Make your Own Mayonnaise

Yesterday I made mayonnaise for the first time and was simply shocked at how easy and simple it was. Mayonnaise is in essence just egg yolks and oil. Because of this it does last more than a week or two, but these ingredients we always have in our home so it’s easy to make as and when required. It also makes you think what they must put in commercial mayonnaise to make it last forever!

Here is the recipe I used to make mayonnaise. I have reduced the amount of Mustard in it because it was very strong but as an optional flavour enhancer you can put more in if you wish.

The vinegar will allow you to add more oil to the mixture and help preserve it a little, but careful not to add too much as it can spoil the flavour. Taste test frequently when playing with the ingredients.

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Ingrediants

  • 500ml Olive Oil
  • 1-2 Tsp vinegar
  • 2 egg yolks
  • Lemon and salt
  • Dijon Mustard to taste

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Method

Whisk the egg yolks and mustard if using. Slowly add half the oil while whisking.When thick add half the vinegar and then continue with the rest of the oil. Add lemon and salt and store in a jar in the fridge.

Lasts for 1-2 weeks.

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What does a Fertilised Egg look Like?

We now officially have fertilised eggs! When you have a Rooster in the mix, it’s hard not to treat every little difference in your eggs with enthusiasm and optimism. I got excited over every little speck on the eggs thinking it might be fertilised. It’s important to note that blood spots on the egg are normal but not an indication of a fertilised egg contrary to popular belief.

Think about it, you see those blood spots on store bought eggs – where not a single rooster is found so it’s physically impossible for any of those eggs to be fertilised.

I took a picture of our eggs today so you can see our clear fertilised egg. There were actually a couple in the mix but there is one very clear example of what a fertilised ovum looks like.

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Can you spot the fertilised egg?

Make sure you also remember that the ovum looks like a small white speck on the yolk, so it’s the larger, circles we are looking for here.

eggsfertF for fertilised egg!

 

Saving egg shells

Egg shells: whether you have chickens or not chances are you get through quite a few eggs in your household. Don’t throw those egg shells away though! Egg shells have good stuff like calcium in them which you or a friend may find very useful!

 

I grind up my egg shells and portion them out into small resealable bags For my chickens, as giving them back the calcium helps them create new eggs again!

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Bear in mind – don’t give chickens whole eggs to eat, or you will teach them to eat Thier own eggs.

 

But it’s not just chickens that benefit from egg shells, here are a few more ideas for reusing egg shells:

  • If you keep snails in a fish tank (to eat algae) or pond, try adding some crushed egg shells when they have baby snails. The calcium supplement of egg shells will help the baby snails to grow big and hard shells and protect them from fish as they grow up.
  • add egg shells to chicken feed as an extra supplement to Thier existing diet.
  • Instead of using salt which can harm plants, sprinkle egg shells instead (crushed) and this will also keep snails and slugs away due to the sharp edges.
  • Add the egg shells to your compost as they are rich in good nutrients to help your plants.

 

 

 

 

Nest Reminder Eggs for Chickens

A handy little trick I just picked up was to buy fake eggs for your chickens. We have just got two chickens in our yard and after a quick change of things we built a new nest box. The chickens were taking it in turns on just one nest so I wanted to encourage eggs in the new nest box too.

chicken egg reminder

I picked up 9 of these plastic eggs from the supermarket for just 75p all in. It’s easter, so take advantage of this and get some fake eggs for your chickens just in case. You can also get proper chicken eggs that look much more realistic but I found it really doesn’t matter. Pop an egg into each nest and your chickens will get the idea. It also prevents them laying outside of nest boxes with a gentle reminder of where to go.

chicken egg

As you can see compared to the real deal these eggs are much smaller and definitely not chicken like but my chickens are quite happy with their egg reminders and now laying in both nest areas.