When I think of dyeing Easter eggs, PAAS is the first thing that comes to mind. For those of you who did not grow up with the neon, staining, metal egg dippers included, brand, PAAS is the mother of all Easter egg dyeing kits. If Easter was a a game of Monopoly, PAAS would be the Atlantic City Boardwalk. I have nothing against PAAS; it’s given me and my family wonderful memories of pink and purple tinted fingers, eggs dripping with a myriad of colors onto newspapers and plastic tablecloths, writing our names on the eggs in crayon before dipping… the list goes on. BUT, for the sake of trying something new, this year I made my own *natural* Easter egg dyes out of vegetables.
The colors of the *natural* rainbow
The process was truly exciting for me. I loved seeing the colors emerge from the boiling plants, and enjoyed it even more when they transferred beautifully onto the eggs for the first time. This process does take longer than ripping open a box o’ PAAS, but I highly recommend it if you have the time!
I combined two sets of directions, from The Kitchn, and Food52.
Beet, turmeric, red cabbage, yellow onion, red onion.
INGREDIENTS:
1 dozen hardboiled eggs
5 cups water
1 heaping cup chopped red cabbage
1 heaping cup red onion skins
1 heaping cup yellow onion skins
1 heaping cup shredded beets
5 tbsp white vinegar, separated
2 tbsp turmeric
1 tbsp vegetable oil
The ingredients
Boiling veggies
DIRECTIONS:
In 5 separate saucepans, combine 1 cup of water with 1 of the vegetable/spice ingredients listed above (not the vinegar). Bring each to a boil, then reduce to a simmer for 20-30 minutes, or until the color has reached its desired intensity. Bear in mind that the color will appear several shades lighter on the eggs.
Eggs taking a dip in the dyes
Let mixtures cool. Once cooled, strain using a fine mesh sieve into whatever bowls or cups you’ll be using for dipping the eggs. Add 1 tbsp of vinegar to each color mixture, and stir.
Dip eggs into mixtures. Remember: the longer you keep an egg in the dye, the more concentrated the color will be. Wipe off with a paper towel upon removal. Once sufficiently dry, dap with a tiny bit of vegetable oil.
TAKE THAT, PAAS.
Beautiful eggs!
They almost look like Cadbury eggs. Almost.
