I used to do this with my Great Granny Long when I was a little boy, only ours weren’t quite as fancy….
Now that Autumn is really upon us in the UK you will be talking about all of the gorgeous colours you can see and textures you can crunch. This is a nice adult focus that involves lots of processes and opportunities for talk, change, cause and effect and lots more.
I have done it loads of times and I never cease to be amazed by the results at the end of the process!
You will need
- A few of pairs of tights – (you only need the legs and feet so you can do something else the gussets)!
- The skin of 10 brown onions (I went to our local Tesco and filled 3 bags with the onion skins that were left in the bottom of the ‘onion’ boxes in the fruit and veg counter. I put a small onion in each bag – just so I couldn’t be caused of shoplifting onion skins!)
- 5 cups of water
- 2 tablespoons of white vinegar (or malt if you haven’t got white)
- stainless steel pan
- sieve
- slotted spoon
- room temperature uncooked eggs in their shell (different coloured shells give different effects)
- leaves, flowers, ferns, natural materials
What to do
- Cut up your tights. You want to make a little sleeping bag to put your egg in. Make sure you leave enough ‘tight’ to tie a knot in the bottom and a knot in the top.
- Tie a knot in the bottom of your tight sleeping bag (if you are using the foot of the tights, there is no need to do this)
- Take a piece of leaf, fern or flower and lay it over/around your egg. (If it won’t stay in place put a tiny bit of Pritt Stick on the back)
- Put your egg into your tight sleeping bag and then tie a knot in the top – really tight, so that your egg looks like it is about to rob a bank!
- Put your bank robbing eggs to one side.
- Put the onion skins into the pan
- Add the water and the vinegar
- Bring to the boil
- Put your eggs into the water and simmer for up to 20 mins. (If your eggs are at room temperature, they are MUCH less likely to crack)
- Lift out with a slotted spoon and cool
- Once cooled, snip off the tights and peel off the leaf, flower etc.
- Admire, discuss and then eat or display.
If you have a go, share your efforts on my Facebook page, Instagram or Twitter @ABCDoes.
Happy onion skin snaffling!
Alistair