How to Preserve Fresh Eggs!

I need to get away from Fox News for awhile.  The news of disasters worldwide is starting to get a little depressing.  The positive side is that it makes me more aware of how important it is to be prepared.   Not too long ago a neighbor of mine mentioned that one of her relatives back east had witnessed how quickly the shelves at the supermarket had emptied right before a big storm.  She said that women were fighting over the last packages of eggs, which made her wonder if there were ways of storing eggs without refrigeration.  So I have decided to dedicate this posting to the topic of eggs.

 

Fresh Eggs

Eggs seem to be one of the few things that are still a good price.  I recently posted about my neighbor's chickens and the fresh eggs she gets daily. There may come a time when she cannot use them fast enough, and she may want to find a way to preserve them for storage.

 Fresh eggs can be stored in a cool, dark location for several months depending on the storage method you use.  Before you preserve eggs in any way, make sure they are fresh and without cracks.  Eggs should be stored pointed side down to prevent the yolk from having contact with the shell.  Then the shell must be enveloped in a protective coating. I found at least eight ways to preserve fresh eggs, but a few of them sounded like the Dark Ages involving odd things like lime (not the fruit) and charcoal.  I say let's be realistic. We all like easy, and by far the easiest way to preserve eggs is in oil. 

Eggs in Oil

Wash and carefully dry the eggs.  Very gently place them in a large, wide-mouthed jar half full of oil. I am assuming this to be vegetable oil, since the source did not specify.  The eggs should always be completely covered with oil and the jar kept closed.  These eggs will keep at least four or five months.  You can reuse the oil for the same purpose, but not for eating as it will absorb the taste of the egg shells.   Note:  Eggs can also be coated in melted paraffin, or Vaseline.  These will be packed, pointed ends down in a box of sawdust or bran.  Paraffin eggs will store six months, Vaseline eggs about three.

Frozen Eggs

The Ball Blue Book has instructions for freezing whole eggs, yolks only, or whites only. For whole, gently mix the whites and yolks without forming air bubbles by putting them through a colander.  Pack eggs onto plastic freezer jars or containers with 1/2  inch airspace.  For yolks only, mix gently, and then add 1 tsp. Sugar or 1/2 tsp. Salt to each 6 yolks to reduce coagulation, packing them the same as whole.  For whites only, mix gently to avoid air bubbles, then pack the same as whole.

Measuring:

3 T whole egg = 1 egg

2 T egg white = 1 egg white

1 T egg yolk = 1 egg yolk.

Powdered Eggs

Let's learn to use those powdered eggs we have in storage.  Crystal at www.everydayfoodstorage.net has a cute, fun conversion chart on her web site that you can print.  Or she sells a set of magnets with charts for powdered milk, eggs, and recipes for Magic Mix you can stick on your fridge for instant reference.  The benefits of using powdered eggs in your daily life are:

            1. Easy to half a recipe calling for one egg or three eggs, etc.

2. Great for kids who want to learn to cook, but have a tendency to break eggs.

3.  They are pasteurized, so you can eat the cookie dough�you know you will.

4.  Great for camping, light weight, and do not require refrigeration.

5.  Will keep for a year after opening.

I hope these tips have been helpful.  My goal is to avoid "crisis shopping."  When Hurrican Irene bullied her way up the East Coast, the people panicked and wiped out the grocery stores.  Even with several days notice...even knowing they should be prepared for an emergency...many people still do not have a 72 hour kit. 

Have a happy and productive day!

Buffy Lays the Biggest Eggs!

I lived in Alpine, Utah when I was a little girl.  It was a beautiful little rural town snuggled up next to the mountains. Folks lived in cozy homes in tree-shaded yards with large gardens, orchards and chicken coops.  Nearly every family, it seemed, raised chickens.  We lived in a rental home without a garden or chickens.  One of my favorite memories is of staying with family friends on their farm just inside the Alpine city limits and getting to help with the morning chores, which included feeding the chickens and gathering eggs.  It was so much fun, but I just couldn't understand why my friends didn't share my enthusiasm.

As we are learning to be more self-reliant, there is a growing trend in Highland and in my neighborhood...raising chickens for eggs.  So I would like to introduce you to a new girl on my street.

This is Buffy.  Isn't she pretty?  She belongs to the Fowler family.  Sheryl Fowler took these pictures and graciously allowed me to use them.

Here she is with some of her sisters

This is the comfy chicken condo where Buffy and her sisters live and lay their beautiful brown and green eggs.  They each lay an egg about every other day.

Buffy lays the biggest eggs.  Look how much bigger Buffy's egg is!

Bonus!  See below:

Two yolks! 

Way to go, Buffy!

Why Raise Chickens?

I asked Sheryl where I could find more information about backyard chickens and she told me about a site called...BackYardChickens.Com.  http://www.backyardchickens.com/  According to the website, here are a few reasons people raise chickens.

1. Easy and inexpensive to maintain. (when compared to most other pets)
2. Eggs that are fresh, great-tasting & nutritious.
3. Chemical-free bug and weed control.
4. Manufacture world's best ferilizer.
5. Fun & Friendly pets with personality. (Yes, you read that right!)

In addition to BackYardChickens.Com, there are many resources available to learn about the pros and cons of chicken raising.  The Utah State University Extension is one of the best for local information.  There is also this book:

The title says it all where I'm concerned. 

I don't have all my eggs in one basket.

Oh!  One more pic by popular demand:

Winnie's Mini.  Winnie is Buffy's newest sister.

Have a Fun and Productive Day!