Dying Eggs is a fun way to spend some time creating something unique and special with your family or loved ones. Here’s a sustainable and environmentally friendly way to use foods like cabbage, beets and onion skins to create your own natural egg dyes specially curated by Miss Jenn, our culinary & educational specialist. See the below list of materials you will need to make natural dye from various vegetables & herbs that you have on hand at home.

Ingredients list:

Red-pink – 3 Beets chopped
Blue – ¼ head of cabbage chopped
Orange – 4 Yellow onion skins
Reddish brown– 4 red onion skins

Yellow -2 T add turmeric and 1 T vinegar to 4 cups of extra hot water. Stir the turmeric until it has dissolved.

Brown – for coffee dye, brew a pot of strong coffee.

Several large pots, white vinegar, and water.

The following preparation instructions apply to all materials above (except turmeric and coffee which already have instructions provided above). Place the prepared ingredient in a large pot, and cover with an inch of water. Bring to a boil; then reduce to a simmer; cover; and continue cooking for 30 minutes, or until you’re satisfied with the color. Keep in mind that your eggs will usually turn out a couple shades lighter than the dye bath.

Preparing Your Natural Dyes for Coloring Eggs:
Strain out the solids. Then, add one tablespoon of vinegar per cup of dye to set the color. Allow the dyes to cool, before you use them. Experiment with dying white and brown eggs. Soak for three hours to achieve lighter colors; overnight for brighter colors.

To create designs: place a rubber band going in various directions across the egg. Under the rubber band the color will remain white. Wrap some of your eggs with bits of lace or wild flowers and cheese cloth before you dip them in the dye to create fun patterns.

Color Combination Chart Guide:

Yellow – soak a white egg in turmeric for three hours
Gold – soak a brown egg in turmeric for three hours, or a white or brown egg in turmeric overnight
Pale blue – soak a white egg in cabbage for three hours
Grey – soak a brown egg in cabbage for three hours
Bright blue – soak a white egg in cabbage overnight
Teal– soak a brown egg in cabbage overnight
Orange – soak a white egg in onion skins for three hours
Burnt orange – soak a brown egg in onion skins for three hours, or a white or brown egg in onion skins overnight
Light brown – soak a white egg in coffee for three hours
Dark brown – soak a white or brown egg in coffee overnight
Pink – soak a white egg in beets for three hours
Bright pink – soak a white or brown egg in beets overnight
Reddish brown – soak a white or brown egg in red onion skins

Best wishes from our farm kitchen to yours!

 

Eggs, onions and turmeric are all conveniently available in our farm store. Click on the items to the left to place your order today.