Colouring Easter eggs gives me so much joy. I tingle with excitement as I watch white eggs turn robin’s egg blue, or spring grass green or bright sunshine yellow.
It’s an Easter tradition since childhood.
On the Saturday between Good Friday and Easter Sunday, Mom boiled a dozen eggs and Dad got the mugs of colouring solution ready. The smell of hot vinegar made my nostril hairs curl. Newspaper was spread on the dining room table and my sisters and I would take our seats.
When ready, the pot of eggs still in the hot water, was placed in the center of the table and a mug half full of a brightly coloured solution was set in front of each of us.
With a tablespoon we would carefully lift an egg out of the hot water and gently place it in the mug. Then we waited.
After a few minutes, we lifted the egg out of the solution. The longer it stayed in the solution the darker or brighter the colour would be. When we were happy with the colour, we would blow on the egg to dry it off. Then we laid the beautiful egg in a basket.
We would eat them for breakfast on Easter Sunday with a hot cross bun, sausage and cheese and a glass of orange juice.
As a kid this wasn’t my favourite meal of the year. The eggs were cold. The yolks often took on a grayish colour because they were overcooked. The hot cross buns were sometimes dry. So, I’ve made a few adjustments to the process.
Here’s what I do:
Colouring Easter Eggs
Materials
- Eggs
- Water
- White vinegar
- Food colouring
Instructions
- Boil eggs for four minutes, drain the water. The eggs will continue cooking in the warm pot and in the hot colouring solution.
- Boil water in a tea kettle.
- Set out a mug for each colour you want to make.
- Put two tablespoons of white vinegar in each mug.
- Add several drops of food colouring in each mug.
- Fill each mug halfway with boiling water.
- Using a spoon, take an egg out of the pot and gently place it in the mug. Remove the spoon.
- Leave the egg in the solution until it turns the colour you want.
- Blow on the coloured egg to dry it off completely. Any wet spots will blemish the beautiful egg so turn it and blow on all sides to make sure it’s dry.
- Place in a bowl or basket and refrigerate until you are ready to eat them.
- I like to serve my coloured eggs with hot cross buns from our local bakery or raisin bread toast.
Here’s some interesting facts about eggs and Easter:
What do eggs have to do with Easter?
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