STORING EGGS

Having thirty two free-ranging, pastured hens means having an abundance of eggs, an overabundance at times.

Even though my daughter has her organic egg business, YOLKS, ETC we still have more than enough.

  She sets aside all the *perfect* eggs for her customers. Some shells get soiled or have marks on them and those are the ones we keep for ourselves. 

Did you know eggs are not supposed to be washed until you use them?
 "Hen fruit, as it comes from the chicken, is coated with a light layer of a natural sealing agent called "bloom". And, while a good wash may make a batch of eggs look more attractive, it also removes this natural protective coating ... leaving the eggs more subject to aging and attack by the air and bacteria in the air."    ~Mother Earth News

We decided to freeze our excess eggs. 
We separate the egg whites from the egg yolks

and put the whites in ice cube trays. ( Yes! They look yellow!)

 Once frozen, they can go in a zip lock bag. To use them,we thaw them overnight in the refrigerator and make sure to use within 12 hours.
Egg whites can be used in boiled frostings, meringue cookies, angel food cake, white cakes, or meringue for pies.


 Next,we put the yolks together, mixed with a fork. 

 Because the yolks tend to become too thick, salt or sweetener needs to be added before freezing them.

 1/4 teaspoon of salt OR 1/2 tablespoon of honey or sugar per cup of egg yolks. 

Label the container with the date and the number of egg yolks. Egg yolks can be used in sauces, custards, ice cream, yellow cakes, mayonnaise, scrambled eggs, and cooked puddings.

1 1/2 TBSP of thawed yolk equals 1 egg yolk

Whole eggs can be mixed with a fork and put into a freezer container.

Once thawed, 3 TBSP of thawed whole egg equals 1 egg

The whole eggs can also be dropped singly into a small container or freezer bag. (without the shell, of course)

 .

They will last up to one year in the freezer.

 
This post is linked to Barn Hop #4 .

and Hearth and Soul hop

happy day!