Double Yolk Egg!

Two Yolks for the Price of One!

by Sharon Gaughan, PCLF Education Program Director

One day a week or so ago, I went to the nest box that our three “backyard chickens” share – Rhubarb, Rutabaga, and Radish – to collect whatever eggs might be there.  Depending on the day, I might find one egg, maybe two, and sometimes three.  On this particular day, there were two eggs nestled in the wood shavings – but of two very different sizes!

I suspected that the larger egg contained a double yolk, so I waited until my nieces were visiting before I cracked it open.  Sure enough, two yolks fell out of that one very large egg!  We scrambled those two yolks – along with a few others – for a delicious breakfast that morning.

There’s no way to know which of the three girls laid that large egg, but our sympathies certainly go out to her!  Ouch!

Eggs with Asparagus and Mushrooms

Cooking with Eggs Again!
by Sharon Gaughan, PCLF Education Program Director

On Sunday I attended my favorite antique fair in Elkhorn, Wisconsin.  In addition to many, many antique venders, this fair also has a few farmer's market stands.  Once I'd made it through all the antiques (which took about 4 hours!), I stopped to see what foods they had to offer.  

The asparagus immediately caught my eye.  Spring is asparagus season -- so if you want to eat with the seasons, this is the time!  




On the very same table they were also offering several types of mushrooms -- including my favorite, baby portabellas!

I immediately envisioned some scrambled eggs with the addition of sauteed asparagus and the portabella mushrooms. Of course, I already had the necessary eggs at home -- so I decided to buy some of both the asparagus and the baby bellas.  As I made the drive back home, I was looking forward to dinner that night!

As evening fell and it was time to start the cooking, I sauteed some onion and garlic in addition to the asparagus and mushrooms.  And once the eggs were scrambled, and the veggies added, I topped it all with a bit of Monterrey Jack cheese. 

Ah!  A simple, but most delicious feast!

A Use for Eggshells!

Beeswax Candles in Eggshell Holders
posted by Sharon Gaughan, PCLF Education Program Director

In yesterday's post on the "Fresh Eggs Daily" blog, they explain how to make beeswax candles in egg shell holders.  I absolutely LOVE the smell of natural beeswax -- in fact, I just purchased a large natural beeswax candle at the Good Food Festival in Chicago this last Saturday!

This is a cute idea, and I thought it would be a fun project to try -- perhaps this summer with our chicken camp for older kids.  Of course, I'll have to try it out first, before I try to do it with the kids -- and, when I do, I'll be sure to let you know how the project turns out.




But if you're interested in trying it out sooner -- maybe even in time for this Easter -- you can go to Beeswax Candles in Eggshell Holders for the directions.

Let me know how they turn out for you!


N.B.  These candles are sitting in ceramic egg cartons, no doubt for fire safety.  As you would with any candle -- but especially with these, as they will have the rounded bottoms -- be very careful and conscious of where and how they are used when lit!

Marbled Tea Eggs

Have You Ever Heard of Marbled Tea Eggs?

by Sharon Gaughan, PCLF Education Program Director

Today I received the online newsletter for Mountain Rose Herbs in Eugene, Oregon.  Mountain Rose Herbs is an interesting organization to know about, if you like herbs – but not an organization that I’ve ever associated with chickens or their eggs – until today!

A portion of the newsletter immediately caught my attention with the title “Marbled Tea Egg Recipe” and this gorgeous photo!  I had never heard of marbled tea eggs, and was intrigued!

To get the recipe, you clicked onto their blog (http://mountainroseblog.com/marbled-tea-eggs/), where they explained what marbled tea eggs are and how to make them.  Here is part of what they said:

“Tea eggs are a traditional food commonly sold by street vendors throughout China.  In China, there are many variations since each family makes their tea egg recipe a little bit differently, but they all contain black tea, soy sauce, and spices.”

I’m excited to try these, though I don’t know how soon I’ll find the time.  If you're as intrigued as I am, and you get to try it before I do, I’d love to hear how they turn out for you!

Cooking with Eggs

Making My First Frittata!

by Sharon Gaughan, PCLF Education Program Director

Last night for dinner, I made my first frittata ever!  And I can guarantee that it will not be my last!

I (mostly) followed a recipe from The Fresh Egg Cookbook: From Chicken to Kitchen by Jennifer Trainer Thompson (Storey Publishing, 2012).  This is a new cookbook for me, and the frittata was only the second recipe that I’ve made from this cookbook so far – but, if you’d like some new ideas for recipes that will make good use of your farm-fresh eggs, I would highly recommend this book!  I’ve already bought two more copies and given them as birthday gifts for two of my friends! 

I made the “Red Pepper and Potato Frittata” (p. 111) – one of three frittata recipes that Thompson includes in the book.  I assumed that I would like it, since I love red peppers and I love potatoes – and I was right!  

I should have taken a photo of my frittata to include in this post, but I didn’t think of it until I had already eaten yesterday’s and today’s dinner from it.  Not much left now!  So instead, I've included a photo that I found on google images…

 

 

If you’re unsure what a frittata actually is (I know I was), here’s a definition from http://culinaryarts.about.com:

Definition:  In the culinary arts, a Frittata is a flat Italian-style omelet that's usually prepared in a cast-iron skillet. A brunch menu classic, the frittata may also have its origin in Spanish cuisine.

