Easter eggs. Story
At Easter, it is customary to paint eggs with different colors, but among all the colorful eggs, bright red eggs occupy a central place.
History has preserved this tradition for us.
After the resurrection of Jesus Christ, his disciples and followers dispersed to different countries, everywhere proclaiming the joyful news that there is no longer any need to be afraid of death.
Christ, the Savior of the world, conquered death. He resurrected Himself and will resurrect everyone who will believe Him and will love people just as He loved.
Mary Magdalene dared to come with this message to the Roman Emperor Tiberius himself.
Since it was not customary to come to the emperor without gifts, and Mary had nothing, she came with a simple chicken egg.
Of course, she chose the egg with meaning.
The egg has always been a symbol of life: in a strong shell there is life hidden from the eyes, which in due time will break out of lime captivity in the form of a small yellow chicken.
But when Mary began to tell Tiberius that Jesus Christ had escaped from the shackles of death and RISEN from the dead, the emperor only laughed: “It is also impossible, as your white egg turns red.”
And before Tiberius had time to finish this phrase, like an egg in the hands of Mary Magdalene turned completely red, testifying to the truth of the Christian Faith.
Since then, in memory of this event, which symbolizes our faith in the Risen Lord and in our Resurrection, we have been painting eggs. Colored eggs are not only served at the festive Easter table, it was customary to give them to each other throughout the Easter week.
Since ancient times, the egg has been a symbol of emerging and renewing life. 
Many customs that existed among different peoples are based on this idea.
For example, in Rus', in some areas, an egg was laid in the foundation of a house so that the work of the builders could be argued, and happiness and prosperity would not leave its future owners.
On Easter, in Rus', it was customary to lay colored eggs on fresh sprouted greens of oats, wheat, and sometimes on tiny green cress leaves, which were specially germinated for the holiday. At Easter festivities, games with eggs were often arranged.
For example, in the villages "rolled" eggs. They chose a small flat piece of land, trampled down to get a flat area. Shallow holes were made in the ground.
Each of the participants brought their own painted eggs, which were laid out in the holes. The task of each participant was to roll out the testicle he liked from the hole - then he became the winner.
The eggs were rolled out using a special rag ball with flattened sides, similar to a wheel.
Since there was a custom to keep eggs for a whole year until the next Easter, over time, eggs began to be made of wood and painted with ornaments and patterns.
Later, eggs made of porcelain, silver with precious stones appeared.
How to boil eggs?
The simple answer to this question is very carefully. First you need to remember a few rules.
Never boil eggs directly from the refrigerator, because very cold eggs that are placed in hot water are more likely to burst. Eggs should be kept at room temperature for 5-10 minutes.
Use a timer when cooking - try to guess how many eggs were cooked and constantly remind yourself to look at the clock is not worth it. Never boil eggs too long (unless you have a timer) as the yolks will turn black and the whites will look like rubber. If the eggs are very fresh (less than 4 days old), cook them 3 minutes longer.
Always use a small saucepan - when there is too much space, the eggs can hit each other and crack. Never bring to a vigorous boil; you need to cook them over medium heat.
Remember that eggs have a pad at the blunt end where air collects. During cooking, pressure can accumulate there and the shell will crack.
To avoid this, pierce the egg from the blunt end with a needle to release steam.
Of course, everyone loves eggs cooked in different ways.
Soft-boiled eggs, method 1
First of all, you need to pour boiling water into a small saucepan so that the water exceeds the eggs by 1 cm. Then quickly, but carefully, using a tablespoon, lower the eggs into the water one at a time. Then turn on the timer and cook the eggs at a boil for exactly 1 minute.
Then remove the pan from the heat and cover it with a lid, set the timer again and measure:
- 6 minutes to get a soft yolk with seized but runny protein
- 7 minutes to get a denser yolk with completely frozen protein.
Remove the boiled eggs from the pan and place in cold water.
