Eco Egg Dyeing : The Beet Will Never Let You Down

Our beautiful eggs created with natural dyes.

When I was younger spring was my favorite season. My birthday is in the beginning of March, soon after is Easter, and all of the snow melts away to reveal the natural beauty that rested all winter. Every Easter, the Bunny would bring me Play Dough, bubbles, hula hoops, chalk, and all the other toys I was only allowed to play with outdoors. Easter also meant I was allowed to make a mess decorating eggs. This was something I looked forward to as a child and something I still look forward to as a young adult. Coloring the prettiest and brightest eggs that I could turn into rainbow egg salad was and still is my ultimate goal. This year due to my internal (mental and physical) battle with processed foods my goal was modified. I wanted not only to be able to make gorgeously colored eggs, but take the opportunity to use nature’s own beautiful pigments to dye them. I began scouring Pinterest for eco egg dyeing instructions. I realized quickly it was going to be a lot of fun but also a lot of work for results that would vary greatly. I contacted my veggie guru Teresa, and the evening before Easter we got down to business.

Warning: The following few paragraphs include a brief description of the history and science of natural dyeing. If you are only interested in how and what was used to color our eggs, skip this section, we will not be insulted, however it is pretty interesting if you ask me!

The Dying Art of Natural Dyeing 
Natural dyes were the only form of dyeing textiles and other materials before the mid 19th century when Will Perkins invented the first synthetic dyes. Sources of natural dyes can come from fruits and vegetables like pomegranates, roots like turmeric, lichens, and even scale insects such as cochineal. The majority of dyers in today’s world use synthetic dyes due to the unlimited color palette, ease of application, and lasting color. However, synthetic dyes come from chemicals which can not only cause harm to the user but to the environment due to the the resulting pollution of water and grounds. Although we have many ways to counter contamination there are still methods of synthetic dyeing that cause pollutants we are not able to treat. The other con to using synthetic dyes is the loss of the ancient practice and knowledge of harnessing the Earth’s natural pigments. Using natural dyes is deeply studied practice that still results in surprises. The hard work and effort required to use natural dyes produce a satisfying and beautiful end result that brings you closer to our natural world.

By Unknown - http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/utk/england/popup/wool.htm,

Toxic vs. Non-Toxic Dyes
There are three main types of natural dyes. Substantive dyes require the dyestuff and the item you wish to dye to be boiled then left to simmer for an extended period of time. If edible materials like plant matter and roots are used, then a cooking pot on the stove is safe to use for dyeing. Vat dyeing is accomplished by introducing the dyestuff in a soluble form to the un-dyed item and then converting to an insoluble form via anaerobic fermentation. Mordant dyes are dyes that require the help of mordants, or inorganic auxiliary molecules usually oxides, to assist in the fixing of dyes that would otherwise wash away from the material you wish to dye. Mordant dyes are used most often as a natural dye because of their variation in color, however they can be toxic due to the mordants required such as tin and chromium. Some mordants such as alum are less toxic but still cause irritation and could harm the material you are dyeing. There are synthetic toxic and non-toxic versions of the three main types of natural dyes, however we once again have to weigh out the risk of accumulating a pollutant when using synthetics.

Why Add the Vinegar?
The vinegar lowers the pH of the dye solution by adding more hydrogen atoms. These hydrogen atoms then attach to the dye molecules and increase their ability to hydrogen bond to the slightly negative molecules of the egg protein and calcium carbonate of the eggshell. This helps to increase the saturation of the dye providing a brighter color. However, if too much vinegar is added the acetic acid with react with the calcium carbonate of the eggshell (what you see as bubbling) which will cause un-dyed spots on the egg. Wired conducted an experiment determining that the optimal pH for acidic food dyes is 4 for the best and brightest decorated eggs.

Our Egg Dyeing Process and Results

Teresa and Sabrina reviewing natural egg dyeing instructions.

We decided to use various sources to determine the best method for dyeing and herb stenciling our eggs:

◆ The Good Food Blog’s Infographic
◆ Martha Stewart's Dyeing Eggs Naturally
◆ Natural Dyed Easter Eggs by Deb Thompson
◆ Herb Stenciled Easter Eggs by Adventures in Cooking

As described by Deb Thompson, two methods were used for dyeing the eggs a “Cold” method which indicates that you use previously hard boiled eggs in the dyes and a “Hot” method which indicates you boil the eggs at the same time you boil the ingredients to create the dye.

