Ways with eggs

By Frank and Muriel Newman

New Zealand has not been spared from the spate of ‘people power’ uprisings beaming into our living rooms each night between Ellen and Coro’ Street. Oily Rag people power is taking hold as our suburban back yards are being transformed into cost-saving centres.

Not only are gardens a growing industry, but the dawn chorus is now resonating with cackles and crowing. And why not? Eggs are a cheap source of protein and keeping chickens is great family fun.

An oily ragger in Whangarei recently told us about his back yard chicken raising activities. He bought three end-of-lay chickens from an egg farmer for a couple of dollars each and built a makeshift enclosure on an old shed using discarded gates and shade cloth. Since then his household has had a continual supply of eggs, at next to no cost because kitchen scraps are used to supplement hen mash (and only with the occasional escape!). They also have a continual supply of manure for the garden, which means they save money on vegetables.

So what can you do with an oversupply of eggs? Here are some suggestions.

• M.E. from Auckland says, “One of my fav' cheap yummy meals mum makes is eggs and rice. Cut onions into thick slices and cook till translucent, and add scrambled egg mix, salt to taste. Cook on medium so it doesn't burn and barely stir so you have nice big fluffy scramble. Take off 30 to 60 seconds before you think it’s cooked because egg keeps cooking. Serve on fresh steamed rice. So yum and cheap.”

• Alicia Webster writes, “Quiches are easy to whip up anytime, and you don't need pastry to have one. For my family of 6 we like having mini quiches. Just chop up finely half an onion, fry with a bit of crushed garlic and oil. Place in greased muffin pans, add a bit of grated cheese. Then in a bowl or jug add eggs and milk (depends on how much you are making). For us, it was 5 eggs and 1½ cups of milk. Add ½ teaspoon of salt and beat till mixed well. Then pour over onion and cheese, and baked until the tops are nicely golden. Does not take as long as one large quiche. Great with fresh salad. Also quiches are a great way to use up veggies, especially if you find you have some cooked veggies leftover after dinner. Doesn't take long to make and cook.”

• K.J. from Wellington has sent in this “no fail” custard recipe. “In a big mixing bowl, beat two eggs, add 2 tablespoons of sugar (more or less to taste) and a heaped tablespoon of cornflour (more or less for thicker or thinner custard). Measure out a litre of milk and pour enough into the mixture, stirring all the time, until it is smooth and runny. Heat the rest of the milk on the stove until almost at boiling point then pour about a third of the hot milk into the custard mix, stirring constantly. Quickly pour it all back into the pan and continue to stir continually until the custard is just bubbling, then turn off the heat. Yummy!”

• M.M from Auckland has a tip when buying eggs. “Anyone who buys the dozen pack of eggs, just have a quick look at the price of the ½ dozen pack, as I always find you can save anywhere between 2 cents and 20 cents by buying two of the ½ dozen packs instead of a one dozen pack.”

Even if you don’t venture into hobby chicken farming, eggs are a relatively cheap form of protein. According to the Egg Producers Federation, New Zealand has over 3.3 million chickens earnestly producing around 85 million dozen eggs a year! That means every one of us consumes about 230 eggs a year, and that number has been rising steadily over the last decade.

ENDS

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