To make a frittata, beaten eggs are cooked briefly in a hot skillet along with other ingredients such as onions, spinach, bacon and/or potatoes, and then topped with cheese and finished in the oven. When cooked in a round skillet, the frittata is then typically sliced into wedge-shaped portions for serving.

I hope this post inspires some frittatas in your future! Happy cooking!

Mystery Egg

A Particularly Amazing Egg

Posted by Sharon Gaughan, PCLF Education Program Director

Eggs are amazing things – but this particular egg, particularly so.  So much so, that some folks on the Chicago Chicken Enthusiasts listserve were questioning whether or not it was real. 

Check it out and see what you think!

http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=99e_1358590156

If you have your doubts – and/or if you’d like to learn (lots!) more about the chicken reproductive system – you can read through the following pdf, the link for which was subsequently posted on the same chicken listserve.  If you read very carefully, the pdf document will either confirm or deny the amazing possibility for you.  

http://www.ca.uky.edu/smallflocks/Factsheets/Anatomy_and_Physiology/Anatomy_Female_reproductive.pdf

Happy reading!

Cholesterol in Eggs

Eggs: Some Food for Thought

by Sharon Gaughan, PCLF Education Program Director

As much as I love eating farm-fresh eggs, I have tended to limit my egg consumption because of concerns about cholesterol.  Perhaps you have, as well.

But I’ve been reading Storey’s Guide to Raising Chickens by Gail Damerow (Second Edition, 2010), and her chapter called “Eggs for Eating” has helped me to rethink some of those concerns.  Damerow feels that we’ve been scared away from eating eggs by effective “media scare tactics” concerning cholesterol.

 

Damerow goes on to explain that the amount of cholesterol in our bodies is regulated by our liver.  Most of that cholesterol has actually been manufactured within our bodies.  The cholesterol in the foods we eat can indeed increase our blood cholesterol, however our bodies can usually compensate for this by then either producing less cholesterol or excreting more.  Some people have better cholesterol-controlling mechanisms than others, so whether or not eating eggs will increase cholesterol in a person’s body depends in large part on how well those mechanisms are functioning.

She also points out that “saturated fat in the diet is the greater culprit in increasing blood cholesterol.  Many foods that contain cholesterol are high in saturated fat.  An egg is the rare exception – it is high in cholesterol but contains little saturated fat” (p. 228).

 

Damerow cites a related study and a long-term review. “A study reported in Medical Science Monitor showed that eating one or more eggs a day does not increase the risk of heart disease or stroke among healthy adults but may decrease blood pressure.  And a review of 30 years of cholesterol research published in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition concluded that eating eggs has little relationship to high blood cholesterol or the incidence of heart disease” (p. 228).

Chances are you’ll find other sources that disagree with Damerow, but I found this to be some “egg-cellent” food for thought and worth sharing.   

Chicken Time-Share

As the weather starts to get colder, it's time for us to prepare the chickens' winter home for their return!

The Learning Farm chickens spend the summer roaming the farm in their Egg Mobile, a brightly colored pioneer-style covered wagon. It's lovely to "camp out" during warm weather, but the chickens need more protection from the frigid Chicago winter. Brrrrr!

Luckily the chickens also have a cozy winter home in the Learning Farm Hen House, a permanent structure that is attached to our Egg Wash Station. Our current flock of chickens spent their early days inside this warm structure as they matured from day-old chicks last November to full-grown chickens.

And now it's almost time to move back "home." Except . . . there are other chickens in their house! While the Learning Farm chickens traipsed around in the Egg Mobile, another Prairie Crossing farm business' chickens settled into the Hen House. A chicken time-share, if you will.

As with all moves, there is a lot of cleaning that needs to be done beforehand. With chickens, there is a LOT of cleaning! And then, even more cleaning, sanitizing, and airing out of the Hen House. All this cleaning is important for general safety reasons and for the continued health of the flock.

Healthy chickens = healthy eggs = healthy people!

Memories of Chicken Camp

Chicken Camp Memories -- by Emma Brown, Prairie Crossing Learning Farm Intern

What I loved most about being a part of Chicken Camp and leading some of the chicken activities was seeing how excited the campers were about the various activities related to our flock. Collecting the eggs was always an exciting experience, especially when there were hens in the nest boxes who didn't want to give up their eggs! It was great to hear the campers say "yeah, they might peck you but it doesn't hurt!" I was happy to see that the kids wanted to be a part of tending to the chickens and, even if they don't understand it yet, they are acting as a part of our community food system. That's something I think everyone should be aware of, and these campers started learning about it at Farm Camp!

One of the best memories I have of Chicken Camp is about a particular young camper. He loved the chickens, and the only thing he loved more than the chickens was feeding them mulberries from the tree near the chicken yard. Every time we went over to the chickens we picked mulberries from the tree and also the ones that fell on the ground. He would feed the chickens from his hand and by the end of the day his hands would be covered in sticky purple juice.

The day of our celebration, which is always the last day of each camp, the camper's mother shared with us that when he came home from Chicken Camp the previous day, he stated that it had been "the best day of his life!" We were so moved and so happy to hear that he had such a great time. I will never forget him and his love of the Learning Farm chickens and feeding them mulberries!