"Self-sufficiency does not mean 'going back' to the acceptance of a lower standard of living. On the contrary, it is the striving for a higher standard of living, for food that is organically grown and good, for the good life in pleasant surroundings... and for the satisfaction that comes from doing difficult and intricate jobs well and successfully." John Seymour ~ Self Sufficiency 2003

Saturday 22 September 2012

Something different

We have neighbours who have geese.  And, as everyone knows, geese produce eggs LOL

Apparently, they only lay from late August to the end of October.  Goose Lady told me that apparently last year they had to throw away over 60 eggs.  Me - with my way back Grant clan Scottish roots, and my frugal nature - I'd probably have frozen them...

Why?

Because goose eggs are not small.  It would appear that one goose egg equals three to four hens eggs.  And judging from the pic below that fact is correct. I must say though, the yolk of a goose egg is huge - there is far more yolk than albumen.  That is probably what accounts for the high cholesterol content of goose eggs
Jumbo (66gms +) brown chicken eggs versus
white goose eggs.  Unfortunately my kitchen

scale is still packed in the moving boxes, so I
couldn't weigh the goose egg.

Calories and Fat


If you stick to one chicken egg as part of your meal, you'll consume just 72 calories, but one goose egg contains 266 calories. There is also more fat in a goose egg than a chicken egg, including more saturated fat. One large chicken egg contains 4.75 g of total fat, with 1.56 g of that being saturated. One goose egg contains 19.11 g of total fat, with 5.1 g being saturated. If you are trying to reduce your intake of saturated fat, a chicken egg may be the healthier choice for you.


Cholesterol

A high cholesterol diet may increase your risk of heart disease so it is important to limit your intake. Eggs are one of the most well-known sources of cholesterol, and both chicken and goose eggs contain cholesterol. If you are on a low-cholesterol diet, speak with your doctor about whether or not any kind of egg has a place in your diet. One large chicken egg contains 186 mg of cholesterol, and one goose eggs contains 1,227 mg of cholesterol.

(Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/528020-nutritional-stats-on-chicken-eggs-vs-goose-eggs/#ixzz26LvPSYRH)



Cracking a goose egg in the frying pan results in half the pan being covered.
For scale, that is a dessert spoon next
to the frying pan.
But, I always try and crack all chickens eggs (and now goose eggs) as close to the pointy end as possible, so that I can use the empty egg shells as seedling propagators.  However, Goose Lady heroically offered to blow any eggs they used.  And she gave me the empty shells.
White goose eggs
I feel a craft, or two, coming on...

...and...

...I have been told there is a chance of a baby gosling or two...  RMan is ecstatic!

12 comments:

  1. Wow Goose eggs are rich! Interesting stats, thanks. Geese are also good 'watchdogs'. Grind up surplus egg shells and add to your worm farm and/or compost. Some of the egg shells will remain in the finished product and act as snail and slug deterrents in your vege patch. Laura

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    1. Laura - Yeah, as outside watchdogs they'll be very welcome, as Scallywag is firmly remainng a "town-dog" and scurries inside at the end of every day. So, until we get a new puppy, who learns to sleep out at night, the geese will have to be our eyes and ears :)

      I also put whatever broken eggs shells there are in the compost. And use the empty 3/4 egg shells as seed propagators - so they also end up in the soil, once their job is complete :)

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  2. I...LOOOOOOOOVE.....GOOSE EGGS!!! I LOVE THEM!!! I LOVE THEM!!!

    sorry for all of the screaming Dani - but i really love goose eggs! people can talk about calories and fat and all that but they are a nutrient dense food and very delicious! there is a reason why all cultures AND all animals love eggs - it's because they are very good for you! but in my personal opinion - i love goose eggs the best especially for making over easy eggs and then dipping your toast into those beautiful yolks - oh heaven!

    can you mail me a couple of those?

    bahahahahahahah! enjoy those eggs! your friend,
    kymber

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    Replies
    1. kymber - Oh my dear, you bring such a smile to my face - bless you :)

      Was thinking of solar dehydrating some for yo, but dunno if they'd get passed your customs...

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  3. oh one last thing - i can't remember where i read it, but apparently you can keep eggs in salt for several months???? do a google search on it. i swear i saw it somewhere.

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    Replies
    1. Or perhaps I should pickle some - have just found a brilliant recipe for that... :)

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  4. Wow, Kymber loves her goose eggs, ha. Makes me want to find someone with geese and try a few. We love eggs in all forms. 2nd Family has a duck and she is starting to lay. We may get to try some duck eggs soon. I'm excited for that. Congrats on your goose eggs, I bet they were delicious. I had no idea they were so much bigger.

    Oh, and yes, I can totally see some crafty uses for those shells!

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    Replies
    1. 1st Man - She does indeed seem to :)

      Chickens, ducks, geese - all their eggs are brilliant! Because of the size RMan and I shared one LOL

      Stay tuned - if the craft works, I'll blog it... ;)

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  5. We've done a lot of reading about what's in chicken eggs, particularly free range (eating actual greens) and your standard supermarket eggs (free range or not). And once chickens are eating good amounts of chlorophyll, the constitution of the egg changes quite dramatically. It lowers the cholesterol and increases the omega 3. So I wonder what the comparison with goose eggs is based off. I think home grown, grass fed eggs are super foods myself. We also feed our chickens kale and spinach to really pump it up. But after your post Dani, we may need to give goose eggs a try!

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    Replies
    1. Sandy - Thanks for sharing that fascinating info. Thanks to the dubious, greedy farmers, Free Range is the only route to go.

      Goose eggs are delicious :) But, be warned, have a couple of hungry appetites on hand before you cook even one...

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  6. Dani, We have chicken eggs here, but we also have ducks. The duck eggs are larger than the brown Rhode Island Red brown eggs, and they are higher in protein. The duck eggs are also delicious and make wonderful quiches that can be frozen as home made convenience food, and warmed later. When we do have extra, we cook them and place them on dog food to supplement our dog's vitamins and protein on occasion.

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  7. Jane - Thank you - I hadn't thought of quiches - and I can make them in the solar oven too :)

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