Freezing Fresh Eggs for Winter

The girls have not even begun to slow down and not sure how much they really will. After all, it's late October and 80 degrees today! Still, this bounty of eggs can't last all winter as even our hardy hens will need to slow and give themselves a break. Green beans and strawberry jam from the garden- no problem. But eggs? I found a few resources and gave it a whirl. When eggs are on super sale or your own flock is laying like crazy, consider putting some up for later and you'll never find yourself running to the market mid recipe.

1. Crack however many eggs you intend to freeze into a bowl.

2. Optional: Add 1 teaspoon of sugar/honey or salt per full cup of eggs. Sweet for baking, salty for savory cooking. This is to prevent graininess in the yolk when thawed. Not sure if it's necessary but better safe than sorry. Be sure to LABEL which one is sweet/salty!

3. Whisk to combine and mix the yolk with the egg, ever so slightly. You don't want to mix air in, just combine.

4. Measure out in 3TB increments. 3TB equals 1 large egg. Quite handy as our chickens lay more medium size than large and all my recipes call for large. The teeny weeny 4oz jars perfectly held 6TB or 2 large eggs, with plenty of head room to freeze without cracking the jar. I also used a salsa jar, 1/2 pint size with wide mouth, for 3 eggs and it was a good fit.

5. Freeze. If freezing in solid containers, glass or plastic, flash freeze before you put the lid on. Pop them in the freezer till they are hard and expand so they don't crack the jar. Usually takes a couple of hours. Then put on the lid AND LABEL for storage.

6. Defrost in the fridge and you are ready to roll. Use 'em up within 6 months.

I tried freezing in the ice cube tray (each little nook held 2TB) but couldn't get them back out! Defrosted and made a scrumptious frittata but still. Will not be doing that again.

That orangey richness is one heck of a lot of beta carotene.

Handy sources for slightly different takes on freezing eggs and other homestead advice:
The Prairie Homestead

Fresh Eggs Daily

Mother Earth News

The Incredible Edible Egg

For more ideas on keeping chickens, follow along with my Pinterest board: Chickens and Garden!

Lola. Our Black Sex Linked Hen

Lola is one of our Black Sex Linked laying hens. See the touch of iridescent in her feathers? She's a pretty one and likes to strut her stuff. Here she is coming in from the rain.

The other girls pretend not to notice as Lola rocks to her own tune. 

 A few things to ponder if you are considering this breed:

• mega layers! these girls lay around 300 eggs per year.

• chosen for their above mentioned egg laying power house but sometimes used as dual purpose
• they are less aggressive than Rhode Island Reds but they can be pretty darn bossy themselves
• a hardy bird, good for colder climates
• averaging 5.5 to 9 pounds
• their name come from the direct link between their color and their sex: females are a beautiful iridescent black, males have much more red
• beautiful chocolate brown eggs
• a cross between Rhode Island Red and Barr Rock

Do you have chickens or thinking about them? What are your favorite breeds? For more ideas and resources on raising chickens, follow along with my Pinterest board, Chickens and Garden!

Enjoy!

xo,

Amy

Radishes: Pickled, Fermented, Just Plain Sliced

Headed out to the garden today and found a handful of radishes ready for harvesting. Our fall garden is just starting to kick in. Time to plant more radishes! The first two I nibbled on while the chickens kept me company. Now...what to do with the rest. I'm thinking...

Marissa of Food in Jars has a quick pickled radish recipe posted on Serious Eats.

Or maybe give fermenting a try? Serious Eats shares how here. 

Martha has a plethora of radish recipes just waiting for me to try.

We'll see! How do you like to enjoy your radishes? For more of my favorite foodie ideas and recipes, follow along my Pinterest board: Eat!

Welsummer Hens and the Perfect Hard Boiled Egg

 Meet Squirrel. When she first came home from Farm Supply at about two days old, she was tiny. I mean teeny tiny her whole first month. It seemed like she hardly grew in her first month as our other chicks grew and matured around her. She looked just like a baby squirrel. Hence, her name. She's caught up now with other girls but follows me around telling me all about everything. Other chicken keepers have called the Welsummer's flighty and easily spooked but our Squirrel's (we have two) were handled so much as chicks they aren't as easily spooked. Welsummer hens are just about my favorite breed out of the eight different types we have. Sweet, chatty, and beautiful. Photo by Jessica Wilson. 

Photo by Jessica Wilson

Like leaving dial up behind, once you have fresh eggs you really can't go back. Buttery rich in flavor as well as higher in Omega 3's (double!), protein and other good stuff. When you buy farm fresh you aren't just supporting small farmers and chicken keepers, you are truly getting more nutrition for your dollar. Okay. Hopping off my soap box. Now, how to make a perfect hard boiled egg.

1. Cover the bottom of your pot with one layer (just one) of fresh eggs. Add enough cold water to cover the eggs by and inch or two.

2. Bring to a quick boil. Leaving on the hot burner, put a lid on it, turn off the heat
and let sit for 12 minutes for a softer egg and up to 15 for a firmer egg (my preference). Rinse in cold water.
No more dry eggs, and sulfury grey rings!

For more tips 'n tricks on raising chickens, follow along with my Pinterest board, Chickens & Garden!

Enjoy!
xo,
Amy

How to Cook Fall Off the Bone Tender Whole Chicken

Okay, this is really one half of a chicken. When you raise your own chickens, do all the butchering and processing...you don't just go around eating a whole chicken like it was nothing. They become far more precious. Also, they fit better in the vacuum sealer bags. But the timing is the same for half or whole.

So, this is ridiculously simple. Rinse your chicken (if you are a chicken rinsing kind of cook) and put in the bottom of a pot big enough to hold it and fill the pot with cold water until your chicken is covered.

Add a few vegetables you have on hand. I usually add a carrot or two, cut into three or four pieces, and one quartered onion. I planted a lot of onions in the garden. I mean...a lot and have been looking for ways to use all those onion tops. In place of the whole onion, I tucked the greens in the pot instead and found they added great flavor and I got to use the onion itself for another purpose.

Put the lid on. Heat to a rolling boil, turn off the heat and let sit for 90 minutes. Leave the lid on- seriously. No peeking.

After 90 minutes, you are done! Tender every time, never chewy or tough. I usually save the stock for cooking and soups, removing the chicken to a colander to allow it to cool quickly. I de-bone and shred or chop the chicken to use in recipes for the week.
For more of my favorite recipes, follow along my Pinterest board: Eat!

Enjoy!
xo,
Amy