What symbolizes new beginnings more than the perfect, fresh egg? And why shouldn’t it? All birds have their highest lay rates in spring as daylight lengthens at an accelerating rate. Eggs contain all the essential nutrients and minerals for life (of a baby bird, that is). Ah, marvelous eggs.
Spring is also the only time of year we do our live duck egg hunt– It’s exactly what it sounds like. We go out with families and look for the real fresh eggs our flock has laid. What fun!
We’ve been raising laying ducks for over 10 years. ~ Photo by Silver Pebble Photography.
Here’s an interesting tidbit about how receptive ducks are to increasing light. Their skulls and skin are thin so that some sunlight even reaches directly to the hypothalamus (light receptive) area of their brain, stimulating them to lay eggs. Hence, even blind ducks will increase their lay rates with the rest of the flock, starting shortly after the winter solstice.
Our flock of laying ducks and laying hens are certainly in high gear now. We’re grateful for them and the beautiful eggs they lay.
Eggs are wonders in themselves. They cook so quickly and in so many versatile ways. Fried, scrambled, in savory quiches or in sweet dessert creme patissiere. They’re high in protein, B vitamins and iron. Mixed with fresh greens, they practically make a complete nutrition-packed meal in no time. What’s not to love?
Our farm stand is fully stocked with fresh duck, chicken and even goose eggs now. Their yolks are extra golden from all their foraging and the supplemental organic whole-grain feed we provide them. You can pick them up any time from our farm stand using our convenient self-serve kiosk or visit us during our full-service hours.
Need year-round fresh egg security? Join our Egg Farm Share.
Here are some of my favorite easy, egg recipes. See more recipes on our duck egg recipe page.
Spanish Omelet-Style Egg Cups
adapted from Lisa Stelle’s Toasty Baked Egg Cups recipe
Ingredients
- 2 lbs root veggie blend, potatoes, carrots, onions, and/or rutabagas, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
- 3 tablespoons butter or lard, melted, or mayonnaise
- 12 oz sliced sweet red peppers
- 3/4 cup shredded Gouda cheese or cooked, crumbled sausage
- 12 eggs
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Chopped cilantro, for garnish
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
In a skillet, fry root vegetables with butter/lard over medium heat until browning and tender. Set aside.
In same skillet, add another tablespoon of butter/lard and fry peppers over medium-high heat until fragrant and just starting to char.
Spoon 1-2 tablespoons of the browned root veggies into each cup of a 12-muffin tin. Carefully break and slide 1 egg into each cup. Top with a forkful of cooked sweet pepper and cheese (or sausage). Season with salt and pepper.
Bake the egg cups about 17 minutes until the whites are set, the yolks are cooked to your liking.
Remove the pan from the oven and run the tip of a butter knife around the edge of each cup to loosen it from the pan.
Let the egg cups cool for a few minutes, then carefully remove them from the pan (2 forks make this easier). Garnish with chopped cilantro and serve with fresh green salad.
Golden Wing Creme Patisserie (duck egg pastry cream)
Ingredients
- 2 cups milk
- 4 duck egg yolks
- 6 tbsp sugar
- Pinch of salt
- 3 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 3 tbsp unsalted softened butter
Instructions
Add vanilla extract with milk in saucepan. Heat the milk over medium high heat to a slight simmer.
While heating the milk, place the sugar, egg yolks, cornstarch, and salt in a bowl. Whisk until you have a thick, smooth mix.
As soon as the milk starts to steam or simmer, remove it from the heat. Slowly pour about a half of the hot milk in a thin stream into the egg mix, WHILE WHISKING CONSTANTLY to temper the egg mix. When the eggs have been tempered, add the egg mix back into the hot milk in the saucepan.
Heat the custard base, over medium heat, while whisking vigorously until it starts to thicken, about 1 – 2 minutes. Bring to a simmer.
Lower the heat and cook for a further 1 – 2 minutes after you see the first bubbles break the surface, and make sure to whisk constantly.
Remove from the heat and add the butter. Whisk in the butter, until it’s completely mixed in.
Pour the custard into a bowl. Let the custard cool down to room temperature and eat as-is or then let it chill in the fridge for a few hours.