[FiB]

Grrrr - I knew there wernt enough eggs!  Found the stash this morning and although there are 32, they could be older.  None of them float.....are they OK to cook with?   What recipe uses the most eggs??!!!  Got the mixer out.....

[in the hills]

If there are 32 and assuming there has been only one hen laying in that spot they could be quite old.    When we find a batch, we test them in water and if fresh we give them to our dog and neighbours have them for their dogs. ....... But then we always have loads of eggs. 


You could have omlettes for dinner. Bake tray bakes/sponges and freeze them.

[tazbabe]

we get this too, i break them into a saucer before putting them in the pan, if i'm not sure, the dogs get them unless they are actually smelly!

[deepinthewoods]

i do an extra test with my 'hidden'booty, i add a load of salt to thewater to encourage them to float, thae ones that are nearly no good will then float and the really fresh ones stay sunk. hth.

[FiB]

Brill thanks - will add salt, tune in nose, and get baking!  32 egg sponge here we come... Still searching for a 'most eggs you can use in a cake without it tasting like omlete' recipe....  I may try a quiche, as I've some ham bits in the freezer, cheese and lots of nettles (and of course I can loose another egg in the pastry).    Thanks all -  Wish we could send cake on this forum!!!

[kegs]

Lemon curd uses lots of eggs too. 

[darkbrowneggs]

Check out for ideas and recipes for surplus eggs   
 
http://www.darkbrowneggs.info/#/egg-recipes/4550782262

[graham-j]

Hi,any cracked,damaged or eggs I not too sure about I feed back to my birds.I boil for ten minuets,cut them in half to check they are OK.I then mash them up with a potato masher and feed them back to them.Save waisting any.

I like the Idea of using salt to find the really fresh eggs,I will give that a try.Thanks.

Graham.

[Growy16]

If you have a cockerel I would check them before cooking.  We found a 20 egg stash recently, no floaters, so we did what we always do with the stashes, boiled them in order to feed back to the hens.  However upon cracking them we found 20 developing chicks which was a little unnerving.  Since the hen had only been getting out sporadically during the day we never suspected that the eggs could have developed as they weren't being sat on all day.  We have two hens who refuse to stay inside their pen but we have tracked them and know where they are laying so its not such a problem anymore.


Mark

[in the hills]

 

[northfifeduckling]

I use the floating test and additionally I do candle them, lastly the smelling test. I did have a few surprises over the years and would never give any garden eggs to other people, ever...

[SallyintNorth]

we get this too, i break them into a saucer before putting them in the pan, if i'm not sure, the dogs get them unless they are actually smelly!

Exactly same here. 

I don't do the floaty test as I don't want the muck that seems always to be on the shells going into the egg - which it would unless the water were warmer than the egg (hence why you mustn't wash eggs unless using hot water) and I don't want to be warming questionable eggs... 

[northfifeduckling]

wouldn't muck get in if they are in the rain for a few days or weeks? 

[SallyintNorth]

wouldn't muck get in if they are in the rain for a few days or weeks? 

YES!     Ours are always in the haystacks so rain isn't an issue!

[FiB]

we get this too, i break them into a saucer before putting them in the pan, if i'm not sure, the dogs get them unless they are actually smelly!

Exactly same here. 

I don't do the floaty test as I don't want the muck that seems always to be on the shells going into the egg - which it would unless the water were warmer than the egg (hence why you mustn't wash eggs unless using hot water) and I don't want to be warming questionable eggs... 

Doh - floaty test done!  There was somthing lurking in my mind about water  - boo.  Oh well, done now - all smelt OK and cakes in the freezer (3 eggs/cake fruit loaf, a chocolate sponge,  and a million fairy cakes).  Agree, I dont let any eggs leave my house apart from the date marked ones.  But I dont have a dog, and couldnt bare the thought of getting rid of 32 potentially OK eggs.  Like the idea of feeding hardboiled back to chickens.