Soft-boiled eggs, method 2
Another way that works just as well. This time, the eggs need to be put in a saucepan, poured with cold water, put on a high heat, and as soon as they boil, reduce the heat and measure out:
3 minutes if you want a semi-liquid egg
- 4 minutes for the protein to “grab” and the yolk to remain liquid
- 5 minutes, so that both the yolk and protein are cooked, but in the very middle there remains a bright yellow liquid spot.
Then, remove the boiled eggs from the pan and place in cold water.
Hard boiled eggs
Place the eggs in a saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil, set the timer for 6 minutes if you want eggs that are slightly watery in the middle, 7 minutes if you want fully cooked eggs.
Then it is very important to quickly douse them with cold water. Hold them under running cold water for 1 minute, then leave them in cold water until they are cool enough to handle - about 2 minutes.
Undercooked (in a bag)
If you cut open an undercooked egg, the yolk will be runny and the color will be dark gold instead of light yellow.
Perfectly brewed
The protein of a soft-boiled egg should be tender, and the yolk should be loose, but dense.
overcooked
The protein of the overcooked egg becomes "rubber" in taste; an unpleasant (albeit harmless) greenish-gray coating appears on the yolk.
Peeling hard boiled eggs
Peeling boiled eggs can also be difficult, especially if the eggs are too fresh. So rule number one is to boil your eggs at least 5 days after the date they were packed. The easiest way to peel them is by first cracking the shell all over the egg, then holding it under running water, starting at the blunt end.
The water will wash away all the little bits of the shell. Then the eggs again need to be put in cold water until they are completely cool. If you don't chill the eggs quickly, they will continue to cook, overcook, and the blackened yolk problem will reappear.
The beautiful coloring of quail eggs makes them a great alternative to chicken eggs, and they are just as easy to prepare. Again, they shouldn't be too fresh, and it's best to cook them with the first method by dipping them in boiling water for 5 minutes. Then cool them down quickly and clean as described above.
HOW TO COLOR EGGS
For coloring eggs, it is best to use onion peel, which is harvested in advance. 
Depending on the color of the husk, the color of the eggs is from light red to dark brown.
If you want the color to be more saturated, you need to take more husks and cook it for about half an hour before lowering the eggs into the broth.
Almost purple eggs come from red onion husks.
You can also dye with birch leaves or food coloring.
So that the eggs do not burst during cooking, they must be kept warm for about an hour or at room temperature, while boiling, you can add a tablespoon of salt to the water. Some families keep the custom of dyeing eggs "speckled".
For this, wet eggs are rolled in dry rice, wrapped in gauze (the ends of the gauze must be tied tightly with thread so that the rice sticks to the egg) and then boiled in onion peel in the usual way.
To make the painted eggs shine, they are wiped dry and smeared with sunflower oil. You can boil eggs wrapped in multi-colored threads, then they get interesting stains. In order for the eggs to be colored from the inside, and not from the outside, you need to boil them for 3 minutes, then take them out and pierce the shells with a needle in some places, and then boil another 1-1.5 in a strong tea with the addition of cloves, cinnamon and coriander.
To quickly color the eggs, boil them for 10 minutes with some vegetable: spinach (green) or chopped beets (bright red). For a marbled effect, wrap eggs in onion skins and tie some cotton material over the top.
NATURAL PAINTS FOR EGGS
Ocher
4 cups red onion skins. Boil eggs for 30 minutes - 1 hour. Depending on the soaking time,
eggs will turn from bright scarlet to dark red.
Yellow
Dandelion heads or dry birch leaves (Taraxacum officinale) - yellow.
Great Lent imposes many restrictions on the Orthodox. The most difficult week is considered to be Holy Week, when a Christian undergoes serious endurance tests.
Therefore, believers are wondering when to start preparing traditional dishes for the Easter holiday. Indeed, in the last week there are a number of prohibitions that Orthodox fasting people are trying to observe in order to prepare for the Great Day of the Resurrection of the Lord.
Why are eggs painted?
