Pastel Easter Eggs - Dyeing Eggs Naturally

I have dyed eggs using natural ingredients  and also tried marbling eggs using olive oil and vinegar.  I loved both results. But when I saw a slightly different technique of dying eggs in pastel colors for Easter using natural ingredients in the latest issue of Backyard Poultry Magazine (April/May 2012), I just had to try it.

I absolutely loved the soft pastel shades that this method achieved.  If you want to try it for yourself, here's what you do:

Put a teakettle of water on to boil. While you are waiting, measure 1-1/2 teaspoons of white vinegar into five coffee cups.  

Then add the following ingredients to the five cups (note: there was a sixth cup mentioned in Backyard Poultry's article using red onions skins but I didn't like the color at all, sort of a muddy purple gray, so I wouldn't do that one again)

Clockwise from top:

For lime green eggs - 1/4 Cup chopped red cabbage and 1 teaspoon turmeric 

For purplish gray eggs - Papery peels from two red onions (I would skip this one next time)

For peach eggs - Papery peels from two yellow onions

For yellow eggs - 1 Tablespoon turmeric 

For pinkish purple eggs - 1/4 Cup shredded fresh beets

For blue eggs - 1/4 Cup chopped red cabbage 

Add a cup of boiling water to each coffee cup and stir to mix.  Let sit until the contents cool to room temperature. 

In the meantime, set up a drying rack.  I happen to knit and decided to make a drying 'rack' using my blocking board (you could also use a piece of styrofoam).  I covered the blocking board with papertowels, 

and then stuck blocking pins into the board, four to a square, set apart to cup each egg while it dries. 

After the cups have cooled, strain each one into another cup.

Then place a white egg into each cup ( I used white because I wanted light pastel eggs).  I used uncooked eggs, but you can use hard cooked or blown out eggs also. Let the eggs sit for 30 minutes. 

Take each egg out carefully and gently blot with a paper towel. 

Set each egg onto the pins to dry completely. 

When the eggs are dry, rub a bit of vegetable oil onto the surface using a paper towel and wipe off any excess.

~source for technique and inspiration Backyard Poultry Magazine April/May 2012 issue~

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