Easter Eggs

the old ways of eggs... recipe & photos by

so - here it goes
This is coloring Easter eggs with onionskins.. old traditional way at the place where i come from..
I know that there's still some time till Easter.. but if you want to make Easter eggs this way you will need this time to colect enought of those skins

so
what you will need ..
1. - eggs.. forget about holesterol.. eggs are good.. that's where strenght comes from
2. - onionskins.. the green ones.. the ones who come off themself.. alot of onionskins.. we usualy just don't throw out those skins from x-mass.. and that's about enought for us.. of course here we can buy them separatly, but i doubt someone will sell just onionskins where this isn't a tradition... the more you have - the better
3. - nylon stocking.. something you can wrap eggs in.. and nylon realy works good for it.. just some old nylon stockings.. holes doesn't matter.. (you won't have to eat it anyway )
4. - thread or strand.. or something like that..
5. - and of course some big casserole where you can boil them
6. - some little flowers, leaves, grass or little shapes cuted out of paper are optional... unpoisonos plants preferably tho you won't have to eat these too

you put some water in casserole.. cut the stokings in tubes.. tie up one end of those tubes..

the basic idea is that the brown color comes from onion skins.. and everything that is pressed against the surface of egg will be light.. and the rest of it will be darker...

the basic egg is made like this
you putt the onionskins in the stoking.. just one big palmful.. put the egg in water so it's all wet and onionskins stick better to the surface of the egg.. and put the egg in the stocking with those skins.. then tie another end of stocking tube..
now take a thread and tidhtly tie the egg.. be careful here.. the stronger you do it - the better - so the skins are closer to the egg.. but it alsow increase the possibility for you to brake it while you do so.. or when you will unwrap it.. so be careful.. but the tider the better..
it takes time to learn not to brake the eggs but then again - since you use natural stuff - nothing bad can happen... so even if you crack the egg while boil it - it's only green.. it doesn't change a taste or quality.. onionskins aren't poisonous
so.. when the egg is tied - you putt it in casserole
that way you get varied colors on your egg...

here you can see what other kinds of eggs i made - [link]
and this is how it's done

to make one like i did with rose leaves on it - you take the egg.. make it wet.. and take the leaves.. alsow wet.. and stick it to the egg.. and then warp it tidely in nylons.. no thread needed.. just nylon.. so the leave doesn't move away while boiling...
after boiling the egg is brown.. and the place where leave was will be lighter..

or you can just take thread and tie the egg with it.. nothing else.. that way you get a brown egg with stripes around it

you can alsow use the grass.. like i did for the second egg in easter art 1.. grass to made those crazy stripes on it...
just a grass.. pressed to the egg with nylons...

you can alsow use paper animal profiles and crazy ornaments... or lace.. laces always make slightly erotical eggs girls can present as gifts to they young man
or stick the leaves with water to the egg.. and then put the egg in nylon with onionskins.. that way you get varied egg with leaves...

there's alot of ways to play around with it.. lots of things you can make that way.. and you never can be sure about the result

so at the end.. when all your eggs are tied.. and everything is done.. they all go to casserole.. add enought water.. add the onionskins that you didn't use in warping.. and boil them..

normaly egg is ready in 10 minutes.. but then the color won't be so strong.. so you boil them for 30 minutes.. and then you can leave them for the whole night in that water so the colors are more intense...

after that - unwrap them that's my favorite part!
be careful so you don't crush the eggs.. so don't rush.. take your time.. and here you go!
let the eggs dry on themself.. so you don't smear the coloring with towel... but after that - eggs are ok and color won't smear at all..

what could be odd for you is that some times the color can color the egg it self on the inside.. cracks or no cracks.. it can become partialy green or brown.. trust me - that is completely ok.. generations of latvians eat them like that and it's ok it's all natural

and then there's another tradition on how you should eat those eggs...
everyone takes one egg in one hand.. and beat them one to another.. one holds it.. and the other one hits from the upper side.. the one who's egg cracks - looses..
then you can take the same eggs.. turn them upside down.. and try again
i have no idea what is the meaning of this tradition.. but it's sure a fun way to crack those pretty eggs

so..
i hope i managed to explain everything.. but if you have any questions i will be glad to answer them

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