With a bird-flu-induced egg shortage that has caused prices to skyrocket — and consumers, for lack of a better word, to scramble — the term “egg hunting” takes on new meaning this Easter. But will the dearth really have an impact on the pastel-hued spring holiday? According to the internet, where baskets of dyed Yukon Gold potatoes abound, the answer is yes.
“I think I’m going to ask my guests to bring [their own] eggs this year,” says Molly Page of South Pasadena, who hosts a yearly Ukrainian egg-dyeing party for her friends and children.
Many parents are giving up on dyeing real eggs entirely, and some have taken to TikTok, posting videos of their kids coloring potatoes to the tune of “It’s the Hard-Knock Life” while others open up egg cartons to reveal a dozen decorated marshmallows, golf balls and other egg alternatives.
Jet-Puffed marshmallow brand launched “Dip and Decorate” Easter marshmallow dyeing kits. For $1.99 at Walmart, the kits include a 24-ounce bag of jumbo marshmallows, six dye colors, two flavored drizzles, tongs and three food-safe markers in a pink egg crate labeled “Farm Fresh Marshmallows.”
Massachusetts-based company Jaju Pierogi posted a video of its pierogies submerged in Easter dye, proof that no one is immune to jumping on the bandwagon.
Though potato decorating seems the most widespread, there’s little consistency to the trend. Potato varieties range from peewee to large russet to Yukon Gold or even red-skinned ones. Some recommend peeling them first. It’s unclear if they should be boiled.
Others are dyeing them with the skin on, while some are using paint, cutting the potatoes in half and carving out one of their sides in stripes, polka dots, flowers or zigzags to be painted in pastel colors and stamped, resulting in Easter egg-looking art. The results are sometimes pleasing.
Nationwide, the egg crisis has caused the price of a dozen eggs to hit a record high of $6.23, while here in Los Angeles the price has reached over $12 per dozen in some stores. That’s if they are even in stock. For the same price you can buy 50 colorful plastic eggs or, for slightly more, 30 very realistic-looking white plastic eggs.
Terranea resort in Palos Verdes will be using the latter for its annual Easter egg-decorating event held for a guests-only kids’ club. They have used real eggs every year prior, though a resort representative said the process of using real eggs was “time-consuming and the children were most excited to head outside for the spoon races and other festive activities.”
Egg decorating isn’t the only Easter conundrum for which potatoes have come to the rescue. Eggs are also usually at the center of the holiday’s brunch table, poached, fried, hard-boiled or, the best way, deviled.
Thankfully the internet is delivering on that front as well, with plenty of deviled potato recipes circulating. The most popular of these comes from “PlantYou” cookbook author Carleigh Bodrug, who says in an Instagram video, “No eggs!? No problem!” before boiling mini potatoes, scooping out the middle of each one; mashing it with vegan mayonnaise, mustard and chives; and piping it back in. Bodrug, who has over 10 million followers across her social-media platforms, was excited to use the egg shortage as an opportunity to encourage her audience to swap in a vegan recipe.
“People are very concerned about the price of eggs, so it’s a great catalyst to get people to try a plant-based recipe,” says Bodrug. “If you look at a deviled-egg recipe, you need so many eggs for it. Who can afford to buy several dozen eggs at this time? It’s a perfect affordable replacement.”
Bodrug, who got into plant-based cooking for health reasons, is also an advocate for sustainability with her second cookbook, “PlantYou: Scrappy Cooking,” which promotes a plant-based, zero-waste approach. This concept is relevant, as the rapidness with which the avian flu has spread, is in part due to factory farming, which has led us here to an eggless, potato-filled Easter.
“Factory farming, in and of itself, is such a major driver of climate change,” says Bodrug. “So whenever we can make a shift to a more sustainable crop, like making a shift from eggs to potatoes, we’re not only doing a great thing, likely for our health but for the planet as well, and then the chickens, if you’re going to look at it from an animal advocacy perspective.”
As a vegan, Bodrug didn’t previously have an egg-dyeing tradition. But as she is expecting her first child, she’s already contemplating her future Easter projects and suggests, “You could paint rocks!”
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