Boiling Fresh Eggs (that peel easily:)

I feel like this is a silly task.

peeling eggs of all things,

 and successfully.

But it's been a goal of mine since starting my flock

I just never took the time to really try it. 

Even if eggs peel well, it feels like a  tedious amount of time

to properly peel each egg when you need to get things done in bulk;)

It's far easier to crack a bunch in a bowl, add cheese,

salt and pepper and there you go, scrambled eggs.

But my family asked for egg pasta salad yesterday

and since we have an abundance of eggs right now

I felt it wouldn't hurt to try the boil method and if they couldn't peel..

well, that's what chickens are for of course:)

nothing goes to waste when you have these feathered

omnivore cleaner uppers pecking around your acreage. 

I feel I should preface, or back up here...

I am certain that most people, most moms anyway;)

understand that fresh eggs do not like to peel after being boiled.

no, the membrane likes to stick to the shell and by the time you're

done you barely have an egg left.

if you buy expensive farm fresh eggs.

or you grow your own,

it can be so discouraging to see that kind of waste. 

at least for me it is. 

so my eggs on this day were really fresh, 

like straight outta the chicken fresh.

so here goes, 

because I can tell that if you're reading this,

you reeeeelly

want to know how to boil fresh eggs and 

have an effortless peel to them.

you add this to your life, 

and it makes it at least

.25% easier. 

OK here goes.

I did this extremely complicated thing.

See that photo up there?

just above this text.

like right above this paragraph.

just clarifying.

I gently took my egg, gave a little thwack

on the edge of my pot (at the bottom of my egg,

larger part of the egg that is, 

ok... you know how

an egg is oval...

and one end is smaller than the other...

so, it's that larger end, just right on the end...)

Oh, you understand what I mean. I'm over explaining.

right. well, moving on...

I didn't break the membrane, but rather just the shell.

and in fact, this may be far easier

to do with a farm fresh

egg that has yet to experience any kind of temperature change.

such as, rapid cooling that might shrink the membrane...

then I dropped  it into rapidly boiling water.

I had no egg come out of these cracks.

my water stayed clear the whole time

which told me the whites and yolks were staying neatly

tucked into the membrane and not spilling out of the 

shell and into the boiling water. 

just for better explanation purposes,

I'll insert a photo below.

so you've been given a heads up here...

I know what you're thinking.

"man, I'm glad I ran across this article on boiling and peeling

farm fresh eggs. 

man, am I glad this girl is so thorough in explaining

such a complicated process to me.

there is just nothing else I could be doing but sitting here,

maybe sipping coffee,

reading about boiling eggs."

you're welcome.

so anyway. 

I promise I have better grammar writing skills than that.

but you can imagine we are in a conversation.

because that's the kind of awkward I am.

i really struggle with small talk, so if you

invite me to coffee one afternoon

and we are sitting there awkwardly staring at our cups,

staring out the window,

staring at our shoes...

I may very well launch into a riveting discussion about peeling

FRESH eggs.

because I just cannot stress that adjective enough.

FRESH eggs.

because FRESH eggs just do not boil and peel. 

everyone knows this.

most people know this.

ok, maybe a few people know this.

and if you were to say, make an excuse to go the bathroom or something

and never return,

 I would totally understand.

so anyway.

i'm just picking back up where I left off up there.

and I think this is kind of crucial...

but after boiling my eggs for 7 minutes,

I placed them in a bowl and ran them under very cold water.

now. 

you may be wondering if it is possible to achieve

extremely

cold water out of a faucet and I'm here to say,

yes, yes it is.

but only if you have the deepest well in your area that produces

the kind of water that could maybe, 

quite possibly, 

probably not

give you frostbite outta the tap. 

once your eggs have been thoroughly

cooled by your very cold water,

however, you choose to achieve this.

ice cubes in a bowl for example...

it just depends on how serious you take this and 

how far you're willing to go.

and let me tell you people.

i'm willing. 

i'm going that extra mile. 

but I mean look at this egg...

inserting photo below

I mean.

look at that peel.

c'mon.

I mean. so. easy. 

now.

i'm going to insert some more photos below.

because.

i can tell you're at the edge of your seat

wondering what happened next. 

yep. well. i'm gonna show you.

et

i mean. look at that yolk.

it's from the grasses and bugs finally

making an appearance in northern Alberta.

that is like a vitamin in itself right there.

this egg had minimal waste to it. 

some of the whites peeled off with the egg. 

but with the rest...

perfection.

sheer. perfection. 

it's the small things

now.

i'll bet you're wondering what I did with 

all of this eggy deliciousness.

well. you're luck.

 i'm gonna show you. 

here is my lunch.

that cheese is from my cow.

lets be clear: the cow did not make the cheese,

i milked the cow and then made the cheese in my kitchen.

just so you're aware. 

now I just need to learn how to grow 

tomatoes and cucumbers

and we could produce everything on this plate.

I mean. HOW satisfying would that be. 

I don't even need to end that sentence with a question mark, 

because, let's face it, it's rhetorical.

everyone

wants to produce their own food,

riiiight.

no? you say.

not sure how you arrived here, you say?

why am I still reading this, you say?

wanna see a photo of my pasta salad? I ask

(by that I mean, (I)ask, not (you)ask)

well anyway. 

there's my pasta salad.

I'm really glad we got that outta the way,

it was getting awkward and I really wanted to show you.

well. in conclusion, that's how you prepare fresh eggs to boil

so you can get a perfect peel

I'm not really sure what to say.

you're welcome?

I'm sorry for putting you through that?

thank you for politely "chatting" with me?

will i see you again?

well. I guess I'd better get going.

I've got yogurt to strain, butter waiting to be washed.

broth ready to strain

and my kids are being exceptionally good

allowing me to get a little hobby in while they play.

for now, I'll leave you with a photo that my 

child number 3

daughter number 2 

snapped during this mornings milking...

(just to clarify, she is my third child

and my second daughter.

i have six kids.

yep. six.

its fun)

but really. it is. 

ok. so. that's not me milking.

but i'm just showing off my kids for a sec and reminding myself

to write about chickens and cows next time

because i'm finding the two go together like

peanut butter and jelly

like crab meat and butter

like honey on toast

like butter on potatoes

like...

well. you get what I mean.

as for the above photo, I'm just showing off the fact that my kids

enjoy watering the cow, thus, I won't have to worry

about this tedious chore until mid summer when the newness of the cow

wears off for the kids haha.

then there's my toddler, 

crying over a chicken eating grain out

of his bucket.

seriously, 

my almost two year old has had some puhretty bad

hash outs with those chickens.

man.

one day they'll like each other.

 I just sense that day coming. 

for now. I bid you a good morning, good after afternoon,

goodnight...

whatever your time frame may be...

and I finally leave you with a messy photo

of my morning milking session.

more on the whole experience later.

i know you can't wait.

Thank you for joining this Mother's Milking Hour:)