NATURAL EASTER EGG DYES

John has never Dyed Easter eggs before so I thought we should try dying our Easter eggs with everyday foods rather than boxes of chemical colorings. I found this eggselent (sorry I couldn't resist)  recipe for natural dyes. They turn out beautifully!

Instructions:

Dyeing the Eggs While They Cook
Use a separate pan for each color. Add the eggs, natural substance, roughly 2 Tbsp vinegar and cold water to a pan. You just want to cover the eggs with water. (You want the color to be as concentrated as possible so be careful not to use too much water or else the color will be diluted.) Bring the eggs to a boil and let the mixture boil for 1 minute. Remove the pan from heat, cover it with a lid, and let simmer for 10-12 minutes. I found that after the initial cooking time, the colors were not that vibrant. I recommend transferring the eggs, liquid and some of the natural substance to a bowl and letting them cool completely. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place it in the refrigerator to let the eggs dye for several hours or over night. (I like including some of the fruit/vegetable substance because it adds patterns and specks to the eggs. If you want a more solid color, let the eggs soak over night in only the colored liquid.)

Dyeing the Eggs After They Are Cooked
Place the white eggs in the bottom of a deep pan. Cover with roughly 2 Tbsp vinegar and cold water. Bring to a boil and let boil for one minute. Remove the pan from the heat, cover it with a lid, and let simmer for 10-12 minutes. Using a separate bowl for each color, mix the natural dyes with the eggs. You want the eggs to be completely covered by the dye but you want the color to be as concentrated as possible. Once the eggs are dyed, remove them from the colored liquid, rinse them with cold water and let them air dry for 5 minutes. Pat them dry with a paper towel. For a shiny finish, rub them with vegetable oil. Be careful with all of the dyes as they may stain.

Colors:
Pink – Beets* – I cut one beet into chunks and cooked it with the eggs. The eggs turned a pale Victorian pink. For a brighter pink, I will try grating the beets next time or soaking pre-cooked eggs in beet juice.

Yellow – Golden Beets (in chunks)* – I cut one golden beet into chunks and cooked it with the eggs. The dye was a bright yellow but the eggs only turned a very pale yellow. For a brighter yellow, I will try soaking pre-cooked eggs in golden beet juice.

Yellow – Turmeric – I put about 1 tsp turmeric powder in a small jar of water (big enough for only one egg). The egg turned bright yellow with some orange specks.

Orange – Chili Powder – I put about 1 tsp chili powder in a small jar of water (big enough for only one egg). The egg turned a very pale orange. I probably won’t do this one again; I will try carrots or carrot juice instead.

Blue – Crushed Blueberries – I put about 1/4 cup frozen blueberries in a tall glass of water with two cooked eggs. I stirred the blueberries, squishing them against the glass and the eggs. The eggs turned a pale blue with some very interesting specks and streaks where the fruit touched the shell.

Blue – Purple Cabbage Leaves* – I boiled two eggs with roughly half of a head of purple cabbage. It was a surprise because contrary to the striking purple color of the dye, the eggs turned a brilliant bright blue.

Green – Spinach* – I boiled a bag of spinach with two eggs. The dye was very pale so I added a box of frozen spinach in hopes of intensifying the green. The eggs stayed a very pale green. For a brighter green, next time I will try soaking pre-cooked eggs in spinach juice.

Orange-Brown – Red Onion Skins* – I boiled two eggs with the skins of roughly three red onions. I expected the eggs to be a pale blue or purple but they turned a light brownish-orange. Next time I will try adding some of the actual shiny bright purple onion flesh to hopefully get more of a violet blue color.

Bronze-Orange – Yellow Onion Skins* – I boiled two eggs with the skins of roughly three yellow onions. The eggs turned a rich bronze-orange color. I loved the designs that the onion skins left on the eggs. Next time I will try intentionally wrapping the eggs in the onion skins to pattern the egg shells.

 Lavender – Purple Grape Juice – I dyed two eggs in a jar of grape juice concentrate. The eggs turned a bright pink-lavender color but the dye was too syrupy and washed right off when I rinsed the eggs. I then re-soaked them in grape juice (with water added to the mix). The result was an interesting speckled pink-lavender.