Although the two methods were used, I think it would be much easier if you only employed the cold method. This way you are sure both dye and eggs are properly prepared to your liking. After our experiment I discovered a source that only uses the cold method. I also believe using the cold method is best when dyeing eggs naturally with children to avoid working with boiling dyes and impatient little ones.

Boiling Easy Peel Eggs (for Cold Method)

1. In a large pot bring about 3 quarts of water to a roaring boil
2. Very gently place raw eggs into boiling water, being careful not to crack eggs
3. Let eggs boil for 20 minutes making sure to reduce heat to prevent over boiling.
1. This time is based on cooking well done hard boiled eggs. Cook eggs to your liking.
4. Immediately drain eggs and place them in an ice cold water bath.
1. I usually place the eggs back into the pot I boiled them, fill it with enough cold water to cover all of the eggs then place the entire pot in the fridge overnight, but they will be ready as soon as the pot and the eggs are completely cool

Boiling eggs to use for dyes requiring the "cold method"

Black Tea
Procedure: (Cold Method)

1. Boil about 2 quarts of water for tea
2. Once the water is boiled use as many tea bags as you desire to steep a very strong tea
1. We used cheap black tea and most likely overdid it on the amount of tea bags we used. But we figured, why not?
2. If you want an actual number, we used at least 12 teabags in a medium sized tea kettle filled with water
3. Place pre-cooked eggs in tea (we placed ours directly in our kettle) and let sit until they reach the desired shade.

Lots of tea bags used to steep a very strong black tea.

No need to dirty more pots when you have a kettle.

Results
Dyeing white eggs with black tea gives them brown egg shells. Since some chickens produce brown eggs on their own this result may not excite you very much and seem a bit silly. However, if you decide to try herb stenciling or line work using string or rubber bands, you can create beautiful natural looking eggs with a simple yet intriguing design. You could also experiment with more colorful teas. Passion fruit teas, such as this Tazo Tea, tend to be a deep burgundy color and have been reported to temporarily stain clothes.

Eggs dyed with black tea.

Turmeric
Turmeric is a native Indian plant in the ginger family. The rhizomes of this plant are boiled, dried, and ground into a deep yellow-orange powder which can then be used as a spice for dishes that require an earthy, bitter, and slightly hot pepper flavor. Many people consider turmeric to be one of the healthiest plants in the world due to its anti-fungal and antibacterial properties. Teresa has a lot of it because she frequently uses it to make golden rice.

Procedure: (Cold Method)

1. Vigorously combine 2 cups of warm water, 4 tbsp of turmeric, and ⅛ cup of white vinegar
1. The turmeric may not completely dissolve in the solution resulting in a clay like substance in the bottom of your bowl. Do not worry the eggs will still dye.
2. Feel free to play with the turmeric clay it is a lot of fun and the stains wash off of your fingers.
2. Place pre-cooked eggs in mixture, making sure eggs are completely covered, and let sit until they reach desired shade. We let ours sit for 2-3 hours and they were a pretty canary yellow.

Whisking the turmeric.

Results
This method was very effective. Not only did it work well, it also worked quickly if you want a nice pale yellow. If the eggs were left in longer a deeper yellow was obtained. If you place eggs first in turmeric and then place them in the beet dye it will create a rusted orange tone. Another option is to dye the entire egg with turmeric and then add design elements, such as herbs, before placing in the beet dye for a dual color design.

Turmeric dyed eggs.

Blueberries
Patience is key with this dye, but it is worth the wait.

Procedure: (Cold Method)

1. Mash 1 cup of blueberries and combine with ½ cup of cranberry juice and ⅛ cup of vinegar.
1. If you are using frozen blueberries make sure to let them thaw first.
2. Because of the skin, mashing blueberries can be quite the task. I suggest using a food processor to properly blend the blueberry mixture.
3. Adding the cranberry juice is not required but preferred as to not completely dilute the pigment of the blueberries
2. Place pre-cooked eggs in blueberry-cranberry mixture, making sure eggs are completely covered, and let sit until they reach the desired shade.

