The Natural Way to Color Eggs

Okay, I haven’t done this myself, yet. I really want to try it this year. We have company coming in tonight and I’m not sure I will get a chance.

But… I wanted to share these recipes in case you want to try it! I promise to share pictures if I get to it!

Boil eggs the usual way…. place raw, white  eggs in a single layer in a pan.  Cover with cold water.  Add a little more than a teaspoon of white vinegar.  Add the natural “ingredients” for the color you want your eggs to be.

Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes.

If you like the color, pour off the hot dye liquid and rinse the eggs immediately in cold water to stop the eggs from cooking. Continue to change the water until it stays cool in the pot because the eggs are no longer releasing heat. Drain and allow eggs to cool in the refrigerator.

If not, cool eggs and cover in dyed water in the fridge. You don’t want the eggs to continue to cook.

So – how do you get the colors?

• Red – Pink — lots of red onion skins, cranberry juice, or frozen raspberries.
• Orange — Yellow onion skins
• Brown — Red beet skins or grape juice (produces a beautiful sparkling tan), coffee.
• Yellow — Saffron, tumeric or cumin, orange or lemon peels, or celery seed.
• Green — spinach, or carrot tops and peels from Yellow Delicious apples for a yellow-green.
• Blue — Red cabbage leaves make the most incredible robin’s-egg blue.
• Deep Purple — Red wine makes a beautiful burgundy color

Another idea that sounds neat is making a cracked eggs with tea.

You’ll need eggs, 1 1/2 tablespoons of black tea leaves,  8 cups of water and  1 1/2 teaspoons salt.  Place eggs in a large pan covered with water. Bring water to a gentle boil. Boil for 10 to 12 minutes. When the eggs are cooked, gently lift the eggs out of the pan and place them under cold running water for 2 minutes.

When eggs are cold, gently crack the eggshells all over by rolling them on a paper towel. NOTE: Do not allow the shells to detach from the eggs.
In a large pan, add black tea leaves, water, and salt. Place the cooked eggs into the pan. NOTE: If needed, add additional water to cover them. Bring water slowly to a boil; then cover the pan, turn off the heat, and allow the eggs to simmer for one hour.
Remove from heat and let the eggs cool in the liquid. When cool, drain and wrap the eggs in plastic wrap or a sealed plastic bag. Store in refrigerator.
Remove the shells just prior to serving. Eggs will have a marbleized appearance

Info and pictures from BHG.com, Allfreecrafts.com and Squidoo.com

Anne

I'm a mother of 2 who likes to get involved in too much! Besides writing here I started a non-profit, I'm on the PTO board, very active in my community and volunteer in the school. I enjoy music, reading, cooking, traveling and spending time with my family. We just adopted our 3rd cat and love them all!

More Posts