Any back yard chicken farmers freeze dry eggs?

[idjsibb]

I have had a freeze dryer ( Harvest Right) that I have had many years and have freeze dried many different things. I Now have 10 girls that produce more eggs than I can give away or use. So I have been freeze drying them. They freeze dry so well... into powder. Any other freeze dryers users out there in chicken land? what are you doing with your eggs? do you freeze dry fresh eggs or cooked?

 

[DobieLover]

No. I waterglass my excess eggs for winter use.

How do you scramble a freeze dried egg? What about making a frittata? Just curious.

 

[chanceosunshine]

I freeze dry my eggs. I like them so much that I allowed myself more chickens since I know I like the freeze dried eggs.
@DobieLover I take my raw eggs and scramble them. Then I freeze dry them. When they come out I put them through the blender so they’re powdery instead of being in a solid crumbly piece. That way I can measure them. Two tablespoons of egg powder to two tablespoons of water reconstitutes one egg. From there you can use them any way that you would a raw scrambled egg. They’re great!
How do you like your water glasses eggs? I’ve heard good and bad things about it. What is the process? The eggs look pretty in your jar!

 

[DobieLover]

The eggs look pretty in your jar!

That's why I bought the jar. I like to display some of them.

You mix 1 oz hydrated lime (pickling lime) with 1 qt of water. This is an overly saturated solution so it falls out. You carefully lower clean unwashed eggs into the solution. That's it. The only thing I can't do with them is hard boil them.

 

[aart]

So I have been freeze drying them. They freeze dry so well... into powder.

Exactly how do you do this?
How long does it take?

The only thing I can't do with them is hard boil them.

Why not?

 

[TooCheep]

Exactly how do you do this?
How long does it take?


Why not?

I don't have a freeze dryer (they cost $1000+), but use the water glassing method. Freeze drying is a very good way to preserve a lot of foods that will often store for years. To preserve eggs, you scramble them, put them on a tray and freeze dry. It comes out as a solid, dry mass, so you have to break it up into a powder for storage and then you can rehydrate and it is supposed to taste as good as new. So in addition to expense, freeze drying's biggest drawback is that it restricts you to scrambled eggs.

I have been water glassing for 4 years now. It is cheap, uses no energy and is effective- but also with some limitations. It doesn't last as long (~18-24 months), but that isn't a concern for me since I use it to save eggs for the winter when my girls rest. The egg shells do soften somewhat over time, so hard boiling will cause some (~1/3 in my experience) to crack and possibly (~1/10) eject some contents. The yolk also softens somewhat over time, so sunny side up/easy over eggs can end up with burst yolks.

The final good solution is freezing. I don't know how long frozen eggs are good for. It is limited to scrambled eggs and takes freezer space and energy.