How to Naturally Dye Easter Eggs
Instead of purchasing chemical dyes this Easter, Candace Liccione for Inspired at Home shows us how to use natural fruit and vegetable dyes to color eggs. Natural dyes do not color as brightly but their natural beauty is stunning. Show kids how people colored food and clothing before chemical dyes. You can eat the hard-boiled eggs after dying with fruits and vegetables, but be aware that they might take on the color and taste of the dye. You can dye brown or white eggs, as some dyes work well on both.
To find out if an egg is raw or hard boiled, spin it on its side. A raw egg will wobble unsteadily and a hardboiled egg will spin easily.
Place your pre-boiled eggs into any of the following dye baths:
Red Dye
2 beets
2 cups of water
1 tablespoon distilled vinegar
Bring beets and water to boil. Simmer at low heat for 15 minutes. Cool and strain and add vinegar.
Blue Dye
1 package frozen or fresh blueberries
2 cups of water
Bring blueberries and water to a boil. Crush berries with a fork. Lower heat and simmer 15 minutes. Cool and strain into a cheese cloth lined strainer.
Very Light Yellow Dye
2 cups packed onion skins
3 cups of water
Bring onion skins and water to a boil. Lower heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Cool and strain. (Note: you do not use vinegar when making the onion dye) Onion skins do not create much color but are fun to do.
Golden Yellow
Turmeric makes a good egg dye. Use 2 tablespoons of turmeric and follow above instructions. Be careful in handling turmeric as it stains easily. Protect your countertops and wash out your sink right away. Also, protect your hands otherwise they might turn a pretty shade of yellow too!
Have fun creating your own colors!
Red/Pink – fresh beets, canned or frozen cherries, crushed cranberries
Light Orange – yellow onion skins
Light yellow – lemon and orange peels or ground cumin
Light green – spinach
Blue – crushed blueberries or red cabbage leaves – that’s right! Red cabbage makes blue dye! (pre-boil leaves for 30 minutes) (photo note: blueberry dye on brown egg and two natural brown eggs)
Beige - coffee
If you liked this project, you can find it and several more in our Easter Eggs: Easter Egg Designs, Tips for Perfect Hard Boiled Eggs, Egg Recipes free eBook!
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ds1moved 0892606
Feb 19, 2012
If you boil your eggs in the water with the onion skins, when they come out they are a rusty colored. All the imperfections in the shells show up and they look like a design. Especially if you use brown eggs for these. My mother has been doing it sine I was small and my kids look forward to these colored ones. No one else we know has them .
Winter Lover
Jun 30, 2010
Another method of dying is to take red onion skins and wrap them tightly around each egg. Then wrap egg in cheesecloth to hold skins in place. Boil, cool and remove wrappings. These will come out in golden yellow swirled designs, well worth the extra effort.
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