How to Dye Coconut

Supplies:

coconut

water

food colouring (or gel)

measuring cup

something for stirring

Directions:

1. Add food colouring to water and stir to mix.  I used several drops of red to get a red-tinted water.  (I was going for a bright pink final colour.)  Add enough coconut so that it is tightly packed together in the water.  Stir to evenly coat.  I used a disposable wooden skewer to stir.

2. Keep mixing and stirring until the coconut has absorbed the water and food colouring.  If you need to add more colour, do it right away for even coating/absorbing.  This will give you evenly coloured coconut. 

3. When you are happy with the colour, drain off excess water and gently squeeze coconut in paper towel.  Lay the coconut out to dry on fresh paper towels, turning every few hours to keep the pieces from clumping together as they dry.  I swapped the paper towel after an additional 24 hours of dry time.  It took 2 days total to dry completely.  If you need it done faster, you could try drying it in a low oven (175F or so).

 

If you want more variation in the colour shades, do the following before you drain the water:  Remove half the coconut with slotted spoon and follow drying instructions above.  Add new coconut to the water and allow to absorb.  Drain as per above instructions.  The wettest coconut will have absorbed the most colour, while the most recently added will have absorbed only a little. 

 

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