Dying Eggs With Onion Skins For Easter
This recipe for Dying Eggs With Onion Skins utilizes onion skins, white eggs, plant leaves, and common household items like gauze or pantyhose and twine to create stunningly beautiful Easter eggs.
Servings: 12 eggs
Calories: 64kcal
Ingredients
- Onion skins from about 3 lbs of onions
- 12 Eggs white
- Water as required
- ¼ cup Vinegar optional
- Herbs or leaves from plants
Instructions
- Peel the skins from several onions, aiming for a generous amount to create a strong dye bath. Wash the skins thoroughly to remove any dirt or debris.Onion skins
- Place your white eggs in a pot and cover them with cold water. Bring the water to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 8 to 10 minutes (10 minutes for Extra Large eggs). Remove the eggs from the pot and let them cool completely.. Let the eggs cool completely before decorating.12 Eggs, Water
- Select a variety of clean and whole leaves from herbs or plants. Wash them gently and pat them dry.Herbs
- Cut a square of gauze or pantyhose and dampen it slightly. Place a damp leaf or combination of leaves on the egg. Carefully wrap the damp gauze or pantyhose around the egg, securing the leaves in place. Repeat with remaining eggs and leaves.
- In a separate pot, combine the onion skins, water, and vinegar. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes to an hour, depending on the desired color intensity. A longer simmer time will produce darker colors. Cool the dye before adding the hard boiled egg bundles.¼ cup Vinegar
- Submerge the egg bundles in the cooled onion skin dye. The longer they soak, the deeper the color will be. For a light golden color, soak for 10 minutes. For a richer brown, soak for 30 minutes to an hour. A lot depends on how much onion skins you started with.
- Remove the eggs from the dye and carefully unwrap the gauze or pantyhose. Let the eggs dry completely on a wire rack before displaying.
- Oil and shine (optional): For a beautiful sheen, rub the eggs lightly with a paper towel dipped in vegetable oil.
Notes
Cook Times: Cook time for the egg is 8 minutes, not 38. The extra 30 minutes is to simmer the onion skins (minimum time). If you can simmer then in a crockpot overnight on high, the dye bath will be the strongest (again the onion skins, NOT the eggs)!
Dying the Eggs: Use the amount of time in the cool (or cold) dye bath to regulate how dark a hue the eggs have
Additional Notes:
- Use fresh white eggs for the most vibrant color results.
- Try to include red onion skins as well as brown ones.
- Ensure the onion skin dye is has cooled before immersing the eggs (they're already hard boiled).
- Wear gloves while handling onion skins to avoid staining your hands.
Nutrition
Calories: 64kcal | Carbohydrates: 0.3g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.02g | Cholesterol: 164mg | Sodium: 63mg | Potassium: 61mg | Sugar: 0.2g | Vitamin A: 238IU | Calcium: 25mg | Iron: 1mg