Egg dyes

Bluish-Gray
Mix 1 cup frozen blueberries with 1 cup water, bring to room temperature, and remove blueberries.

Blue
Cut 1/4 head of red cabbage into chunks and add to 4 cups boiling water. Stir in 2 Tbsp. vinegar. Let cool to room temperature and remove cabbage with a slotted spoon.

Jade Green
Peel the skin from 6 red onions and simmer in 2 cups water for 15 minutes; strain. Add 3 tsp. white vinegar.

Faint Green-Yellow
Peel the skin from 6 yellow apples. Simmer in 1-1/2 cups water for 20 minutes; strain. Add 2 tsp. white vinegar. Simmer 4 oz. chopped fennel tops in 1-1/2 cups of water for 20 minutes; strain. Add 2 tsp. white vinegar.

Orange
Take the skin of 6 yellow onions and simmer in 2 cups water for 15 minutes; strain. Add 3 tsp. white vinegar.

Faint Red-Orange
Stir 2 Tbsp. paprika into 1 cup boiling water; add 2 tsp. white vinegar.

Yellow
Rich yellow: Simmer 4 oz. chopped carrot tops in 1-1/2 cups water for 15 minutes; strain. Add 2 tsp. white vinegar.
Mustard-yellow: Stir 2 Tbsp. turmeric into 1 cup boiling water; add 2 tsp. white vinegar.
Various shades: Steep 4 bags of chamomile or green tea in 1 cup boiling water for 5 minutes.
Pale yellow: Chop 4 oz. goldenrod and simmer in 2 cups water for 20 minutes; strain. Add 2 tsp. white vinegar.
Faint yellow: Simmer the peels of 6 oranges in 1-1/2 cups water for 20 minutes; strain. Add 2 tsp. vinegar.

Cheyenne pepper – redish

chilli powder

Brown-Gold
Simmer 2 Tbsp. dill seed in 1 cup water for 15 minutes; strain. Add 2 tsp. white vinegar.

Brown
Add 1 tablespoon vinegar to 1 cup strong coffee.

Pink
Faint pink: Chop 4 oz. amaranth flowers and simmer in 2 cups water; strain. Add 2 tsp. white vinegar. Simmer the skins from 6 avocados in 1-1/2 cup water for 20 minutes; strain. Add 2 tsp. white vinegar. Mix 1 cup pickled beet juice and 1 tablespoon vinegar.
Dark pink: Cut 1 medium beet into chunks and add to 4 cups boiling water. Stir in 2 Tbsp. vinegar and let cool to room temperature; remove beets.

Lavender
Mix 1 cup grape juice and 1 tablespoon vinegar.

Color

Items To Dye With

Blue

Canned Blueberries
Red Cabbage Leaves (boiled)
Purple Grape Juice

Brown or Beige

Strong Coffee
Instant Coffee
Black Walnut Shells (boiled)
Black Tea

Brown Gold

Dill Seeds

Brown Orange

Chili Powder

Gold

Turmeric

Green

Spinach Leaves (boiled)
Liquid Chlorophyll

Greenish Yellow

Yellow Delicious Apple Peels (boiled)

Grey

Purple or red grape juice or beet juice

Lavender

Small Quantity of Purple Grape Juice
Violet Blossoms plus 2 tsp Lemon Juice
Red Zinger Tea

Orange

  • Yellow Onion Skins (boiled)
  • Carrots
  • Paprika

Pink

Beets
Cranberries or Juice
Raspberries
Red Grape Juice
Juice from Pickled Beets

Red

Pomegranate juice
Canned Cherries (with syrup)
Raspberries
Cranberries
Lots of Red Onions Skins (boiled)

Violet or Purple

Violet Blossoms
Hibiscus tea
Small Quantity of Red Onions Skins (boiled)
Red Wine

Yellow

Orange or Lemon Peels (boiled)
Carrot Tops (boiled)
Chamomile Tea
Celery Seed (boiled)
Green tea
Ground Cumin (boiled)
Ground Turmeric (boiled) or Saffron

Eggs
Red onion
White onion
Saffron
Purple cabbage
Whole carrots (with stems)
Blueberries
Beets

Instructions

Hard boil eggs in water.
Then, add each ingredient to 2 cups of water and boil it for about 10-15 minutes. Let they cool to about room temp. (This speeds up the dyeing process and makes the water a more saturated color.)
Soak an egg in each cup of water to dye, like you would normally dye eggs. I did several versions of each egg, varying the time I let it soak. For example, I had three saffron eggs soaking and took one out at an hour, one out at two hours, and one out at three hours to get different levels of saturation.
Take your eggs out of the dye when they’ve reached the desired color.

