Egg-citing Easter in North Dakota: Ditching Dyes for Natural Hues
During the weekend, the weather was windy, cold, and snowy, and as a result, a lot of children were cooped up indoors. Parents were at their wit's end trying to find something for their children to do on their own time. I noticed on Facebook that a number of families had gathered their children together for a day dedicated to dying Easter eggs. I smiled as I saw some of the nice images that were uploaded. One family went a little bit further than the rest. Rather than utilizing conventional egg dyes, they decided to use a dye that was more natural.
By natural, I mean beets, onion skins, blueberries, and cabbage used for egg dye. Doesn't this sound interesting? The Kitchen breaks down what you need to try in your kitchen just in time for Easter this weekend.
How to Create the Perfect Colors for Naturally Dyed Easter Eggs
1. Pick one of the below and simmer with 2 cups water (covered) for 15 to 30 minutes
- 2 cups shredded beets = reddish pink on white eggs, maroon on brown eggs
- 2 cups red onion skins = reddish orange on white eggs or red on brown eggs
- 2 cups yellow onion skins = orange on white eggs, rusty red on brown eggs
- 1/4 cup ground turmeric = yellow eggs
- 2 cups chopped purple cabbage & 1/4 cup ground turmeric (two separate soaks) = green eggs
- 2 cups chopped purple cabbage = blue on white eggs, green on brown eggs
- 2 cups blueberries = blue eggs
- 2 cups dried hibiscus flowers = lavender or indigo eggs
2. Strain the liquid. Add 1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar to every 1 cup strained dye liquid.
3. Soak hard-boiled eggs in the dye liquid and refrigerate. (2 cups of dye liquid will dye 6 eggs.)
4. Dry the eggs and polish them with a little oil to make them shine.
After testing this procedure multiple times, The Kitchen editors discovered that the quantity of dips in the dye matters much more than the amount of time in the dye. The color will be richer the longer it is left in the dye. Remember, the final hue is truly up to you to play with. Have fun experimenting just in time for Easter.
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