Sunday, March 6, 2011

Duck Eggs and Rainy Days

Our ducks live in the hen house with our chickens. They hatched last Easter so we've eagerly been awaiting their first eggs. Not actually knowing what duck eggs look or taste like we have wondered about many eggs that have been picked up lately. Some that were lain in odd places, some rather large and some strangely smooth. Well, they all tasted the same, regardless so we were unsure if any were from the ducks or just regular, old chicken eggs. That is, until my dad presented these three to me this morning.
They are an off white, yellowish color and large. These had to be ducks eggs! Now on to the taste test. I scrambled them right away for breakfast. They were harder to crack, mostly because of the tough membrane just under the shell. Much harder to puncture than chicken eggs. As I beat them with the egg whisk I noted they had a very large and thick yolk that took some beating to blend. While frying they didn't lump and clump into nice bites as chicken eggs do, but rather they stayed... kind of mushy and smooth. Really, I had difficulty even telling when they were done. But, the taste and texture was a very nice surprise. Very smooth and delicate on both counts. My parents were here for the inaugural meal and we and girls passed the plate around enjoying every bite. Sound good? We thought so too and have decided there are more Muscovy ducks in our future.
Thank you lady ducks! I am quite sure they came from at least one of the two all brown ones.
And I am still pretty convinced this is still a fella as he exhibits rooster like behaviour (I've never had ducks before, drakes or hens so chickens are my only basis of comparison).
I also just had to share a couple of pics of my sweet Rosemary from this morning. It has been raining non-stop for the past couple of days. Why they don't take shelter in their nice, dry shed is beyond me but I had to laugh when I saw her this morning. She's the one in the front. Her fleece is much longer and covers her face and eyes quite a bit. It's so comical the way the rain has weighted the wool down over her ears, like pom-poms on the side of her head!
It's supposed to be dry beginning tomorrow and I'll give her another trim so she can see. Poor thing. I've not had to trim Finn once, though.

And one more thing to share; all this rain has inspired me!

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

7 comments:

angie said...

Oh I absolutely love Rosemary! So darned cute! The eggs sound fun!

TwigandToadstool said...

Love that sweet knitted gnome playing peek a boo!
shanti

Lacey (schoolhousefarm) said...

thanks for stopping by! & nice to know you as a neighbor--amy is a beloved friend of ours and i'm so thankful for the support she is getting! But, on the duck topic, we've been thinking about ducks a lot! You think they'd be appropriate in a backyard setting? With a few other chickens?

Bumpkin Hill said...

ohhhh your sheep look so funny, so soggy in all that rain! Hugs, Catherine x

The Knitty Gritty Homestead said...

So nice to find your blog (via Ravelry)...we have ducks in with our hens, too. The ducks lay their eggs in a little round hole in the straw, and their eggs definitely have a smoother texture (like porcelain) which makes them great for Easter related crafts! You can sex them by listening: drakes tend to have a whispery kind of sound, whereas the ducks QUACK! Drakes often have a couple of little curls on their tails as well. Hope this is helpful. Looking forward to browsing your archives!
Stephanie

City Sister said...

Looks like you have a colored Moscovy on your hands...they hiss instead of quacking...but the males have bumpier red markings around their bills than the females. We think often about getting some Moscovies to live with our chickens, but never can quite get there.

kendra said...

is that a water nymph? oh, i loooove it! and those flower faeries (are they?) in your header! so adorable!

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