Going Green for an Eggceptional Easter

Christmas has the tree. Halloween has the pumpkin. And, Easter has the egg. In spite of the moaning and groaning coming from all corners of the world as frustrations mount and stress soars during festive times -- humanity can't deny our traditions are as much apart of us as are our fingers and toes.

With Easter just a mere two weeks away, many are rushing around decorating their homes with fluffy white bunnies, yellow chicks, jelly beans and Easter Eggs in every possible form imaginable to mankind. Ah yes, wicker baskets in all shapes and sizes are being stuffed with Easter goodies even as you read this. And I'm not talking about those baskets arriving mysteriously in the overnight hours on Easter Eve. No friends, I'm talking about the hundreds of thousands of baskets holding the holiday's prize possession -- the Easter egg.

Admittedly the chocolate variety, especially that which has been decorated with little icing ruffles and teeny tiny flowers and weighs in at 1/4 to 1/2 pound, enjoys top billing with most people during Easter. However having worn braces in my early teens, I can assure you that despite the brisk business currently bringing smiles to chocolate manufacturer's all around the world chocolate eggs are mere babes from a historical perspective.

The real 'star" of the day is the straight from the farm incredible, edible egg. With roots dating back to the Crucifixion according to many legends, it's easy to appreciate modern technology's contribution to decorating the Easter egg. Long before liquid food colorings and egg dye tablets were invented, Easter eggs were transformed into little treasures by using the natural dye extracted from boiling water with vegetables, fruits and other plants such as spinach, beets, red cabbage, yellow onions, coffee grinds or tea leaves.

Dyeing eggs for Easter with natural dye materials isn't as labor intensive as most believe unless you intend to add intricate designs, which would be labor intensive regardless of whether you use natural dye ingredients, food coloring or commercially prepared egg dye tablets. In fact, the main bulk of the work involved with coloring the eggshells takes place without any interference from the human hand. Unfortunately, when people hear the phrase "time-consuming" they head straight for the nearest exit and miss out on learning something new.

So exactly how are eggs dyed with natural materials?

Extracting Dyes

First, you need to extract the dye(s) you will be using by boiling the plant source with water and a small amount of vinegar accordingly:

Green Dye --- bring to a boil 1-cup fresh spinach leaves and 2 tablespoons white vinegar in 1-quart water, lower heat and simmer for approximately 45 minutes. Strain and discard the spinach. Set dye aside to cool.

Red Dye --- bring to a boil the skins of 1 ½ dozen or more red onion skins, depending on the intensity of the color you desire, and 2 tablespoons white vinegar in 1-quart water, lower heat and simmer for approximately 45 minutes. Strain and discard the cabbage. Set dye aside to cool.

Blue Dye --- bring to a boil 1-cup fresh, chopped red cabbage and 2 tablespoons white vinegar in 1-quart water, lower heat and simmer for approximately 45 minutes. Strain and discard the cabbage. Set dye aside to cool.

Yellow Dye --- bring to a boil the skins of 1 ½ dozen or more yellow onions, depending on the intensity of the color you desire, and 2 tablespoons white vinegar in 1-quart water, lower heat and simmer for approximately 30 minutes. Strain and discard the onion skins. Set dye aside to cool.

Orange Dye --- bring to a boil 3 or 4 tablespoons turmeric or paprika and 2 tablespoons white vinegar in 1-quart water, lower heat and simmer for approximately 30 minutes. Strain and discard any stray clumps of turmeric or paprika powder, depending on which you use. Set dye aside to cool. *If you use the turmeric powder as your dye source, I would suggest you strain it into a glass bowl, as turmeric is quite potent and will stain your plastic and metal bowls.

Purple Dye --- bring to a boil 6 to 8 ozs. frozen grape juice concentrate and 2 tablespoons white vinegar in 1-quart water, lower heat and simmer for approximately 30 minutes. Strain and set aside to cool.

Brown Dye --- prepare a quart worth of dark, strong coffee or tea. Set aside to cool.

My Dyes Are Ready Now What?

Place hard-boiled eggs into the dyes and leave sit for 1 hour or overnight, depending on the color you desire. It goes without saying that darker shades will require a longer soaking time.

When you are satisfied with the color remove the eggs, pat dry gently with a paper towel and allow egg to cool and air dry completely on a drying rack before refrigerating.

Plan Ahead For Intricate Designs

Using natural dyes doesn't mean you can't create unique masterpieces! There are numerous ways to transfer simple patterns or intricate designs onto each egg. The most popular of which include:

Using a pencil lightly draw a geometric or other design onto the hard-boiled egg after its first dipping, unless you wish for the design to be white in color in which case the design should be applied prior to any dye being applied. For example, if you want your finished egg to be green with white diamonds you need to draw your diamonds prior to putting them into the green dye. If however you want your finished egg to have yellow diamonds you would need to first dye your egg yellow and then draw your diamond pattern onto the cooled egg before dipping the egg into a second dye.

Once you have lightly drawn your pattern or design, cover your lines with a coating of wax by melting a candle and applying the melted wax according to your drawn lines with a toothpick, nail or other instrument suited to your needs. Another option you have is to use a white crayon to cover your lines and fill in areas you don't want the dye to reach. After your egg has thoroughly air-dried you can use a soft tissue to remove the wax or crayon.