Dyeing eggs with natural means: an expert from Dürnbach reveals the best tips

Created: 04/09/2022, 15:00

By: Gabi Werner

Pretty unique pieces are created during Easter egg production with natural dyes.

© Maria Kordes

Beetroot or onion skins instead of chemical colors?

Dyeing eggs for Easter also works with natural means.

Food specialist Maria Kordes from Dürnbach explains how this works.

Dürnbach

– People like it colorful at Easter: colored eggs are simply part of the holidays for most families.

In order to give the egg a colorful shell, many use artificial food coloring - but there is another way.

Maria Kordes only uses natural dyes such as beetroot or onion skins.

In an interview with our newspaper, the 27-year-old from Dürnbach reveals how this works best and what other tips can help when dyeing eggs.

Natural colors: This way you get a lot of surprise eggs

This year Maria Kordes has already dyed around 300 eggs on her farm in Dürnbach.

The fact that she only uses natural ingredients makes things all the more exciting: "Every egg looks different," says the business economist for nutrition and care.

So every egg is a surprise egg?

"Yeah, it's kind of an experiment every time," says Kordes, laughing.

These are the right plants for dyeing eggs

In order to achieve a nice result, the woman from Dürnbach has already tried many things.

The following plants have proven themselves in their eyes: turmeric, saffron and chamomile for yellow eggs, beetroot for a red skin, elderberry juice or red cabbage for a strong blue and upper onion skins for a reddish-brown effect.

"If you want an intense color, boil the plants in water for about half an hour," explains Kordes.

Then pour the brew through a sieve, add two tablespoons of vinegar - and the dye bath is ready.

"You can boil the eggs in the dye soup or you can put the boiled eggs in the cold dye bath for several hours," says the woman from Dürnbach.

Maria Kordes stirs the color brew in a pot.

© Thomas Plettenberg

According to Kordes' experience, the most uncomplicated method is to dye with onion skins.

"If you use brown eggs, you can boil them hard together with the shells." It's best to turn the eggs in between so that they take on color all over.

"The eggs," says Kordes, "then have a strong reddish-brown hue."

Dyeing eggs with plants: natural tone instead of bang

As with everything else, there are advantages and disadvantages when dyeing with natural products.

A flashy result cannot be achieved in this way, Kordes admits.

"The intensity of the coloring is not as strong as with the store-bought colors." But it is precisely this natural tone that the 27-year-old prefers for her eggs.

However, you need an old pot for the production of the brew, which can also discolour unattractively.

"A good alternative for the dye bath are empty jam jars," says Kordes.

The expert advises: Do not use fresh eggs for dyeing

The woman from Dürnbach, whose family sells both colored and non-colored eggs directly from the farm, has more tips on the Easter tradition ready.

Kordes knows that fresh eggs are difficult to peel after cooking.

"The egg shell literally sticks to the egg white." For dyeing, she therefore recommends using eggs that have been stored for at least two weeks before cooking.

Then they can be peeled more easily at Easter brunch and eaten faster.

Quench eggs don't keep as long

The food expert also advises not to quench the eggs with cold water after cooking.

The temperature shock causes air to form between the shell and the protein – the oxygen makes it easier for germs to get inside.

Quenched eggs will keep for about two weeks, according to Kordes.

"Unquenched boiled eggs, on the other hand, can be stored for more than four weeks."

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