Fresh Eggs
Eggs for Sale
For Sale: Fresh Chicken Eggs, raised organically, free range from morning til dusk.
These birds are my babies, they eat organic bread homemade in my kitchen, sprouted wheat seed, sprouted sunflower seeds, even sprouted scratch. They are given egg shells, oyster shells, organic meal worms and organic feed with organic soy. Plus all the bugs they can eat. No GMO’s allowed.
Your welcome to stop by and see our chickens, please call first, (209) 565-1274.
The idea that eggs, as a source of saturated fats, are unhealthy and promote heart disease is a complete myth. While it’s true that fats from animal sources contain cholesterol, this is not necessarily something that will harm you. On the contrary, the evidence clearly shows that eggs are one of the most healthful foods you can eat, and can actually help prevent disease, including heart disease. (Find out more about eggs…)
Eggs: To Wash or Not to Wash? – Our eggs are unwashed.
My personal method? I only wash eggs that are visibly soiled. Anything that comes in the house already clean is left alone. If they have a bit of dry manure or shavings stuck on them, I try to flick those things off before bringing them inside. The less washing the better, I say!
Egg “Bloom” – Read about why this is important.
Just before laying an egg, the hen adds a protective layer called “bloom” or cuticle to the outside of the egg. This coating seals the shell pores, prevents bacteria from getting inside the shell, and reduces moisture loss from the egg – all designed to make the egg last longer.
What You Might Not Know About Fresh Chicken Eggs
Store-bought eggs have been washed before being packaged, so they have a very limited shelf life. Fresh eggs, on the other hand, will last for several months even without refrigeration as long as the bloom has not been washed off, and the eggs are stored in a cool environment.
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Things to Do with Eggshells
We try to use everything and cut our waste. You know what they say… “Waste not, want not.”
*It is important to only use eggshells from healthy, natural chickens if you or your animals are going to ingest the shells. Eggs from factory farms are not only less nutritious, but can also carry harmful pathogens. I have absolutely no problem eating raw eggs from my own free-range hens, but I wouldn’t do so with store bought eggs.*
Feed them to your chickens.
Boost your flock’s calcium intake by crushing the shells and feeding them back to your hens. My girls much prefer crushed egg shells over the oyster shell supplement from the feed store.Use the shell’s membrane as an all-natural bandage.
The membrane of the shell is reported to help promote healing in cuts and scratches. This post should be able to answer most of your questions about using membranes as a first-aid tool.Boil the eggshells in your coffee.
“Why on earth would you do that?” People have been boiling eggshells in their coffee for centuries to help clarify the grounds and reduce bitterness. Here is a Boiled Eggshell Coffee tutorial.Sprinkle the eggshells around your garden to deter pests.
Soft-bodied critters like slugs or snails don’t like crawling over sharp pieces of eggshell.Give your tomatoes a calcium boost.
Blossom-end rot is a common tomato problem, but I recently learned that it is actually caused by a calcium deficiency in the plant. Experienced gardeners often place eggshells in the bottom of the hole when transplanting their tomato plants to help combat this problem. I’m definitely trying this! For more natural gardening tips, grab a copy of Natural Homestead. It has dozens of recipes to keep your garden chemical-free.Eat them.
This post will give you all the info you need to make your own calcium-rich eggshell powder.Use eggshells to start seedlings.
If homemade paper pots aren’t your style, give some of your smaller seedlings a start in rinsed-out shells. This post from Apartment Therapy will give you all the information and photos to get you started.Toss them in the compost pile.
Add calcium to your compost by adding eggshells to your pile or tumbler.Sow directly into the soil.
Simply turn crushed eggshells directly into your garden patch. It’s still better than sending them to the garbage.Potting Soil Addition
Used coffee grounds and egg shells are wonderful in potted plants. I use a 1:4 ratio.Canine Remedy
Let them dry out, when you have a good size amount, crush them, then use a coffee grinder and make them into a powder. If one of your dogs get diarrhea, I just sprinkle a couple teaspoons of the eggshell powder on their food for a day and the diarrhea goes away.
Sidewalk chalk
5-8 eggshells (finely ground), 1 tsp hot water, 1 tsp flour, food coloring optional…mix and pack into toilet tissue rolls and let dry.Making Water Kefir
You just add 1/4 of a clean eggshell to your water kefir while it’s brewing.Christmas Ornaments
Mixed regular acrylic colors with Elmer’s glue and various “texturizing” elements to make sun catchers. Try small seeds and spices, sifted sand, and my favorite turned out to be crushed eggshells. They were no longer transparent, but the flaws were covered, and they make very nice Christmas tree ornaments, wall hangings, mobiles, etc.Make Calcium Citrate
Make your own calcium citrate using only fresh farm raised, preferably organic, egg shells. Rinse residual egg out of the shells and air dry. Crush the shell and add 1t. lemon juice per egg shell and cover. The lemon juice will dissolve the shell and there you have it… calcium citrate.Calcium-Rich Vinegar
You can make a calcium rich vinegar by adding calcium rich herbs (nettles, dock, etc) and one clean high quality eggshell to apple cider vinegar. It needs to infuse for at least six weeks, then be decanted. But the calcium from the shell and the plants goes into the vinegar and can be used as regular vinegar would be in salad dressing, over cooked greens, etc.Add to Broth/Stocks
For extra calcium and minerals. (Homemade stock/broth tutorial here.)Arts and Crafts
Use eggshells to make mosaics or mixed-media art projects.
Wild Bird Treat
You can also feed them to the birds. They’re high in calcium and are great for birds in the spring when they are laying eggs– just make sure to sterilize them. Bake them in the oven for 20 minutes at 250° F and crush them.
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