Natural DIY Egg Dye from Food Stylist Rachel Grunig
Of course, there are many natural food-based dyes you can choose from, but today, Rachel has us working with turmeric to achieve a golden yellow hue, avocado (which oddly) gives a pink-purple color and yellow onion skins which lend a rusty brown color.
Making the Dye
For a golden hue:
Combine 2 tablespoons ground turmeric with 4 cups water in a saucepan. Simmer for about 30 minutes, adding water to keep the level around 4 cups. Vary the intensity of the dye by using more or less turmeric.
For a purple tone:
Simmer the skins and pits of 5 avocados in a large pot of water for an hour. Turn off heat and let sit overnight. Check the color - if it looks brown, muddy or rusty, add baking or washing soda to bring the color back to pink.
For a rust color: Simmer a potful of onion skins in water for 30 - 60 minutes. The color intensity will vary depending on how many onion skins you use and how long you simmer them for.
Dying the Eggs
Bring the dye pots to a simmer and add the eggs. Let the eggs simmer for 10 minutes or more, depending on how deep you want the colors to be. Option to use small leaves, flowers, bits of fabric or wax to create resists on each egg. Pantyhose and rubber bands work well to keep botanicals in place. Cooking the eggs for at least 10 minutes ensures they’ll be perfectly boiled so you won’t have to worry about them spoiling. Once you remove the eggs from the dye, let them cool then cut off the pantyhose and rinse off any residue. Once the eggs are dry, rub a small amount of cooking oil onto each egg to create a subtle luster, or leave it off if you prefer a matte finish.
Rachel is full of clever ideas like these and brings a unique sense of beauty to every set. To see more from Rachel, visit www.sallyreps.com.
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