Maine's Own Off-Topic Thread -- Pt.2 (refrigerator, swimming, peroxide)

[forest beekeeper]

countrylv22 -

As far as I have studied from the USDA 'fresh eggs' means that the product has never been hard frozen. The term 'fresh' is not an indication of age.

The colour of the egg makes no difference.



1. Each egg has an internal air sac.

2. Egg shells are porous.

3. As an egg ages, liquid from the white evaporates out through the shell; so two things happen. First the white shrinks a bit and pulls away from the shell, Second the air sac gets bigger.

Generally: a farm 'fresh' egg [lets say an egg of less than three weeks old] has a tiny air sac. It is tightly bonded with it's shell, so when you boil the egg it is very difficult to get the shell off of it. When placed in water it will sink.

Generally: an aged egg that is between four weeks and six weeks old will have shrunken a slight bit inside. So the air sac is a bit larger, and when you boil it, the shell will come off easily leaving a flawless boiled egg. When placed in water it should still sink though it will likely stand on one end and bounce on the bottom of the water container.

Generally: an old egg will float.

Eggs start with a clear gelatinous sealant over the outside of the shell. That sealant helps guard the shell from absorbing bacteria. If an egg has been washed, it will likely have lost it's sealant. Bacteria inside an egg shows up as a dark cloudy mass inside it when the egg is candled. Or as smelly rottenness when the egg is opened.

I do have customers who insist on unwashed eggs. A commercial egg operation with wire cages, can produce unwashed eggs that are fairly clean, as the egg rolls on wire away from the chicken the moment it is laid. My eggs are laid on soiled ground, so they tend to be a bit poopy.

Some customers insist on poopy eggs, while most customers demand clean shiny eggs.

If an egg has been washed it could go 'rotten' when it is one week old, or it might stay good for three months.

On the other hand, I gather eggs and clean our chicken coop daily, and I have seen eggs less than one day ago, that will stand on one end in water.

I keep a miniature flashlight on my desk. It is the new kind with a dozen LED bulbs in it. It produces a very bright bluish light. Holding that light in my hand, by wrapping my pinkie finger around it. And by making a circle with my thumb and forefinger, I inspect each egg. By placing each egg on that circle and rotating it while the light shines through the egg. This allows me to see any cracks, the air sac, if the embryo is developing, and if the bacteria has gotten inside and began to grow. A 'good egg' is clear and my tiny flashlight will light the egg up like it was a lampshade.

There exist many general 'rules of thumb' about eggs. The best method of knowing what is inside an egg is to look inside using a such a bright light. This is called 'candling'.

My Dw works in a grocery store, their fresh eggs have been aged to between three and six weeks before they have reached the store.

We produce brown and white eggs. We will be adding green/blue eggs this year. Many if not most of my eggs would not pass the federal standards for commercial marketing as their shells are not even. When candling the eggs, I can see thick sections of shell, and thin sections of shell. Even without cracks in the shell, the shells are simply not uniform thickness. And of course some of my eggs are fertile [slower hens produce fertile eggs].

I hope that I have not confused you

[island mermaid]

Forest, I couldn't rep you again just yet, but that is fabulous information!
Thank you.

[forest beekeeper]

Thank you

Want some eggs?

LOL

[island mermaid]

Ship em' down big guy, I eat almost a dozen a week all by myself, and my cholesterol level is just fine!

[forest beekeeper]

Thats funny! When I turned 40 we were living in Italy and eating mostly the local diet, and my cholesterol went through the roof. The medical clinic that did my annual lab tests could not get a reading, as the numbers were above it's meter's top calibration.

So no milk, no cheese, no eggs, no mayo, no red meat, no nuts, no fruit juices, blah, blah, blah.

I met with a nutritionist monthly for over a year; and with two different meds, my numbers are still high.

Eggs are great but I dont eat them. We do have red meat once a month [because we keep being given steaks]. An ounce of cheese a week, no milk, and lots of poultry.

[corgis]

I love eggs, hint, hint!

[Zymer]

Originally Posted by forest beekeeper

Thats funny! When I turned 40 we were living in Italy and eating mostly the local diet, and my cholesterol went through the roof. The medical clinic that did my annual lab tests could not get a reading, as the numbers were above it's meter's top calibration.

So no milk, no cheese, no eggs, no mayo, no red meat, no nuts, no fruit juices, blah, blah, blah.

I met with a nutritionist monthly for over a year; and with two different meds, my numbers are still high.

Eggs are great but I dont eat them. We do have red meat once a month [because we keep being given steaks]. An ounce of cheese a week, no milk, and lots of poultry.

Funnier, is that I love eating all that stuff and my numbers are very, very good.

Maybe alcohol disolves cholesterol?

[forest beekeeper]

Originally Posted by corgis

I love eggs, hint, hint!

If only!

These longer sunlight hours have started my girls going into their summer production mode. Their winter production has been a dozen eggs a day. Today I just brought in two dozen.

I need to find a market for these eggs real soon.

The one general store that we currently have eggs marketed in is not keen on marketing organic free-range eggs. So long as Hannaford and IGA have eggs for 98 cents, the small mom/pop stores want to compete with those prices. They only want to pay a third of the price that I have been getting at the Farmer's Market.

[elston]

Originally Posted by forest beekeeper

If only!

These longer sunlight hours have started my girls going into their summer production mode. Their winter production has been a dozen eggs a day. Today I just brought in two dozen.

I need to find a market for these eggs real soon.

The one general store that we currently have eggs marketed in is not keen on marketing organic free-range eggs. So long as Hannaford and IGA have eggs for 98 cents, the small mom/pop stores want to compete with those prices. They only want to pay a third of the price that I have been getting at the Farmer's Market.

OMG! I pay over $3 a dozen for free range eggs in Hannaford's Supermarket out here. Regular factory farmed eggs are over $2.

[Elcarim]

Originally Posted by elston

OMG! I pay over $3 a dozen for free range eggs in Hannaford's Supermarket out here. Regular factory farmed eggs are over $2.

Me too! Eggs have gotten as bad as milk.