Coloring Eggs For Easter With Natural Dyes

2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38

Very soon the great and oldest holiday of all Christians is approaching. Two weeks later, Great Lent ends and the holiday of Easter begins, in memory of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The main attribute of the bright holiday is the Easter egg, which symbolizes fertility and rebirth. On the day of Holy Easter, believers, according to tradition, give their relatives and friends colored eggs, called differently dyed eggs and Easter eggs

Dyeing eggs in different colors is a fairly ancient tradition that has survived to the present day. And I, too, with pleasure, in the circle of my family I am engaged in dyeing eggs, but I try to use only natural dyes. Of course, there are now a lot of modern chemical and bright dyes in stores, but dyes created with the help of natural remedies and natural products that have a coloring pigment are much more beautiful and useful. Eggshells are very delicate and capable of absorbing harmful substances from chemical dyes, so I do not recommend using them. It is even more pleasant to take an egg, painted with our own hands and according to a harmless recipe that our ancestors still used.

Tips for dyeing eggs

1. Choose white or lightest specimens for coloring eggs.

2. Remember that using natural ingredients to color eggs will take longer than using store-bought food coloring.

3. To prevent the eggshells from cracking during cooking, remove the eggs from the refrigerator and keep them at room temperature for 40-60 minutes, then rinse in warm water.

4. For even coloring, rub each egg with alcohol or soapy water to degrease.

5. For boiling eggs, choose thick-walled pots or saucepans, adding a little salt to the water.

6. Place eggs in cold water only, then slowly bring to a boil and simmer for 5 to 7 minutes with minimal boil.

7. When removing already colored eggs from the container, do not rub them with a towel. It is advisable to put them in cool water, rinse and dry using a paper towel.

8. For a shine, wipe the painted eggs with sunflower oil.

Methods for dyeing eggs with natural dyes

- Onion peel

Using onion skins is the most affordable and well-known way to color eggs at home. Onions are in every kitchen. Start harvesting onion skins ahead of Easter and you will have a natural dye that will give your holiday eggs a beautiful color. The color of the egg will vary from bright yellow-golden to red-brick, the intensity of the color will depend on the concentration of the broth.

Onion peel dyeing technology is not complicated. Boil the broth in advance and let it infuse. Then put the eggs in a cool broth, add a drop of vinegar so that the eggs are colored better. Bring the prepared solution to a boil and simmer for about 10 minutes. If you want to get patterns on the egg, then wrap it with husk and secure it with a stocking; during the cooking process, a marble pattern will form.

- Other natural dyes

For a variety of colors, use products with natural color additives. Such products can be: turmeric, curry, grape or pomegranate juices, elderberries, red wine, cauliflower, nettle leaves, spinach, green apples, chamomile, saffron, blueberries, beets, carrots, coffee, birch leaves.

The dyeing method is the same as for onion peels. For a more intense and deep color, leave the eggs in the solution overnight.

- To create original ornaments and patterns on eggshells, roll wet eggs in rice, wrap in cheesecloth, secure the ends and cook in the usual way in the prepared solution.

- To get streaks on the shell, wrap the egg with woolen threads and boil. You can also attach a parsley leaf to the shell, wrap it with nylon, tie it tight and boil it in a steep onion solution. You will get a very nice pattern.