It’s not often I share a post with you that doesn’t involve a recipe or a nutrition article, but this one, I must share. Because I love using natural dyes in my baking projects, I couldn’t resist using them to color Easter eggs, too. (I’m not the only adult with no small children who still does this…am I? Good! Didn’t think so.)
This post was actually on the old site, but sadly never made its way here. I decided to search for the images and share it with you just in time for Easter this year.
I don’t dye hard boiled eggs (although you can certainly do that, if you like). I prefer using “blown” eggs so that I don’t need to worry about spoilage and I can use them for a good long time (sometimes a month leading up to Easter) in arrangements throughout the house.
If you’re interested, here’ s the how-to for blown eggs, with lots of pictures since pictures are worth… well, you know. ;)
How to Color Easter Eggs with All-Natural Homemade Dyes
First, you will want to prepare your all-natural dyes. Do this by using my tips on making homemade food coloring from fruits and vegetables. For each cup of food coloring (strained, of course) you make, add 3 teaspoons white vinegar. For example, if you make 1 cup each of blue, pink, yello, you would add 3 teaspoons of vinegar to EACH cup of colored liquid.
Once the dyes are made, it’s time to prep the eggs.
If you are using boiled eggs, boil them, cool them and carry on with the dye process by soaking eggs until desired color is achieved. The longer you soak the eggs, the more intense the color.
How To Make Blown Easter Eggs
If you’re making blown eggs, like those shown here, follow these steps using raw, white eggs.
1. Soak eggs for 30 minutes in warm water. This will soften the shell slightly.
2. Remove eggs from warm water bath and pat dry. Place eggs in reserved egg carton and use a large needle to poke a hole in one end of each egg. Work gently and carefully. You may need to hold the needle in place and “hammer” it into the egg. (I used a small, yet thick hard back cookbook I had handy to tap the needle into these.)
3. Next, turn the eggs over and do the same thing to the opposite end, but this time, make the hole just a bit bigger.
4. Now comes the “blown” part. Cut a straw to 3 inches in length (I find the larger paper straws work very well here), Working over a bowl (to catch the white and yolk of the eggs), place the straw over the smaller hole at one end of egg, hold egg over the bowl with larger hole facing down into bowl, and blow through straw to force out the white and yolk.
Tip: Using the needle you used to poke the holes in the ends of each egg, give the inside of each egg a “stir” before blowing – it will break up the yolk, making it easier to get the insides out.
5. Once all eggs are blown, it’s time to place the hollow eggs into the dye. Turmeric is my favorite all-natural item for making colored eggs – such a gorgeous yellow!
Notice the hollow eggs float on the liquid dye…
So, we solve that issue by placing a small plate on top like this…
(The plate is clear so that you can see through how it holds down the egg; turn the eggs to color each side.)
Once the eggs are colored to your liking, remove them to the reserved egg carton to dry, then use them for a lovely, natural Easter decoration!
Happy Easter!
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This post was originally shared at GlutenFreeGigi.com.
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