Coloring Easter eggs is a wonderful tradition I grew up with. Dyeing Easter Eggs with Red Cabbage will produce a natural purple dye, which colors your eggs into shades of blue. It's a strange color thing that happens, I'm sure there is a scientific reason why, but all I care about is the cool blue easter eggs!
Growing up, we usually dyed Easter eggs using onion skins, which is a traditional Russian way. This gave them a deep red brown color, but I always wanted colorful eggs, like the other kids school. My mum wouldn't allow us to use store bought kits. The store bought kits use harsh dyes which are unhealthy for you, and there are many ways to naturally color eggs.
Dyeing Easter Eggs with Cabbage
I'm so glad I discovered red cabbage for dying blue Easter eggs. It doesn't take long to prepare the cabbage dye solution. You need to use white eggs for better blue color. If you use brown eggs, they turn out a darker blue-green color. Use both for variety, and choose different shades of brown eggs!
The longer the eggs sit in the prepared cabbage dye solution, the darker the blue color will be. I usually use a large mason jar to submerge the eggs in the cabbage dye, and keep them refrigerated overnight while the dye sets. For a lighter blue eggs, remove them from the dye after a few hours.
Eating Dyed Easter Eggs
Now in case it's not clear, we eat the eggs. They are not a decoration or craft item that your throw out! The harsh dyes and chemicals aren't healthy, as they leach into the cooked egg whites. It's a natural way to enjoy Easter, whilst still eating the Easter eggs. If it's not clear, these will be hard boiled eggs, just dyed a pretty blue color. Make sure you keep the dyed eggs refrigerated until you place them on the table for enjoyment on Easter. Use any leftover dyed eggs for Egg Salad sandwiches, or tasty Olivier Potato Salad. But don't forget to keep it all refrigerated.
Russian Easter Egg Tradition
I believe this is an Orthodox tradition, where you try to crack each others eggs. I hold the egg in my hand, and someone cracks to top of my egg, hoping that their own egg won't crack. Then I return the favor and try to crack their egg. The cracked eggs symbolize the resurrection of Christ from the tomb. The red/brown dyed eggs are supposed to symbolize the blood of Christ. Blue eggs don't symbolize anything, they're just pretty!
Dyeing Easter Eggs with Red Cabbage is super easy and a great tasty, healthier Easter tradition to start with your family. Bon Appetit! Приятного аппетита!
Dyeing Easter Eggs with Red Cabbage (Video)
Ingredients
- 1 cup of coarsely chopped red cabbage per every 1 cup of water
- 1 tablespoon of vinegar for every cup of strained dye
- 1 dozen white eggs (hard boiled) feel free to experiment by adding some brown eggs
- Vegetable oil for shining the eggs
Instructions
- Coarsely cut 5 cups red cabbage leaves and put into pot. Add 5 cups of water and bring to a boil. Let simmer on low for approx. 25-30 minutes. You will see the colour turn a purple colour.
- Strain the cabbage from the water. Add 1 tablespoon of vinegar per cup of dye and stir throughout. Allow the dye to cool before you use it.
- Place the blue cabbage dye into a wide mouth glass jar. Carefully lower the eggs into the jars using a tablespoon. For lighter blue eggs, soak the eggs for 4-6 hours, and remove when you are happy with the color. For deeper blue eggs, soak the eggs overnight in the refrigerator. Place the eggs on a cooling rack until completely dry. If you like shiny eggs, add a few drops of vegetable oil, and wipe carefully using a cloth.
- Keep the dyed eggs refrigerated until you are ready to eat them on Easter morning.
Video
©PetersFoodAdventures.com
