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One of the treats of spring is dyeing eggs. Most of us probably remember hunkering over the stovetop, preparing a pot of boiling eggs for their dunk in the bowls of rainbow-colored vinegar water. The results were gorgeous, gaudy eggs in neon green, fluorescent pink and sky blue.
Dyeing eggs with natural dyes is equally as memorable as dyeing with chemical dyes, however natural dyes give eggs a much more subtle, but nonetheless gorgeous, coloring. Dyeing with natural dyes may be even more memorable for children because the warm colors come from materials they're familiar with in their day-to-day lives; red and yellow onion skins, beets, turmeric, red cabbage, and coffee to name a few.
There are two approaches: the cold method and the boiled method. Both yield beautiful results, though the eggs prepared with the cold method are colored pale and subtle pastels, and the boiled method, more intense pastels.
Cold Method (two eggs per bath)
You will need: Two raw eggs (brown or white) Two quarts water Four tablespoons white vinegar Natural dyestuff*
What to do: Add two tablespoon of the white vinegar to one quart of water.
Place room temperature eggs in water and boil for 20 minutes. Boiling the eggs in the vinegar "etches" the shell to encourage the dye to adhere. Allow the eggs to cool in the vinegar water, then remove. Eggs can be stored in the refrigerator until ready to dye, but they should be at room temperature before dyeing. Add two tablespoons of vinegar to the second quart of water. Add the dyestuff to the water, and bring to a boil. In the case of powders such as turmeric, and cochineal, you may want to put the dye stuff in a heat-sealed tea bag to make it easier to remove. After boiling 20 minutes, remove from the heat and allow to cool.
Strain out the dyestuff. Leaving the dyestuff in the bath will likely mean an uneven application of the color. If you like this effect, leave the dyestuff in. Place your boiled eggs in the dye bath for a minimum of 10 minutes. The longer the eggs rest in the bath, the more intense the colors become. Remove the eggs from the bath, and allow to air dry. Try not to handle the eggs until they've dried. The outer layer of the shell with the dye on it will tend to slough off because the vinegar has softened it.
Boiled Method (two eggs per bath)
You will need: Two raw eggs (brown or white) One quart water Two tablespoon white vinegar Natural dyestuff*
What to do:Place the dyestuff in the water and bring to a boil. Add the white vinegar and the room temperature eggs and simmer for 20 to 30 minutes. Allow the eggs to cool in the dye bath, then remove. Rinse the eggs with lukewarm water. Try to handle the eggs as little as possible until they've dried.
*Natural dyestuff suggestions— Use your imagination!
Blue: red cabbage, Elder, Elecampane, Cornflowers, Indigo Root, woad, blueberries, larkspur blossoms
Purple: Red Cabbage, Violet Flowers, Red Grape Juice, elderberries
Yellow: turmeric, yellow onion skins, marigold flowers ,Marigold Petals, Goldenrod, Plantain, Safflower Petals, Agrimony, Chamomile, Green Tea, Saffron, Juniper Leaves, fenugreek, fennel
Orange: Carrots, Paprika, Tansy Shoots , paprika, dandelion root
Green:Spinach Leaves, Angelica, Coltsfoot Leaf, Marjoram, Rosemary, Tansy, Yarrow, Golden Delicious Apple Peel, Sweet Cicely, Hyssop
Red: Dandelion Root, St. Johns Wort Flowers, Ladies Bedstraw, Oregano, Sweet Woodruff, Hops
Pink: chopped beets, cochineal, madder, Sorrel Root, Chicory Root, Beetroot, Raspberries, Cranberry Juice ,heather
Black: Black Walnut, Alder
Brown: strong coffee, brown onion skins, Burdock, Comfrey, Fennel, Juniper Berries, Tea Leaves,walnut shells
You can get more colors by over-dyeing. For example, try dyeing first with turmeric, then over-dyeing with red cabbage to get green. Or, first with beets and then with red cabbage. Again, use your imagination
Remember- using your fingers to dip eggs will dye your fingers! (yeah my fingers are blue today....)
