Easter is almost here and a great activity to do with your kiddos is making dye using everyday ingredients you already have in your kitchen.
Last year I tried to dye our Easter eggs using natural everyday ingredients and they turned out pretty blah. It was a total Pinterest fail. My kiddos had fun stirring the pots and putting the eggs in the jars, but the next day we were disappointed that they looked so dull. I think part of the problem was that we used brown eggs and we put the eggs on a towel to dry which soaked up the color. This year we used white eggs, dried them on a wire rack and rubbed each one with olive oil for a little extra shine. My kiddos were extremely helpful and very curious about how the colors would actually turn out. They were pleasantly surprised by the cabbage.
Everyday Ingredients/Materials Needed:
- White Eggs
- Dye material: red cabbage, turmeric, red wine
- White distilled vinegar
- Water
- Pots with lids
- Mesh strainer
- Jars or bowls
- Wire rack/drying rack
- Coconut or olive oil
Optional: Small leaves, nylons, and small elastic rubber bands for the imprinted details on the eggs
How To:
Prepare the Eggs:
Hard boil the eggs. The method I use is to start the eggs in a covered pot of cold water. Bring to a boil, turn off the heat and let them sit for 10 minutes, then put them in a bowl of ice water. Once they are cool to the touch put the eggs in a bowl of soapy water or vinegar, lightly scrub with a wash cloth, rinse off and towel dry each one. This will remove any excess oils on the egg that could interfere with the dyes.
Make Natural Dye:
- Turquoise: 1/2 a head of purple cabbage roughly chopped and enough water to cover the cabbage by 1 inch or more
- Yellow: 1 tablespoon of turmeric and 2 cups of water
- Purplish Brown: 1 cup red wine and 1/2 cup of water
Directions:
A. Bring natural dye ingredient and water to a boil, turn heat to low, cover and simmer for 30-60 minutes. The longer the richer the color.
B. Remove pot from the stove and cool to room temperature.
C. Pour dye through a mesh strainer into bowls or jars
D. Add 1 tablespoon of vinegar per cup of dye liquid.
Dye the Eggs:
Place the cooled, cleaned and dried hard boiled eggs into the dye liquid and refrigerate until desired color is reached. (between 2-24 hours) I left mine in the fridge for 24 hours. When your eggs are ready dry them on drying rack. When the eggs are dry rub gently with coconut or olive oil.
Optional leaf detail instructions:
- Prepare the eggs and natural dye as instructed.
- Collect small leaves (great task for kiddos)
- Cut the nylons to fit around the egg
- Place the leaves on the egg
- Cover the egg with the nylon and tie off both ends with the elastic rubber bands (extra hands to keep the leaves in place is a perfect task for little ones)
- Follow the dye the eggs instructions and remove the nylon and leaves before placing the eggs on the drying rack. *note: the turmeric dye did not dye the egg through the nylon I used
Happy hunting and here’s a delicious recipe for egg salad sliders that’s great for lunch or dinner.
Love the color of the cabbage dyed ones! Great share. Always prefer natural alternatives to the super chemical-filled ones. Gorgeous colors.
Thanks Judy! I hope you had fun dying eggs and Happy Easter
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