I cannot stress enough how happy I am that winter is over (baring that random April frost that we have to watch for). Cold weather just seems to make everything harder: Feeding the animals, keeping wood dry and cut, even just leaving the house for supplies seems so much more work. I spent this past season working on indoor projects. Canning, dehydrating, making soap, and cleaning seemed to take up my extra time. I didn’t make it to learning to quilt or knit yet, but maybe next winter!
The animal population in our little homestead has grown the last few months. We’ve added three Polish chicks to the flock. I have to admit, I chose that breed just based on their looks.
Eggs have become something that I have had to learn to deal with on a bigger scale now that the original flock is producing. Pickled eggs, quiche, breakfast casseroles, and even dehydrating eggs are becoming a common occurrence. Pickled eggs were something that I wasn’t sure about until I started making my own. We use them in egg salad, chopped up in tuna or green salads, or any place you need a boiled egg. I love the difference it makes in taste and of course you can alter the recipe to make them hot/spicy or even sweet if desired. I usually just start with the basic dill recipe and play from there! There is something really satisfying about using your home grown eggs, dill and onions from your garden.
But I thought, with Easter right around the corner, I’d do something a little different and dye my eggs – with things from my cupboard and garden, obviously.
Beet juice, onion skins, coffee, turmeric, and carrots are all items you likely have lying around. These items – and a few others – make for beautiful dyed Easter eggs.
The process is simple:
- Combine water, vinegar, and whatever you’re using to produce the color in a pot and bring to a boil.
- Next, carefully remove the onion skins or carrot scraps and add your eggs.
- Boil them as you normally would.
- Once the eggs are hard boiled and saturated in color, remove them and place them on a drying rack. They will need to cool for about 15 minutes.
- To add a nice shine to your eggs, rub a little olive oil on it.
Samantha Dooley
