I was curious whether it would work, using brown eggs-especially straight from the farm. It did work, but we learned a few things.

You probably already know to boil them starting with cold water, so they don’t crack. And after they boil for 10 minutes, to cool them fast, in cold water, so they’ll be easier to peel. But for fresh brown eggs, there are a few other things to pay attention to.

Fresh eggs come coated with something waxy that protects them when they’re growing chickens. Unfortunately, it also protects them from accepting dye. The more clean you get them to start, the better the dye seems to stick.

Here’s a rundown of what we came up with when dying fresh brown eggs.

• The earthy colors turned out pretty cool.
• Scrub the eggs before dying for more vibrant color
• Use extra dye and extra vinegar for nice bright colors.

Have you ever dyed brown eggs? How did it work out? I used store-bought tablets, but next year I’m hoping to try more natural dyes.