EGG-cellent Colors
Dye Job
Here's a non-toxic, home-brewed recipe using fresh ingredients such as beets, red cabbage, spinach, coffee, and turmeric to dye your eggs beautiful colors from pigments found in food. It's a simple, eco-friendly way to get just the right "au natural" tint to your holiday eggs.
Ingredients
4 cups filtered water
Dye items (See chart below. Each dye item varies, so you'll want to test them and add more to your liking.)
1 tablespoon white vinegar
4-6 raw, white eggs
Directions
First, wash eggs thoroughly to remove any coating. In a metal pot, bring water, dye material and white vinegar to a boil. Add eggs and reduce heat to a simmer. Cook for about 15 minutes, remove from heat, cover and let sit another 15 minutes or more, until desired color. (The longer you leave the eggs in the dye, the deeper the color.) Remove eggs, rinse and let dry.
Color Items for Dyeing
- Blue: Red Cabbage Leaves, Blueberries
- Red: Red Onion Skins, Pomegranate Juice
- Pink: Beets or Beet Juice
- Purple: Grape Juice, Hibiscus Tea
- Orange: Paprika, Yellow Onion Skins
- Yellow: Ground Turmeric, Cumin, Orange and Lemon Peels
- Green: Spinach Leaves
- Reddish Brown: Chili Powder
- Brown: Black Walnut Shells, Black Tea, Ground Coffee
