Cleveland, Ohio – Each year, the Orthodox Church I attend passes out vibrant red Easter eggs at the end of the service. The color is meant to represent the blood of Christ. This is no Paas red. It’s a rich, rusty red that is achieved by soaking the eggs in onion skins.
This is just one of the ways Easter eggs can be colored using natural materials found in your kitchen in this week leading up to Easter, April 12 (Orthodox Easter is April 19). If you’re not able to get out to the store this year to pick up an egg decorating kit, here are some egg-cellent – I couldn’t resist - ways you can get creative at home. And even if you have a store-bought kit, making your own DIY dyes is a creative way to get in the Easter spirit with your family at this time of quarantine.
Dye colors:
Pink eggs: 4 cups chopped beets
Red: 4 cups yellow onion skin (about 12 onions)
Orange: 3 tablespoons chili powder
Yellow eggs: 2 tablespoons Turmeric
Royal blue eggs: 2 cups blueberry juice (do not dilute) or 4 cups blueberries
Blue: 2 cups grape juice (do not dilute)
Lavender/purple: 4 cups purple cabbage
Brown eggs: Black coffee (do not dilute)
How to make the eggs. Process will need to be repeated for each color:
- Bring 1 quart of water to a boil
- Add two tablespoons white vinegar
- Add dye agents and bring down to a summer for at least 30 minutes.
- Strain the dye into a mason jar or mug.
- Soak hard-boiled eggs for at least 30 minutes; the longer they soak, the deeper the color. For the most vibrant colors, soak overnight in the refrigerator.
- Want to get creative? Wrap your eggs in rubber bands or use wax crayons to create designs. Dried flowers and herbs can also be used as stencils; hold them onto eggs in dye cups with cut-up nylons.