Orthodox Christians often think about the meaning of colored eggs. The priests explain that this is a symbol of the tomb of Jesus Christ, carrying the sacred meaning of eternal life. In the past, the inhabitants of Jerusalem were buried in caves, covering the entrance with a stone. When the burial place of the Lord was closed, the stone resembled an egg in shape. That is why it has become one of the important attributes of Christianity.
Newly converted Christians are wondering why the tradition of dyeing eggs began. This question is answered by a legend explaining how this custom appeared. Mary Magdalena went to the ruler to tell about an unprecedented miracle - the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. In response to this, the Roman emperor laughed and said that the dead would never rise from the grave, and the egg would never change color to red. At the same moment, the gifts of the Holy Virgin were painted in this shade.
At present, the Orthodox are striving to preserve the tradition of meeting other believers with eggs in their hands, uttering sacred words about the resurrection of Christ. And for their coloring, onion peel, carrots, beets or food coloring are used.
When to paint eggs
The last week involves a number of restrictions on eating and other things that a Christian adheres to according to church canons. Therefore, the question arises when to move on to preparing for Easter. Here, church ministers try to explain to parishioners that there are certain days on which you need to paint eggs and bake Easter cakes.
Fact! Holy Week is an important stage in the end of Great Lent, where Christians must humble the flesh and direct their thoughts to the praise of the Lord. Therefore, it is dedicated not only to limitations, but is also considered an occasion to remember the deeds of Christ. It is during Holy Week in Jerusalem and other cities of the world that Orthodox people reminisce about the events preceding the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. I also remember the moments that followed.
In 2018, Holy Week began on April 2 and will end on April 8 with the Great Bright Feast of the Resurrection of the Lord. The priests, who interpret Holy Scripture, recommend that the Orthodox begin cooking on the first day of the last week of Lent. But if a Christian does not have the opportunity to bake or paint eggs on Monday, there are other days for preparation. The days from April 3 to April 5 inclusive are recognized as such days by the church.
Important! If these days it was not possible to color eggs and prepare holiday cakes, it is possible to do this on April 7 before the onset of Easter. But in no case should you indulge in such work on Friday. This is considered a disregard for church traditions and is considered a great sin.
It is better to devote Friday to the continuation of fasting and attend the evening service in the temple. Such behavior will be the most correct from the point of view of observing all Orthodox canons. This day is dedicated to the memories of the torments Christ had to go through for the salvation of the human race. That is why the day is dedicated to rest and prayers, attending services in the temple.
Then, on Holy Saturday, you can paint eggs and bake Easter, but you need to spend the first half of the day on this. Indeed, after dinner, a Christian needs to go to the temple to consecrate the cooked food, called daily bread. This can be done both during the day and in the evening.
Orthodox who work on Saturday have the right to attend the night service, having received the blessing of the priest and consecrating the food. The consecration of painted eggs takes place exclusively after the Liturgy on the first day off before Easter.
How to paint eggs
Currently, there are many ways to decorate eggs. Housewives who do not have enough time for painting can use stickers. They will serve as an excellent decor and cover most of the shell. If you have free time, it is possible to combine two methods of decoration, including painting and arranging stickers.
If it is not possible to purchase jewelry or they seem too colorful, you can use the more familiar method. To do this, leaves plucked from trees are applied to the shell. Or it is possible to attach a figurine cut out of paper according to your own sketch on the egg. You can make it yourself or find a suitable stencil option on the Internet.
Orthodox, who can take days off on certain days of the week of Great Lent and can draw, can paint eggs with paints. This ancient tradition is passed down from generation to generation among masters of painting. Often, believers strive to continue the custom and learn to draw on eggshells.
Eggs until fully cooked (hard boiled) are boiled from the moment of boiling, laying in cold water.
Slightly undercooked eggs are boiled a little less: to get soft-boiled eggs, they are boiled, in a bag -.
Boil homemade fresh chicken eggs longer - from 8 (soft-boiled) to 13 minutes (hard-boiled).
