by the Rodale’s content team
What is spring without a basket of beautifully dyed eggs? Dyeing Easter eggs is wholesome fun for the entire family. However, to keep things green and safe, it’s best to stick to coloring them with natural dyes instead of using artificial ones. One of our favorite ways to dye eggs naturally is to use our Eco-Egg Natural Coloring Kit, whose colors come from natural and organic fruit, plant, and vegetable extracts. The kit includes an egg dipper as well as a soy crayon for adding texture to your colored eggs.
If you don’t have a kit on hand, however, there are plenty of natural dye sources that are likely already in your kitchen! That’s right—natural egg dye is easy to make simply by using your favorite spices, berries, and even vegetables.
Here are 7 common spices and foods you can use to create egg dyes:
- Turmeric, for bright yellow
- Beets, for pink or red
- Red cabbage, for blue (yes, blue!)
- Spinach, for green
- Grape juice, for lavender
- Raspberries, for pink or purple
- Yellow apple peels, for yellowish green
With spices, use 4 tablespoons of spice; with foods, use 4 cups mashed. Boil your color ingredients in 4 cups of water with 2 tablespoons of white vinegar. Let them simmer for 30 minutes, then strain the spices or food and cool the liquid before using it as your egg dye. For juices, simply use as is. Let your eggs sit in the dyes for varying amounts of time—the longer they sit, the deeper the colors.
If solid colors aren’t you’re thing, you can add fun designs with a bit of wax. Simply use a natural wax or soy crayon or an old candle to draw designs on the eggs before dyeing them. Waxed spots won’t take the dye, leaving the designed areas the original color of the egg.
Finally, wipe the naturally dyed eggs with olive oil once they’re dried to give them some shine.
Have fun, and remember: If you plan on eating your eggs, be sure you store them in the refrigerator and enjoy them within a week of hard-boiling.
Speaking of eating them, one of our favorite ways to use hard-boiled eggs is to make the classic party appetizer: deviled eggs.
This simple yet delicious recipe comes from Maria Rodale. It’s like your basic blank canvas of a deviled egg. From here, you can get super creative and add anything you want. Enjoy!
Maria Rodale’s Classic Deviled Eggs
Ingredients:
- 6 hard-boiled eggs
- 1 heaping Tablespoon mayonnaise
- 2 teaspoons yellow mustard
Directions:
- Gently peel cooled hard-boiled eggs. Carefully cut them in half and place the yolks in a bowl. If needed, rinse the whites gently and pat dry.
- As the Joy of Cooking advises regarding adding ingredients to the yolks, “Moisten them pleasantly” (I love that!) with the mustard and mayo. Mix until smooth.
- Fill the empty egg whites with the pleasantly moistened yolk mixture.
No comments yet.