NATURAL EASTER EGG COLORING
Make your own natural Easter egg dyes using garden vegetables and spices for color.
Boil vegetables and spices to create egg dye.
Homemade Easter-Egg Dye Recipes
Select a dyeing agent, and place it in the pot using the amount listed below. Add 1 quart water and 2 tablespoons white vinegar to pot; if more water is necessary to cover ingredients, proportionally increase the amount of vinegar. Bring to a boil, then lower heat. Allow the ingredients to simmer for 30 minutes. Strain dye into a bowl.
Red-cabbage dye: 4 cups chopped cabbage
Turmeric dye: 3 tablespoons turmeric
Onion-skin dye: 4 cups onion skins (skins of about 12 onions)
Beet dye: 4 cups chopped beets
Coffee dye: 1 quart strong black coffee (instead of water)
Color Glossary
Natural dyes can sometimes produce unexpected results, so don't be surprised if, for example, your red-cabbage dye yields blue eggs. Use the following guide to help you achieve the colors you desire.
DEEP GOLD: Boil eggs in turmeric solution, 30 minutes.
SIENNA: Boil eggs in onion-skin solution, 30 minutes.
DARK RICH BROWN: Boil eggs in black coffee, 30 minutes.
PALE YELLOW: Soak eggs in room-temperature turmeric solution, 30 minutes.
ORANGE: Soak eggs in room-temperature onion-skin solution, 30 minutes.
LIGHT BROWN: Soak eggs in room-temperature black coffee, 30 minutes.
LIGHT PINK: Soak eggs in room-temperature beet solution, 30 minutes.
LIGHT BLUE: Soak eggs in room-temperature cabbage solution, 30 minutes.
ROYAL BLUE: Soak eggs in room-temperature cabbage solution overnight.
LAVENDER: Soak eggs in room-temperature beet solution, 30 minutes. Follow with room-temperature cabbage solution, 30 seconds.
CHARTREUSE: Soak eggs in room-temperature turmeric solution, 30 minutes. Follow with room-temperature cabbage solution, 5 seconds.
SALMON: Soak eggs in room-temperature turmeric solution, 30 minutes. Follow with room-temperature onion-skin solution, 30 minutes.
MATERIALS
- Natural dyeing agents (red cabbage, turmeric, onion skins, beets, and coffee)
- 3-quart pot (or larger)
- White vinegar
- Strainer
- Small bowls
- Eggs
- Large metal spoon
- Paper towels
- Drying rack
STEPS
Remove eggs with spoon, pat dry with paper towels, and let dry on a wire rack. The cold-dipping method produces subtle, translucent shades, but can result in uneven coloring unless the eggs are rotated vigilantly while in the dye. For hollow eggs that will last indefinitely, cold-dip raw eggs, then blow them out after they are dyed.
With this method, the eggs and the ingredients for the dye are boiled separately. Using a metal spoon, lower cooled hard-boiled eggs into a bowl of cooled dye, and let them soak for as little as 5 seconds or as long as overnight, depending on the depth of color you desire. Remove eggs with spoon, pat dry with paper towels, and let dry on a wire rack. The cold-dipping method produces subtle, translucent shades, but can result in uneven coloring unless the eggs are rotated vigilantly while in the dye. For hollow eggs that will last indefinitely, cold-dip raw eggs, then blow them out after they are dyed.
This method involves boiling the eggs with the dye; the heat allows the dye to saturate the shells, resulting in intense, more uniform color. Set raw eggs in a pot of strained dye; bring to a boil for the amount of time specified in our color glossary (see below). Remove and dry eggs as with the cold-dipping method.
Natural dyes tend to fade over time, so finish any eggs you plan to keep with a matte or gloss acrylic spray varnish. To create an egg-spraying stand, stick a 6-inch length of wire into a block of Styrofoam; prop a hollow egg onto the wire through one of its holes.
Spray egg with a coat of varnish in a well-ventilated area, and let dry.
Natural dyes tend to fade over time, so finish any eggs you plan to keep with a matte or gloss acrylic spray varnish. To create an egg-spraying stand, stick a 6-inch length of wire into a block of Styrofoam; prop a hollow egg onto the wire through one of its holes.
Spray egg with a coat of varnish in a well-ventilated area, and let dry.
Source: Martha Stewart