How easy it is to color eggs
For the Easter holiday, eggs are dyed and Easter cakes are baked on Holy Week on Maundy Thursday, which falls on April 13 in 2017. On Easter, eggs are not only eaten, but also given to each other with the words "Christ is Risen!" and receive in response: "Truly Risen!" - this must be taken into account when calculating the required number of Easter eggs. Usually paint at least a dozen.Products
White eggs - 10 pieces
Salt - 1 tablespoon
Vegetable oil - 1 teaspoon
Water - 1.5 liters
Onion peel - 3 handfuls
How to dye eggs with onion skins
1. Prepare the onion peel, to do this, remove the dry shells from about 15 onions (you can also take the peel in large stores in advance, it usually does not remain by Easter).
2. Wash the eggs thoroughly under running water; the stamp on the variety can be erased with a sponge and detergent. There should be no cracks on the shell, into which the paint will penetrate during cooking, since it will leave unappetizing stains on the protein.
3. Put 25 grams of onion peel (3 handfuls) in a saucepan and pour 1.5 liters of cold water. Onion peel can stain the enamel of the pan, so it's best to use old cookware.
4. Put the pot with onion peel on the stove, bring the contents to a boil and cook for 10 minutes over low heat under the lid.
5. Cool the resulting broth, which by the end of cooking will acquire a rich red-brown color.
6. Strain the broth through a sieve or colander. In order for the eggs to color evenly, there should be no pieces of husk in the coloring composition. It is possible not to filter, but in this case, stains may remain on the eggs.
7. Pour 1 tablespoon of salt into a slightly cooled coloring broth and lay out the eggs, which should be completely covered with broth. It is better to lay out the eggs in one layer, and if they do not fit, paint in several batches.
8. Bring the contents of the pot to a boil and cook over low heat for 10 minutes.
9. After the end of cooking, you can immediately get the eggs, or you can leave them in the broth until cool to get a more saturated color. The coloring composition can be reused if you want to color a large number of eggs.
10. Put the cooled eggs on a paper towel, blot the water.
Easter eggs will turn out bright red. To get light-colored eggs, boil the eggs in onion broth and then remove from it. To get eggs of a rich color, it is enough to hold the eggs in onion broth for 2 hours. To get burgundy eggs, use red onion husks. 
Quail and chicken eggs boiled in onion skins
The color of Easter eggs is from bright red to burgundy, the total cooking time is 1-2 hours.
Not only chicken, but also quail eggs are dyed in onion peel. Onion peel can also be used in a more original way: put on eggs, fix with cotton thread and then boil. Eggs will acquire color and original pattern.
Decoration of a colored egg: pour into the palm of your hand and grind 1 teaspoon of vegetable oil. Take each egg and roll it in your palms. As a result of this manipulation, the eggs will become shiny, their color will become brighter.
How to dye eggs with dyes
1. Boil the eggs, cool slightly (not completely, so that the shell does not burst from the temperature drop when the eggs are immersed in hot water.2. Pour 100 milliliters of hot (80-85 degrees) water into mugs - this is enough, for example, to completely immerse the egg in an Ikeev mug.
3. Pour and stir the dyes into the mugs with a spoon; to get new colors, add several different dyes to the mug.
4. Pour 1 tablespoon of 9% vinegar into mugs, stir and put an egg in each mug. 5. Wait 3-5 minutes, then put the eggs on a plate, wipe each with a clean napkin and, after cooling, put it in the refrigerator.
6. Put the next batch of eggs in the mugs.
If you want even more originality - paint quail eggs, turkey eggs or caesar eggs for Easter.
How to make original egg colors 1. Dip eggs in water and roll in rice. Place each egg in a piece of bandage, which is tied on top. Then cook in any of the described coloring compositions: in onion peel, beetroot broth or brilliant green solution.
2. Similarly, instead of rice, you can use buckwheat, herbs, leaves, millet.
3. Wrap eggs with cotton threads, preferably thick, and cook in any coloring composition. Under the threads, the shell will stain slightly, so an intricate pattern will appear on the egg. 
eggs in rice
4. Put the eggs in a saucepan, add water and cook after boiling for 10 minutes. Cool under running cold water and pat dry with paper towels. With a sponge, apply freshly squeezed juice of carrots, beets, red or yellow bell peppers to the eggs.
