Friday, June 10, 2016

Egg Recipes - Storing and Rotating Farm Fresh Eggs

Farm Fresh Eggs on The Menu

Ingredients for Banana Bread - Add an extra egg for a firmer, moister bread.
 
Farm fresh eggs are on our menu again soon and they often overwhelm the refrigerator as the supply increases. Using them up in a timely manner will get that creative cooking rolling in a new direction and keep the stock fresh. Here are some of the ways to use up that fat supply of eggs your hens have produced.
Did you know? One egg contains 6 g of protein and only 70 calories (Canada's Food Guide.) They are important sources of Omega-3. They are essential providers of the building blocks our bodies need to grow hair and fingernails. The elements Vitamin A and D are found in them and they make healthy snack choices. Hungry? Fry up an egg for a sandwich. Boil them and keep them in a container in the fridge. Boiled eggs drop easily in the lunch box. They make a great grab and go snack.
Wash your eggs BEFORE you use them, not as they are collected. There is a special coating that is covering the shell called a bloom. Washing the egg too soon will cause it to lose a valuable protective coating.


Cooking Eggs - Recipe Ideas


Eggs are primarily a breakfast food.

  • Fried 
  • Scrambled 
  • Breakfast Burritos
  • Egg Sandwiches
  • Omelets
  • Poached 
  • Egg Pancakes
  • French Toast
French Toast with homemade Apple Butter - A personal favorite  
Adding them to lunch and dinner menus provides vital proteins and nutrients.

  • Boiled 
  • Quiche
  • Stir Fry
  • Baked Goods
  • Egg Drop Soup
  • Egg Salad
  • Potato Salad


Toss a few boiled eggs into a potato salad. Use 
egg whites to make homemade mayo.

Eggs can be used in sauces for things like mayonnaise (egg whites) and hollandaise (egg yolks.) These two items are on my list of things to learn to do this summer when my hens start producing. They are still too young at this time, but I am currently working eggs into my diet so that I can keep up with my hen house. I can't tell you how irritated I am at having to use store-bought eggs at this moment...grin...

Egg Storage

I don't know about your preferred egg storage, but for me, I store them in the refrigerator. I live in Las Vegas and it is plain hot here when the summer hits. I trust the cool compartment to keep eggs at a stable temperature. They are stored in a bowl or egg carton and rotated as the stock increases. Store them small side down.

eggs, ziplock bags, egg yolks in bag, eggs in water
Processing Farm Fresh Eggs

Egg Collage Image Description (Clockwise)



Figure 1 - Date marked on an egg - As soon as I collect an egg, I mark it with a Sharpie so I know when I got it. I'm not sure that the ink does any damage and so far it has helped keep the rotation in line.

Figure 2 - Bag dated for storing eggs in the freezer. Eggs may be stored in the freezer compartment for up to six months. Thaw and scramble or add to baking recipe.

Figure 3  -  Dried egg shells - Set aside eggshells for crushing later and adding to the garden or chicken area. The shells are high in calcium and both garden and hen will make good use of this mineral.

Figure 4 - Testing egg freshness - Submerge eggs in a bowl of water to observe floating behavior. Eggs that stay on the bottom are fresh. Eggs that stand and float are to be tossed. The egg develops an air pocket in the top as it ages. 

Figure 5 - Eggs to be stored in the freezer. Place serving size in a bag and squeeze the air out. This set is for scrambling later. The bag contains 3 whole eggs. This is a good serving for one breakfast + one egg for pet treat.


Placing these items on the menu and freezing extra eggs as needed will help keep a constant egg supply under control and help the family enjoy the small bounty compliments of the family chickens. Rotation is everything to a proper kitchen and often a recipe is needed to help keep fresh items moving through the menu. This is true of all the foods we keep. Keep ir fresh and the quality will stay high. One final note: Find friends you'd like to give eggs to that aren't squeamish about the farm fresh goodies. This will also help you keep up with supply. 



Check back for new developments. I will be adding my personal recipes for items above as I can find time to write them up. 


Thank you for visiting!






No comments:

Post a Comment