Easter is tomorrow, and if your or your family celebrate it, Easter egg dying may be one of the most fun family activities.
While there are plenty of chemical dyes and kitschy egg stickers in stores, why not try dying your eggs with natural, eco-friendly materials? If you Google that, you will find many natural colorants that you can use: coffee, turmeric powder, red cabbage, tree bark, leaf buds, flower petals and more. Here I will show you how to dye eggs using onion peels - one of the most ancients and still popular ways used in Lithuania, where Easter is one of the major holidays.
While there are plenty of chemical dyes and kitschy egg stickers in stores, why not try dying your eggs with natural, eco-friendly materials? If you Google that, you will find many natural colorants that you can use: coffee, turmeric powder, red cabbage, tree bark, leaf buds, flower petals and more. Here I will show you how to dye eggs using onion peels - one of the most ancients and still popular ways used in Lithuania, where Easter is one of the major holidays.
You will need:
|
Some nylon stockings (yeah... that's quite ancient :)
|
Dried up upper layer peels of onions (use red onion peels for red color!)
|
|
Eggs (white ones may be better for color contrast)
|
A dash of white vinegar
|
What to do:
|
1. Place some onion peels in the stocking, put an egg inside. Expose some sides of the egg and cover the other sides with the peels. All of it will make different patterns on the egg shell.
Stretch the nylon, so the egg is snug inside (don't crush it!), then tie the stocking. Repeat with the remaining eggs and peels. You will end up with a string of eggs, like in the picture here. |
|
|
2. Carefully place the eggs in a sauce pan and cover with water. Add any remaining onion peel into the water for stronger color.
|
|
|
3. Add a dash of white vinegar (I am not promoting Heinz vinegar here :) - just happened to have it in my pantry; Any brand will do). Bring to a boil and boil for 10-15 minutes.
|
|
|
4. You will see the water turning brown and exposed egg parts getting colored. Remove the pan from the heat, decant the hot water and pour some cold water on top of the eggs to cool them down.
|
|
|
5. Once the eggs have cooled, cut the stocking and remove the eggs. Give them a rinse, wipe them down - and voila! You can also rub them with a bit of oil for a shinier look.
|
|
There are plenty of variations you can introduce to this methods. Some people add barley or other grain into the stocking - it gives the eggs a dotted look. You can cut out some shapes from a sticky tape and paste them on eggs before boiling to create any pattern. You can also press some leaves, flowers or herbs on the shell for more natural design (check out how it was done here).
Happy Easter Holidays!
Happy Easter Holidays!
