Natural Fun with Spring Eggs

This year, I have a kiddo who knows what eggs, bunnies, colors, paints and fun are.  Mission: have fun making colored eggs, naturally.  Emphasis on the have fun reference.  There was no lack of fun in this egg coloring adventure.     

First step: locate canvas: eggs. 

Oh yeah, I forgot.  We eat the eggs that have the BROWN shells.  Maybe slight road bump, or maybe the challenge just becomes that much more exciting.  We’ll soon find out, won’t we?

Second step: put those eggs in a pan, add water, enough so an inch of water covers the eggs.  Heat to a gentle, rolling boil over medium heat.  Turn heat off and let eggs stand, covered, for 15 minutes. 

Now, while your eggs are coming to a boil and then resting, you’ll of course have time to begin step 3.

Third step: rummage the kitchen for things that could resemble food coloring, naturally.  Tuck that creative ascot right in and open pantries, refrigerators, freezers, whatever you’ve got. 

Fourth step: When 15 minute wait time is up, Rinse eggs under cold water for a minute or so.  Refrigerate eggs until ready to use or eat.  Hard boiled eggs can keep up to 5-7 days in refrigerator.   

My mission does not include a special trip to the store this morning, I’m not even going to buy those white shelled eggs.  So, I got what I got.  I started by looking for natural egg pairings, like paprika and turmeric.  Saffron?  Sure, why not.  Okay, my pallet is so far pretty yellow and red family-focused.  Time to look outside of this spice box.  What do I come across next, but a half-box of defrosted chopped spinach in the fridge.  Yup, that will be pureed.  I’m not sure what it will do to the egg shells, but it will be pureed.  Those freezer-burnt blackberries and blueberries?  They were made for this mission.  Dump the handful that remains in each bag into a pan and simmer with some water.  Those things always stain my toddler’s high chair tray when she eats them – they must be good for something on the egg shells, right?  One other wonder I wish I had on hand – beets! 
Wait OUR eggshells are brown.  Well, we’ll see what happens.

In the spirit of art and expression, this is 
The Egg Album, unveiled. 

turmeric in water

defrosted spinach before.

pureed spinach, after

berries, simmered and mashed

Our pallet, from top left to bottom right:
apple cider vinegar: great primer to help color attach (props to Heather)
water: for rinsing brush (or unecessary step, according to toddler)
turmeric simmered in water: became paste, not strong match for brown eggs, but provided texture
paprika simmered in water: same color as eggs, ‘nough said
pureed spinach: fun to paint on, for that textured go-green look
frozen blackberries and blueberries simmered: great red-violet color, tough match for brown eggs
saffron: bright orangey-yellow, and… yet another touch match for brown canvas

sometimes, two brushes are better than one

turns out rolling the egg in apple cider vinegar first helps the color adhere

finished products, yes, really

 look very closely, squint, and you may see Egg: Dyed

…or you may not.  It’s there.

What I can say is that in person, our brown eggs were tinted.  Slightly, but still tinted.  The cutting board where we rested our paint brushes?  It houses purple blackberry and yellow saffron stains now.  So the colors I cooked up stained something.  Brown eggs?  Maybe not so much.  Mission Fun: definitely Accomplished.  

At this point, it just seems wasteful to run out and buy white eggs for a do over.  Truth is, we just prefer the brown ones for eating, and nobody ever eat 50 eggs, right?  Next year, a new adventure may bring white eggs.  At the end of the day, we had a blast painting these, they’re edible and chemical-free, and hard-boiled eggs are really good for you.  So there you go: natural fun with spring eggs.   

Ideas, craftiness, stories: please share any or all!  Have you had natural egg coloring adventures?  What’s in your kitchen that works as natural egg dye?  Do you have white egg canvas photos to link to?

Next mission: check out this egg salad sandwich recipe, even though MY brown eggs sat for 15 minutes, versus 7.  Still looks delicious.