This Easter, why not try and dye your eggs using ingredients from your kitchen and garden!
Before artificial dyes became common practice, our grandmothers were able to colour their eggs using ingredients that originated from nature, mainly from plants. So look to your refrigerator, take a walk through your garden, and you will find a host of vegetables, herbs and other plants that you can use to colour your eggs. And what’s better, this is a great activity to do with your children!
Here are some great ideas:
Beets: Dice the equivalent of 3 to 4 cups peeled beets and bring to the boil in the amount of water you need to dye all your eggs. Make sure to add two tablespoons of vinegar to this water as well. Once boiling point has been reached, remove the beets from the water and add your eggs. Reduce the heat to a simmer, and allow the eggs to cook for approximately 15 minutes until they take on a gorgeous red hue. Tip: if you leave the beets to boil for longer, the colour will develop into a deeper red. If you boil the beets for less time, the colour will become a lighter shade of red.
Red cabbage: Cook 3-4 cups of red cabbage leaves in the same way you would the beets with the exception that you boil the eggs for half an hour, at which time they will take on a lovely lighter shade of blue.
Nettle leaves: Cook a handful of nettle leaves in the same way as would with red cabbage. Your eggs will take on a magnificent green hue.
Violets: Place three handfuls of violets in the same water that you will use to boil your eggs in. Boil them together for 10-12 minutes at which point they will turn purple.
White onions: Place the peels of 4-5 onions (and 2 tablespoons vinegar) into the water that you will later boil your eggs in. Once the water has reached boiling, remove the skins, lower the heat to a simmer, add your eggs and allow them to cook for about half an hour. The eggs will take on the yellow-orange share of amber.
Red onions: Follow the same procedure that you would when utilizing white onions. The skin from red onions will see the eggs take on a brownish hue.
Other Tips:
- Remove the eggs from the refrigerator 3-4 hours before painting so that they reach room temperature.
- Wash the eggs before starting the painting process.
- When stirring the eggs, use a wooden spoon to prevent streaking on the egg shells.
- Use a large spoon to remove the dyed eggs from the pot and leave to dry on a towel.
- Once dry, polish the eggs with a brush dipped in olive oil.
- Use a combination of white vinegar and baking soda on a sponge to scrub your pot clean once you have finished painting the eggs.
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