Tip: Dyes like saffron and cabbage worked quickly (only a few minutes), and others like carrot tops and beets took hours.

Dandelion flowers: I was most excited about this. The idea of using the bright yellow flowers as an egg dye is presented on several “natural Easter egg” articles online, so I sat in the yard and clipped about a hundred flowers, pleased that I got them before they went to seed. I lightly crushed the flowers, covered them with water and added a spoonful of white vinegar. I let the mix boil until it could be described as a dandelion reduction sauce. But the liquid was perfectly clear. I let white eggs sit in the sauce for several minutes, but no real color. Results: Needs more research.

Red wine: Fortunately, we had a half bottle of a cabernet sauvignon that needed to be used. I added a splash of vinegar and brought it to a boil. Results: A light, slightly mottled purple for the white eggs and a nicely “enriched” color for the brown eggs.

In the interests of full disclosure, I did not use eggs from our own chickens, mostly because they don’t produce enough to set aside two dozen for this project. Instead, I bought a dozen brown and a dozen white eggs to use.

Brown or tan: strong coffee
Dark purple: red wine
Green: spinach leaves
Blue: red cabbage
Orange: yellow onion skins
Yellow: grated carrots
Pink: beets or cranberry juice

Natural Easter Egg Dye #10: Spinach or grass

Quantity: Up to 4 cups
Color: Green

Read more: http://www.rd.com/slideshows/homemade-easter-egg-dye/#ixzz2zCSg5lxL

Natural Easter Egg Dye #6: Paprika

Quantity: 3 tablespoons or more
Color: Brick red

Read more: http://www.rd.com/slideshows/homemade-easter-egg-dye/#ixzz2zCSpL13J

Natural Easter Egg Dye #5: Cranberry juice

Quantity: Full-strength
Color: Light pink

Read more: http://www.rd.com/slideshows/homemade-easter-egg-dye/#ixzz2zCStH87i

Natural Easter Egg Dye #2: Blueberries

Quantity: Up to 4 cups
Color: Lavender

Read more: http://www.rd.com/slideshows/homemade-easter-egg-dye/#ixzz2zCSz1kQY

Natural Easter Egg Dye #1: Brewed coffee

Quantity: 1 quart strong coffee plus water to cover the eggs
Color: Brown

Read more: http://www.rd.com/slideshows/homemade-easter-egg-dye/#ixzz2zCT46FPm

1 cup chopped purple cabbage per cup of water — makes blue on white eggs, green on brown eggs
1 cup red onion skins per cup of water — makes lavender or red eggs
1 cup yellow onion skins per cup of water— makes orange on white eggs, rusty red on brown eggs
1 cup shredded beets per cup of water— makes pink on white eggs, maroon on brown eggs
2 tablespoons ground turmeric per cup of water — makes yellow eggs
1 bag Red Zinger tea per cup of water— makes lavender eggs

2 cups strongly brewed green tea
(Mine did not turn out as I used loose leaf spearmint instead of regular green tea bags. Next time I’ll try regular tea bags. Live and learn!)

2 cups strongly brewed black tea
2 cups hibiscus dye* (Oddly this bright ruby liquid turned the eggs a pale dove gray.)

3 teaspoons white vinegar, divided

Color

Ingredients
Lavender Small Amount of Purple Grape Juice
Violet Flowers + 2 tsp Lemon Juice
Red Zinger Tea bags (Celestial Seasoning brand)
Violet Blue Violet Flowers (no lemon juice)
Red Onion Skins (boiled)
Red Wine
Hibiscus Tea
Blue Canned Blueberries
Large Amount of Purple Grape Juice
Red Cabbage Leaves (boiled)
Green Spinach Leaves (boiled)
Fresh Basil (boiled)
Greenish Yellow Yellow Delicious Apple Peels (boiled)
Fresh Parsley (boiled)
Yellow Chamomile Tea
Orange or Lemon Peels (boiled)
Celery Seed (boiled)
Ground Cumin (boiled)
Ground Turmeric (boiled)
Green Tea
Carrot Tops (boiled)
Golden Brown Dill Seeds
Brown Strong or Instant Coffee
Black Walnut Shells (boiled)
Black Tea
Orange Yellow Onion Skins (boiled)
Carrots (boiled)
Paprika
Chili Powder
Pink Red Grape Juice
Fresh Cranberries / Cranberry Juice
Raspberries
Beets
Juice from jar of Pickled Beets
Red
Lots of Red Onions Skins (boiled)
Canned Cherries with Juice
Pomegranate Juice
Raspberries

Wash hard boiled eggs in warm water to remove any oily residue that can affect the color dyeing process and let cool.

