Eggs: collecting and storing

In short

• Quail lay mostly in the afternoon and early evening. Collect eggs twice a day: in the evening and in the morning.
• Don't wash eggs you're going to store. Clean slightly dirty ones with a dry cloth.
• Unwashed eggs keep roughly 2–3 weeks at 10–15 °C (50–59 °F) and 4–5 weeks in the fridge. A steady temperature matters more than a low one.
• Quail eggs can carry salmonella just like hen's eggs. For children, pregnant women, older and ill people, hard-boiled only.
• Never give a small child a whole egg: cut it into quarters.
• Pickled eggs only in the fridge, never on a shelf, and use them within roughly 3 months.

What's inside

Chapters

1. When and how quail lay
2. Collecting eggs
3. Clean eggs and washing
4. Storage and freshness
5. Salmonella and safety
6. In the kitchen: cooking and opening
7. Pickled quail eggs
8. An egg plan for the family
9. When eggs aren't right
10. Giving away and selling
11. Common mistakes
12. Printable checklist

Worksheets

• Monthly egg record
• Egg and value calculator
• Pickled eggs
• Labels
• Egg calendar