5. Young birch leaves easily stick to the egg. If such an egg is boiled in a coloring composition, a leaf stencil will remain on it.
6. You can use various wrappers and stickers for industrial eggs, or you can show your imagination and paint painted eggs with edible paints, varnish or gouache.
7. Various wrappers and stickers for eggs are sold - in the pre-Easter season in almost all grocery stores. They look nice, but there is no personal involvement in the creative process of decorating eggs. In addition, eggs with thermal stickers are not suitable for long-term storage, after a couple of days their shelf life will expire.
8. Easter eggs can be painted with watercolors - they are harmless to health.
How to dye eggs with beets
1. Wash, peel, grate 2 large beets on a coarse grater. The amount of beets can be increased to get a more saturated color.2. Eggs (10 pieces) wash thoroughly, check that they are not cracked.
3. Pour 1.5 liters of water into a saucepan, add beets, bring the contents of the saucepan to a boil and cook for 40 minutes. To fix the color at the end of cooking, you can add a tablespoon of 9% vinegar or lemon juice.
4. Cool the beetroot broth.
5. Pour a tablespoon of salt into the cold beetroot broth and lay out the eggs, which should be completely covered with the coloring broth.
6. Bring the contents of the pan to a boil and boil the eggs in beetroot broth for 10 minutes.
7. Leave the finished eggs to cool in beetroot broth for 2 hours. To obtain the most saturated color, leave the eggs in beetroot broth for a day.
Dry the eggs with a paper towel and brush each with vegetable oil to add shine.
The color of Easter eggs on beets is burgundy, the total cooking time is 3-10 hours.
How to color eggs with tea
1. Pour a bowl of 2 tablespoons of green tea mate, pour 1 liter of boiling water and leave for half an hour.2. When the tea is infused and turns green, pour into the tea leaves in a saucepan, lay out the eggs and boil in the tea leaves.
3. Leave the chicken eggs in the tea for another 1 hour.
The color of Easter eggs boiled in green mate tea is pale green, the total cooking time is 2 hours.
How to color eggs with turmeric
1. Pour 1 liter of water into a saucepan, bring to a boil, add 2 tablespoons of turmeric and boil for 2 minutes.2. Cool the solution so that the eggs do not burst; put the eggs and cook for 10 minutes after boiling.
3. Leave the boiled eggs in the solution for 1 hour.
The color of Easter eggs on turmeric is pale yellow, the total cooking time is 2 hours.
How to dye coffee eggs
1. Pour 10 tablespoons of natural ground coffee into the pan and pour 1 liter of cold water.2. Add 1 tablespoon of salt and washed eggs to the pan, bring to a boil and cook for 10 minutes.
3. Leave the eggs in coffee dye for 2 hours to brown.
The color of Easter eggs on coffee is brown, the total cooking time is 3.5-4 hours.
How to dye eggs with birch leaves
1. Put 1 cup of dry birch leaves or a bunch of young birch leaves together with twigs in a saucepan, pour cold water and bring to a boil.2. Birch broth insist half an hour.
3. Pour a tablespoon of salt into the cooled birch broth, lay out the eggs, bring to a boil and cook for 10 minutes.
4. Leave the eggs in the broth for 12 hours, after which they will acquire a beautiful golden hue.
The color of Easter eggs is golden, the cooking time is 12 hours.
How to paint eggs with brilliant green and onion peel "marbled"
Prepare: eggs, onion peel, brilliant green, wide bandage (or nylon foot pads), gloves.1. From the bandage, cut 10 ties and 10 pieces 20 centimeters long.
2. Cut the onion peel into small pieces with scissors and pour into a bowl.
3. Moisten the eggs in water, dip in a bowl with pieces of onion peel, turn over several times so that the peel sticks to the eggs. To avoid a solid green color, it is important that the crushed husks cover the entire egg.
