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Naturally Dyed Easter Eggs

One of my family's favorite Easter traditions is coloring and decorating Easter eggs. I was trying to come up with some inexpensive, natural ways of doing that and think I may have succeeded. I'm happy to share the results with you.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup yellow onion skins for rusty orange eggs
  • 1 cup red cabbage leaves for bluish/purple eggs
  • 1 cup red onion skins for light blue eggs
  • 1 cup raw beets for pink eggs
  • 2 tablespoons instant coffee
  • 2 cups prepared tea
  • 2 tablespoons turmeric
  • 2 tablespoons paprika
  • 2 tablespoons vinegar for each ingredient

Instructions

  • In a medium-sized pot, boil each ingredient with one cup of water (except tea) for 30 minutes. Boil 2 cups of prepared tea for speckled eggs. Strain the liquid into their own mason jars, then stir in 2 tablespoons of vinegar. Place an egg or a few eggs (if they fit) into each mason jar and store in the refrigerator overnight or at least for a few hours. Remove from refrigerator. With a slotted spoon remove each egg and allow to dry on a cooling rack. Once dry you may want to rinse the eggs if they have a “film” of color on them.
  • Note: Those eggs soaked in the beet mixture will rub off onto clothing. The others are pretty stout and you shouldn’t have any trouble once they dry. I usually make more “dye” by using 2 cups of water and doubling the ingredient, for more colored Easter eggs.

Notes

Courtesy of Game and Garden.