Zephyr Hill

A Family Blog

Can You Eat Duck Eggs?

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Do people eat duck eggs for breakfast? Can you bake with them? Why yes! But how do they measure up to hen eggs? This post will answer all those questions.

We have a few Khaki Campbell ducks here at Zephyr Hill and they lay a decent amount of eggs, although their output can’t rival the chickens. Soon after discovering our first duck eggs, we immediately wondered “Can you eat these things?”

It’s funny how the mind works against you, though. Even though duck eggs are nearly identical to chicken eggs in appearance, we were instinctively suspicious just because it was something new. “What if they taste bad?” seemed to be the unspoken question on everyone’s mind. Nobody sells duck eggs in grocery stores and there’s a reason for that, right?

To be fair, duck egg consumption is quite common in other places, especially Great Britain.

But luckily for us (and for this blog post), we’re curious types. So I scrambled up a few duck eggs for breakfast. The first noticeable difference jumped right out at me. Duck yolks are orange, not yellow, and tough to break. But with some elbow grease, I got them mixed up pretty well. After the yolks are broken, it’s smooth sailing.

So what is our verdict on scrambled duck eggs? The flavor is richer and stronger than chicken eggs, but it’s the same “type” of flavor. That’s the best way my husband and I can describe it. Both of us prefer chicken eggs, though, especially because we like omelets and don’t want the flavor of the egg to overwhelm the add-ons. The stronger taste of the duck eggs was just a little too much.

However, I’ve discovered that duck eggs are EXCELLENT for baking. Things like cookies, cakes and brownies turn out to be fluffier and more moist!

And that’s not all:

  • They have a longer shelf life and are harder to break (in this family, that’s a good thing) because the shells are thicker.
  • They have more albumen (which means more protein) in the white. This explains why they give you more “loft” in baked goods. It also means you have to be careful about overcooking them when pan frying or boiling.
  • Some people who are sensitive or allergic to chicken eggs can actually tolerate duck eggs.

So there you have it! If I missed something, please leave me a blog comment below.

 

 

 

 

 

Egg yolk image courtesy: Malaysiabest.net

 

Backyard Chickens Gone Wild

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A friend just dropped off a few Polish Crested hens at our farm the other day. Once you see a face like this, you never forget it! They suffer a bit for their beauty, though, because the colorful crest that adorns its head can limit its vision, resulting in an easily frightened little bird. If you are adding this variety to an existing flock, don’t be surprised if they are dominated by your other birds.

Historical records from the 1600’s trace the Polish Crested to the Netherlands; you can even spot them in old painting sometimes.

The color variety is pretty stunning; my favorite is our “tuxedo chicken,” which features black and white feathering from head to tail.

How about solid gold?

Our other animals were not really that impressed. Just another day, just another chicken. Big deal.

Ruby, our Sicilian donkey, and Destro our buck are more interested right now in Sweetpea, who is supposed to be going into labor soon and “kidding.” A donkey can be a great addition to your farm, providing companionship and protection to smaller animals, and keeping down weeds in the pasture.

A Recipe for Spring Happiness

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To begin, start with one yard full of fresh green grass.

Add one Buff Orpington:

Then throw in a few Pekin ducks:

And perhaps a rabbit:

or two?

And don’t forget to drop in a pair of goslings:

And for a little bit of “kick,” you’ll certainly need a donkey:

Last of all, it’s always nice to have something to sweeten the dish a little:

And a hungry crew to enjoy all the goodness!

3 of mine with their niece and "second mama" on the 4th of July

When you combine all of these ingredients you will end up with a lovely concoction called “Spring Happiness.”

Enjoy!

Women: Have You Ever Said “I Could Never Do That!”

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things I’ve said this about and where I stand

Baking Bread

Cloth Diapering

Making Our Own Clothes

Having a Big Family

On one hand, it’s been popular in modern times to tell women “You can do anything!” and yet how many women respond to a challenge with the words “I could never do that!” Surely there has to be a balance between knowing our limitations and meeting new challenges.

Quite often, when I tell someone that I have 5 children (update…now there are 6!), or that I home school, or that we raise and butcher our own meat, or that we cloth diaper, etc. etc. they will respond like this: “Oh, I could never do that!” Of course, this is not meant to be a criticism; they are just saying they think they can’t do it for one reason or another.

That response always brings to mind a saying I heard once from Dave Ramsey: “It doesn’t matter if you think you can, or if you think you can’t. You’re right!”

That is to say, when we think we can’t do something, then we generally won’t do it.

But the fact is, there are a lot of things we COULD do if we only put forth the effort, educated ourselves and made conditions ripe for the adventure. If we would “set the stage for success” then saying “I can do this” would be much easier.

Despite the many things I’ve undertaken, I am still very guilty of this way of thinking sometimes. Like many, I fear the unknown. I keep saying I’d “like” to bake all of our bread and sew clothing for my children, but I’m not taking any steps to make those things happen.

Another saying I love: “If it is to be….then it’s up to me!”

Here are some leaps of faith I’ve taken and the outcomes that resulted. It’s good for me to look over this list from time to time for encouragement. The fear of failure is usually a lot worse than the outcomes we imagine (and that rarely happen):

1. I got married. Yes, this counts! It’s a big leap to commit yourself to one man for the rest of your life, till death do you part. The outcome? Ten years together so far – and the security, comfort and happiness this brings. And did I mention all the beautiful children?
2. I started using cloth diapers. One day I just quit buying disposables, so I was forced to go “old school.” In came the prefolds and diaper pins and covers. The outcome? Lots of money savings. Some failures and foibles along the way as I learned what worked best. Four years later….here we are. I’m one of the biggest cloth advocates you find anywhere!
3. I started budgeting. Actually, this is something my husband and I do together. And it’s hard. But it works. Do I like having restrictions on spending? Not really. Do I like looking at the budget every month and going over the numbers with my husband? Hardly! Do I like that we’re not living from “paycheck to paycheck” anymore? YES! Do I like that we don’t overdraw on checking anymore? YES! Do I like that we finally have savings AND a growing emergency fund? YES!

What are some things you keeping saying you can’t do, and what are your reasons? What would it take for you to go ahead and try?