Thursday, May 29, 2014

Boiling Eggs





I sold two dozen eggs last week, but none this week. Eggs are piling up. Eggs in bowls, eggs in baskets. When this happens, I know it's time to test them for freshness, and consider whipping up some egg salad.

Someone asked me, "Do you have fresh eggs for sale? I'm making deviled eggs..." and I stopped him right there, to explain: Fresh eggs are not a good choice for boiling. An egg's shell is porous, and a fresh egg is snug against the inside of the shell, until it's had time to absorb air. Have you ever boiled eggs and been frustrated with the white sticking to the shell? That kind of mess does not make for good looking deviled eggs.

For boiling, I check my eggs. The very freshest eggs will sink in a bowl of water. And older eggs will bob, maybe one end will rise, and those are the eggs I put in a heavy bottomed pot, cover with cold water, bring to a boil, take off the heat, then let sit for 12 minutes, before cooling them in a water bath, and peeling them.

This float test has not failed me, but here is one last line of defense, if you are unsure about the quality of your eggs: Never crack eggs into your batter, or into whatever dish you are preparing. Crack each egg separately into a small bowl, then when you can see, and smell, that it's fresh, add it to your recipe.

Selling eggs helps us offset the cost of feed, and reduces our surplus. If you want fresh eggs, we got 'em, and if you want to make deviled eggs, or egg salad... just ask, and I will check our stash, and find some good eggs.

As for zucchini and squash... I think I need to keep a closer eye on our fast-growing Cucurbita! Just when I believe I have a handle on their progress, I come back the next day, and suddenly I have ginormous zukes! One zucchini got so big, I had to convince myself it wasn't a pumpkin. That zuke monster went to the chickens! Extra eggs around here, means we're having egg salad for dinner. And extra squash? Could be time for for a ginormous batch of veggie lasagna!

2 comments:

judy in ky said...

I'm happy to learn your tips about boiling eggs. I have had the experience of not being able to peel them and didn't know why some were like that. I like to keep boiled eggs handy for snacks.

Natalie, the Chickenblogger said...

It's made all the difference for me.
I'd also read the tip about 'adding baking soda to the water...'
but I got mixed results, and now I think it may have been
a matter having some old eggs, and some new eggs, so it
worked some of the time!