Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Tis the season for eggs!  We love to dye Easter eggs here, and this year we’re going to use all natural easter egg dyes that we make at home.  I’ve posted the instructions and color chart here for easy reference.  Have some fun experimenting with ingredients and colors…. and avoid the chemicals that are present in the commercial dyes!

Directions

Here are 2 different ways to dye your Easter eggs naturally.  The first set of directions are for cool dyes.  Use this method for dyeing eggs with children, or for making colored eggs you want to eat (you hard boil them before dyeing in cool colored water).  The second method requires that the eggs be in the hot water longer than recommend for a good hard boiled egg – so they aren’t the best to eat, but pretty, and might turn out a bit darker than the first process.

Method 1

prepare your dyes.  you’ll need several pots depending on what dyes you want, each one will need to be boiled separately in about an inch of water with 1 -2 t of white vinegar for about 20-30 min.

Then, allow the dye to cool.  You can strain the ingredients out or leave them in.  If you leave them in, wherever they touch the egg, the color will be more concentrated.

while the dyes are cooling, hard boil your eggs (place eggs in a single layer in a pot.  cover with water.  bring water to a boil.  boil for a min, then let the eggs sit in the hot water for about 10-12 min then remove and place under cool water).

place the eggs in the colored water as desired.  use rubber bands, stickers in different shapes, or draw on the egg with a white crayon before you dunk them in to add some special flair.

To dry, place the eggs in the egg carton.

Method 2

place eggs in a single layer in a pan

cover with water

add 1 t of white vinegar

add dye material (the more you add the more intense the color will be)

bring the water to a boil

boil for about a min, then turn off the water and let sit for about 20-30 min.

remove the eggs from the water with a slotted spoon, saving the water.

if you like the color of the eggs then you’re done here, just let the eggs cool then refrigerate.

if you want the color to be stronger then let the water and eggs cool separately.  after the water is cool, then return the eggs to the pot, put them in the refrigerator in the water and let them sit overnight.

Color Chart

Use this chart to figure out what ingredients you’d like to use to get the natural colors you want for your eggs. Experimenting with colors and ingredients is half the fun here!

Lavender/Violet –   grape juice, hibiscus, red wine

Blue – blueberries, red cabbage leaves

Green – spinach leaves

Yellow – lemon peels, ground cumin or tumeric, chamomile tea

Orange – yellow onion skins, carrots, chili powder, paprika

Pink – beets, cranberries, raspberries

Red – raspberries, cherries in cranberry juice

{ 0 comments }