How To Make Natural Egg Dye

Ostara is upon us and a great way to get the kids involved is by coloring eggs. I've listed the recipes for many different natural dyes. Hard boil as many eggs as you'd like to color and let them cool fully. You can place flowers or herbs onto the eggs and wrap them tight with panty hose before putting them into the dye. This will leave the shapes of the flowers and herbs on your dyed egg adding even more fun to your Ostara eggs. See the beauty of what our crops can bring.

The best part, they're safe to eat once the festivities are finished.

Enjoy!

When dyeing eggs naturally, the shade may vary from ingredient to ingredient, but you can generally expect the following colors. Soak your eggs in the refrigerator longer to increase the intensity of the colors; I recommend soaking them overnight.

Bluish-Gray: Mix 1 cup frozen mashed blueberries with 1 cup water, bring to room temperature, and let sit until the water is colored. Strain blueberries before adding hard-boiled eggs.

Blue: Cut a head of red cabbage into chunks and add to 4 cups boiling water. Stir in 2 tablespoons of vinegar. Let cool to room temperature and remove cabbage with a slotted spoon.

Jade Green: Peel the skin from 6 red onions and simmer in 2 cups water for 15 minutes; strain. Add 3 teaspoons of white vinegar.

Faint Green-Yellow: Peel the skin from 6 yellow apples.

Simmer in 1½ cups water for 20 minutes; strain.

Add 2 teaspoons of white vinegar.

Orange: The longer you soak these onion-dyed eggs, the darker the color will be. Take the skin of 6 yellow onions and simmer in 2 cups water for 15 minutes; strain. Add 3 teaspoons of white vinegar.

Faint Red-Orange: Stir 2 tablespoons paprika into 1 cup boiling water; add 2 teaspoons of white vinegar.

Yellow:

Rich yellow: Simmer 4 oz. chopped carrot tops in 1½ cups water for 15 minutes; strain. Add 2 teaspoons of white vinegar.

Mustard-yellow: Stir 2 tablespoons turmeric into 1 cup boiling water; add 2 teaspoons white vinegar.

Brown: Add 1 tablespoon vinegar to 1 cup of strong coffee.

Pink:

Medium pink: Mix 1 cup pickled beet juice and 1 tablespoon vinegar.

Dark pink: These beet-dyed eggs will darken the longer they sit in the liquid. Cut 1 medium beet into chunks and add to 4 cups boiling water. Stir in 2 tablespoons of vinegar and let cool to room temperature; remove beets.

Happy Ostara!

Jacylnn Duffy

Apprentice Folkbuilder

JDuffy@Runestone.org