natural egg dyeing

there are natural dyes all around your home…coffee, onion skins, beets, purple cabbage, etc…it is fun to see what colors come from familiar foods once they are thrown in a pot :)

you will need:
- eggs, for dyeing…hard-boil them before beginning
- 4 cups boiling water
- 2 tbsp vinegar
- 2 tbsp salt
- one of the following bases:
2 cups red or white onion skin (for light purple or brown)
2 tbsp turmeric powder (for yellow)
2 cups red cabbage (for purple)
1 cup dried black beans (for a blueish-purple)
2 large beet, chopped (for a pinkish-red)
4 tbsp coffee (for a beigeish-brown)

to make the dye:

- place your selected dyeing ingredient into a pot & add in 4 cups of water and 2 tablespoons of white vinegar, plus 2
tablespoons of salt (if more water is needed to cover the ingredients, proportionally increase the amount of vinegar and salt)
- bring to a boil, and then lower heat, simmering for 30
minutes
- strain dye into a bowl and let cool

dyeing your eggs:
note, white eggs yield the stronger color, but brown eggs have a natural beauty that is great, too.

for darker colors, boil the eggs in the dye for 30 minutes
for lighter shades, soak the eggs in the dye at room temperature for 30 minutes

pat down with a paper towel and let dry on a wire rack

to make hollow eggs:
if you would like your dyed eggs to last longer than a season, you may make hollow eggs by piercing each end of a raw egg with a needle or safety pin…then, blow out the yolk by blowing in one of the holes…note, you may need to make the hole slightly larger at the end the yolk is to come out of…this is a fun activity for the whole family. once the eggs are blown, you may string ribbon or cord through them and hang on a little branch…and re-use year after year.