Naturally Dyed Eggs

I read about dyeing eggs using natural ingredients such as onion skins and purple cabbage. The article said boiling your eggs with onion skins creates an attractive orangish-red color. The purple cabbage when boiled with the eggs and allowed to set overnight will result in a turquoise to lavender color.

This, I thought, sounded like something I could handle. I detest those little kits. They make such a mess and the boybarians' hands always end up dyed as well as the eggs.


Our grocer did not have purple cabbage but he had this leafy purple cabbage-like vegetable, which I believe is purple kale. It was worth a try. I also grabbed the extra onion skins lying around the bin.


Unfortantely, our purple kale did not work. The water only turned a pale pink color and the eggs never accepted the dye. I think the concentration was not enough. I probably should have bought 2 bundles or more of the kale.

However, the onion-skin eggs turned out really neat with a very deep color and a marbled appearance.



It was definitely an experiment worth trying and something we will do again.