How did the tradition of coloring eggs start?

The original tradition of Easter egg coloring is said to have started in Persia in 3000 B.C. to celebrate the first day of spring. The first known egg dyeing in the U.S. was by the Pennsylvania Dutch (German) settlers in the early 1700's. They used natural materials such as onion skin and bark to color the shells.

The Easter Bunny is not a modern invention. The symbol originated with the pagan festival of Eastre. The goddess, Eastre, was worshipped by the Anglo-Saxons through her earthly symbol, the rabbit.

The Germans brought the symbol of the Easter rabbit to America. It was widely ignored by other Christians until shortly after the Civil War. In fact, Easter itself was not widely celebrated in America until after that time.



Pick Your Shades

Pick your shades - each of these combinations produced a different shade of the color. Go ahead and experiment using different liquids, spices, food and ingredient combinations. I would love to hear how they come out so please let me know.

Purple and Pink

1 cup beet juice and 2 teaspoons white vinegar

1 cup red wine and 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

1 cup pomegranate juice and 2 teaspoons white vinegar

1/2 cup Concord grape juice and 1/4 cup deeply steeped black cherry herbal tea (use any red-ish tea)

Green

1 cup kale or spinach juice and 2 teaspoons white vinegar

1 cup deeply steeped green tea and 2 teaspoons vinegar

Yellow

1 cup water, 2 tablespoons turmeric and 2 teaspoons white vinegar

Brown

1 cup strong black coffee with 2 teaspoons white vinegar

1 cup Worcestershire sauce with 2 tablespoons soy sauce

Orange and Rust

2 cups water and 2 tablespoons chili powder, 1 tablespoon annatto and 2 teaspoons white vinegar

Blue
2 cups pureed blueberries and 2 cups Concord grape juice

Red 2 cups canned cherry pie filling (wanted to try fresh cherries but not in season in Jersey) and 2 cups beet juice

Dye the Eggs

For purple, pink, green, yellow and brown: Place mixture in clear plastic cup. Gently place hard-boiled egg in mixture. Let egg sit in mixture until the color is what you are looking for which can be from 30 minutes to overnight. The longer they soak, the deeper the color will be. If you want to leave overnight just place cups in fridge.


Remove from mixture and set on a rack with baking sheet underneath. Don't handle them until completely dry.

For orange, rust, blue and red:

Hard boil the eggs: Lay the eggs in the pan and cover with mixture adding more juice if needed to cover eggs completely. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 3 minutes. Remove from heat, cover the pot, and let sit until cool.

Let egg sit in mixture until the color is what you are looking for which can be from 30 minutes to overnight. The longer they soak, the deeper the color will be. If you want to leave overnight just place cups in fridge. Remove from mixture and set on a rack with baking sheet underneath. Don't handle them until completely dry.