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Colorful Easter, green solution –
sustainable egg dyeing made easy

The temperatures are rising, the green leaves on the trees are glowing in the rays of the sun and the scent of blooming flowers is in the air – spring is here. But it’s not just nature that becomes colorful at this time of year, our chicken eggs do too. Easter is just around the corner and gets our creative minds cooking. Whether plain, colorful or patterned Easter eggs, anything goes. But did you know that the coloring process can also be made sustainable? Here are some tips and tricks on how to do this and step-by-step instructions for your sustainable Easter basket.

Tips for sustainable dyeing

Before you get started, we want to give you some advice on how to dye your Easter eggs as sustainably as possible.

  • Natural products and food waste: Natural materials such as spinach, turmeric or birch leaves can be ideal for creating color. Kitchen waste such as onion and avocado peel can also be used to create beautiful colors. You can find out exactly how this works in our guide to sustainable Easter egg dyeing.
  • Local and seasonal ingredients: Use local and seasonal produce for colorants to minimize your environmental footprint and support local farmers.
  • Save water: When cooking your chosen ingredients, try to save water by only using as much as is needed to cover them with water.
  • Pay attention to the origin of the eggs: It is important to choose eggs that come from sustainable production. So choose organic eggs and free-range or barn eggs. By doing so, you are helping to ensure that hens are kept in better conditions and contributing to the protection of animals and the environment. By buying eggs from local farms and producers, you can also minimize transport distances and support regional farms.

Instructions for sustainably dyed Easter eggs

Equipped with the tips from above, you can finally start dyeing. Simply follow the steps in the instructions.

Step 1: Prepare the ingredients

Synthetic dyes are a thing of the past – today we rely on natural materials. If you want to dye Easter eggs sustainably, it’s best to use natural dyes. The first step to colorful eggs is to collect natural ingredients that can be used as dyes. Here are a few examples of the materials you can use to create your desired color:

  • Light yellow with birch leaves
  • Golden yellow with turmeric
  • Orange-yellow with carrots
  • Green with spinach
  • Purple to blue with red cabbage
  • Red with beetroot
  • Golden brown with onion skins
  • Brown with coffee

Step 2: Preparation of the dyes

Once you have decided on a color, put the required ingredient in a saucepan with as much water as necessary. Bring the water to the boil and leave the ingredient in the pan until the water has reached the desired color. The cooking time is usually 20-30 minutes, but this can vary depending on the ingredient. Strain the solids out of the water. Now wait until the water has cooled down.

Step 3: Coloring the Easter eggs

First, the eggs must be hard-boiled. Then let them cool down. Then comes the most exciting part of the whole process: the hen’s eggs can now be carefully dipped into the dyed water. The longer you leave them in the dye solution, the more intense the color will be.

If you want to achieve different shades of color, you can dip the eggs in different dyes or use different techniques such as spraying or dabbing to create patterns.

Step 4: Drying and decorating

Once the eggs have reached the desired color intensity, you can leave them to dry on a kitchen roll or on a rack. Once this is done, you can decorate them with natural materials such as flower petals, grasses or plant parts and secure the decoration with string or yarn.

Step 5: Enjoy and store

You can place your finished Easter eggs in a basket or in a nest made with straw. Store them in the fridge and eat them within seven days.

As you can see, it’s not difficult to dye Easter eggs sustainably. So give your creativity free rein and let off steam! We wish you and your family a wonderful Easter.

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