Now that the groundhog has spoken, and weather is getting slightly warmer (at least around here!) and days are getting a little longer, our girls have picked back up production.

I had wanted chickens for eggs for a while, but it didn’t make sense until we moved to this property a few years ago. Then, we were finally able to get egg layers and our son won’t touch eggs, my husband develops an allergy, and I, as a new nursing mother, found that anytime I had eggs the new baby became especially fussy. So here we were in summer of 2023 with the chickens I’d wanted for so long, and we had no use for them! I was disappointed to say the least, but knowing that nursing is but a season, I decided I would hold out with hopes that eventually at least I could have eggs again.

I also started getting creative, and turned to Pinterest for inspiration on ways to use up eggs that hopefully wouldn’t just be limited to me. Through trial, error, and some misery for my husband and baby, we found that as long as we weren’t having straight scrambled, boiled, or fried eggs, that they could have eggs in moderation. So, I turned to baked goods. Then, with the fall and winter months shortening our days, egg production slowed and we didn’t have much of a problem with an egg surplus anymore. During this time, I found that I was able to slowly introduce eggs to my diet again.

With the end of winter drawing near and our days beginning to lengthen, I’m finding that our girls have picked up production again, I’m looking for ways to use excess eggs. With only four members in my family, two with egg sensitivities and one who will hardly gather eggs from the nest boxes much less think of eating them, sometimes using our eggs can be tricky. Granted we also provide eggs to close family and friends, I thought it might be helpful to compile a list in case anyone else needs tips for using excess eggs on the homestead.

For tip number one, I have to state the obvious, but please don’t stop reading here because it’s not the traditional obvious. Breakfast. Breakfast for dinner. Breakfast foods almost all require eggs. Granted we don’t do a lot of traditional eggs and bacon or sausage, we will use up some eggs in french toast, waffles or pancakes which are all hits for my picky toddler and something the new baby and my husband tolerate fine. Or we also enjoy this six ingredient Cracked Out Hashbrown Breakfast Casserole that uses up a whopping 8 eggs! This is a large casserole, so I like fixing it in two smaller casserole dishes so we have one for now and one to save for later. (It freezes great and is a go-to when I know someone is sick, going through a tough time, or welcoming a new baby and could use a meal!) It’s great for a weekend morning or when you’re feeding a crowd!

Another way we like to use excess eggs that I mentioned earlier in this post is in baked goods. I’ve never been a huge baker, but one thing I love is letting my toddler help in the kitchen; he is more inclined to help when we’re fixing up something he actually enjoys. In the last two weeks, we’ve fixed a cheesecake (uses up 3 eggs), chocolate chip cookies (uses 2 eggs), and we made a lemon pound cake (which called for 8 eggs!). I’ve been searching for a good, scratch-made pound cake, and while I’ve tried my Grandma’s and my Aunt’s, I can’t seem to get them to turn out. But I’ve found this recipe for Lemon Sour Cream Pound Cake (another good one from Plain Chicken!) is perfection and is fool-proof!

Okay, so this one I have to make with caution as sometimes my husband can do this one and other times the eggs in it do upset his stomach. I’ve never pulled these three recipes up alongside each other before, and I have to admit when I went back to this one it JUST dawned on me that so far all three recipes are from Plain Chicken. I really love her for the fact that she uses recipes that tend to work up quickly and use few ingredients! But without further delay, the third way I like to use up some eggs is with this Taco Quiche or Taco Pie recipe. It uses up 3 eggs and is a crowd pleaser! We like to add onion, green pepper, and a can of corn to get in a little extra vegetables.

In warmer months, I like to plan to bring deviled eggs, egg salad, or potato salad to get-togethers as all are cold items and all require eggs! My mom is the queen of the deviled egg, so if we’re being honest I might boil them for her and then take the eggs to her to devil up. Sorry! No recipe to share for this one yet, but I’ll work on getting it. The good thing about deviled eggs is you can use as many eggs as you’d like depending on your crowd size.

Lastly, I’ve not tried this yet, but according to Good Housekeeping, you can freeze eggs for up to two months! They recommend cracking and whisking your eggs so that the yolks are incorporated, and then pouring the desired amount into a freezer bag and laying flat until frozen. These can be used for baking or cooking and cook up well. I’m super excited to give this method a try next time I’m swimming in egg excess!

Around your home, do you ever have an egg surplus? And how do you use up those extra eggs around your home without burning everyone out on breakfast?