BY ALDONA BIRD
It is one of my homesteading goals to have too many eggs. So far, even with growing my flock of chickens two years ago, I have not quite achieved this.
My hens and I have gone through phases when I have ample eggs. But between eating omelets or egg sandwiches regularly, giving a couple a day to the dogs and cats, baking and other incorporation into regular meals I’ve always been able to keep my consumption up with my supply.
This year I am raising more chicks, and I hope with the new additions by autumn I will be swimming in eggs.
The reason I want so many eggs is to have enough eggs and motivation to try different ways of egg preservation. My hens have always gone through long periods of molt (when they don’t lay) and winter break. I’m glad to have hens who don’t push themselves too hard, but I want to have eggs available during these lulls.
If kept cool, unwashed (they have a protective coating that helps preserve them) eggs can last for a couple months, but lately I’ve had bad luck with keeping fresh eggs. So I’m eager to try different ways to preserve them.
I know egg preservation won’t supply me with eggs to use in the same way I do when my hens are cranking them out. But having a few eggy options stored in different parts of my kitchen is my goal.
My sister had already tried one method that interests me: salt cured egg yolk. We both saw a video on how to make and eat these, and then she made a few for each member of our family as a Christmas gift.
The method is simple: separate the white and yolk, and place the yolk into a bowl of salt with some peppercorns and bay leaves. My sister said she let them sit in the fridge for five days, and then dehydrated them in the oven (lowest temperature) for a few hours until they were the consistency of a firm cheese.
I’ve seen adding sugar in with the salt, but I really like the pure salt yolks my sister made.
Once cured, the yolk is a pretty yellow, solid and delicious. I use them grated like cheese over a variety of savory dishes.
I have also been curious about pickled eggs. So for Easter I decided to try these and serve them as an appetizer.
I used a quick-pickle type brine — a cup of water, a cup of vinegar, salt, sugar and spices. I added hardboiled eggs and let them marinate in the fridge for a few days. I put spicebush berries, mustard seeds, dill and peppercorns in both batches. In one I added a few cardamom pods and a dried hot pepper, and into the other I added cooked beets and beet juice instead of water.
They came out tasting like pickles, as expected, and the eggs pickled with beets were bright pink and made a lovely appetizer. As for flavor, my family was pretty split on whether they preferred regular deviled eggs or pickled deviled eggs.
I’ve also read that eggs can be frozen — whites and yolks separated or left together and whisked before being stored in the freezer. While they don’t fry up with the same consistency as fresh eggs apparently they do quite well in baked goods.
If I ever do end up with a plethora of eggs, I hope that between all of these methods I won’t feel the loss during my hens’ resting periods.
ALDONA BIRD is a journalist, exploring possibilities of local productivity and sustainable living in Preston County.
