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This Oughta Be Good

Life & Events > Natural Easter Egg Dyes
 

Natural Easter Egg Dyes



Now, I'm not expecting you all to rush out and do this, but it's interesting to see how things were done before all the artificial stuff became available at the grocery store.

I found these instructions in a cookbook, but if you are seriously interested, you'll get more better info by Googling "Natural Easter Egg Dyes."


You can freeze the dye ingredients to be used at Easter.

Silver green: cranberries or ornamental basil - freeze in the fall until needed in the spring

Robin’s Egg Blue: Outer leaves from a head of red cabbage, fresh or frozen. After following general directions, place the eggs in another container and pour the warm, drained dye water over the eggs and let set overnight in a cool place.

Spring Green: fresh tansy. Tansy is an herb that comes up very early in the spring.

Antique blue: crushed fresh or frozen blueberries

Yellow: 1 tablespoon tumeric (spice) for each cup of water
Rust Brown: yellow onion skins

Pink: juice strained from frozen raspberries or shredded fresh beets (not canned or cooked)



General dyeing instructions:
Freeze ingredients for use at Easter.
Place 6 to 12 raw eggs in the bottom of an old soup pan. Place 2 cups of the fresh, frozen or dried dye material on top of the eggs. Work with only one dye at a time, beginning with the lightest color. Cover the eggs and dye material with water. Add 1 tablespoon vinegar and bring to a boil. Simmer gently for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and let eggs cool in the dye for about 1 hour. Remove eggs, and unless otherwise directed, place in an egg carton and refrigerate.

Beets are tricker because oxidation turns the color green-brown. You have to make sure to use fresh beets, and pack it around the hard-cooked eggs and cover air tight. Once they reach the desired color, remove from the dye and oil them a couple of times until the oil stops being absorbed to keep the air out.

posted on Mar 19, 2008 12:49 PM ()

Comments:

I have seen natural dyes used on textiles. Polk berries make wonderful reds. We have some people around who spin and dye and weave their own woolens. They raise the sheep to obtain the wool.
comment by elderjane on Mar 22, 2008 4:23 AM ()
I'll bet these would work on wool. I'm not a fan of dyed eggs. I prefer my eggs to be chocolate.
comment by nittineedles on Mar 19, 2008 2:21 PM ()

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