Ankeny Hill Farm

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Water Glassing Eggs with Pickling Lime

May 18, 2023 By admin Leave a Comment

Water Glassing Eggs

Today let’s talk about water glassing eggs. If you have your own chickens you’ve probably had the experience of an over abundance of eggs at some point followed by hardly any eggs (especially during winter). You’ve probably wondered how you can effectively preserve your abundance of eggs! I’ve had chickens for about 7 years now. I started out with a small flock, then grew it to about 300 at one point when I had my egg business. I now have a smaller flock again. (See why I quit the egg business)

Through all this, I wished I had a way to preserve fresh eggs to use when my hens were not laying as much. This past fall and winter, I actually had to go buy eggs at the store. I had downsized my flock a lot last year, down to about 50 hens and they all quit laying in the fall! I had zero eggs from them for about 6 months which hadn’t happened before. Yes there’s the theory that the government did something to the feed or that some big feed companies were skimping on the nutrition. It did make me wonder, but I tried changing feed a few times and adding some supplements but nothing seemed to help.

The Egg Conspiracy of 2022?

Here’s the thing… I normally had been changing out my flock every year so that I never had hens over 1.5 years old. They produce best between 6 months to around 1.5 so for an egg business, you want to keep higher production rates which means you bring in new chicks each year and get rid of the older ones once the newer ones start laying.

I didn’t change out my hens last year so they were pretty much all about 2 years old or older going into the fall. Plus I had cut my flock way down and production has always dropped a lot during the winter even when using lights.

Anyway, long story short, once the days started getting longer and warmer all of a sudden my girls started laying like crazy again. Im still using the feed I normally use so I don’t buy the whole feed conspiracy (not saying it wasn’t a possibility).

Lets Preserve All Those Eggs!

Now that I’m getting a ton of eggs again, I’ve decided to try a different way of preserving them. I’ve used the freezer method, but it’s just not the same as fresh whole eggs. Freezing takes a lot more work and I don’t like taking up space in the freezer if I don’t need to, along with having to thaw them.

I had heard about water glassing eggs a few years ago but for some reason I just didn’t try it out until now. It’s very simple to do and you can just set them in the pantry when done along with the rest of your canned goods. Apparently the pickling lime seals up the egg shell even more, basically making each egg air tight and able to last 12-18 months without going bad.

I will give a disclaimer. This is the first time I’ve water glassed eggs so I will be sure to give an update in a couple months when I use the first ones and then I’ll update you again in the winter so you can see the quality after a few months of being in the pickling lime.

Ingredients For Water Glassing Eggs

Pickling Lime

1/2 Gallon Mason Jars

Water

Fresh, clean eggs. Clean from the nest, not washed!

The Process of Water Glassing Eggs in Pickling Lime

You’ll want to collect your eggs and only use the ones that are clean. Do not wash them! Do not use eggs that have been refrigerated!

If you wash them, you will wash off the natural coating that is already there. They just need to be clean as in no poop or dirt. My cleanest eggs I find are the ones from the hens that always get out of the pasture and lay in the hay barn lol. I collected the cleanest ones and saved them on the counter until I had enough to use for water glassing. The dirty eggs I just leave on the counter and wash and use for cooking right away or put them in the fridge if I might not use them within a couple weeks or so.

Take your 1/2 gallon mason jar and set it on a kitchen scale and zero it out. Add one ounce of pickling lime, then pour 1 quart (4 cups) of water into the mason jar and stir. It will not dissolve all the way but that’s ok.

Next, start adding the fresh, clean eggs pointy side down (as much as possible). I used some tongs to set each egg gently down in the jar. A large pickle jar with a wider mouth would make this even easier! I’m going to use one of those next time! I’ve heard of people even using a 5 gallon bucket to water glass lots of eggs.

I was able to fit 13 or 14 eggs in each 1/2 gallon mason jar. Once all your eggs are added, just screw on the lid and set in a cool dark area of your pantry. In a box on the floor is a great place.

Now That We’ve Saved the Eggs…

When you use the eggs, you can just take what you need from the jar or container and close it back up with the leftover eggs in it. I’ve read that you need to wash the eggs thoroughly before using them as to get all the pickling lime off of them.

I will post updates on how my eggs are doing starting in a couple months so you can see the quality as they sit longer. From what I’ve read, the eggs are supposed to look and taste just like when they are fresh. I’m curious to see how they do being hard boiled as well.

Have you ever water glassed eggs? What’s your experience and do you have any tips? Leave a comment below!

