Œufs blancs

With the new car we took a trip out to one of the mega-supermarkets on the outskirts of town Saturday. The Auchan Aubière Plein Sud was rumored to be even bigger than the store we had been frequenting, Geant. Holy cow, mega-Walmart, you’ve got nothing on Auchan Sud!

Of course the first things we found were….. white eggs! Although Easter has passed, I decided to buy a carton (of 20) and color them the Latvian way, with onion skins. I had a whole bag of skins that had been so lovingly collected for me by the IWC mom & baby club with the hopes of having an egg coloring day. We missed Easter 2011, but now I will be ready for 2012 – start collecting those onion skins again!


Singlehandedly making the quota for the Auchan white-egg sales department

Once you have onion skins, the first step is to collect some leaves, blades of grass and little flowers that will leave designs on the eggs when colored. Ferns, clover and spruce leaves make interesting designs, as well as rice. Dandelion and muguet leaves can leave a yellowish tinge, and some flowers will leave other colors. First, use water to “glue” these things to the egg, then proceed to wrap the egg in onion skins. To complete the wrapping process you need to tie everything up into a little package. Many people use cheesecloth, others use old pantyhose, this year I used one of Roberts’s old(er) dress shirts. You can also use only thread, although it can be hard to hold everything together while tying.

Next, boil a big pot of water with all your remaining onion skins. Once cooled (in order not to crack the eggs!) place all your little packages into the pot, ensuring they are covered with water; you might have to add some water but do not overdo it as the color is darker if there is less water. Some people add a little vinegar to help the eggs absorb the color. Bring to a boil once more, then let sit overnight.

The next part is the most fun, I feel like a kid opening Christmas presents when carefully unwrapping the eggs. I always try to notice what left the most interesting designs, or strange colors, filing away this information for the following year. I wash off any specs of the skins with cold water, but carefully, as even a dishcloth can scratch the beautiful brown color. Finally, you can glaze the eggs with a little butter which makes the brown color deeper and adds some luster.

Our eggs are a little late for the traditional olu sišanās, but we will share them with friends just like we would have on Easter. Priecīgas Lieldienas and may you have a beautiful spring!