4. Spread a piece of bandage, put an egg with a husk in the middle, lift the ends of the bandage up and fasten with a tie. So prepare all 10 eggs. Or pack everything in footprints - 2 eggs will fit in 1 footprint, it will be possible to tie them without a thread.
5. Pour 1.5 liters of water into the pan, add 1 tablespoon of salt.
6. Put eggs in a saucepan, bring the contents to a boil, cook for 5 minutes.
7. Pour in half a vial of brilliant green - it is better to act with gloves.
8. Infuse eggs in a coloring broth for 10-20 minutes.
9. Remove the eggs, remove the cooking package, rinse with cold water and brush with shine oil.
Painted eggs, including marbled.
Surprisingly, many people do not know when they dye eggs for Easter in 2018, and they do it on the completely wrong days. Meanwhile, the entire Easter week is clearly scheduled and regulates all important actions, including the coloring of eggs.
The tradition of preparing for Easter, one of the most important, bright and joyful holidays of Christianity, begins a week before it. For example, on Monday you need to complete all the chores around the house and yard, on Tuesday - wash your clothes. But most of the worries fall to the housewives on Thursday. It is not for nothing that they call it Clean: on this day you need to carefully bathe yourself, clean the house, drive out of it all the dust that remains after the winter. 
And when the cleaning is done, comes the most pleasant part: cooking. According to tradition, it is necessary to bake Easter cakes on Maundy Thursday. And do not be afraid that before Sunday they will become stale or deteriorate: special recipes were used to prepare this ritual delicacy. Such pastries remained fresh and fragrant for a very long time.
In the meantime, the dough for Easter cakes is ripening, egg painting begins in 2018. This tradition goes back several millennia (almost two, to be exact). After the resurrection of Christ, Magdalena came to the emperor with the traditional edible gifts: eggs. When she told him this wonderful story, the emperor laughed and replied that it would sooner turn red than someone could be resurrected. And to his great surprise, it immediately turned red, confirming the words of Magdalena about the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
In addition, the egg is an ancient and common symbol of eternal life. That is why every year all believers cover eggs with a variety of colors and patterns. 
So, when to start painting eggs on this day, each housewife determines for herself. But it is best to do this when the younger generation is already at home and ready to provide all possible assistance. So you can spend an interesting evening with children, and they can join Christian traditions and unleash their creative potential. Indeed, from ordinary chicken eggs with the help of dyes, food or natural, some additional devices (markers, rubber bands, wax, adhesive tape, fabric, etc.) you can create real little masterpieces that it will be a pity to break. 
In order not to worry about your work, you can decorate empty eggshells, as well as pre-purchased blanks. They can be wooden, plastic, foam or made using the papier-mâché technique.
But if for some reason Thursday didn’t work out for you, there is another answer to the question of when to dye eggs in 2018: on Saturday. This option is less desirable, but may also be the case. The main thing is not to do this on Good Friday. On this day, all work should already be completed, and all the time should be devoted to reflection and prayer.
So, now you know when to dye eggs for Easter, and you can do this exciting preparation in full accordance with the traditions. We read about how to dye eggs with natural dyes.
Preparing for Easter, every housewife must paint eggs. Where did this tradition come from and why are eggs painted on Easter?
Legend has it that for the first time Mary Magdalene gave a painted egg to the emperor of Rome for Easter. But this egg was not simple, it was painted red, symbolizing the blood that Christ shed in the name of mankind. On the scarlet egg, only two symbols of H.V. were inscribed, which meant Christ is Risen! It was from that very egg that the custom of painting eggs for Easter began.
How to color eggs for Easter? Myths and reality.
The most common way to color eggs is with food coloring. Fast, convenient, but not always safe for health, especially if the dye is purchased from the hands. The safest method is dyeing eggs with natural dyes. There are many different methods described on the Internet, but not all of them are effective.
Below I will describe my experiments, how you can really color eggs and what methods are a waste of time.
How to dye eggs with onion skins
Even our grandmothers and great-grandmothers dyed eggs with onion peel, modern women also prefer this method.
Coloring eggs with onion skins:
- We collect onion peel in advance. The more onion skins we have, the better.
