Dyeing Easter Eggs Naturally
cultivated by community
for MotherSpirit
This information comes from Michael Chiarello, founding chef and partner of Tra Vigne restaurant in CA’s Napa Valley.
Beets = beige to bright pink eggs
Coarsely chopped red cabbage = pale to royal blue
Blueberries = lavender shades
Brewed coffee = deep mocha
Cranberries = pale pink
Turmeric = bright orange
Yellow onion skins with black peppercorns = beige to mauve tones
Use 2-4 cups of each ingredient per each set of eggs dyed. (More if you are using onion skins-about 4-6 cups- and less if you are using turmeric-start with about 1 tbsp.) Only use one type of ingredient per batch of eggs so the colors don’t get muddy. Place eggs in a deep, non-staining saucepan. Add your coloring ingredient and cover with a quart of cold water and 2 tbsp. Of vinegar to fix the dye. Gently simmer the eggs for 20 minutes to 3 hours, until you get the color you are wanting.
For a delicate, shattered look, remove a few eggs and gently roll them in a soft towel. Return eggs to pan for another 30 minutes. If you use all edible ingredients to dye then you can actually eat these eggs. They will last unshelled or with uncracked shells for 2-3 weeks in the fridge.
THE RESPONSES:
Ahhh....reminds me of my childhood! We used to dye eggs with "traditional" natural ingedients all of the time growing up-- onion skins and beets mostly (100% Lithuanian background).
Another tip is to melt some bee's wax and decorate the eggs with it (by using a toothpick, or whatever) before you put the eggs in the "dye". When they come out just rub off any left over wax and you have a cool design!!
Do you really need to let the eggs simmer for 3 hours for a deeper hue? That seems like a huge waste of energy to me. I was thinking about letting them boil for 30 mins or so, then just letting them sit in the water. Might that work?
Actually last time my MIL did it she simmered them for about an hour or so. But, she forgot the vinegar to set the dye. I imagine 30 minutes would be sufficient and then just let them sit until the water cools. You are just looking for subtle shades.