Ducks Eggs Are Here!

The ducks are now living in their new home. The duck house. They spent the first night on a Sunday and by Thursday we had our first duck eggs. Brenden, Joshua and I were feeding them getting ready to put them up for the night when Joshua said I see an egg! I thought he was kidding from where he was he could really only see through he cracks, but low and behold he was right! Two fresh duck eggs. To be honest I was weary about eating them, and saved them for when Josh would be home. He fried them up first thing Saturday morning. They were actually very good but also very different. The shells are extremely hard and thick, even the yolk is tougher, the egg white it as clear as glass, the taste is buttery compared to chicken eggs is (the best way I can describe), the texture is even different. Duck eggs are prized for baking as well something I love to do! They are even said to lower cholesterol.

Here is an exert from an article I found on the net written by Jamie Oliver...
Duck eggs work best in baked goods like cinnamon buns and cakes. Duck eggs make waffles really fluffy, too. A duck egg yolk has more fat than a chicken egg and it’s white has more protein. This means the white builds a loftier structure when whipped and the extra fat makes the baked good richer. Fluffier and richer? Um, yeah! This, my friend, is how old farm ladies win state fair baking competitions.

Duck eggs interestingly are lower in cholesterol than chicken eggs. They also have a longer shelf life because their shells are so much thicker. They are also a good addition to gluten free baking—what your baked good loses in structure by omitting gluten can be partially gained back with the denser albumen (egg white protein). Seriously, their only downside is availability. So keep your ears open for soft and distant quacking. And if you hear it, for Pete’s sake fire up your oven!

Josh says this picture reminds him of Cookie Monster from Sesame Street. {Grin} I actually bleached the one on the left thinking it was dirty. I later realized that the color was normal and they aren't actually a true white, more of a dirty white.