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Forget the eggs.
It’s no surprise that the exorbitantly high cost of eggs has Americans considering their other options — for both breakfast consumption and decorating this Easter season.
According to a study by Clarify Capital, over 30% of Americans have stopped buying eggs due to their costs.
Considering that a popular Easter tradition consists of coloring eggs — due to this nationwide concern, people are putting their thinking caps on and getting creative with what they’re instead dyeing.
According to The New York Times, how-to videos of people coloring other unexpected grocery staples — such as marshmallows, potatoes and onions are making their rounds on social media.
One of these TikTok videos was posted by a content creator named Steph Gigliotti — which showed a plethora of beautifully colored marshmallows.
In the video she says: “Save yourself a bunch of money and color marshmallows instead.”
@stephgigliotti28 How to color marshmallows You’ll need: Marshmallows- large or extra large Liquid food coloring Water Cups Toothpicks Styrofoam or similar to stick the toothpicks into so the marshmallows can dry Optional: brand new never used paintbrushes How to: Fill the cups halfway with water. Add food coloring in your choice of colors to each cup and mix well. Place a toothpick into the marshmallows and dip into your color of choice. The longer you submerge the marshmallow the more vibrant the color will be. Stick the toothpicked marshmallow in the styrofoam to dry. Do not let the marshmallow bottoms touch the styrofoam or they will not dry thoroughly. Let dry 30 minutes to 45 minutes. You’ll know they are ready when the marshmallows are dry and not sticky or tacky to touch. Enjoy as is or make into s’mores or Rice Krispie treats. If you’d like the marshmallows to be multicolored, dip half of the marshmallow into the coloring and let dry completely before dipping the other side into a different color. Use the colored water to paint designs on the marshmallows; just ensure to use a new paintbrush that hasn’t been used in paint. #easter #dyingmarshmallows #eastereggs #eastertradition ♬ Cooking Time – TonsTone
“You can use any size marshmallows — we do prefer the nice, big jumbo ones for dramatic effect,” she told CBS News.
Many parents praised Gigliotti for her creative money-saving hack in the comment section of her festive video.
“This is such a great idea! No one eats the colored eggs so these will actually be eaten!” one commenter wrote.
Another person shared: “Great idea!!! Especially since eggs are such a hot commodity these days!!”
Other online videos, like this one, show small yellow potatoes being dropped into individual bowls of dye, the same way eggs would be colored — yet it’s much cheaper.
It seems that even if people are adamant about keeping tradition and coloring eggs — despite them being expensive — the shortage of eggs is another hurdle to overcome.
A food blogger named Lexi Harrison — who lives in Michigan — told the Times, “More than half the time I’ve been to the store in the last month, there’s been no eggs.”
Because of this, some grocery stores — specifically Trader Joe’s in Manhattan are only allowing customers to buy one carton of eggs at a time.
And farms across the country — such as Young’s Jersey Dairy in Yellow Springs, Ohio — are hesitant to continue other traditions such as Easter egg hunts because they “don’t want to wipe out local inventories.”
The farm typically spends about $3,000 on eggs for their hunt — but instead will donate to local food banks this year, according to the Times.
