FOOD FUN: Paint Hard-Boiled Eggs
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Why should Easter be the only occasion to rouse your inner artist by painting hard-boiled eggs?
The practice of decorating eggshells is ancient, predating Christianity. Engraved ostrich eggs found in Africa date back 60,000 years. Decorated ostrich eggs, also replicated in gold and silver, have been found in 5,000-year-old graves in Egypt and Sumeria. [Source] The Christian custom of decorating eggs at Easter has been traced to the early Christians of Mesopotamia, sometime after 100 B.C.E. But you don’t need a religious context to decorate eggs. On a hot summer day, it’s a quiet activity that can be done while in the shade—or in the air conditioning. For summer themes, think beach, birds, blue sky, butterflies, flowers and yes, palm trees. Cook a batch of eggs and let family and friends paint away. Take a vote afterward and give a prize for the “people’s choice.” Then, you can peel the eggs for protein-rich snacking, or turn them into sliced egg sandwiches or egg salad. You don’t have to hard-boil the eggs, either. |
 Why wait for Easter to decorate eggs? Photo from the Zevia Facebook page, attributed to “Melodrama blog.” (We couldn’t find the blog.) |
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Those who are not likely to break the eggs can paint raw eggs. The decorated eggs can then be used for cooking. But for cooking, keep them cool, first in air conditioning and then in the fridge. You can keep raw painted egs as art by removing the innards. Simply pierce each end of the shell with a thick sewing needle. Then, blow strongly on one of the holes. The contents will be expelled through the other hole. Here are tips on how to make hard boiled eggs from the American Egg Board. |
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