Dyeing Easter Eggs Naturally | Fitness and Freebies

Dyeing Easter Eggs Naturally

Instead of coloring your Easter eggs the same color you've seen year after year, do something more unique dating from the medieval kitchen. Naturally dyed eggs are so elegant they can grace the table at an adult dinner party, but it's the kids who most enjoy a project like this. Parents can preboil the eggs and let children experiment with bowls of cold dyes.

Dyeing Techniques
The cold-dipping method creates subtle, translucent shades, but may result in uneven coloring unless the eggs are rotated vigilantly. For the cold-dipping, the eggs and ingredients are boiled separately. After the dye has cooled and been strained, immerse the eggs for five to ten minutes and pat dry with a paper towel.

The boiling technique involves boiling the eggs in the dye; as the egg heats and rolls in the boiling water, a more uniform and intense color is produced. To dye eight eggs with the boiling technique, use two tablespoons of vinegar per quart of water. Place eggs in pot and cover with 1-inch of water. Add natural dye ingredients, bring to a rolling boil, and reduce to simmer for 20 to 30 minutes. Rinse with lukewarm water.

Dye Recipes

*NOTE: Natural dyes create beautiful effects, but may not be suitable for eating.
Use for decoration only.

Sienna Tones
What you need:
Four packed cups of red onion skins
Directions:
Boil for 30 minutes to an hour. Adjust the shade of red
from light to rich crimson with amount of skins and soaking time.

Golden
What you need:
2 to 3 teaspoons of turmeric Directions:
Add turmeric to hot water, or boil for more intense color

Pink
What you need:
Cranberry or beet juice
Directions:
Simply soak your hard-boiled eggs in the cranberry or beet juice.

Violet Blue
What you need:
Violet blossoms
Lemon juice, if desired for lightening
Directions:
Add violet blossoms to hot water and soak overnight.
Lighten the mixture with lemon juice to create lavender.

Blue
What you need:
Two heads of chopped red cabbage
2 additional quarts of water
6 additional tablespoons of white vinegar
Directions:
Soak your hard boiled eggs overnight in this mixture
for a deep royal blue.

Green
Add ¼ teaspoon baking soda to Violet Blue mixture or boil
eggs with spinach.

Lavender
Soak hard-boiled eggs in grape juice.

Pastels
For soft pinks and blues, rub eggshells with blueberries
and cranberries.

Beige
What you need:
Four packed cups of yellow onion skins. Directions:
Boil for 30 minutes to an hour. Adjust the shade of beige
with amount of skins and soaking time.

Rich Brown
Boil eggs in 1-quart of coffee.