Decorating eggs is one of my favorite childhood memories. At our house it was all about the add-ons: Rubber bands for a tie dyed effect, Crayon drawing, dripped wax, intentional cracks, even glued on 'hair' for portrait eggs - you name it, we gave it a try. 

This years approach was back to basics. In place of store bought box kits, I raided our pantry and fridge for natural dyes. The end results were muted pastels fit for a grown up Easter basket. 

Most of the eggs were hardboiled in advance, added to the dye solutions and left for 4 - 24 hours. For the spice dyed eggs, I used the following portions: 

  • 1 - 2 tablespoons of your chosen herb or spice
  • 1 cup of water
  • 2 tablespoons white vinegar

The coffee and onion skin dyed eggs were colored using household food scraps. Coffee grounds and the very end of a pot were added to 1/4 cup of water and 2 tablespoons of vinegar. The onion skins were saved from the night before dinner prep. They were added to 1 cup of water and 2 tablespoons of vinegar. In both cases the eggs were left in the solutions over night. 

The spinach and cranberry dyed eggs were cooked with their dyes. I used full bag each ingredient (both the spinach and cranberries had started to turn, so this felt like a great use for them), enough water to cover the eggs and 4 tablespoons of vinegar. The eggs and dyes were brought to a boil for 10-15 minutes and then left to cool at room temperature. I left the eggs in the dye solution over night. 

 

Sumac - Speckled Lavender

 

Cranberries - Lavender

 

 

Hibiscus - Blue

 

Spinach - Pale Green

 

 

Turmeric - Yellow

 

 

Chile Powder - Pale Orange

 

Onion Skins - Orange

 

Coffee - Marbled Brown  

Get creative! Spices and herbs are amazing tools to add color to your life.

Explore our Spice + Herb Collection

March 17, 2022

Leave a comment

Please note: comments must be approved before they are published.