Dyeing Easter Eggs with Herbs

In the later part of the 19^th century, German immigrants brought to the United States the tradition of coloring Easter eggs and putting them in baskets for the delight of children. This was, of course, before the development of commercial egg-dyeing kits and eggs were colored using various plant materials.

This old-fashioned art of dyeing eggs with natural materials has again become popular and is a good family craft project.

Eggs can be dyed using two basic methods. In the hot method, dye mixtures are prepared and eggs are hard boiled in the mixture. In the cold method, eggs are hard boiled first and then dyed in a cold dye mixture.

For a more permanent egg, holes are poked in both ends of the egg and the contents are blown out. The hot method without any refrigeration can then be used to make an intensely colored egg that can be kept year after year for display.

COLORS

The chart below lists some of the plant materials that give the best results but many other materials can be used. Feel free to experiment. Plants often give dye colors quite different from the plant colors and many dye baths look quite different from the final egg color. Red cabbage is one of the more striking examples, producing an amazing deep robin’s egg blue.

Dye Material	Color
Red cabbage	Robin’s Egg Blue
Ground turmeric	Bright Yellow
Pickled beet juice	Pink
Rooibos tea	Mottled Orange Brown
Rose hips tea	Mottled Brown
Bronze fennel	Light yellow-gray
False roselle leaves	Light sage green
Blueberries	Purple
Red onion skins	Dark red mahogany
Ground annatto seed	Soft yellow
Saffron (a tiny amount)	Bright yellow
Yellow onion skins	Mahogany
Grape juice concentrate	Mottled purple

BASIC RECIPE for DYE BATH

Dye baths are made from water, pigmented plant material and vinegar as a mordant that fixes the color to the egg. Use as much water as will cover the number of eggs you wish to dye. Add 1 teaspoon vinegar for every cup of water. Then add the plant material in the following amounts per cup of water: 1/2 cup fresh vegetable matter, berries, etc. or 2 teaspoons teas or ground spices. For fruit or vegetable juices, simply substitute the juice for the water using as close to full strength as possible for the deepest colors.

HOT METHOD

For the hot method, place eggs in dye bath and bring to boil for 10-30 minutes. Eggs boiled for more than 10 minutes will be overcooked but still edible and will be the most colorful. Eggs can be removed from the dye bath now or the dye bath with the eggs still in it can be allowed to cool slightly and then put in the refrigerator to soak further until the desired color is achieved. When the eggs are finished, remove them from the dye bath, pat dry with a paper towel and return eggs to refrigerator.

COLD METHOD

For the cold method, eggs are hard boiled without the dye. The dye bath is prepared and boiled separately. The eggs are then placed in the dye bath where they are allowed to soak for 20 minutes to overnight. Any soaking for longer than 20 minutes should be done in the refrigerator to keep eggs safe for eating. When the eggs are finished, remove from dye bath, pat dry with a paper towel as in the hot method and return the eggs to the refrigerator.

USING PLANT STENCILS

Plant and flower designs can be made on your eggs by using leaves and flowers as stencils. Find small leaves and flowers that have interesting shapes and are flexible (or blanche plant material quickly in boiling water to soften). Place against the egg and wrap a small piece of cheesecloth or nylon stocking around the egg and secure with a rubber band or string. Dye as described previously and when done, remove wrapping and plant material. Eggs should have a white stenciled botanical design on a dyed background. If dye is seeping beneath plant stencil, try attaching plant material to the egg with a mixture of egg white and water before wrapping.

POLISHING

Naturally-dyed eggs have a lovely matte finish reminiscent of old milk paint, but eggs can also be oiled to a satin shiny finish. After eggs have dried, rub them with an edible vegetable oil such as canola oil or olive oil using a paper towel. Wipe with a dry paper towel and buff lightly.