Eggs processing in various dyes. The blueberries are in the white bowl.

Results
This dye required 6+ hours to process, therefore if you decide to dye your eggs in the evening, leaving them overnight in the fridge is not a bad idea. At first we were discouraged by the lack of pigmentation on the eggs after 6 hours, however when the eggs were dry the color began to appear. I loved the resulting speckled lavender eggs with blue and green hues. Full disclosure: we did add a splash of beet juice at the very end in desperation which turned our eggs more purple than they might have been.

Eggs dyed in Blueberries.

Red Cabbage 
Potential for a brilliant blue color but not without a lot of wasted time and cabbage.

Procedure: (Hot Method)

1. Shred an entire head of red cabbage either using a knife or your hands.
2. Place shred cabbage, raw eggs, ⅛ cup of vinegar, and ONLY enough water to cover the eggs in a pot and cover. 
1. Note: The less water used the better in order decrease the chances of diluting the dye.
3. Bring mixture to a rapid boil and let cook for about 15 minutes.
4. Reduce to a simmer and let cook for another 15 minutes.
1. These eggs are very hard boiled, to a point that some might consider to be over cooked. I personally prefer my hard boiled eggs this way, but if you do not you may want to take a look at the source I linked above which employs the cold method to all dyeing procedures.
5. Remove the pot from the heat and let eggs sit in dye until they reach the desired shade.

Half a head of red cabbage shredded. Note:Outer leaves contain more pigment.

Raw eggs nesting in cabbage.

Results
When I first researched dyeing eggs using natural sources the first one that popped up was the brilliant blue achieved by using red cabbage. Naturally I was very excited for this outcome, even though I knew it would waste an entire head of cabbage (something Teresa was not too fond of, I guess I can’t blame her but cabbage is NOT my favorite veggie so it did not bother me as much.) Unfortunately, after 7 hours of letting the eggs sit in the cabbage dye and adding a few handfuls of chopped beats out of desperation, we were only able to dye the eggs a pale grey-blue. I wondered if it was because we used too much water, but it was essential in order to cover all of the cabbage and the eggs. I think making the dye first by boiling the cabbage in a minimal amount of water and vinegar, then straining out the liquid and letting pre-cooked eggs sit in this dye overnight in the fridge would have resulted in a more vibrant color.

Red cabbage dyed eggs.

Spinach
Total disaster, do not try.

Procedure: (Hot Method)

1. Combine ½ lb of spinach (Holy lots of spinach!), 2 ½ cups of water, and 1 tsp of salt and bring to a boil over medium heat. 
2. Cover pot and let mixture simmer for 1 hour. 
3. Strain dye into bowl and discard veggies. Pour dye into respective pot noting how many cups of dye were produced. 
4. For every cup of dye, add 3 tsp of white vinegar. 
5. Allow dye to cool for 30 minutes.  
6. Rub raw eggs with vinegar, place in pot, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes. 
7. Remove the pot from the heat and allow eggs to rest, while still being covered, for another 15 minutes. 

Lots of wasted spinach.

Results
Trying to dye eggs in spinach to obtain a pale green color only resulted in a bad smelling mixture, wasting a ton (not a ton but a ½ lb) of delicious spinach, and a pot that was extremely difficult to clean. Teresa and I made it to step three and noticed the “dye” was not pigmented at all and knew from there it was a failed attempt. After our fail I went back to researching how to naturally dye eggs green. One blogger suggests using red cabbage to dye brown eggs will result in a green color. Another suggestion for a darker shade of green, is to dye the eggs in a strong hibiscus tea. Whatever you do forget about the spinach, even if it works for you the amount of spinach wasted in our opinion is not worth it.

Failed attempt to naturally dye eggs using spinach.

Beets
If we learned anything from this experience it was that beets will never let you down. When we became discouraged by the failed spinach and red cabbage dyes all we needed to do was look at the beautiful result obtained from using beets and our hope was restored.

Peeled Beet.