- Fill the husk with water and put on fire. Cook covered over low heat for at least half an hour. For color intensity, you can boil longer.
- Cool the broth, filter. You can prepare onion broth in advance.
- We take raw eggs, fill them with a decoction of onion peel so that they are completely covered with natural paint.
- Boil the eggs as usual for 7-10 minutes. Cooking longer is not advisable, because with prolonged heat treatment, eggs lose their beneficial nutritional properties.
- Boiled eggs of a beautiful orange color are laid out on a plate. When the eggs have cooled, rub them with vegetable oil to shine.
Benefits of dyeing eggs with onion skins: absolutely harmless to the body. In this way, eggs can be dyed from light yellow to intense red-brown. The saturation of the color depends on the concentration of the decoction. The decoction of onion peel itself is prepared very simply.
Flaws: not known.
Conclusion: The method works, it is cheap and reliable.
P.S. I like to experiment, to check everything on my own experience. So I decided to paint the eggs with blue onions, it is also called Crimean, it has a blue-violet husk. I expected the eggs to turn blue or purple, but as the experiment showed, the eggs turned brown with a slight purple tint. So, I think it’s better to paint eggs for Easter with an ordinary onion, although ... for a change, you can also use blue))))
How to dye eggs with coffee
To be honest, I doubted whether coffee eggs could be dyed. As it turned out, yes, you can, and it turns out very well. So, I'm telling you how to paint eggs in this way.
Coloring eggs with natural coffee:
- Pour natural ground coffee into a saucepan, fill with water. For a glass of water, I took 4 teaspoons of coffee with a slide. For a more intense color, you can take more.
- Bring the coffee to a boil, reduce the heat so that it does not boil away and cook for 10 minutes over low heat.
- Strain the coffee and let it cool down.
- Pour the cooled coffee over the eggs. The coffee should completely cover the eggs. We put on fire.
- Boil the eggs over low heat for 7-10 minutes.
- Carefully remove, put on a plate with a napkin. Thanks to the napkin, which quickly absorbs moisture, dark spots do not form on the bottom of the eggs.
Benefits of dyeing coffee eggs: natural, completely harmless dye. Eggs can be dyed from light coffee to dark coffee, depending on the saturation of the solution.
Flaws: much more expensive than onion skins.
Conclusion: the method works, the coffee extract lays down quite evenly. Experimented with instant coffee. It also works, but not such a beautiful and even color.
How to dye eggs with chokeberry juice
I read about the fact that Easter eggs can be painted with berry juice on the Internet, and I immediately wanted to check this method to see if it really works. And I started with chokeberry.
Coloring eggs with juice:
- We take out frozen chokeberry berries from the freezer. Defrost.
- Press the rowan with a fork to release the juice from the berries.
- Pour raw eggs with water, add crushed fruits of chokeberry. The liquid should completely cover the eggs.
- Hard boil eggs. At the same time, rowan berries color the water in a dark lilac color. Eggs take paint weakly.
- Put the boiled eggs on a plate. As you can see in the photo, the eggs are blue-lilac in color.
Advantages: natural way, completely harmless.
Flaws: weak and uneven coloration. If cracks appear during cooking, then the protein also turns blue, it turns out not very appetizing. It is better to prepare the most useful chokeberry tincture from berries.
Conclusion: You can dye eggs with chokeberry juice. True, blue-violet eggs with awesome streaks are more suitable for Halloweenthan Easter.
Despite the not very good result of painting eggs with chokeberry juice, I still did not lose heart and decided to experiment with blackberries. And, lo and behold, everything worked out!
Coloring eggs with blackberry juice:
- Since the summer we freeze blackberries. On the eve of Easter, we take out the blackberries from the freezer. Defrost.
- We press the blackberry with a fork, then fill it with water and cook for 15-20 minutes. For every 200 ml. water I took a hundred grams of blackberries.
- Strain the broth, cool.
- Degrease the eggs before painting. Boil eggs in blackberry juice.
