By: Hettie Basil Lighttower
Don’t walk on egg shells. Wash them! Hopefully you are privy to the importance of and have access to consuming free range local farm eggs. And if so, I hope you treat yourself to buying them from your local persons with chickens. Or better yet…..you maintain chickens for yourself.
Having access to fresh eggs is vital to boost our immune system as they are high in zinc. If the chickens are able to eat a variety of plants and bugs, the healthier the egg. But the yolk and the whites are not the only beneficial parts for us. There are many advantages to the shells!
It’s probably common knowledge that you can crush the shells and scatter the course shards around your garden to prevent destructive slugs from crawling up on your garden plants or outside potted plants at night. There are plenty of other plants around in nature for the slugs. Crush them a little smaller(not the slugs….the shells…the shells!) and they can be a good source of calcium for your soil, which helps produce healthier plants and vegetables.
But here’s the deal, if you wash/agitate the raw egg residue off of the eggshells in a bowl or sink of water, then place the clean shells in a jar of water to soak for a day or three, you can use that water on your house plants to add calcium which is like fertilizer for your indoor plants. Just strain the water out into your watering can and voila! Meanwhile, place all the wet shells on a cookie tray and place them into the oven at 250 degrees for 25minutes to make them dry and brittle.
Now, with them dry and brittle put them into your spice grinder to make them into powder. The shells through this process will also help to sharpen your blades. If you don’t have a spice grinder you can use your blender or food processor or smoothie blender or use the ol’ mortar and pestle. And really if they are brittle enough, you could place them into a sturdy ziplock baggy with no air in it and roll with your rolling pin. Or whack them real good a few times if your having a bad day. You can powder them however works best for you in the moment.
Now that you are feeling better and very productive, you can store the powdered mixture in an old pickle jar. You can use the powder to sprinkle a dab now and then onto your pet’s food for their calcium needs. You can sprinkle and mix it into your house plant soil or other plants as needed. You can add it into your compost, in any form powdered or not. You can add it in to your worm bin if you have mastered vermiculture. Those little guys need grit. Your chickens need grit. You can return the shells back to the chickens.
And this might blow your mind, but indeed we need calcium too. So if you have achieved mastery of the powdered shells, add a teaspoon to your smoothie! Or soup! What!??? Yes. Eggshells are a great natural source of calcium even for us. Just be sure you have screened it like you’re panning for gold, to make sure you don’t have any tiny shards that might give your innards a “rough time”. Anyone with diverticulitis may want to think twice about using this as a source of calcium. That is a serious condition and until your gut is healed it’s best not to take the chance. But that’s your call if you think the powder is actually powdered and you try it in small sprinkles.
Now say you want to go in and grab the eggs today and give it a go. The eggs you have in there have been in there for a while. How do you know if they are still good to eat or not? If you have farm eggs you know they last a really long time, especially if they have not been washed yet and are still sitting on your counter. Here’s a little tip I learned this year. In a clear glass put water half way up. Place an egg into the glass of water. Do this with each individual egg as needed. If the egg floats at the top, it is old and probably should not be consumed by you. It is compost material. If the egg sinks, it is good!! If the egg bounces somewhere in the middle and stays, then it should be eaten first or in the near future or used for baking.
You can probably guess that an older egg has dried out some and an air pocket has formed on the inside. Once exposed to air on the inside the egg starts to go bad. A fresh egg or one not damaged with air yet will sink. This is a great way to know how fresh or good your eggs are, especially if you have not dated them and have help in the kitchen and they have been moved around on ya!
Send in your notions and comments to [email protected]. I will include them in the next available column as per their arrival relative to the publication deadline of Tuesday by 12 p.m. of the same week. If you wish to be anonymous let me know. Kindness is contagious~*