Coloring eggs with homemade dye is meditative work, so do it when you have time, or start the project in the evening so you can refrigerate the submerged eggs overnight for a surprise in the morning. Purple cabbage gave me the best result, so I recommend it as a good place to start, but you can make dyes with a wide range of fruits, vegetables, spices, and teas like berries, spinach, beets, turmeric, and turmeric powder. The process is the same regardless of the vegetable or fruit.
Yield: About 2 cups of dye
1/2 head purple cabbage, sliced (about 2 cups)
1 teaspoon white vinegar
Hard-boiled eggs
Bring 3–4 cups of water to boil in a medium saucepan. Add the sliced cabbage (or other vegetable or fruit) and simmer about 10 minutes. Let cool, then strain liquid into a quart-sized yogurt container, bowl, or jar and add 1 teaspoon of vinegar. (Don’t throw away the cooked cabbage. Our dogs loved it atop their kibble; maybe yours will too!) To get a couple eggs going at once, divide the dye between two smaller jars. Gently lower boiled eggs into the dye and leave in until desired color is reached. When you remove the eggs from the dye, transfer to an inverted egg carton to dry. Refrigerate your colored eggs and don’t forget to eat them! They’re great for snacks and in spinach salads. Instructions adapted from a post at wholefoodsmarket.com.
Adapted from original published in Edible Bozeman, Spring 2020; photo by Samantha Lord
