, and baked on the premises. (Bullfrog Bagels, 317 7th St SE, 1341 H St NE, 2800 10th St NE)

Capital Kombucha
Capital Kombucha’s special-edition cherry blossom kombucha is made with cherry purée, rose water, and honey, and makes for a satisfyingly cool beverage to finish off a picnic on a warm spring day. (Capital Kombucha drinks can be found in Trader Joe’s, Yes! Organic Market, Sweetgreen, and elsewhere.)

Photo by Hannah Hudson

JRINK
Always dedicated to promoting seasonal flavors, JRINK will release “Spring Me Up”, a hibiscus almond milk, this spring to help you celebrate hanami with a chic-looking beverage. (Locations in Foggy Bottom, Adams Morgan, Union Market, and more. See all locations here.)

The Capital Candy Jar
This local confectionery is releasing several cherry blossom-themed treats, such as chocolate-covered oreos, pretzel rods, chocolate bark, and popcorn. (The Capital Candy Jar, 201 15th St NE)

Ivy City Smokehouse
Ivy City Smokehouse’s smoked salmon would be a perfect accompaniment for a Bullfrog Bagel. Their smoked white fish salad would also make for a great bagel spread. (Ivy City Smokehouse, 1356 Okie St NE)

Local Rosés
Some of Edible DC’s favorite local rosés would be great additions to your hanami picnic basket: check out rosés from Early Mountain Vineyards, Walsh Family Wine, and others here.

Seylou Bakery & Mill
This local bakery offers a wide range of baked good made with whole grain and organic flours. (Their flours are even milled in-house!) Vegan and wheat-free treats are also available. (Seylou Bakery & Mill, 926 N St NW Suite A)

Last but not least…check out the delicate spring produce from your local farmers markets!
With the tender season comes a wealth of new offerings at the DMV’s many local farmers markets. Here’s a list of some of our favorites.

Or...go out and try the seasonal specials, events and classes at local restaurants!

Reknowned Chef Daniel Boulud and Executive Chef Nicholas Tang are hosting a special dinner on April 5 at DBGB in CityCenter DC.

Ticket me this: On Friday, April 5th chef and restaurateur, Daniel Boulud, alongside Executive Chef Nicholas Tang, will host a ticketed spring feast dinner at DBGB, in celebration of Washington, D.C.’s Cherry Blossom Festival. Chefs Daniel and Nicholas will prepare a four-course prix-fixe menu with paired wines, in DBGB’s main dining room, located in CityCenterDC. Guests can purchase tickets for $148 per person (excluding tax and gratuity) by visiting the website, and reservations are available any time between 5 p.m. – 10p.m. Chef Daniel will be present throughout the night to chat with guests and introduce each course.

A truffle making class at the Willard InterContinental on April 6 will feature a top chocolate maker, SPAGnVola.

On April 6, the Willard InterContinental and SPAGnVola, recognized by National Geographic as one of the world’s best chocolate shops, will host a two-hour hands-on chocolate truffle making class. Guided by Head Chocolatier Crisoire Reid from SPAGnVOLA, participants will learn the artisan technique of tempering chocolate, the process of making chocolate ganache, and the steps to using ganache to handcraft your own delicious truffles to take home. Attendees will also have the opportunity to taste a variety of SPAGnVOLA’s signature bon-bon’s and truffles all while hearing from Eric Reid co-owner of SPAGnVOLA, on his experience as a cacao grower, and chocolate maker. Time: 3-5 p.m. Price: $65 per person or $100 per couple.

At Buttercream Bakeshop, cake designers and dessert superstars, Tiffany MacIsaac and Alex Mudry-Till are doing a twist on a childhood favorite, the Hoho just for Cherry Blossom season. The snack cakes are rolled up and filled with a Cherry Buttercream Icing inside. Available as a special for $4.50 each.

BOURBON STEAK at Four Seasons is gives a nod to Japan and its gift of our beloved cherry trees, as executive chef Drew Adams presents his version of a Katsu Sando: richly marbled cuts of A5 New York Strip Steak, accompanied by aromatic Shiso, Pickled Turnip, and rich Rutabaga Sauce, built on a sandwich on an authentic Japanese Milk Bread Parker House Roll. The savory combination is artfully served in a Bento Box – crafted from the Sakura wood of cherry blossom trees, and is available for $100. The restaurant will also be debuting a Sakura Spritz cocktail for $18, made with Raw Honey Syrup, Lindera Farm's Cherry Blossom Vinegar, Yuzu, Roku Gin, topped with soda.

Sour Cherry-Yuzu Gyoza at The Occidental Grill & Seafood

Occidental Grill & Seafood is celebrating with an effluvious Sour Cherry-Yuzu Gyoza for $10. The fried "dumpling" dessert has a Sour Cherry-Yuzu Filling, a blend of cherry jam and yuzu syrup. Served alongside of a scoop of fragrant, Cherry Blossom Gelato. Yum!

At the Watergate! Cherries Jubilee.

At the Watergate Hotel's The Next Whisky Bar, a delicious special for the season is the Cherries Jubilee to share for $19, presented with Macaron Cherry Blossom Cremeux and Nougatine.

The Cherry Blossom Cosmo at Oceanaire.

Oceanaire is featuring cherry-themed cocktails in honor of the season. Cocktails are priced at $14 each and will be available through the month of April, the In Bloom and the Cherry Blossom Cosmo. They were kind enough to share the recipe!

