Last year was our first year dyeing eggs naturally. It was really fun, really easy and something you could probably do with things you have in your house right now. We were starting with our own fresh eggs which were either brown or shades of blue-green. Honestly, we probably could have just left them that way, they are so beautiful as is. But we'll be dyeing them again this year and trying some new colors!
Purple/Red cabbage gives you that beautiful turquoise blue! It's outstanding! I bet it's even more vivid on a white egg but with 60 chickens, you can bet I am not going out to buy any eggs, so we'll be over-dyeing our own again this year.
Turmeric gives you that golden yellow color. The 'dye' didn't take as uniformly as the cabbage but I really like the effect.
Here is what you need to dye your own eggs naturally!
1 head of purple cabbage sliced up and/or 3 Tablespoons of Turmeric
Two large pots of water
2 Tablespoons of white vinegar for each pot
Eggs, of course! (do not hard boil them first)
In two separate pots place your dyeing ingredients, water and vinegar. Bring to a boil and allow to simmer for about 30 minutes. WARNING! It will stink! Seriously, it will smell awful. But don't let that turn you off because the end result will be lovely.
Strain your dye mixes through a fine mesh strainer and then place back into separate pots.
Add your eggs and boil as you would to cook hard boiled eggs using the method you prefer!
You can then allow them to dry on a cooling rack.
Done!
While, the dye process is a bit on the stinky side the eggs do not end up tasting like cabbage or turmeric so you can go ahead and use them in salads etc.
Martha has some great instructions too, with more specific measurements, times and ideas for using some other natural dyes you have in your home as well.