Procedure: (Hot Method)

1. Chop four beets into very small chunks, around ½ inch and smash around 15 blueberries.
2. Add the blueberries, beets, and uncooked eggs to a pot.
3. Pour enough cranberry juice into the pot to cover the eggs.
1. You could use water, however anything you can do to avoid diluting the dye will enhance the color.
4. Bring the mixture to a boil, then allow to simmer for 25 minutes.
5. Remove the pot from the heat and allow the eggs to remain in the dye until they have reached the desired pigment.
6. At this point you can place the pot in the fridge while you are waiting. 
1. After our first batch of eggs were dyed we continued to use the dye by boiling another batch of eggs in the same mixture

Eggs resting in chopped beets.

Eggs "gettin a beetin"

Results
Thank you beets, for staining any and everything you come in contact with making you the perfect source for a natural alternative to egg dyeing. Dyeing the eggs with beets was the easiest method because it worked fast for a pale color, but also was effective in creating a deeper tone the longer the eggs were left in the dye. Also, if you are a fan of pickled beets add a bit of sugar to the pot along with the rest of the ingredients and you have got yourself some pickled beets! If you have a taste for a food adventure you could try making pickled beets and eggs, which is apparently a delicious Easter tradition for some families, go figure! To keep ours from going to waste, Teresa took the beets home to eat and added a little balsamic vinegar to them and roasted them in the oven at 400 degrees until they were starting to get crispy.

Beautiful beet dyed eggs. The one with brown spots on the left was first dyed in tea, then a design added with marjoram, then put in the beet dye.

The effectiveness of staining is the problem when using beets. The juice can stain your hands, table, and clothes which may remind you of a crime scene, just ask the folks from Portlandia. However do not panic! I have looked up some ways to help if you or your egg dyeing partners have a beet stain related accident.

Removing Beet Stains from Fabric

• Pretreat item with a liquid laundry detergent or a pre wash stain remover, then rinse well with cold water. 
• A natural pre wash stain remover is white vinegar, which you will happen to have handy. Alternating between laundry detergent and the prewash stain remover a few times can help stubborn stains 
• Some sources suggest placing a piece of bread over a fresh fabric beet stain and allowing it soak up some of the juice before treatment. 
• If the stain is really stubborn soak in a solution of cold water and chlorine bleach, which is fabric safe. 
• Launder in cold water with fabric-appropriate bleach if needed.

Removing Beet Stains from Upholstery

• Mix one tbsp of liquid dish soap with two cups of cold water.
• Use a clean white cloth to dab the stain with the soap solution.
• Blot the area until all of the liquid is absorbed.
• Repeat steps 2 and 3 until the stain is gone and no longer absorbing into the cloth.
• If the stain is still being stubborn, mix 1 tbsp of ammonia with ½ a cup of water and repeat steps 2 - 4 with this solution

Warning: do not mix bleach and ammonia the resulting fumes are hazardous.

Removing Beet Stains from Hands

• Rinse hands through warm water.
• Pour salt directly onto hands and rub them together briskly.
• Any salt is fine, but coarse salt is preferred.
• Rinse hands when stain starts to lift.
• Repeat steps 1 - 3 until stains are removed
• Wash hands with moisturizing soap or use lotion after washing hands because salt can cause your hands to dry out.

Creating Stenciled Designs

Herb Stenciling
Using fresh kitchen herbs such as parsley, cilantro, basil, thyme, marjoram, and rosemary to create organic designs on naturally dyed eggs is a beautiful choice. A simple method and nature’s own creativity is all that is required.

Supplies:

• Fresh Herbs (such as Parsley or Cilantro)
• 1 pair of clean nylon stockings (a new pair of stockings not required)

Procedure:

1. Cut stocking into 6 inch tubes with an opening at both ends. 
2. Cut enough stocking tubes to have one for each egg you want to stencil. 
3. Place herb trimming on egg in the position you would like your imprint then gently set down egg. 
1. Teresa and I discovered using slightly wilted or dampened herbs improved our ability to stick the herbs to the surface of the eggshell for proper positioning. 
2. Herbs with thin leaves like cilantro and parsley are the easiest to use and make nice crisp designs, other herbs with thicker leaves like marjoram and rosemary can be used with a little creativity and dampening the herbs or the egg before placing.
4. Pull stocking tube over your dominant hand. 
5. Hold the egg with the herb placed on top with the same hand, gently using your fingers to hold the herb in place. 
6. Using your other hand pull the stocking over your dominant hand until the egg is roughly in the middle of the nylon tube. 
7. Carefully remove your dominant hand from the egg in the nylon tube, making sure the herb is held in place by the stocking 
8. Place the egg down gently or hold it while you knot the nylon. 
9. Knot the two ends of the stocking together, so the egg is tightly secured inside, with the knot on the back of the egg, not over the herb. 
1. Knot it however you prefer, Sabrina and I knotted them differently and it didn’t affect the stencils.
10. Once eggs are dyed allow them to completely dry before removing nylon and herb stencil. 
11. If you are impatient like we were simply use a hairdryer to speed up the process.
12. Remove the nylon using a pair of scissors and cutting near the knot
13. Peel off the herb.
1. If the egg is still damp, it is possible to smudge the edges of the design so try to get the egg as dry as possible before peeling.

Marjoram design held in place by nylon stocking.

When all of the eggs you wish to herb stencil are prepped follow proper procedures to dye them.

Using a hair dryer to dry dyed eggs.

Don't cut too close or you'll scrape the color off the egg.

Peel gently but quickly for a crisp design.

String Design
Wrap your eggs with string to create striped designs.
Alternatively, use small rubber bands to create designs on your eggs. We didn’t have rubber bands, but they would likely be easier to work with and stay on the egg better than string. The rubber band may also create a sharper design. We didn’t try this ourselves, though, so we can’t vouch for how well it will work.

Supplies:

• Thin string that is soft and slightly rough. Embroidery string may be too smooth to grip the egg, but cotton string works well.
• Or small rubber bands
• Water as needed

Procedure

1. If using string
1. Dampen the string with water and wrap around the egg like wrapping ribbon around a present, holding the string tightly
2. Flip the egg over, and twist the two ends of the string so they latch together, then wrap back around the egg in a different direction
3. Repeat as desired
4. Note: The string can come loose when handling the eggs while they are dyeing, if this is the case remove the egg from the dye and the string. Likely there will already be some impression of the design on the egg, even if not the depth of color you desired. If there is no design, try re-wrapping the egg with string and dyeing again.
2. If using rubber bands
1. Simply pull them over the egg as desired.
2. They key is to have rubber bands that are small enough to fit around the egg tightly, but not tightly enough to crack it.

This egg was already damp from a short tea bath.

The string came loose while handing the egg it's second time in the tea, but the string design had already left an impression.

Naturally Dyed Easter Eggs: Worth the wait and the waste?

Sabrina:
Dyeing Easter Eggs is a tradition I enjoy. I get to be creative, messy and I love hard boiled eggs and recipes that require them. As a forever student of science I have a hunger for experimentation with the natural world, therefore dyeing Easter eggs using natural sources of pigmentation is something I found fun and exciting. I was concerned about the wasted food items for dyeing eggs, but if you find uses for the cooked food such as feeding yourself or animals, or adding them to a compost I do not see the harm. I plan to improve and try new techniques in the future, that way if I have little ones of my own someday I will have recipes and methods I know work well.

Teresa:
Growing up, we never colored Easter eggs in my house. It wasn’t until I was much older that I colored eggs with Sabrina for the first time, not that many years before I went vegan. Dyeing Easter eggs goes against the vegan lifestyle and I was hesitant to participate. Although it is not something I would choose to do on my own, I agreed to help Sabrina with the project. Sabrina purchased the eggs and some supplies and I provided many of the food ingredients. Part of the reason I agreed to help was that she assured me she would eat the dyed eggs and they would not just be decorative and then thrown away. The foods we used for dyeing are all foods I normally eat and I wanted to be able to save as much of these ingredients as possible so that I could eat them and they would not go to waste. The spinach, frozen blueberries, turmeric, and cabbage were all rendered inedible by our experiment and I was only able to salvage the beets to take home and eat. If we had a compost, that would have been a good option as well for the foods that were inedible. I did have a lot of fun helping Sabrina, and I think other people and families would have fun with this as well. If you would prefer a vegan egg decorating experience, there are many ideas out there like this video about how to make your own vegan chocolate eggs.