The Cherry Blossom Cosmo

1.5 ounces of Grey Goose Cherry Noir

1 ounce of lemon juice

1 ounce of cranberry juice

1/2 ounce of Aperol

1/2 ounce of simple syrup

Luxardo cherries

Shake all the ingredients with ice, strain into a coupe glass. Garnish with a luxardo cherry.

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Thomas Martin is a junior at Yale University working toward his bachelor’s in English. A native of La Plata, MD, Thomas has worked as an intern, writer and social media specialist at Edible DC for a year.

My Souvenir from Baja is this Salsa Recipe

Edible DC Afield notes from San José del Cabo

By Susan Able

Sometimes a memory is the best thing to bring back from a vacation, and I’ve got a great one that makes a Baja Mexican breakfast with my family instant come alive again by recreating this salsa recipe. Truly, it is better than a T-shirt.

My husband and I with family and friends, recently gathered in San José del Cabo for a wedding at a farm called Acre Baja. Many of our us shared a large rental home near the farm, staffed a lovely women named Hilaria who made breakfast every morning. She would prepare large plates of fresh seasonal fruit, eggs and homemade tortillas, chilaquiles; everything savory was served with a spicy sauce that Hilaria called salsa.

Charred ingredients, onion and garlic are all ready for puree.

When I typically think of salsa, my first thought is a roughly chopped vegetable onion pepper mix open to creative interpretation (in that it can take a fruity or beany turn) eaten with chips and draped over grilled things. Hilaria’s version was pureed smooth, hot enough to keep everything interesting, particularly scrambled eggs and beans. It has an upfront attention-getting kick, like a slap on the head, then a beautiful slow burn.

Here’s what she did:  She took four or five serrano peppers, (and that is important because they have their own distinctive heat rather than say, a jalenpeño) and then a few small roma-style tomatoes. She roasted both of these dry on a grill pan, no oil, till they were all charred. (Be forewarned that there is a fair amount of smoke produced.) Then she simply dumped everything in a blender, added a half of a small onion and a clove of garlic and some salt, poured water in to up to the level of about half of the ingredients, and hit the blend button. Done.

I highly recommend finding serrano peppers and trying this if you like a smoky heat. It’s a wonderful addition to your table.

Note the level of water as Hilaria gets ready to blend.

Hilaria’s Salsa

5 serrano peppers, whole, with seeds, stems removed after charring

3 roma tomatoes

1/4 white onion

1 or 2 cloves of garlic

Sea salt to taste

Heat a grill pan or other heavy pan, such as cast iron, at the highest heat. Add the peppers and tomatoes (no oil) and let them roast until they are charred, turning them as you need to. It will be quite smoky, so use a strong vent or cook when you can open a door or window. (Of course you could do this on an outdoor grill with a grill pan as well.)

When finished charring evenly, put all the ingredients in a food processor or blender. Add a cup and 1/2 of water. Add salt to taste and blend until it is a smooth puree.

Refrigerated in an airtight container, it should last about a week, or you could freeze it.

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And of course, a couple of pictures of the wedding venue. Acre Baja (@acrebaja) is near the famous Flora Farms, perched on a hill in San José del Cabo, above the Pacific Ocean and northeast of Cabo San Lucas. It is an organic farm on 25 acres, that also has a restaurant, bar, event space and elegant treehouses for guests accomodations, although they are also building other overnight space. We were greeted by peacocks and a burro named Burrito as we made our way to the pool for cocktails, and then the wedding was in a small field. A beautiful evening to celebrate love.

Native flowers gathered from the farm graced the table.

The wedding reception @acrebaja.

For the Lunch Bunch, A New Option at Convivial

Bibiana Debuts a $20 Prix Fixe Midday Bar Menu

Two delicious classics on the lunch menu at convivial, beef tartare and jambon beurre with homemade chips. @convivialrestaurant Photo by AJ Dronkers.

By Susan Able, Edible DC

Award-winning Chef Cedric Maupillier has added has added a daily lunch at Convivial. In addition to the restaurant’s nightly dinner service and weekend brunch, lunch is now served and it is a hit for Shaw and the downtown business crowd looking for noonday options for a sitdown, full service lunch.

Think hors d’oeuvres like Roasted Cauliflower, Beef Consomme, Leeks Dijonnaise and his own take on the Lyonnaise salad that was a hit when Maupiller was cooking at Central. Now he says of my favorite French salad, “Try it, it’s even better—I swear I’ve perfected it.” Sandwiches and mains feature his classic burger and fried chicken sandwich as well as whitefish salad, quiche, and our favorite, Jamon Beurre—the iconic French sandwich served with homemade chips. Full entrees feature Mussels Mariniere, a Chive & Gruyere Omelette and Trout Amandine.

A classic Lyonnaise Salad with curly endive, bacon lardons, croutons all topped with a poached egg.

The complete lunch menu is here. Convivial open daily from 11:30 am to 4:30 pm at 801 O St NW, with parking available in a garage across the street, but midday there is also plenty of meter street parking.

Also new, Bibiana Osteria-Enoteca, has added a new fixed price menu for $20 (excluding tax and gratuity), available only at their new bar, Pranzo al Bar. Created by Executive Chef Loris Navone, guests can select a pizza, sandwich or bowl with a choice of a soft drink, iced tea or featured Italian wine, followed by a coffee, espresso or seasonal sorbet flavor. The Pranzo al Bar menu is available Monday through Friday, from 11:30 a.m. to 7 p.m., at 1100 New York Ave, NW (entrance on 12th and H Streets.)