Dyeing Easter eggs is a fun tradition that’s been around for centuries. So, how did our ancestors make all of those bright colors back before commercial egg dyes were sold in stores every spring?
Making natural dye colors out of fruits, vegetables, and other everyday items you can find in your home or garden is both easy and fun. Everything from onion skins to grass can be used to make vibrant all-natural colors. Just throw the raw materials into the boiling water while you cook the eggs – you’ll need to boil each color separately – and you’re good to go! For really vivid color, be sure to add at least a half a cup of dyeing material, and two teaspoons of vinegar, for each cup of water you use.
In a medium pan, put in a single layer of eggs, enough water to cover them, and your dyeing materials. Bring the water to a boil, then reduce the heat and let the eggs and dye mixture simmer for about 15 minutes. If you want the color on your eggs to be darker, let the eggs soak in the dye mixture in the fridge overnight.
Here are some natural ingredients you can use for various dye colors:
Purple: Grape Juice, Red Wine, Violets (works best mashed into a paste with lemon juice).
Blue: Canned Blueberries (including the juice), Red Cabbage Leaves.
Green: Grass Cuttings, Spinach Leaves.
Yellow: Carrot Tops, Ground Cumin or Turmeric, Orange or Lemon Peels.
Brown: Coffee.
Orange: Carrots, Chili Powder, Paprika. Yellow Onion Skins.
Pink: Canned Beets (with juice), Cranberry Juice, Raspberries.
Red: Canned Cherries (with juice), Pomegranate Juice, Red Onions Skins.
Want to know why we color Easter eggs?
Jaime McLeod is the Web Content Editor for the Farmers' Almanac. She is a longtime journalist who has written for a wide variety of newspapers, magazines, and websites, including MTV.com. She enjoys the outdoors, loves eating organic food, and is interested in all aspects of natural wellness.
If you notice a hole in the upper left-hand corner of your Farmers' Almanac, don't return it to the store! That hole isn't a defect; it's a part of history. Starting with the first edition of the Farmers' Almanac in 1818, readers used to nail holes into the corners to hang it up in their homes, barns, and outhouses (to provide both reading material and toilet paper). In 1910, the Almanac's publishers began pre-drilling holes in the corners to make it even easier for readers to keep all of that invaluable information (and paper) handy.
4 comments
My hens lay brown eggs
would have to soak them for a couple of days for the vibrant colors!
No luck for me….I have six white eggs still. I am not sure what I did wrong? Oh well, back to PAAS. Maybe try again another time.
I hope it works like stated. I am trying it right now. Wish me luck!
What great ideas thank will share.
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