Dyeing Eggs
For those who believe the 64-box of crayons is better than the 8-box
If you aren’t up for cut and paste egg critters and you don’t want to resort to the typical Easter egg kits this year, try these methods for producing your eggs-ceptional creations:
Food coloring
Those four tiny bottles of food coloring in your grocer’s baking section will give you the power to produce a rainbow of colors on your eggs. Look on the box for variations on the colors that will help you achieve unique tints. Measure 1/4 teaspoon of food coloring and place it into a parfait glass or a coffee mug. Add 3/4 cup of boiling water and 1 tablespoon white vinegar to each vessel. Add the egg and allow it to soak until it reaches your preferred saturation of color.
Natural dyes
You can use egg-dyeing as an opportunity to teach your children about food and plant properties, by using those items to dye your eggs. Onion skins, blueberries, coffee, turmeric, beets and even grass are great natural dyes for creating wonderful Easter hues. Try other foods and plants that you’ve begrudged for staining the kids’ clothes - they’ll probably work just as well!
Once you’ve selected the food or plant you want to use, prepare it by cutting or mashing it into pieces so that it will release more color into the dye bath. Place it in a pot and add 1 quart water and 2 tablespoons white vinegar to finish preparing the dye bath. (When using red cabbage or similar ingredients you may need to add more water and increase the vinegar proportionally.) Bring to a boil, then lower heat. Allow the mixture to simmer for a half hour. Strain dye through cheesecloth into a small bowl if cold-dipping, or into a pot if boiling.
Cold-dipping
To cold-dip an egg, place dye into a small bowl conducive to the shape of the egg (parfait glasses are perfect!) with a slotted spoon. Let the egg soak as little as 10 seconds and as long as several hours, depending on the depth of color you are trying to achieve. Remove the egg with the slotted spoon, pat dry with paper towels, and allow it to dry on a wire rack. Note that it is difficult to get evenly dispersed color with the cold-dipping method unless you are willing to stand beside the egg and rotate it regularly.
Boiling
The heat of boiling an egg in the dye allows the color to permeate the shell, which results in more concentrated and consistent color. Begin with a suitably-sized pot that will allow the dye to cover the eggs without boiling over. Bring to a boil, boil the egg for five minutes and then turn the stove off and allow the egg to sit for as long as it takes to achieve the color you desire.
Tips:
- Vinegar allows natural dyes to adhere to the surface of the egg.
- Try using crepe paper instead! Place crepe paper into individual parfait cups or coffee mugs, fill two thirds of the way with boiling water and a teaspoon of vinegar. Add eggs and allow them to sit in hot water until the desired color is achieved. Remove with slotted spoon, pat dry and sit on wire rack for more drying.
