Naturally Dyed Easter Eggs

Natural design and color

Marvelous eggs with a swirling and crackled designs inspired by Chinese tea eggs. Subtle neutral colors made from natural vegetables, spices, and tea dye seep into cracked egg shells. Turmeric for yellow, tea for a rusty brown, and red cabbage makes a redish purple to blue. Don't mistaken them for sculpted marble facsimile. You can eat these eggs. A simple project for an easy going Easter brunch.


Natural Dyed Eggs

Eggs
Water
3 tsp salt
3 tblsp white vinegar
3 black or red tea bags
1 tsp turmeric
1/2 half small red cabbage sliced, or about 1.5 lbs,

Gently place eggs in a sauce pan. Cover with water, and bring to a boil. Turn off heat and let sit in water for 2 minutes. Rinse under cold running water. Tap with the bottom end of a spoon until cracked. Try to avoid large cracks and chips. To many cracks may cause the shells to drop off during cooking.

Lightly cracked

In three separate sauce pans add 1 qt water, 1 tsp salt, 1 tblsp vinegar to each pan. To individual sauce pans add turmeric, tea bags, and sliced cabbage. Divide eggs into sauce pans and add more water to cover. The cabbage may need to boil down to fit nicely in the pan. Also the eggs make be more nestled in the cabbage rather than submerged.

Boiling, the cabbage stinks, so keep the windows open

Bring to a boil. Immediately lower heat to a gentle simmer. Avoid rolling boil, it may crack the eggs. Simmer for 4 hours. Drain eggs, and cool until they can be handled. Peel and serve. I like mine with salt.

The eggs shells are a work of art