Decided I was finally going to try natural dyes for eggs this year. Natural dyes can be scratched off if not careful until fully dried. I put a coffee filter on bottom of bowls I used for dying so that their wasn't a white spot where the egg sat on bottom.
I do not have any white layers so all color is over the base blue eggs from my ameraucana.
I used four different items to dye the eggs and got five colors.
ETA: wash the bloom off eggs before trying to dye them.
From left to right - cooked in yellow onion skin, dyed in onion skin dye, turmeric, beet, red cabbage. All dyes, but tumeric, have 1 tablespoon of vinegar added per cup of water.
For the yellow onion skin color of red/brown you start with raw eggs unlike the others. I layed down a layer of onion skin then wrapped onion skin around and between them then I filled the pot with more. I filled to cover with water and added the vinegar. Cooked for 20 minutes as instructions I found said to.
For the orange color, I strained the liquid from the onion skins and put hard cooked eggs in it for 10 minutes.
Turmeric is 1 tablespoon per cup of water. Simmer for 10 minutes. Do not strain. Put hard cooked egg in while watching carefully. Pull when desired color is achieved. Only a minute or so is needed. Soaking egg in vinegar for a few moments after will brighten the yellow if it's turned too mustard brown.
The pinkish red from the beets turned out a bit splotchy. Just a warning that it seemed to bubble in spots on the eggs. I cubed 2 cups of beets and covered 2.5 cups of water. Bring to boil, then lower heat to simmer about 45 minutes. Strain. Add 1 tablespoon vinegar per cup of liquid. Soak eggs for about an hour. Turn occasionally to help even the color.
The deep blue is from red cabbage. I simmered 2 cups of shredded red cabbage in 2.5 cups of water for 1 hour. Strain. Add 1 tablespoon vinegar per cup of liquid. Soak eggs for 2 - 2.5 hours. Turn occasionally to help even dying.
I cooked one of my olive eggs just to see what color it could turn out. I was very happy with it.
Original egg look
After cabbage dye
My pretty egg basket
I do not have any white layers so all color is over the base blue eggs from my ameraucana.
I used four different items to dye the eggs and got five colors.
ETA: wash the bloom off eggs before trying to dye them.
From left to right - cooked in yellow onion skin, dyed in onion skin dye, turmeric, beet, red cabbage. All dyes, but tumeric, have 1 tablespoon of vinegar added per cup of water.
For the yellow onion skin color of red/brown you start with raw eggs unlike the others. I layed down a layer of onion skin then wrapped onion skin around and between them then I filled the pot with more. I filled to cover with water and added the vinegar. Cooked for 20 minutes as instructions I found said to.
For the orange color, I strained the liquid from the onion skins and put hard cooked eggs in it for 10 minutes.
Turmeric is 1 tablespoon per cup of water. Simmer for 10 minutes. Do not strain. Put hard cooked egg in while watching carefully. Pull when desired color is achieved. Only a minute or so is needed. Soaking egg in vinegar for a few moments after will brighten the yellow if it's turned too mustard brown.
The pinkish red from the beets turned out a bit splotchy. Just a warning that it seemed to bubble in spots on the eggs. I cubed 2 cups of beets and covered 2.5 cups of water. Bring to boil, then lower heat to simmer about 45 minutes. Strain. Add 1 tablespoon vinegar per cup of liquid. Soak eggs for about an hour. Turn occasionally to help even the color.
The deep blue is from red cabbage. I simmered 2 cups of shredded red cabbage in 2.5 cups of water for 1 hour. Strain. Add 1 tablespoon vinegar per cup of liquid. Soak eggs for 2 - 2.5 hours. Turn occasionally to help even dying.
I cooked one of my olive eggs just to see what color it could turn out. I was very happy with it.
Original egg look
After cabbage dye
My pretty egg basket
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