As Easter approaches, we want to get ready and make sure we have everything for dying easter eggs, that way it is a magical time for our little ones. But what happens when you forget to pick up the egg dying kit or you just don’t want to use the less natural products? I am excited to share a quick and easy way that is pretty cool and back to nature on how to dye your eggs at home with common items.
My favorite household products for dying eggs are:
Onion skin
Purple Cabbage
Turmeric
Spinach
Blue Berries
Beets
Paprika
When you Google the options, the list gets much longer but I have found these are the ones that give my favorite egg colors and are usually an item everyone keeps on hand.
You take one of the items from above and will boil it in 1 quart of water, then add a little vinegar and away you go ready to dye eggs. The natural method always takes a bit more time to color the eggs than artificial so plan more soaking time in each solution.
Recipe:
Combine one quart of water and two tablespoons white vinegar in a medium pot.
Bring to a boil and add your dye ingredients, Cabbage, paprika etc.
Once boiling, lower heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Let cool. (you can even get away with only boiling till water changes color, but longer will create a stronger color so cook till you like the color).
Strain dye before adding the eggs.
Remove with tongs and pat dry or put in an egg carton to dry ( see mine drying oil egg carton).
The recipe is simple; the options are endless on color and it is all based on how long you soak them for. I would recommend a minimum of 30 minutes up to a couple of hours. I do know some people who will do overnight as well.
One fun tip: I like to add natural plant leaves or flowers and put them alongside the egg and secure in a nylon stocking tightly so the leaf is pressed up against the egg then place in the solution and you will get some wonderful imprints. See the Japanese maple leaf on one of my eggs. So - Yes I did dye eggs a head of time and we are going to enjoy egg salad sandwiches just so you readers could see what my colors look like. Have fun and send me pictures if you do it!