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Filed Under: Home Canning, Uncategorized

Do What You Have to Do…

November 30, 2021 By admin Leave a Comment

Until you can do what you want to do….

Went for a walk in the field behind our property the other day. My youngest boy who is 12, is very into making Youtube videos so he wanted to do a trash finding video. I didn’t want him going out there alone plus he needed to use my phone for the video, so I reluctantly tagged along. Isn’t that just mom life? lol I never seem to have anything of my own that I’m not sharing with my kids or my husband. Maybe I say yes too often…I don’t know. But I do want to encourage his love for videography.

Anyway…I currently have so much on my mind and I feel like I have to make it all happen somehow. Anyone else have a million things you want to do and you can’t give up any one thing? (Not can’t, but don’t want to) sigh…

I feel the pressure to make extra money so we can get more done and keep the place up. The farm income is slowly growing, but we really need it to grow a little faster and there are things that need fixing. I decided a couple weeks ago to put in an application at Hobby Lobby. Now that all 3 boys are pretty much teens (my youngest is 12), I don’t feel so much like I need to be here to watch them. My youngest still home schools but i would only be working part time so we can still make that work. However, I worry about how I’ll do with everything else. The boys can help out but there are the egg sales, custom ornaments I need to get done, giving riding lessons on dry days, milking and other animal care, making meals and then once kids sports start back up again since they are taking the winter off. And then just the general concern of everyone’s well being in our home and everything that goes along with having 5 different personalities and ages under one roof.

Anyway… I really wish I didn’t need to get an outside job but I guess you do what you have to do for awhile.

Funny thing is, I keep thinking, you know what? Let’s say I start working part time away from home, for someone else. That’s probably 20-25 hours per week. What if I were to do that at home focusing on one or 2 things? I am always trying to do too many things at once and it’s really hard to get something going really well if I’m only spending a small amount of time and focus because I’m trying to spread myself too thin.

I also may need to go back in to surgery for my ankle that I broke in October 2019. It was doing really well until this summer and then I started having some new pain. Not horrible and I can still do my stuff, but it has started happening more often and it’s annoying. I’m thinking I may have to have the pins taken out or fixed or something. I had broken a couple pins early on during my recovery but the doctor said as long as it wasn’t bothering me, they’d just leave them alone. So, this month I go in for an xray and we’ll see if I need surgery.

If I do need surgery, then I’m not going to be able to have an outside job for awhile anyway. Oh well, I guess it’s in the Lord’s hands. I figure while I’m waiting for Hobby Lobby to call me, if they do, I’m going to push myself to focus on one or two areas of the farm and really try and grow. One of those areas I’ve decided is posting to Instagram every day for awhile and getting more content up here on the website.

Laser focus is what I need, but as a wife and mom, it can be so hard. I see others do it though so I know it can be done!

Filed Under: Farm Adventures, Uncategorized

Pumpkin Spice Frappuccino Recipe

October 16, 2018 By admin Leave a Comment

Pumpkin Spice Frappuccino Low Carb Keto Friendly

We’ve got some nice pumpkins out in our little pumpkin patch this year, and I decided it would be good to make some pumpkin puree and freeze it. I first made a Pumpkin Spice Latte and it was delicious! For those of you that are hot coffee drinkers, you can find the pumpkin spice latte recipe here on my Home Coffee Recipes website. So today I decided to try a pumpkin spice frappuccino. (I actually forgot to put the pumpkin spice in and it still tasted delicious, but I’ve added it to the recipe)

I didn’t follow any specific recipe, I just made my own concoction and dumped it all in lol I’ve been making flavored coffee drinks at home for years, so I’ve gotten pretty good at getting the amounts right for the right flavor.

Let me tell you, I wasn’t quite sure how this was going to turn out though. I decided at the last minute to try the new Monk Fruit sweetener I bought off Amazon. I’ve used it in a few things now and I really like it, but I wasn’t sure how it would taste with the pumpkin spice frappuccino.  It was perfect! I did go a little on the heavy side, 1/4 cup, but It seems you need to use more of this sweetener to get it sweet enough. Thankfully it is calorie free! 1/4 cup of the Monk Fruit sweetener was perfect for my taste though.

Ok, so let’s get this pumpkin spice frappuccino party started!

Pumpkin Spice Frappuccino Recipe

First, here are the ingredients…

  • 1/4 cup coffee
  • 1.5 cups ice
  • 1/4 cup Monk Fruit Sweetener
  • 1 Cup pumpkin puree
  • 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
  • 1/2 tsp Vanilla (I used Danncy Vanilla that my mom brought home from Mexico. They have it here on Amazon: Danncy Vanilla)
  • 1 tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice
Pumpkin Spice Frappuccino Ingredients-Low Carb Keto

Add 1.5 cups of ice or just fill a 20oz glass a bit less than full. Then 1 cup of pumpkin puree.