Green
6 cups spinach, rough chopped
1 tablespoon turmeric
2 tablespoons vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
1 quart water

Combine the spinach, turmeric, vinegar, salt and water, bring to a boil, and then simmer uncovered for 30 minutes. Strain the spinach and set the liquid aside.

For orange or violet, dip eggs in the beet solution for 30 minutes, drip dry, and then dip in either the yellow or blue dye until desired color is achieved.

We use purple cabbage to make a blue dye, beets for pink or red, and turmeric for yellow. Since these are the three primary colors, you can make pretty much any other color in the spectrum by using a combination of them. Once we tried using spinach for green and coffee for brown, based on some recipes we found on the Web, but neither worked very well.

Overall, the yellow and blue dyes really worked well. We make a really pretty green color by overdying a yellow egg in the blue dye. The red dye produces a beautiful deep color, but, unfortunately, it changes to a dull red-brown after a a day or two.

All of our dye recipes use three cups of water, 1/4 cup of white vinegar, and a teaspoon of salt, in addition to the dye materials. Bring each mixture to a boil and simmer for 30 minutes to make the dyes.

To make blue dye, add half a small head of purple cabbage, chopped; for red, use two coarsely shredded raw beets; and for yellow, use two tablespoons of turmeric powder. Let the mixtures cool before you add your hard-boiled eggs.

Leave your eggs in the dye for 30 minutes to a few hours, or even overnight. You’ll get deeper, darker colors with prolonged soaking in the dye. When the color is to your liking, remove the eggs and let them dry—a good place to do this is in an empty egg carton. Try not to handle the drying eggs, as the color may rub off while it’s still wet. The finished eggs have a elegant pastel quality to the color, but if you want to make them brighter and more vibrant, gently rub them with a tiny amount of vegetable oil.

Method

Place eggs in a pot and pour enough cold water over the eggs to cover. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Turn off the heat and let the pot sit with the cover on while you prepare the dyes.
Roughly chop the cabbage and place it in a pot along with a few cups of water (enough to cover the cabbage). Roughly chop the beets and place them in another pot along with a few cups of water (enough to cover the beets). Place the turmeric and a few cups of water in the third pot. Bring each of the pots to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Simmer for about 30 minutes. Add a tablespoon or two of vinegar to each of the pots.
Place two (or more) eggs in each glass or jar. Pour enough dye into the glasses to cover the eggs. If you leave the vegetables in, you’ll end up with pretty but splotchy eggs. Mix and match the dyes to achieve different colors:
red cabbage = blue
turmeric = yellow
beets = pale pink
1 part red cabbage + 2 parts beets = purplish blue
1 part red cabbage + 1 part turmeric = teal
1 part turmeric + 2 parts beets = yellow-orange
Let the eggs soak in the dye for several hours or overnight. The longer they soak, the brighter the colors will be. Now go have an easter egg hunt!

Natural dyes can sometimes produce unexpected results, so don’t be surprised if, for example, your red-cabbage dye yields blue eggs. Use the following guide to help you achieve the colors you desire.

Deep Gold: Boil eggs in turmeric solution, 30 minutes.
Sienna: Boil eggs in onion-skin solution, 30 minutes.
Dark, Rich Brown: Boil eggs in black coffee, 30 minutes.
Pale Yellow: Soak eggs in room-temperature turmeric solution, 30 minutes.
Orange: Soak eggs in room-temperature onion-skin solution, 30 minutes.
Light Brown: Soak eggs in room-temperature black coffee, 30 minutes.
Light Pink: Soak eggs in room-temperature beet solution, 30 minutes.
Light Blue: Soak eggs in room-temperature cabbage solution, 30 minutes.
Royal Blue: Soak eggs in room-temperature cabbage solution overnight.
Lavender: Soak eggs in room-temperature beet solution, 30 minutes. Follow with room-temperature cabbage solution, 30 seconds.
Chartreuse: Soak eggs in room-temperature turmeric solution, 30 minutes. Follow with room-temperature cabbage solution, 5 seconds.
Salmon: Soak eggs in room-temperature turmeric solution, 30 minutes. Follow with room-temperature onion-skin solution, 30 minutes.

