Easter is coming. It's high time to take care of the egg dyeing! Our video shows how this can be done naturally with plant-based products.
A small guide to using coloring plants:
Flowers and leaves are poured with cold water and allowed to steep, similar to making a tea infusion.
Roots, bark, wood and fruit peels are best left to soak in cold water and then boiled.
After cooking, the broth is strained. For the coloring itself, the broth is heated until just before boiling and the eggs are added to the hot, slightly simmering broth. As soon as the desired color is achieved, the eggs are removed.
Red/Pink
Cochineal (Coccionella)
2 grams of cochineal are ground or crushed in a mortar and boiled with 1 liter of water for about 15 to 20 minutes. Depending on the desired color, the eggs are left in the hot water for up to 1 hour.
Redwood (Lignum Fernambuci)
3 tablespoons of redwood are soaked in 1 liter of water for 1 - 2 hours and then boiled for 1/2 hour. The eggs are left in the broth until the desired color is achieved.
Yellow
St. John's Wort (Herba Hyperici)
A cup full of St. John's wort is boiled in 1 liter of water together with 1 teaspoon of alum for 1/2 hour. Depending on the desired color, the eggs are left in the brew for a shorter or longer time.
Yellowwood (Lignum citrinum)
Boil 2 tablespoons of yellowwood with 1/2 liter of water for 15 minutes and leave the eggs in the hot stock for up to 1 hour, depending on the desired color intensity.
Mate green (Folia Mate viride)
2 tablespoons of cut mate leaves are boiled with 1/2 liter of water for 1/4 hour. The eggs are colored in the hot broth for up to 1 hour, depending on the desired color intensity. Greenish tones develop in the cold brew.
Blue
Blueberries (Fructus Myrtilli)
Bring about 2 tablespoons of dried blueberries to the boil with 1/2 liter of water and leave the eggs in the hot broth for a long time.
Brown
Walnut shells (Cortex Juglandis nucum)
Boil 2 - 3 tablespoons of walnut shells with 1/2 liter of water for about 1/2 hour and let the eggs steep in the hot stock for up to an hour, depending on the desired color.
Final Notes:
When using brown eggs instead of white, other interesting shades of color appear. Mixing different color infusions also creates beautiful color gradations.
After dyeing, when the eggs have cooled, you can make them shine with a linen cloth and olive oil.