How to Use Vegetables to Dye Eggs

Dye your Easter eggs using items from your pantry, like yellow onions, beets, turmeric and various herbs. This fun and easy egg decorating project is eco-friendly, non-toxic and creates beautiful spring pieces to display all season long.

By Kim Foren, Geranium Lake; Photography by Erica Ann Photography and Fine Art

Materials Needed:

eggs
3-4 cups vegetable skins (examples: yellow or purple onions, beets, beet greens, tea bags and/or turmeric)
leaves and/or herbs (examples: cilantro, parsley, bamboo, geranium, Japanese maple and dill)
8-quart stock pot

2 tablespoons vinegar
vegetable oil
pantyhose
scissors

Directions

1. Bring water and vinegar to a boil. Add 3-4 cups of tightly packed vegetable skins. Simmer for 15 minutes until water has a noticeable chestnut color. Note: Add turmeric or tea bags to create a bolder dye.2. Use scissors to cut pantyhose into several smaller sections. Each should be just large enough to stretch tightly around one egg.3. Wrap herbs and leaves around the outside of egg. (This will be the print that is left on the egg's exterior.) Gently wrap the egg in a piece of cut pantyhose.4. Tightly tie off the end of the pouch with twine or small zip ties.5. Once you have a batch ready, drop each gently into the boiling vegetable water. Boil for 10 minutes.6. After 10 minutes, turn burner off. Continue to let eggs cool in water for an additional 10 minutes. This gives them time to really soak up the dye.7. Carefully scoop out eggs with a spoon or soup ladle.8. Unwrap and peel off leaves and/or herbs.9. To really make your eggs appear beautiful and delicate, rub each with a tiny drop of vegetable oil.