Here's how to dye eggs for decorations natural colors by using natural items. Chop fresh or dried materials into tiny pieces. Use non-aluminum containers. Boil each color separately using 1 gallon of water, ½ cup of vinegar (to set the color) and ½ to 1 cup of ingredients. Once boiled, dyes can be stored in the refrigerator for later use. Cook eggs before coloring them, but don’t bring them to a rolling boil because that can cause cracks in the shells.

To cook the eggs, add 1 T. of vinegar to the water in a pan, and bring the liquid to a light simmer. Add the eggs and remove the pot from the heat. Let the eggs steep in the vinegar water until they are cool enough to remove by hand.

Colors will vary depending on how much of each ingredient is used and how long the egg soaks in the mixture. Err on the side of more material rather than less when creating your dye. Leave eggs soaking in the dye in the refrigerator overnight for the richest colors.

BARK: Boil one hour:
Brown – ash, birch, walnut, maple, hemlock
Black – alder
Gold – Eucalyptus
Red – Bayberry

TWIGS AND LEAVES: Boil two hours
Gray – Blackberry plant
Yellow – Poplar leaves, peach leaves
Lime Green – Lily of the Valley leaves

VEGETABLES, BERRIES: Boil 45 minutes
Red – Red onion skins, raspberries, beets, strawberries, red cabbage
Yellow – Onion skin
Blue – Blueberries, boysenberries, red cabbage
Green – Spinach, squash, kale, parsley, new mint leaves or new ivy leaves
Brown – Coffee grounds
Orange – Carrots
Orange – Boil 4 cups of onion skins and 2 T. of vinegar in a quart of water, simmer 30 min
Pink – beets
Purple – Blackberries, red grapes

FLOWERS: Boil 15 minutes
Green – Morning glory
Beige – Red Bouganvillea
Blue – Cornflower, Larkspur
Red – Bloodroot Poppy, red zinnias
Yellow – Goldenrod, Dahlias, Marguerites, dried marigolds

OTHER:
Brown - Tumeric, brewed coffee
Yellow – Chamomile tea

Wrap eggs with rubber bands or drizzle with rubber cement before dying to create interesting designs.

HAPPY EASTER!

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