Natural Egg Dyes
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First, hard-boil your white eggs. Second, allow them to cool. Third, follow the simple formulas below. Tip: If you're going to make the basket too, save the egg dyes — they may be used over and over.
What you'll need
- Hard-boiled white eggs
- Large boiling pan
- Strainer
- White vinegar
- Bowls for dyes
- Canned beets
- Grape juice (purple)
- Yellow onion skins (the papery part)
- Red cabbage
- Turmeric
- Cellulose egg cartons to hold drying eggs (Styrofoam makes the dyes puddle too much)
How to make it
Cold Dyes - Pink:
Mix 1 cup strained juice from canned beets,
½ teaspoon vinegar, and 3 cups water.
Soak cooled eggs in the dye for ½ hour.
Purple:
Mix 1 cup purple grape juice, ½ teaspoon
vinegar, and 3 cups water. Soak
cooled eggs in the dye for ½ hour.
Boiled Dyes - Orange:
In a pot, mix 1 cup yellow onion skin (about 2 onions' worth), packed loosely, 1 teaspoon vinegar, and 3 cups water.
Boil mixture for ½ hour, cool to room temperature, strain out the onion skins, then add cooled eggs and soak them in the dye for ½ hour.
Light Blue:
In a pot, mix 1 cup red cabbage leaves, torn and loosely packed, 1 teaspoon vinegar, and 3 cups water.
Boil mixture for ½ hour, cool to room temperature, strain out the cabbage leaves, then add cooled eggs and soak them in
the dye for ½ hour.
Yellow:
In a pot, mix 1 teaspoon turmeric, 1 teaspoon vinegar, and 3 cups water.
Boil mixture for ½ hour, cool to room temperature, strain out stray turmeric grains, then add cooled eggs and soak them in the dye for ½ hour.
