"I have more eggs in the summer than I know what to do with," said a community member calling into my office. If you have backyard chickens, there might come a time when you have more eggs than your household will eat. Let's talk about some options to use up, preserve, and even make money off those extra eggs.
Using up eggs
Store extras. Eggs can be refrigerated up to 5 weeks, according to recommendations from U.S. Department of Agriculture. Close to 5 weeks, you may notice changes to the egg, like the white being thinner and the yolk being flatter. This is all normal as the egg ages, and older eggs can be safely cooked and eaten. If you notice an unpleasant odor from newer or older eggs, throw them out instead of eating.
Get cooking. Beyond storing extra eggs, cook those eggs and enjoy them in different recipes. If you don't enjoy egg dishes, like omelets or quiches, use eggs in baked goods, like cheesecake, cornbread, or baked oatmeal.
Preserving eggs
Pickling. Use instructions from the National Center for Home Food Preservation for pickled eggs. The base recipe includes different flavor options, from red beet eggs to sweet and sour eggs. Use the pickled eggs to make egg salad sandwich filling or a Nicoise salad.
Freezing. While you need to crack open the eggs, freeze whole eggs, yolks, and whites with instructions from National Center for Home Food Preservation. Thaw and use in your favorite recipes.
Freeze-Drying. Home food dehydrators don't dry eggs in a way to guarantee food safety. Instead, try freeze-drying. Utah State University Extension has resources on purchasing and using freeze-dryers.
Selling eggs
In Illinois, you can work with Illinois Department of Agriculture to sell eggs. If you have farmers markets in your area, you can also sell eggs there.
Donating eggs
Illinois Department of Agriculture considers food pantries a retail location. For private citizens to donate eggs from backyard chickens, you need an egg licensure in the same way as selling eggs.
Resources:
- Cracking the Date Code on Egg Cartons, University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension, 2020
- Food Donations, University of Illinois Extension, N/D
- How to Dehydrate Foods, University of Missouri, 2021
- Preserving Eggs, Colorado State University Extension, 2023
- Selling Eggs, Illinois Department of Agriculture, N/D
- Shell Eggs from Farm to Table, United States Department of Agriculture, 2019
- Storing Eggs Safely, Utah State University Extension, 2023
About the Author: Caitlin Mellendorf is an Illinois Extension Nutrition and Wellness Educator serving DeWitt, Macon and Piatt Counties in Central Illinois. She is a Registered Dietitian and her work focuses on helping community members gain the knowledge, skills and tools to live healthier, more nutritious lifestyles. This includes providing programs and answering questions about heart health, diabetes, food safety, food preservation, grocery shopping and cooking. You can reach Caitlin by email at chuth2@illinois.edu or call 217.877.6042.