Egg-cellent ideas for Easter celebrations
If it’s Easter, it must be egg season. And right now – they are everywhere. Baked into special breads, or recreated with chocolate, all beautifully packaged and lining store shelves everywhere. Of course there are egg painting kits to keep the kids occupied – egg decorating has a rich history dating back to the Middle Ages.
Eggs can be painted with a child’s sweet imagination, or minutely detailed into miniature works of art as found in Ukrainian Easter eggs. The most famous decorated Easter eggs were those made by the well-known goldsmith, Peter Carl Faberge, who, in 1883, was commissioned by the Russian Czar, Alexander as a special Easter gift for his beloved wife, the Empress Marie. This delicate Faberge egg so delighted the Czarina that the Czar promptly ordered further eggs to be delivered every Easter.
Ornamental egg designers believe in the symbolism of the egg and celebrate by decorating it with superb artistry. Although the omens and the mystery of the egg have disappeared today, the symbolism remains, and artists continue in the old world tradition of adorning eggs.
The Egg Farmers of Ontario are encouraging such traditions be passed on, as egg decorating is easy – and the results are timeless. Place decorated eggs around your home, or as part of an Easter egg hunt. All you need are a few craft items (food colouring!) and let your imagination go wild. Create eggs with the small fry and just watch happy happen!Here are some handy tips courtesy Egg Farmers of Ontario:HOW TO START: With eggs, of course!HARD OR HOLLOW: Decide if you will blow out your egg or hard boil it. If you want to keep your egg ornament for years to come, you will need to empty the raw egg. Otherwise, hard boil your egg for a temporary decoration.
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TO HOLLOW YOUR EGG: Use a push pin or sharp object to pierce both ends of the egg. Using your sharp object make one hole bigger than the other. Poke a toothpick through the larger hole to pierce and “stir” yolk. Hold the egg, larger side down over a bowl, and blow contents out. Set egg contents aside and use for scrambled eggs, quiche and any egg-based dessert.TIP: It’s recommended that you dye your egg first if you’re going to blow it out in order to make submerging the egg in dye easier.DYEING YOUR EGG: Make sure your work station is protected with newspaper or plastic. You can use egg dying kits but all you really need to do is mix together three ingredients: a cup of water, some white vinegar and as many drops of food colour you want, depending on intensity.
As well, you can use all sorts of foods in your home to help dye the eggs – beets, spinach, blueberries and turmeric delivers magical results. Check out https://producemadesimple.ca/naturally-dyed-easter-eggs for ideas.
GET STARTED: In a large heatproof bowl deep enough to submerge your egg completely, mix 1 tsp. (5ml) of vinegar and 20 drops of food colouring (use more to intensify colour) in one cup of warm water. (Vinegar makes it easier for dye to seep into shell.) Submerge eggs for three minutes for light colours and 10 minutes or more for deeper shades. Use tongs to handle eggs easily. Let the eggs dry completely for 20 minutes on a drying rack. (Turn eggs halfway through to thoroughly dry.)TIME TO DECORATE: Let your imagination go wild – you can use sparkles, paint sets, glue, yarn, ribbons, whatever suits your fancy. Add your favourite stickers. For sparkly eggs, mix equal parts liquid glue with water. Roll your egg around in the mixture until you’ve achieved full coverage. Over a separate plate, sprinkle glitter over the egg and allow to dry for several hours. Or consider paper mache – dip 1-inch pieces of bright-coloured tissue paper into a mixture of equal parts water and liquid glue. Paste pieces onto the egg’s shell and smooth over with a paintbrush or your fingers. Allow to dry overnight.
LASTLY: Don’t forget to put your initials on the bottom and the date you created the eggs.
Don’t forget to put your initials on the bottom and the date you created the eggs. 
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