Pumpkin Frappuccino Step 1-Add ice and pumpkin puree

Next add 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

Pumpkin Frappuccino Step 2 add heavy whipping cream

Then add 1/4 cup coffee, 1/2 tsp of vanilla and 1/4 cup of Monk Fruit Sweetener. You can also add 1 tsp of pumpkin pie spice here as well. I forgot to add it in mine but it would have been even more amazing if I had!

Pumpkin Frappuccino step 3 add vanilla and monk fruit sweetener

Now it’s time to blend! Blend the frappuccino for about 30 seconds, making sure it’s nice and smooth. A lot of people don’t blend their frappuccino’s very well and end up with little chunks of ice. Of course, if you like the chunks of ice then blend for less time 😉

If you don’t have a good blender, I recommend Oster for a really good, affordable blender. I love mine!

Blend pumpkin spice frappuccino

After it’s blended nice and smooth and creamy, pour that delicious goodness into a glass…..

Pour Pumpkin Spice Latte into glass

Add some whipped cream and sprinkle some pumpkin pie spice on top (nutmeg or cinnamon will do if you don’t have pumpkin pie spice) and enjoy!! Of course you can leave out the whipped cream if you don’t want the extra sugar.

Pumpkin Spice Frappuccino Low Carb Keto Friendly

I love this recipe and I was surprised at how good it tasted even though I left out the real sugar and made it low carb/keto friendly. I’m not on the keto diet and don’t plan to be, but I’m all for replacing some things with a low carb version and using less added sugar. This turned out super yummy without regular sugar so I’ll definitely be making it like this again!

Buy Some of the Ingredients Now…

Filed Under: Recipes, Uncategorized

DIY Bread and Butter Pickles-Canned or Refrigerator

September 27, 2018 By admin Leave a Comment

Bread and Butter Pickles Recipe

I’ve always loved bread and butter pickles. They are my favorite pickles, especially for putting on hamburgers. This is our 3rd summer here on the farm, and the first time doing some canning. My mom bought a water bath canner last month, so we’ve been canning pickles galore! We have quite a few dill pickles canned since those are the simplest, but I’ve also been mixing in some bread and butter pickles as well.

To tell you the truth, I am not a huge pickle fan, aside from bread and butter pickles. I’ll eat them, but they aren’t on the top of my list unless on a hamburger or sandwich lol. However, since we have so many pickles now, I am going to be eating them more! They are healthy, so there’s that!

Bread and butter pickles take a little more time than regular dill, but they are so worth it and sooooo delicious. The cool thing about pickles is that you can make them for the refrigerator too so you don’t have to bother with canning if you only want smaller batches. This goes for bread and butter pickles as well!

If you don’t want to can these pickles, you can just do the recipe as stated, but leave out the water bath part. Just put them in jars with lids, let them cool on the counter and then stick them in the refrigerator. Let them sit in the refrigerator for at least a couple days or so before eating them for the best flavor.

Let’s get started!

First you’ll need to get your cucumbers sliced up. About 6lbs of cucumbers should fill 4 quart jars. Slice up about 4 medium onions as well.

Slice Cucumbers

Mix together the onions and sliced cucumbers in a large bowl or pan. Pour 1/2 cup pickling salt over the cucumbers and onions and carefully mix so that everything is covered in the salt. (I use sea salt, but you can also use Kosher salt. Do not use regular table salt because the additives in it will turn the pickles a dark color)

Now you’ll need to cover the pickle/onion mixture with a clean towel and put ice all on the top of it and let it chill in the refrigerator for 4 hours. This will help keep the pickles crisp (so I’ve read, I’m not entirely convinced about this part!) Make sure to not let the towel drape over the sides of the pan because when the ice starts melting, it will soak up the water and drip all over your refrigerator…. Ask me how I know! lol

Put Ice on cucumbers to chill

When the 4 hours is up, put the cucumber and onion mixture in a colander and rinse well. Let it sit to drain and then rinse again and let sit to drain again while you prepare the canner and jars.

Rinse cucumber and onion slices

Now, get your canning jars washed and sterilized. You can do this by running them through the dishwasher, or you can wash them and then set them with some water in the canner and boil for a few minutes. I sterilize mine in the canner. This is also good so that when you are ready to pack the jars with the pickles, the jars will be nice and warm already.