Reddish blue/lavender: Hibiscus flowers
Deep gold: Turmeric root powder
Pale yellow: Safflower petals
Pale orange: Curry powder
Reddish brown: Chili powder
Orange: Paprika
Soft brown: Dill seed
Tannish yellow: Yarrow

Other natural products that make lovely dyes:
Beet juice or beet powder, berries, coffee, grape and cranberry juices, lemon and orange peels, red cabbage leaves, tea, onion skins (red and yellow).

 

 

More notes:

Gently wash eggs with soapy water and dry.
Place a single layer of eggs in a non-metal pot with the dye (see next slides for colors and sources).
Add 2 tablespoons vinegar to 1 quart water. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer for 15-20 minutes, and remove pot from burner. If you like the color as it is, dab off excess dye with a paper towel and set the eggs on a rack to dry. To deepen the color, leave eggs in the pot until cool. To get even richer shades, put cool eggs in a bowl, strain the dye water, and pour it over the eggs. Store the submerged eggs in the fridge for a few hours or overnight.
Note: Quantities are based on 1 quart of liquid. Amounts of homemade egg dye ingredients are approximate; more dyestuff and longer dye baths produce the deepest colors. All boiled eggs should be stored in the refrigerator, and any that have soaked in hot or warm water for several hours should not be eaten.

Brewed coffee
Quantity: 1 quart strong coffee plus water to cover the eggs
Color: Brown

Blueberries
Quantity: Up to 4 cups
Color: Lavender

Yellow onion skins
Quantity: Up to 4 packed cups
Color: Sienna

Beet juice
Quantity: Half strength or more of the vinegar water
Color: Deep pink

Cranberry juice
Quantity: Full-strength
Color: Light pink

Paprika
Quantity: 3 tablespoons or more
Color: Brick red

Turmeric
Quantity: 3 or more tablespoons
Color: Yellow-green

Purple grape juice
Quantity: Half or more of the liquid
Color: Blue-gray

Red cabbage
Quantity: 4 or more cups, chopped (boil and then soak overnight)
Color: Robin’s egg blue

Spinach or grass
Quantity: Up to 4 cups
Color: Green

Red wine

Quantity: Full strength or diluted with water only
Color: Deep purple

Orange peels
orange-All-Natural-Easter-Egg-Dyes-To-Make-At-Home-133495144-Kardash
ISTOCK/KARDASH
Quantity: 6 oranges
Color: Light yellow

Green tea
tea-All-Natural-Easter-Egg-Dyes-To-Make-At-Home-490454397-VictorH11iS
Quantity: 3 bags + 1 tablespoon matcha
Color: Jade green

Avocado skins
avocado-All-Natural-Easter-Egg-Dyes-To-Make-At-Home-528932169-budgaugh
ISTOCK/BUDGAUGH
Quantity: 6 avocados
Color: Light pink

Chopped carrot tops
carrot-All-Natural-Easter-Egg-Dyes-To-Make-At-Home-635685298-ugurv
Quantity: 4 ounces
Color: Rich yellow

Red Zinger tea
zinger-All-Natural-Easter-Egg-Dyes-To-Make-At-Home-517970040-gehringj
ISTOCK/GEHRINGJ
Quantity: 1 bag
Color: Lavender

Dill seed
dill-All-Natural-Easter-Egg-Dyes-To-Make-At-Home-94289590-Alina555
ISTOCK/ALINA555
Quantity: 2 Tablespoons
Color: Brown/Gold

Raspberries or blackberries
berries-All-Natural-Easter-Egg-Dyes-To-Make-At-Home-184611142-AlasdairJames
ISTOCK/ALASDAIRJAMES
Quantity: 4 cups of mashed berries
Color: Pink to purple

Amaranth flowers
amaranth-All-Natural-Easter-Egg-Dyes-To-Make-At-Home-507877865-yogesh_more
Quantity: 4 ounces
Color: Light pink

 

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