With Easter less than a week away, I thought this would be a great time to share this list of safe and eco-friendly ways to handle eggs. These tips are not just things to remember for Easter, but should be kept in mind all year round. 
- Keep Everything Clean – Be sure to wash utensils, countertops and hands thoroughly with soap and hot water before and after contact with eggs.
- Be a Good Egg – Choose eggs labeled "free-farmed." It's the only label that ensures the hens were verifiably raised in a comfortable environment without any unnecessary antibiotics.
- Beware of the Rotten Egg – Do not let anyone eat eggs that have been unrefrigerated for more than two hours. That includes hard-boiled egg used as part of the Passover Seder.
- Cautious Cracking – When preparing hard-boiled eggs for an egg hunt or other contest, keep a close eye out for cracks in the shells. These cracks can allow bacteria to contaminate the egg.
- Don’t Put All Your Eggs in One Basket – Remember that hard-cooked eggs that have been refrigerated properly must be eaten within seven days of cooking.
- Go Green – If you don’t have time to run out and get an Easter Egg decorating kit, use common foods to color your eggs. Boil eggs in water with a teaspoon of vinegar and one of the below ingredients; let simmer for about 15 minutes; and the let the dyes sink in!
Yellow: orange peels or lemon peels
Red: Red onion skins
Pink: Beets or cranberries
Orange: Yellow onion skins
Purple: Purple grape juice
Green: Spinach
Brown: Coffee or black walnut shells
Blue: Red cabbage
These tips have been provided by Stop & Shop supermarkets. No compensation was received for sharing these tips with my readers.
