Naturally Dyed Easter Eggs with Botanical Designs

Mr. B and I have been on the road for the past week, which explains the hit and miss posting. We found SO much exciting food and wine to share with you that I can hardly contain my excitement any longer! While we sort through piles of notes and photos, here is a fun project that will get you outside to enjoy the spring weather this weekend.

My "adopted" grandmother Anne was an avid gardener. About fifteen years ago at one of the local garden club meetings she learned how to use brewed tea and fern leaves to make naturally dyed Easter eggs with botanical prints. I remember looking at her creations with awe thinking that they were the most beautiful Easter eggs I had ever seen.

This year Mr. B and I are keeping things low key for Easter, so I thought that making these eggs would be a fun way to remember Anne and to celebrate the Holiday. Ferns do not grow in my neighborhood. In fact, I was hard pressed to find any green leaves. (Spring always arrives rather late around here.) However I managed to find a few cedar leaves, dried grass stalks, and long pine needles which proved to be good substitutes.

To make the dyes, I looked no further than my cupboards and found black tea, green tea, and dried hibiscus flowers. A little online research indicated that other good choices would have been coffee, cranberries, beet juice, or turmeric.

The process is simple. Once the dyes are steeped you place a hard boiled egg inside a knee-high nylon stocking and place a leaf in between the egg and the stocking. Pull the stocking tightly around the egg. Then tie a knot just above the egg to hold everything in place. After 15-30 minutes in the dye the egg comes out a new color with a beautiful botanical print along the sides.

Happy Easter Everyone!

Naturally Dyed Easter Eggs with Botanical Designs

Ingredients:

2 cups strongly brewed green tea
(Mine did not turn out as I used loose leaf spearmint instead of regular green tea bags. Next time I'll try regular tea bags. Live and learn!)

2 cups strongly brewed black tea

2 cups hibiscus dye* (Oddly this bright ruby liquid turned the eggs a pale dove gray.)

3 teaspoons white vinegar, divided

Hard boiled eggs

Knee-high nylon stockings (you can rinse these in between eggs and re-use)

Botanical items (thin, flat items work the best)

* To create the hibiscus dye place 1 cup of dried hibiscus flowers in a small bowl and pour 2 cups of hot water over the top of the flowers. Let it steep for 15 minutes, then strain liquid into another small bowl. Discard flowers.

Directions:

1.) Place the green tea, black tea, and hibiscus dye in separate small bowls. Add 1 teaspoon of vinegar to each bowl and stir.

2.) Prepare eggs, by placing one egg in the toe of a nylon stocking and then placing a botanical item flat against the egg inside the stocking. Pull stocking tightly around the egg and tie a knot near the top of the egg to maintain tension. Repeat with remaining eggs or until you run out of stockings.

3.) Dye eggs by placing one stocking wrapped egg in a bowl of dye and letting it sit for 15 minutes submerged in the dye. Remove egg from dye and place on the open side of an egg container, allowing it to dry. Untie the knot in the nylon and remove egg. Pull off the botanical item.

4.) Repeat until all eggs are dyed. If you are re-using your stockings, be sure to rinse them between eggs.