Eggucation & Information 🥚

⁉️We are asked frequently, what method of storing fresh laid eggs is best? 

💚My answer- It Depends!

When we are talking about Fresh eggs from our homestead see what we do and why! 

We have several laying hens on our Ranch! Our family personally prefers fresh unwashed eggs. Kept at room temperature is important. This is not always an option for every household or even us when we get those few muddy or poo covered eggs! 

We currently leave a basket full of fresh room temperature eggs on our counter! These are for immediate use with in 2 weeks of being laid! Rule of thumb is if your nests are kept clean and filled with fresh bedding at all times, you shouldn’t ever need to go into a serious scrub. 

The reasons our family prefers the eggs unwashed; When your hens lay their eggs, there is a natural thin coating laid over the shell called the "bloom". The bloom assists in keeping out most bacteria. When you wash eggs, you open up an opportunity for bacteria to enter through the pores of the shell. We personally leave the eggs unwashed until we plan on cooking with them. Often times we do have a ton of eggs so we will wash, preserve and refrigerate a couple dozen for us to keep as back up! Not to mention sometimes you have those few yucky eggs that the simple wipe down won’t do the trick! 

Our family and friends request them washed and ready to eat! Washed to us means no chemicals. We prefer our DIY herbal egg spray followed by a wipe down and oil coating to preserve the bloom that was removed during wash. 

Our method is to spray the eggs in washer flats with a warm water and white vinegar solution. Some times we add dried herbs! My favorite combo for this is... Basil, Rose Petals and a Cinnamon stick! Once sprayed, remove any debris and pat dry with a paper towel one at a time. Place the clean eggs in another basket or flat. At this point you can refrigerate immediately or take it one step further by preserving the eggs to last up to four months.

Preserving your eggs with our unrefined coconut oil after washing helps build a barrier against air and bacteria similar to what the natural bloom does on an unwashed fresh egg. 

You want to coat only the freshest eggs, laid with in the last 24 hours. Heat our unrefined coconut oil to roughly 180 degrees and maintain it at that heat for twenty minutes. Let the oil cool so it's comfy to touch but still in liquid form. Gently proceed dipping each egg into the liquefied oil, quickly remove and set aside on a piece of wax paper. Let the eggs cool and dry. Refrigerate the eggs immediately after the oil has solidified.