Looking for an opportunity to experiment with some egg dyeing this week? We here at the NC Science Trail spend a lot of time thinking about ways to live and act sustainably. We recognize that everyone can’t do everything, but everyone can do something to make a difference in the world and we think that’s a great motto to live by. So, on that note, finding new ways to reduce food waste is exactly what sustainability is all about.
If you have veggies in your crisper drawer that could use a new life, or a handful of coffee beans that won’t quite make a full pot, we’ve got a great experiment idea for you coming right up. Some of you may think, this seems similar to the acorn ink idea, and you would be right! These are natural dyes straight from the Earth to your kitchen for beautiful spring egg dyeing.
Keep exploring my friends!
Step 1: Start by boiling 4 cups of water for each color you would like to make. Add 2 tablespoons of white vinegar to each. Lemon or lime juice will also work. You’re just trying to make the dye solution slightly acidic so that it will etch the surface of the egg shell providing more surface area for the dye to attach to.
Step 2: Now you’re going to add the item of your choice from your kitchen to make beautifully colored eggs. Don’t be afraid to experiment here! But here are some suggestions:
- 3 orange carrots will dye light orange eggs
- 3 gold beets chopped will make yellow eggs
- 2 tablespoons of tumeric will also make yellow eggs
- half a head of red cabbage chopped will make blue eggs
- half a red onion chopped will make brownish red eggs
- 3 red beets chopped will make pink eggs
- 2 tablespoons of coffee grounds will dye tan eggs
Step 3: After the hot veggie/vinegar solution has cooled completely, strain the veggies out and soak your hard-boiled eggs in each solution over night. Mason jars make great overnight egg marinating jars and if you use the larger jars you can dye several eggs at a time.
In the morning, remove your beautiful naturally dyed eggs and let them dry.
We really loved this idea and article from Misfits Market, posted on March 10, 2024. You can see their original posting at this url.