Using coffee, onion skins, red cabbage, and a little vinegar I was able to produce a lovely array of hues: Blue from the cabbage, orange and red from the onion skins and warm beiges and taupes from the coffee.
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Well, here’s a Jacob Grimm you may not have heard : ) As a philologist studying Germanic folk customs, Grimm speculated that the custom of Easter eggs may have stemmed from springtime frolics in honor of Eostre—the Proto-Indo-European goddess of dawn. If so, it’s just one more in a longtime legacy of eggs and the ancients. 60,0000 year old decorated ostrich eggs have been found in Africa. Rituals connecting eggs and rebirth go back 5000 years or more in Egypt, Sumeria and Mesopotamia. And historians tell us Christians in the latter culture were the first to dye eggs ritualistically, coloring them red as a reminder of blood.
Today, egg-decorating has launched into all sorts of glittery, fluorescent-hued territory—fun, though not particularly appetizing. The idea of eating chemically-dyed anything has always been a bit suspect. That, plus the appeal alchemy has on me prompted me to try my hand at using easily-found kitchen ingredients to naturally dye eggs.
I’ve been so pleased with the results! Using coffee, onion skins, red cabbage, and a little vinegar I was able to produce a lovely array of hues: Blue from the cabbage, orange and red from the onion skins and warm beiges and taupes from the coffee.
For best results: Wash the uncooked eggs in their shells in soapy water and rinse before dye-ing.
To color the eggs, I used two different methods: 1. Simmering the eggs in hot dye for more intense color, and, 2. Soaking the eggs in cold dye for less-intense color. With the red cabbage dye, I did a little of both: I prepared the dye, simmered the eggs briefly in the hot dye and then allowed the eggs to soak in the dye as it cooled. Note: You can safely eat the hard cooked eggs after dye-ing them, but the whites of the eggs may absorb some of the color of the dye. Also important? Do NOT eat any eggs that have been out of the refrigerator for more than two hours.
Also important? Do NOT eat any eggs that have been out of the refrigerator for more than two hours.
(for bright orange): Immerse hard-cooked eggs (in their shells) in cool dye for 5 to 10 minutes.
1 quart strong black coffee
2 Tablespoons white vinegar