- Carefully remove the cooked eggs. We make sure that there are no smudges on the eggs, because the blackberry juice continues to color the eggs even after cooking.
- To get the stripes on the egg, pour some juice into the egg holder, carefully place the egg itself and leave it for a few minutes. Then reduce the liquid level and repeat the operation again.
Advantages: a natural way of dyeing eggs, completely harmless.
Flaws: quite difficult to achieve a uniform coating.
Conclusion: blackberries perfectly paint eggs, allows you to create interesting effects.
How to dye eggs with beet juice
From personal experience, everyone knows that beetroot colors meat, potatoes, and eggs in borscht. Therefore, it is quite logical to assume that beetroot juice is suitable for painting eggs for Easter. Is it so? Judge for yourself.
Coloring eggs with beetroot juice:
- Take one large beetroot or several small ones. Choose dark roots.
- Peel off the skin. We cut into plates or straws.
- Boil the beetroot in a small amount of water to get a rich beetroot broth.
- We filter the broth, cool.
- Wash raw eggs thoroughly, you can use dish soap.
- Boil the eggs in beetroot broth for 10 minutes, then put the eggs on a plate.
Advantages: relatively cheap. You can dye eggs in borscht)))
Flaws: the eggs are pale.
Conclusion: the result does not live up to expectations.
Can you dye eggs with cherry juice?
I heard about this method of painting eggs for Easter for a long time, I wanted to try everything, but there was no fresh cherry. This year, I froze cherries on purpose to conduct an experiment.
Dyeing eggs with cherry juice:
- We get frozen cherries from the freezer. Defrost. I took 12 cherries for each egg.
- We crush the defrosted cherries with a fork, remove the seeds.
- We take raw eggs, fill them with water, add juice and cherry pulp. We make sure that the liquid level is above the level of the eggs.
- Hard boil eggs. Despite the bright color of the compote, the eggs are painted very weakly.
- We remove the finished eggs from hot water, cool.
Advantages: natural ingredients.
Flaws: Eggs are practically not painted.
Conclusion: the result is unstable, depending on the variety and ripeness of the cherries. It is better to cook cherry jam or delicious compote from cherries, and paint the eggs with onion peel.
How to make a pattern on eggs
There is an opinion that if you wrap eggs with thick knitting threads, braid, or simply attach a flower or parsley leaf, then wrap the egg in cheesecloth and boil it in dye, you will get a beautiful painted egg.
Honestly, not everything is as simple as it seems at first glance. The paint quickly soaks the threads and fabric, coloring the egg. Leaves and flowers also depart, skipping paint. Perhaps the one hundred and twenty-fifth attempt will be successful, but usually there is no time for experiments before Easter. Therefore, to make a print on the egg, we use strong electrical tape that sticks well.
How to make a print:
- Degrease the surface of the eggs.
- To get a picture, we sculpt pieces of electrical tape on the egg. Carefully press the tape so that the edges stick properly.
- Boil eggs in dye. Onion skins or coffee give a good result.
- Remove hard-boiled eggs from hot water and place on a plate.
- When the eggs are cool, remove the stickers.
Meanings of symbols on Easter eggs
Pine symbolizes healthOak leaf or oak tree symbolizes strength
Any berries symbolize fertility
Plum symbolizes love
Hop cones symbolize fertility
Flowers - a symbol of girlhood
The mesh on the Easter egg is a symbol of fate
Yellow mesh - a symbol of the sun
Dots - fertility. And the more points, the more fertility
When painting eggs, you can come up with your own drawings and patterns, and it is important to do this with joy and an open mind, because Easter eggs are not just a tradition, they are a symbol that conveys our emotions, energy and wishes.
Original Easter eggs
Eggs can be painted by hand. When my son was still small, we painted eggs with honey watercolors. Yes, with this method, the drawing does not last long and loses its shape when wet, but how much joy the child has)))
Also, for painting eggs, you can use school gouache, which has been tested for safety for children.
Eggs can not only be dyed, they can be wrapped in colored foil or appliquéd using plain colored paper. Colored confetti are great for this.
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