Rain, Clouds and...Dirty Eggs

Remember that last post where we had been super productive and got a lot done....ya, nothing else has really gotten done since.

Not for lack of motivation, more because of this crazy Washington like weather.  I truly don't think we have had but a glimpse of the sun for the whole month of May, and I am not excited about it.   Don't get me wrong, i LOVE the rain, and I don't even mind the snow.  It is the lack of sunshine that makes me grumpy, and this week has been the worst.

Just look at my driveway!

 and my muddy dog!

We are all restless, even the dog!  Well, I guess I can't say all.  Our ducks are having the times of their lives.  They LOVE the weather.  As soon as a few drops of rain fall from the sky they come running out from wherever they were taking a rest, making a bunch of noise, and waiting for more rain to fall.  They are quite funny, and we find pleasure in watching the out the window.

Thinking about it now, I guess we have gotten a few things done, I think the clouds outside just make my thinking a bit foggy.


We were able to work more in the "garden".  The boys and i took the compost pile, (old cow poop!) and spread it out over the area that we planned on making the garden this year.   We had quite a good time doing that actually, and got really good at flinging poo over our heads and onto the surrounding ground.  It may not sound like the most desirable task, and it wasn't without its incidents, but we were laughing, brushing poop out of our hair, and having a marvelous time!

Then, thanks to my amazing inlaws who gave us their rototiller, My hubby turned that field into a much smoother and less grassy garden bed :)  It is starting to look so nice!  Just waiting for the weather to clear so we can get the fencing around it to keep my chickens out, and my tomatoes and such can be planted!  It is always such an accomplishment to see your plants in the ground. Can't wait!

 

 

Also, the older boys helped me put together the bottom part of the nesting boxes for the barn.  There will actually be three of these stacked together to give plenty of room for our ladies to lay their eggs.  We had to hurry up and finish, as the rain started up again just as the last screws were being put in, so it hasn't gotten painted yet,  but we went ahead and put it in the chicken coop so that the ladies could check it out and be comfortable with it.  Only a few more weeks until we start getting some eggs!  I am just a little bit excited!!  Ok, maybe even a lot excited.  I even put a countdown timer on our FB page so that I can know how long until we will have eggs to sell. Yup, just a little excited. 

Speaking of eggs, if you are going to be buying any from us, then you might as well know right now....

I DO NOT WASH MY EGGS!  

Yup, that right. If you are getting eggs from us, they might just look like this...

See those little brown specks, those are probably poop, shavings, or feathers.  I know, gross right! 

Let me explain.   God gave eggs a natural coating on the outside called the "bloom"  in order to seal the pours and keep potential baby chicks and their environment clean and safe.

Because of this coating, bacteria has a hard time getting into a dry egg. Pretty neat right?!   However, any washing removes the bloom and allows air and bacteria to be drawn inside the egg, shortening its "life"

Unwashed eggs will last at least two weeks (we have had ours last over 4 weeks!) unrefrigerated, and three months if refrigerated. On the other hand, washed eggs need to be refrigerated, and will last about 2 months, but still wont taste as fresh as an unwashed egg of the same age.

So, In order to keep our eggs as fresh as possible, we leave the washing to you :) I recommend that you simply wash them right before use. This will keep them fresh and delicious as long as possible, while ensuring little bits of "whatever" do not get into the yummy things you are making.

Does that mean that you are going to get eggs that look like this?

Absolutely not.  We work hard to keep our nesting boxes clean and dry so that the eggs come out as clean as possible. But, should we ever get one like this, I promise to remove the big chunks, because, well, that IS just gross! :)


Blessings on you this week!

  

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