E is for Egg Shells

Egg shells (chicken and turkey)

We get WAY too many eggs for two people -- sometimes I wonder why I have so many chickens.  If you are a chicken person, you probably know why.  We chicken people can't just stop with one or two, every time we walk by those cute little chicks at your local Tractor Supply in the spring, we're drawn to those little peeps.  It's an addiction. Sadly, I seem to have it.

Right now we have 9 hens and one fantastic, wonderful, gentle and beautiful rooster named Romeo.  He's truly the best rooster we've ever had.  I never have to worry about the grandchildren when they are around him.

Crush the egg shells

So with 9 hens, I'm getting 6 to 7 eggs a day in the spring, not to mention about 4 turkey eggs a week from my one turkey hen.  They are nice to have, but they sure add up fast.  One way I use them up occasionally is to make a breakfast egg casserole.  I use a full dozen when I make it, and then I save the egg shells to use in the garden.

After rinsing them out, I put the egg shells that I collect into a plastic bag and crush them into tiny pieces.  Then take those out to the garden and bury the crushed shells around the base of my plants, or just dig a shallow furrow near a row of plants and then cover with dirt.

Bury them near your plants

These shells provide a boost of calcium, and I've read that they are especially good for tomatoes.  I did have a fantastic tomato year in 2015, so maybe these egg shells had something to do with it.

Some articles suggest putting crushed shells in the holes before you transplant your little tomato plants, but I never can plan that far ahead.  The method I use seems to work, in either case it takes a few months for the egg shells to start breaking down in the soil.

You could just throw them into your compost pile, too, and during the winter that's what I usually do.

Today's scrumptious egg casserole - this one has onion, red peppers, spinach, jalapeno and grated 

cheese.  I usually use whatever I have on hand as far as veggies!