Dye some pretty marbled Easter eggs today. They make a simple, natural centerpiece for your holiday table–and then you can eat them!
Of course, I have a lot of pre-colored eggs.
They just get laid that way. White, green, blue, and all shades of brown. My Ameraucana chickens are what are known as “Easter-eggers” because they lay pretty green and blue eggs. My duck lays white eggs, and the rest of my chickens lay brown ones–so I have a little of everything. Still, on Easter, a little extra splash of fun doesn’t hurt, and if all you have are white eggs, all the more fun!
To start, prepare the dye. You can use regular food coloring, or use natural dyes. For browns, use tea or coffee. For reds, use cherries, beets, or cranberries. For blue, blueberries. For yellow, turmeric or saffron. You can try other spices like paprika or chili powder for orangey colors. Spinach for green. Experiment! The important thing to remember about natural dyes is that it will take longer than if you use food coloring. You may need to soak the eggs overnight (or all day) in the dye liquid (in the refrigerator!). Whatever you use, boil the dye “source” –for vegetables and fruits, use a couple of cups, with water to cover. For spices, use one tablespoon per cup of water. Let cool. You can either strain out the vegetables/fruits from the dye water or just leave them in there if they’re not too much in the way. Add a splash of vinegar to the pot (to help the color adhere to the eggs).
You could add eggs and soak them as they are–or add some more fun and marble them. To make easy marbled eggs, boil the eggs then let cool. Try to not boil them so long they crack. (Sigh.)
Find some kind of wrapper–lettuce leaves, onion peels, potato peels, whatever you can find in your kitchen. I’m using cabbage leaves. Wrap the cooked eggs then put a rubber band around them to hold the wrapper in place. it doesn’t matter how you wrap them, completely or partly. Be random.
Place wrapped eggs in the bowl or pot with your dye. I made a red dye with cranberries. I soaked the eggs all day in the fridge.
For the blue, I used a food dye because I didn’t have any blueberries. Or spinach. Or any spices to spare. I wanted to play with at least two colors and I didn’t want to go to the store. (On the upside, the blue dye worked much faster. I used a small amount in a bowl and turned the eggs in the dye.) Natural dyes are, however, not only better for you, they’re so much more fun to play with. Remember that most anything that makes color in the pot when you’re cooking can be turned into a dye.
When you take the wrapped eggs out of the dye, let them drain a bit on paper toweling.
Then carefully remove the wrapping and let dry.
You’ll be left with an unpredictably funky marbled Easter egg where the wrapper has interfered with the dye. (Even more unpredictable if you’re working with eggs that are already colored naturally–I used a lot of eggs in various shades of brown and green.) I also second-dipped a few of the red ones in the blue.
I’m using my smaller wire egg basket with green raffia. I like raffia so much better than plastic Easter grass. It looks more natural and can be re-used for other crafts. You can do all sorts of other things with rubber band marks or wax drops–use your imagination and don’t fall for those Easter egg “kits” at the store. Go homemade! And don’t try to be perfect. I don’t like Easter eggs that are too fancy or manicured. The marbled, funky look is my favorite. (And you can’t mess it up!)
I put my marbled eggs together in a basket with some of my “plain” boiled eggs (colored as they came out of the chicken) and my Easter table centerpiece is ready.
P.S. Don’t forget to keep your boiled/colored eggs in the fridge until you’re setting the table for dinner!
senovia says:
My son just did a science experiment where we put vegetables in rubbing alcohol to pull out the color & absorb it in a coffee filter. Ever since we did that, I’ve been wanting to dye eggs naturally. I can’t wait for tomorrow!
On April 3, 2010 at 1:48 am
Karen Anne says:
This probably sounds like a commercial, but I wanted to pass along a pointer to this –
https://www.amazon.com/Nordic-Ware-Microwave-Egg-Cooker/dp/B0007M2BN0/ref=sr_1_1
It’s the NordicWare microwave egg cooker and imho indispensible. I am never going to boil eggs on the stovetop again.
It takes some experimenting to determine how long to set the microwave for. I put it in the microwave for 9 1/2 minutes for four eggs, let it sit for 10 minutes or so after it’s done, and perfect hardboiled eggs every time. No hovering over the pot to be sure it doesn’t boil over or whatever. And the eggs are always very easy to peel, for some reason.
On April 3, 2010 at 2:34 am
Nic, SD says:
Just wanted to point out that in my experience, beets (rather counter-intuitively) produced blue eggs. A very pretty blue if you boiled the beets with the eggs in. However I’ve seen them mentioned across the internet for making blue, pink, and grey. Maybe it depends on how you use them? Does anyone have more experience with this?
PS Your eggs look great! I love the fact that you only had two dye colors, but with all of the variety in starting color you’ve got most, if not all, of the rainbow happening there!
On April 3, 2010 at 4:30 am
CindyP says:
I love the natural look of the colored eggs! IMO, so much prettier!
On April 3, 2010 at 6:05 am
Carol says:
When I was a child my grandmother colored eggs for me the “old fashioned” way. She used beet juice, onion skins, and coffee. I think the onion skins made the eggs yellow. Not colorful by today’s standards, but I’m sure my grandmother and her siblings were thrilled.
I was always asking questions, and Grandma would show me how they did it in her day. For instance, when hollyhocks were in bloom she’d attach a bud to a full bloom with a toothpick to make girls that ‘danced’ on a pan of water in their ball gowns. She also showed me how to make a pen from a goose feather. I’m still very interested in the old ways.
On April 3, 2010 at 9:36 am
Deborah R says:
There’s no need to boil eggs to get “hard boiled eggs.”
Place your eggs in a pot of cold water – the water should be about 1″ above the eggs.
Bring to a boil, then cover and remove from the heat. Do not drain. Ignore them (in the covered pot of hot water) for 15 minutes, then rinse in cold water as you normally do.
Yolks won’t overcook, eggs won’t crack (unless you drop them hehe) and they’re forgiving, so if you go 20, 30 minutes, it’s ok (yeah, sometimes I forget them!).
On April 3, 2010 at 10:05 am
Miss Becky says:
Suzanne the eggs are beautiful. I haven’t dyed eggs in years, but am tempted to take it up once again after seeing how lovely your colors turned out. I think these may be the most beautiful ones I have seen so far this season!
On April 3, 2010 at 10:25 am
Leah says:
Your Easter Eggs are soo pretty! Loving those colors and the marbling too.
On April 3, 2010 at 12:03 pm
NorthCountryGirl says:
So pretty! You’re right…natural dyes are best.
On April 3, 2010 at 1:34 pm
catslady says:
I haven’t dyed for while now either – children are grown. No grandchildren (yet) but maybe in a couple of years. Then it will be fun all over again 🙂 I love your naturally colored eggs. Wish they would sell them that way.
On April 3, 2010 at 1:51 pm
Julie says:
Those are really pretty, but I think I prefer the natural ones!
On April 3, 2010 at 4:28 pm
lavenderblue says:
This is the first year that we haven’t dyed eggs. Mom and Dad have both been working, we’re all in various stages of the flu, daughter had a sleep-over at a friends etc. etc. Maybe next year we’ll try it the old fashioned way. The son will love it, if we treat it as a science experiment.
Or maybe I’ll just get some Ameraucana’s and let them do the dying their way.
On April 3, 2010 at 11:15 pm
Shirley says:
I tie dyed eggs this year with silk ties. The turned out pretty cool.
On April 5, 2010 at 2:21 pm
Karen in Ohio says:
Red cabbage leaves will turn white eggs a lovely shade of robin’s egg blue.
On April 6, 2010 at 5:34 am