Pioneer Easter Eggs

This is a post I prepared for the blog Backyard Farming a couple of years ago.

Try this all-natural way to color Easter eggs, using onion skins. I learned it from my mother, who learned it from her mother, who undoubtedly learned it from her mother, too.

The best part of this method, and what I remember most from growing up, is that it was almost like two Easter egg hunts in one. Before we even started coloring the eggs, mom sent us a-hunting outside for blossoms, fresh grass blades, buds and the like to create patterns on the eggs. Even if we didn’t find something new and green, we always enjoyed the search. Ah, spring.

Here’s how to color your own eggs:

• Gather the outer onion skins, as many as you can! The more you have, the greater color saturation. You’ll need to wrap them around each egg several times over.

Remove skins in as big a piece as possible. Save them in the fridge for the weeks leading up to Easter. Or, if you’re like me and the holiday sneaks up on you, dig in the grocery bins to buy lots of loose skins when you purchase onions. Yellow ones produce a golden brown color, with red and purple onion skins imparting a bit more of their respective hues. It’s best to keep one variety per boiling pot so colors don’t get muddy.

• If you’ve collected vegetative material, place the pieces right next to your raw egg in desired pattern, then wrap onion skins around egg. Try moistening leaves, etc., to get them to stick to the egg first.

If you don’t make it outside, raid your crisper for celery leaves, carrot tops, herbs or more – use your imagination. (Don’t use anything that may be toxic -- check the Internet if in doubt.) Leaves and such make a silhouette effect. Pansies (which are edible and therefore safe) sometimes transfer some of their color to the egg -- cool! Onion skins alone, however, still make beautiful eggs with wonderfully layered color.

• After wrapping raw eggs with skins and more skins, secure tightly with rubber bands (easiest) or string. Or tuck egg inside a piece of clean nylon stocking. You really will get more color depth and interest the more skins you use, so break loose!

• Hard-boil using cold-water method: Place wrapped eggs in pot, covering with an inch or more of cold water. Bring quickly to a boil, then set aside covered pot for 22-24 minutes (add about 5 minutes for high altitude). Cool immediately under running cold water. (My mom says the dyed hot water can stain a porcelain sink, so carefully pour it down the drain to avoid having to scrub later.)

• Remove onion skins from eggs and admire your handiwork. Don’t forget that it’s nature handiwork, too.

• If desired, polish dry eggs with a little vegetable oil. Refrigerate eggs until needed. I've yet to have one that tasted like an onion!