Tips and techniques Dyeing eggs for Easter made easy

Dyeing eggs is part of the Easter program for many families. An expert reveals tips for anyone who wants to work with natural colors.

If you want to embellish your Easter bouquet with dyed eggs, you don't actually need much: natural dyes can be made from many foods. But does it work? Or will you just end up with weird stains on the shell?

"Natural colors are not as strong and bold as conventional colors. The eggs dyed with natural colors usually turn out a little more pastel," explained Christine Mittermayr, who has written a book on the subject. "They are at least as charming as conventionally dyed ones."

According to the Austrian ceramist, strongly colored foods and spices are particularly suitable. These include foods that leave traces of color on the skin when processed or cooked or on the teeth when eaten. "Just to name a few examples: Blue cabbage, blueberries, beet, turmeric, rooibos tea or even onion skins stain strongly," says Mittermayr.

Delicate colors: Cook eggs in the broth right away

Her most important tip: If you dye eggs yourself with these foods, you shouldn't expect too quick a result. "I find creative surprises very exciting," she says.

For delicate colors such as yellow or green, Mittermayr would always boil the eggs in the prepared dye broth. She does the same with onion skins or coffee for red-brown eggs. "It's important to boil the substances for around 15 minutes beforehand." Then the eggs are added and hard-boiled for eight minutes.

Another option is to prepare the coloring broth, let it cool down and leave the boiled eggs in the fridge overnight. "This also gives a more intense result."

Incidentally, Mittermayr likes to mix the yellow turmeric stock with the red cabbage stock for green eggs. Red cabbage alone produces a strong blue tone. Combined with the shibori technique, this creates a "wow effect".

Shibori is a dyeing technique that originated in Japan and is used to create different patterns that are somewhat reminiscent of batik. If you want to dye eggs the "Shibori way", you can use conventional household rubber bands stretched over the eggs to create pretty color recesses.

Royal blue eggs with white rays

Simply place the boiled eggs and rubber bands in the dye bath for around 15 minutes or longer. The longer they soak, the stronger the color will be. After dyeing, the rubber bands are removed and the eggs are carefully dried. The result: almost royal blue eggs surrounded by fine white rays.

"The eggs are also super beautiful with the plant print technique," says Mittermayr - dyed with rooibos tea or onion skins. Small flowers or leaves are carefully placed on the boiled or raw egg. To prevent the decoration from slipping and to create a nice color recess, the egg is placed in a piece of old silk tights and closed tightly with a household clip. The egg is then either placed in a dye bath or boiled in a dye bath, for example with onion skins.

Children usually want to get involved in egg dyeing. "Children are usually enthusiastic about dyeing," says Mittermayer. The ideal place for dyeing is "a place where they can spill and experiment", says the Austrian. Giving children plenty of creative freedom encourages their creativity. Don't forget to praise!

Literature: The little book: Coloring Easter eggs. Naturally and creatively, Christine Mittermayr, Servus Verlag, approx. 9.20 francs