I'm putting all my eggs in one basket

Raising our own hens means that our egg supply is not always consistent. Depending on their maturity, the time of year, etc., we can find ourselves lucky to get a few eggs a week at times and then, at others, can be hard pressed to find enough takers for our surplus. Our hens were not as prolific this summer as they had been the year before, but we were able to build up a stockpile of about 40 eggs in the fridge by the time we got our new chickens a few months ago.* While I ended up  being pretty happy with the eggs that I froze last year, I was curious if there were any other suggestions or techniques out there for hanging onto your eggs. I came upon this article, which quite thoroughly investigated this question and determined (*spoiler alert*): put 'em in a carton in the fridge. So, that's what we did and it turned out to be an excellent strategy. I just used the last two last night and not a one had spoiled. I was pretty cautious each time that I used them (it is suggested that you break them into a bowl to check for spoiling before adding them to whatever you're working on), giving them a good sniff prior to adding them to my concoctions, but they all passed. Now, to make them last this long, I've pretty much kept myself to using them as an ingredient, rather than the main dish, so I can't speak to how well they have kept their texture or flavor over this time, but they have performed appropriately in baked dishes. So, hooray for the surprisingly long-lived egg!

Silas and the new hens keep an eye on each other

*I meant to write an entire post regarding this and didn't quite get there, but getting new chicks meant it was time for a changing of the guard. It is not prudent for us to continue caring for and feeding birds that do not produce eggs, but that, of course, does not make it any easier. It was with heavy hearts, grateful for their hard work (not only providing us with eggs, but also eating up our bugs and fertilizing the yard), that we quickly and humanely ended their lives. We will use them to make stock throughout the winter, as we continue to feel grateful for their contributions to our health and lives here.