Bunchland

Colour your Easter eggs with stuff from the fridge and pantry

People were colouring eggs long before you could pick up a kit from the drugstore with those dissolving dye tablets. Take a look through your cupboards and see what sorts of dyes you can make yourself. The key to making the colour stick to the eggs is vinegar. Other than that, intensity of the colour is dependent on how long the egg soaks in the dye. Here’s how:

You’ll need:

• Eggs
• White vinegar
• Blueberries or red cabbage (blue)
• Grated beets (red/pink)
• Brown onion skins (yellow)
• Frozen spinach (green)
• A drying rack (either a baking rack, or an egg carton)

Steps:

1. Boil eggs 10-12 minutes. (Alternatively, you could poke holes in either end of the egg and blow out the yolk and egg white)

2. Use approximately a big handful of colouring agent per cup of water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and let it simmer 15-60 minutes. (Depends on the hue you’re after)

3. Take off the heat and strain liquid

4. Put coloured water in a mixing bowl and add approximately half a tablespoon of vinegar for each cup of liquid.

5. Gently lower eggs into the hot liquid and leave them there for a few hours/overnight (Eggs and liquid must be placed in the fridge if you plan on eating them)

6. Using a slotted spoon, gently lift eggs out of the liquid and place on drying rack.

For more detailed instructions and more colours, check out What’s Cooking America.

Photo by u-murrayhusted via Flickr