Saturday, April 11, 2020
DO IT YOURSELF Naturally Dye Easter Eggs Can't
leave the house? Dye your own Easter eggs naturally. The earliest dyes came from nature: Yellow onion skins or hickory
bark for yellow; madder root or brazilwood for red; walnut shells or coffee for brown; and barks, berries and leaves of other
plants for a multitude of colors. Because nature provides such a profuse variety of raw materials, natural dyeing is an art,
not a precise science. Start with either hard-cooked eggs or emptied eggshells.
Then, choose a dyestuff. Just a few possible dyestuffs for eggshells are listed below. Using your own judgement about quantity,
place a handful - or two or three - of a dyestuff in a saucepan. Add tap water to come at least an inch above the dyestuff,
about one cup water for each handful. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer about 15 minutes or up to an hour until
the color is the shade you desire, keeping in mind that eggs will dye a lighter shade. Remove the pan from the heat. Using cheesecloth
or a fine sieve, strain the dye mixture into a small bowl that's deep enough to completely cover the eggs to be dyed. Add
two to three teaspoons of white vinegar for each cup of liquid. With a spoon or wire egg holder from a dyeing kit, lower the
eggs into the hot liquid and let them stand until they reach the desired color. For emptied eggshells, stir or rotate for
even coloring. With a slotted spoon or wire egg holder, remove the eggs to a rack or drainer. Allow to dry thoroughly. Refrigerate
hard-cooked eggs intended eggs intended to be eaten within less than two (2) hours. Naturally dyed eggs tend to have a duller finish than commercially
dyed eggs For a soft sheen, after drying, rub with cooking or mineral oil.
Dyestuff | |
Color | Fresh beets, cranberries,radishes or frozen raspberries Pinkish red Yellow onion skins | | Orange |
Orange
or lemon peels, carrot tops, celery seed or ground Cumin | | Delicate yellow | Ground turmeric (the spice) |
| Yellow | Spinach leaves | | Pale Green | Yellow Delicious apple peels |
| Green-gold | Canned blueberries or red cabbage leaves | |
Blue
| Strong brewed coffee | | Beige to brown | Yellow Delicious apple peels | | Green-gold |
Dill
seeds | | Brown-gold | Chilli powder | | Brown-orange | Purple or red grape juice or beet juice | | Grey |
Source: Eggcyclopedia, Unabridged 6/99. The Incredible Edible Egg, pg. 1.9
9:41 am edt
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