Joy at Home Posted September 8, 2009 Share Posted September 8, 2009 How do you keep track of your eggs to make sure you're eating the oldest ones first? Just curious if anyone has a system. We get about 15 eggs a day . . . thanks, lisa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hillfarm Posted September 8, 2009 Share Posted September 8, 2009 We follow a very simple plan. I put the new eggs on one shelf in the refrigerator and the older ones on a second shelf. I use from the second shelf and as soon as I empty a carton, I move one down from the first shelf. I also tend to move them from left to right, so the oldest on each shelf are on the bottom right hand side and the freshest on each shelf are on the top left. You can freeze eggs by lightly beating them first and pouring into ice cube trays. There is also a product called Keepegg which will preserve them for a long time in the shell. If this is your first experience with eggs, don't forget that as the daylight hours shorten in the late fall and winter, your production will slow way down unless you boost the hens with artificial light to extend the "daytime". I think I read somewhere that May was the top month for egg production. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigdogs29906 Posted September 8, 2009 Share Posted September 8, 2009 I keep a large carton on the counter. We pile eggs in from back to front. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joy at Home Posted September 8, 2009 Author Share Posted September 8, 2009 Wow, that's so simple you think I would have thought of it :001_smile: Thanks for the info!! Lisa We follow a very simple plan. I put the new eggs on one shelf in the refrigerator and the older ones on a second shelf. I use from the second shelf and as soon as I empty a carton, I move one down from the first shelf. I also tend to move them from left to right, so the oldest on each shelf are on the bottom right hand side and the freshest on each shelf are on the top left. You can freeze eggs by lightly beating them first and pouring into ice cube trays. There is also a product called Keepegg which will preserve them for a long time in the shell. If this is your first experience with eggs, don't forget that as the daylight hours shorten in the late fall and winter, your production will slow way down unless you boost the hens with artificial light to extend the "daytime". I think I read somewhere that May was the top month for egg production. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OHGrandma Posted September 8, 2009 Share Posted September 8, 2009 Use a pencil to mark the date on the egg. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katrina J Posted September 8, 2009 Share Posted September 8, 2009 I write the date on them, but I only get two a day. I've tried other simple systems but invariably they get mixed up and I have no idea which egg came in when. My kids have one each as a pet and my 4 yo son insists that his is a boy - so much for the educational experience! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melanie in WI Posted September 8, 2009 Share Posted September 8, 2009 We write the date on the carton and use the oldest date first. We have way too many. I just tried pickling some eggs and they were a hit. I'm planning on pickling several dozen so we have them when the egg production slows down. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angela in ohio Posted September 8, 2009 Share Posted September 8, 2009 We have numbered cartons. When you empty one or fill one, you go to the next highest number. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Firefly Posted September 8, 2009 Share Posted September 8, 2009 We only get about 6 a day but I do is I have a carton in the fridge, and as I use them, I shift the eggs down to the left, and refill the empty spaces to the right. So I am always using the older ones first. We have a basket on the counter to hold a day or two's worth that I draw from as the carton empties. If I get a back log (which happens all the time!) I pack cartons up to give to friends and family. As a side note, I keep a separate half carton in the fridge for eggs that are a few weeks old. I use those for hard boiling and making egg salad. I find the newer eggs are a huge PIA to peel, but if they are a few weeks old they peel very easily. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SonshineLearner Posted September 8, 2009 Share Posted September 8, 2009 Gosh, if you don't rub the blossom off, my friend puts hers on the utility shelf for a few weeks. In the fridge, isn't their "life" at least a couple of months? My farm fresh eggs last forever. (I pay $5 a dozen for organics) Carrie:-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zaichiki Posted September 8, 2009 Share Posted September 8, 2009 We also try to avoid washing the eggs, to retain the bloom. However, if the egg is dusty or dirty, we'll rub it gently under warm running water (warmer than the egg to prevent the bacteria on the shell from being sucked through the pores). We also write the date on the wide end with a pencil. (The people who buy our eggs really like knowing on which day each egg was laid.) :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joy at Home Posted September 8, 2009 Author Share Posted September 8, 2009 We also try to avoid washing the eggs, to retain the bloom. However, if the egg is dusty or dirty, we'll rub it gently under warm running water (warmer than the egg to prevent the bacteria on the shell from being sucked through the pores). We also write the date on the wide end with a pencil. (The people who buy our eggs really like knowing on which day each egg was laid.) :) Okay, please explain to this novice what a bloom is. I've been washing the chicken poop off with water. Doese cold water encourage the bacteria to enter the egg? Please, please educate me before I poison my kids . . . Blessings, Lisa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doran Posted September 8, 2009 Share Posted September 8, 2009 Okay, please explain to this novice what a bloom is. I've been washing the chicken poop off with water. Doese cold water encourage the bacteria to enter the egg? Please, please educate me before I poison my kids . . . Blessings, Lisa The "bloom" is the natural protective coating (invisible) on the outside of all eggs, put there by mother nature as a way of protecting the unborn chick from harmful bacteria. Likewise, it keeps some bacteria from entering the egg once it makes its way into the world and into human hands. Washing the egg removes this coating, but in the grand scheme of things, you are better off to wash off any clinging dirt or fecal matter than to not wash the egg to preserve the bloom. Best scenario: keep nesting boxes as clean as possible and collect eggs once a day, in late morning, to prevent the eggs from becoming soiled in the first place. Some people advocate gently scrubbing/wiping away any cling-on muck with a soft dry cloth and/or soft scrubbie as opposed to washing. I always preferred washing in warm (some recommendations suggest 20 degrees warmer than the egg) water those eggs which needed it and leaving clean eggs alone. Hope that helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freerange Posted September 8, 2009 Share Posted September 8, 2009 How do you keep track of your eggs to make sure you're eating the oldest ones first? Just curious if anyone has a system. Our system is that we run out at least once a week. The kids REALLY like eggs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zaichiki Posted September 9, 2009 Share Posted September 9, 2009 I've read that using cold water will pull the bacteria/air through the pores in the shell and into the egg itself. The water needs to be warmer than the egg. 20 degrees? I don't know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IsabelC Posted September 9, 2009 Share Posted September 9, 2009 (edited) We have two egg cartons in the fridge. We put eggs into the top one starting at the front, and we take eggs out of the bottom one starting at the front. When the bottom carton is empty, we swap them so that the new eggs go into the empty one. Clear as mud? Oh and we never wash them before putting them away. If we do get a mucky one we wash it right before cooking. Edited September 14, 2009 by Hotdrink Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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