Cooking up a batch of color, AND some yellow beets (beets being food AND color, of course). We were careful, D. and I, to keep all food/dye implements separate, lest you blanch at the thought of my taking a sip of purple Ritz No. such-and-such. And please rest assured that I will NOT be stirring Easter soup with a chop stick saturated with dye.
Yesterday I read about wrapping eggs in silk and boiling them in water and 1/4 cup of vinegar. I had to try it. The big surprise was that the loveliest of the bunch came from a dark, dun-colored necktie fabric (four of the five orange eggs pictured below).
The former blue silk blouse was basically a bust (ha!), but the checked taffeta came out cool.
The easiest tool at-hand for securing the silks turned out to be bread tabs.
The last step will be to rub them with a little canola oil, for some shine. I used whole eggs, but next year (I say this now), perhaps I will blow some eggs in order to create some that will hold year-to-year (then I understand that you have to get a little clever about weighting them down in the pot so that they don’t float).
Those beets will be peeled tomorrow and dressed with a tangy vinaigrette… have I mentioned that I am a Salad Goddess? There are so many things that I am not very good at, that I hope you don’t mind, dear reader, the occasional reminder of my Goddess status in this area!
I will also be making Potato Leek soup. The leeks at Russo’s (local readers, I hear you swoon at the thought of Russo’s – and yes, I braved the crowded lots and aisles to go yesterday) were so unbelievable. I swear they are nearly as long as I am tall! I also will have watercress on the table for folks who want their soup with a little more peppery flavor. It is turning out to be an Irish dinner – two legs of lamb will be the centerpiece. Blanched asparagus, garlic parsley new potatoes and a salad with bitter greens, radicchio and endive will complete the fare.
Once I started dyeing, it got D. thinking. He wanted to tie dye two shirts, so we hauled up some tubs, rubber bands, gloves, squirter tubes, and soda ash.
I tie dyed three little layette pieces that have been sitting in the basement, washed and ready to go. They will be washed at least twice before being tagged for sale.
I have made some tiny cotton pants to go with. They are aqua.
oh i love the way your silk dyed eggs turned out. i will be doing it once my new stove arrives. and i will be blowing out the eggs first.
I’ve been catching up on your posts, what lovely lovely eggs. So pretty. And that poor little mouse. You need to get a small cat so the outside critters know to stay outside. 🙂 Your Easter dinner sounds wonderful. In your downtime you should write a cookbook for us greens-challenged relatives.
I hope you have a wonderful holiday. Take lots of pictures! xo Ginny
hi Dee, my comment from yesterday has disappeared (I lost my wifi-connection) I’ll try again: those eggs look almost too good to eat;-)
and very groovy tie-dyes; like those too; and yes of course it is okay to mention your salad Goddess status! in our household, I too am the saladmaker and my husband takes care of all the meaty stuff (including fish) have been busy exploring copper dyes over here…
I’ve never seen eggs done this way before. They are stunning!
I didn’t take a single picture yesterday! Alas! Too busy dressing, tossing, roasting, boiling, pouring, etc. The meal was not that difficult, but I seemed to have dirtied every pot, strainer and roasting pan in the house. Still cleaning up! Thank god for the dishwasher, which is on its third load.
The egg-dyeing could not have been easier! I don’t think it ruins the silk, either (though maybe, I haven’t rinsed out the water/vinegar yet).