Sterlize Canning Jars in Boiling Water
Sterilize your jars in the water bath canner and boil for about 5 min. Then turn the heat down and let them sit in the hot water until you are ready to pack the jars with pickles. See that green jar grabber? That is a must to have and you can get one here: Jar Grabber (Amazon.com link)

So of course, in order to sterilize the jars in the water bath canner, you’ll need to get that thing filled with water about 3/4 full. Set it on the burner on high and put the lid on. You’ll want to get the canner going just before, or as soon as you take the cucumbers out of the refrigerator because it will take quite awhile to get to boiling.

You’ll also want to sterilize the lids and rings at this time. Just stick them in a pot of water and bring to a boil. Then I just turn the burner off and let them sit there until I’m ready to use them.

Sanitize Canning Lids in Boiling Water

Once you’ve set the canning jars in the boiling water to sterilize, you’ll want to get the brine ready. Use a 4 quart pot and pour in 2 1/2 cups of white distilled vinegar

White vinegar for pickle brine

2 cups of Apple Cider Vinegar

Apple cider vinegar for pickle brine

Add 4 1/2 cups sugar. I know, it seems like a lot, but bread and butter pickles are sweet! This is basically making a thin syrup and it’s so yummy!

Sugar for bread and butter pickle brine

Next add 2tbsp mustard seeds…. I don’t understand why the store doesn’t sell mustard seeds in a bigger container! Look at that…. It’s tiny 🙁 I think I may try growing my own mustard seeds next year.

McCormick Yellow Mustard Seed
Add Yellow Mustard Seed to Pickle Brine

2 teaspoons of crushed red pepper. You can add less if you like, but I find this amount is just right to give it that tang. I don’t like very spicy foods, and this does not make the pickles too spicy, just tangy.

Add the crushed red pepper to the pickle brine

1 1/2 teaspoons of celery seeds

Add celery seeds to pickle brine

Cut two 1 inch pieces of a cinnamon stick and add that to your brine. That’s about 2/3 of a whole cinnamon stick

 An inch of cinnamon stick for pickle brine

I just LOVE these colors!

Add 2/3 Cinnamon Stick to Pickle Brine

Next add 12 allspice berries and about 1/4 teaspoon of ground allspice

Add 12 allspice berries to pickle brine

Add 12 whole cloves plus 1/4 teaspoon of ground cloves

Add 12 Whole cloves to pickle brine

And last, but not least, add 1 teaspoon of Turmeric

Add Turmeric to Pickle Brine

Doesn’t it just look beautiful? I love the colors and the smell! It smells like Christmas 😉

Bread and Butter Pickle Brine

Bring this brine/syrup to a boil and then add your pickle and onion mixture to the hot brine. Bring it back to a boil and then turn off the heat.

Add cucumbers and onions to brine

Take your jars out of the canner with the
Jar Grabber (Amazon.com link) , dumping the hot water back into the canner and set them on a towel on the counter.

Use a slotted spoon and fill the jars with the hot cucumbers and onions to about 1 inch from the top of the jars.

Fill canning jars with pickles
Filled pickle jars

Once the jars are filled, pour the pickle brine/syrup into each jar about 1/2 inch from the top of the jars. I like to take the cinnamon sticks out and let them cool a minute and then cut them up and stick a piece of cinnamon stick in each jar as well.

Use a butter knife to stick down the sides of the jars. Carefully use an up and down motion, going around each side of the jar to get the air bubbles out. If there’s any extra brine left, you might top off the jars if they sank down some after getting the air bubbles out.

Now that the jars are all filled with the pickles and brine, wipe the tops of the jars with a clean damp cloth or paper towel and put the lids and rings on and place them in the boiling water bath canner.

Make sure the water covers the tops of the jars at least an inch (that is the current recommendation). Bring the water back to a boil and let boil for 15min. or longer depending on your altitude.

Put bread and butter pickle jars in water bath canner

When the pickles are done processing, pull them out with your jar lifter and set them on a dish towel on the counter to cool, making sure they don’t touch each other. You should hear the beautiful sound of lids popping shortly as they seal. After the jars are cooled, you can check that they’ve sealed by pressing down on each lid. If a lid pops back up, then it is not sealed and you’ll want to put that jar into the refrigerator.

Canned Bread and Butter Pickles

I hope you give this bread and butter pickle recipe a try. It is delicious! You’ll want to let the pickles set for about a month before opening them, so I’ve heard, for best flavor.


Filed Under: Canning Vegetables, Home Canning, Uncategorized Tagged With: cucumbers, pickles

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