Using All of Those Eggs

An egg is always an adventure. The next one may be different. – Oscar Wilde

Indeed, the eggs are flowing in abundance at this time of year at Maple Valley Farm. Chickens are the first to show the annual benefit from the spring sun and new grass.  As spring approaches and the days grow longer, the young hens begin to lay and the older hens snap out of their winter slump. 

Spring is egg season and that means a lot of eggs for those who eat seasonally. See this post about the superior nutrition profile in eggs from pasture-raised chickens. 

Here are some ideas and tips for all of those extra eggs, including one of our favorite recipes for Swiss chard pie.

Coloring/Dying — It’s no coincidence that the extra eggs come at just the time of year that we celebrate new life.  You might want to just hard-boil and display some of the multi-colored eggs just as they are. But if you do want to dye some of the eggs this Easter, enjoy the deeper colors you will get from brown eggs. And for more fun, experiment with natural dyes like beet juice (pink), onion peels (orange), cabbage (blue/green), and turmeric (yellow). 

Eggnog — New Year’s Day is the traditional time for eggnog. We say pshaw! Spring, the time of plenty for both eggs and cream, is the best time for eggnog. Get out your favorite recipes or use one of ours. 

Extra protein – Throw some eggs in your smoothies, homemade ice cream and breads, or whisk eggs into your soups or rice. 

Not just for breakfast – Scrambled, over-easy, and sunny-side-up eggs are the breakfast standards, but they can easily make a quick lunch or dinner as well.  You can also devil the eggs, make egg salad, omelettes, Eggs Benedict,  or a frittata.  Tuck some hard-boiled eggs into a lunch or dice them on a salad.

Egg drop soup – Have a hankering for Chinese? Whip up some egg drop soup at home.  Basic Egg Drop Soup is 4 cups of  basic chicken stock  with 2-4 large beaten eggs. Add some seasonings or vegetables (we love ginger and green onions) to the stock and once it comes to a simmer, gently drizzle the beaten eggs into the broth. If you want your soup thicker, add some corn starch, potato starch, or arrowroot powder to a small portion of the stock (1/2 cup), mix, and then pour it back into the rest. Do this before you add the eggs. 

Quiches/casseroles – Any quiche or similar recipe will taste great with fresh, pasture-raised eggs. One of our favorites is Swiss chard pie, which our daughter served on Pi Day (March 14). It’s a great combination of spring eggs and winter/spring greens. 

Desserts – Eggs make rich desserts. Try a flan, meringue, creme brulee, or souffle. At this time of year, you even have plenty of eggs to make another one if the souffle falls. 

Preserve eggs – Save back some of those eggs for later in the year when you might not have so many. You can pickle eggs, dehydrate eggs, and freeze eggs. We’d love to hear your experiences with preserving eggs. 

• Freezing – To freeze eggs, place whites and yolks either together or separately in a freezer-safe container. Gently stir the mixture without adding a lot of air.  When you’re ready to use the eggs, thaw the mixture and use in recipes (3 Tbs = 1 egg).  Some people put scrambled egg mixture into ice cube trays and then put them in a Ziploc bag once they’re frozen. 
• Update 2021: Water glassing – A new method we learned about just this year is water glassing eggs. This method preserves whole eggs in lime. It requires fresh, pastured eggs and won’t work with store-bought eggs. Some of the tutorials say the eggs can be used as normal after water glassing, but a friend who did it says it works best for hard boiling, scrambling, or baking.

This is the time to enjoy the seasonal goodness of pasture-raised eggs. How do you use your extra eggs?