First, hard boil however many eggs you wish to decorate and add one to two tablespoons of white vinegar. Next, prepare the dyes on the stove top using a pan. Use at least two cups of water and one teaspoon of vinegar plus the organic dye ingredients. Use 3 to 4 teaspoons of the spice ingredients and 3 to 4 cups of the whole fruit or vegetable ingredients. Boil the dye for at least five minutes, but remember that the longer you boil, the deeper the hue of the dye. Crush the ingredients in the pan to release the pigments, and strain.
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Note: It’s best to use the dyes when they are hot. Remember: the longer you soak the eggs in the dyes, the better the colors will turn out. Be patient and enjoy!
Yellow – use yellow onion skins, ground cumin, or turmeric
Blue – use chopped red cabbage, purple grape juice, or canned blueberries
Green – use chopped or canned spinach or parsley
Red – use rose hips tea, cranberries, red grape juice, or pomegranate
Brown – use coffee grounds, black walnut shells, or black tea
Pink – use beet juice or raspberries
Orange – use paprika, carrots, or chili powder
Tips
*Start with hard-cooked (boiled) eggs and refrigerate until ready to use. Eggs that are too fresh are difficult to peel. The fresher the eggs, the harder it will be to peel them because the white membrane is just not mature enough. Hard boiling farm fresh eggs will invariably lead to eggs that are difficult to peel. Eggs need to be at least three (3) days old to peel well. Learn how to cook Perfect Boiled (hard-cooked) Eggs.
*The longer you soak the eggs in the following dye liquids (of your choice), the more intense the colors will be.
*If desired, before dyeing the eggs, draw shapes, pictures or inspiring words on them with crayons or a piece of wax. The wax won’t absorb the color so the designs will show through. Using a crayon, simply draw a design onto your eggs and then dye as you would any other Easter egg. Your crayon design will be accentuated by your choice of dye!
*Rubber bands are all you need to make tie-dyed eggs. Use a collection of different sized rubber bands. Wrap the rubber bands, one at a time, around the eggs. Make sure to leave some of the egg shell exposed so it can be dyed.
*Once the eggs are dyed to the color you like, remove them from the water and let them dry. Once dried completely, pull the rubber bands off to reveal your banded design.
*For a textured look, dab the still wet egg with a sponge.
