Eggs. Something I tend to use most when I am baking. However, in the last year or so, with shelves in stores having less of what we consider staples, I began my hunt for local products, and shelf stable products, produced by small farmers. Just to be clear, I am not a prepper, although I find myself going down that hole occasionally. However, I do believe it is wise to have some shelf stable, long life products around for the “just in case” scenario.
So, when my local egg farm recently shared that they have fewer eggs available I began a search for eggs I could store. “Just in case” eggs. I wanted eggs that came from a small farm rather than a 10-lb can of powdered eggs from an unknown source, which is what I found at most of the stores recommended by preppers.
While doing my search for non-GMO, organic dried eggs, I landed upon Back Forty Farms.
Back Forty Farms
Back Forty Farms is located in Nampa, ID, west and a little south of Boise. They are a small farm with lots of history, according to their website. Customers can schedule a tour to see the farm, shop their online country store (and even sponsor an animal!). To receive communications from their farm, you can join their VIP text club or signup for their newsletter.
My initial search for dried eggs brought me to Back Forty Farms new product: Organic Freeze-Dried Chicken Eggs. After reading that their freeze dried eggs are literally only eggs (no fillers) and that the chickens have a non-GMO diet straight from their farm, I decided to give the eggs a try.
Our eggs are organic and our chickens are fed non-GMO food and healthy snacks such as food from our garden and non-GMO cracked corn.. They enjoy eating bugs and other natural things they find in the 3-acre pasture that they are free to roam all day.
I ordered several packages and waited for them to arrive. My initial plan was to put them in a storage container, which based off a DM reply on social media, the eggs are shelf stable for many years.
The way we seal them they are suppose to last 10-20 years. When you get them from us, you can put them in Mylar bags to add even more years. We freeze dry them, then remove all oxygen and include an oxygen absorber just in case.
I’m pretty sure they figured that I planned to store the eggs immediately upon receiving them, because they sent me a small, additional package and asked if I’d try them sooner and give them feedback. I said I’d be glad to do so. Anything to help small, hard working farms!
(I was not paid to do this review. This post was written to get Back Forty Farms’ name out there because we really enjoyed their eggs, we want others to know how good their organic, freeze dried eggs are for cooking and baking — and I happen to have a blog. 🙂)
Organic Freeze-Dried Chicken Eggs
The sample package that Back Forty Farms sent had enough freeze dried egg to equal about 4-5 eggs. I have never used dried eggs before, and I am not an egg connoisseur, so my review is based on my first impression of the eggs appearance, texture, scent, and taste and ease of use rather than that of professional egg expert.
Appearance
Having never seen dried eggs before, my first impression when I saw the package was how brilliantly yellow the dried eggs were in the packaging. The seal on the packages makes them free of oxygen and there are oxygen remover packets in with the dried egg to help ensure freshness.
Since the eggs are flat packs it makes for easy storage. In a message from them, they said one can even pack them into mylar bags to further extend the shelf life of the product.
Scent
When I opened the sample packet of organic, freeze dried eggs I was expecting a strong scent of egg. However, there wasn’t much of a scent, at least to my nose. My husband has more sensitivity to smells, so I had him sniff the bag (so scientific!). His opinion was that it smelled of egg, just a tad stronger than a freshly cracked egg. Since the eggs are dried, it would only make sense that the condensed egg might have a slightly stronger scent. So, in all, the eggs smell “fresh”, which is a good thing! If you decide to sniff a package of their dried eggs, just don’t breathe in too strong, you might get egg up your nose!
Texture
Given the eggs are dried, I was expecting a powder like substance. In actuality, the freeze dried eggs are more grainy than powdery. Think of shaved ice. The freeze dried eggs look like tiny crystals but don’t melt.
The freeze dried egg is also grainy to the touch. Much like touching flakes or clumps of coarse flour. However, when you rub the egg between your fingers it does turn to powder.
Taste
Back Forty Farms freeze dried eggs taste like eggs. My husband has had them for breakfast twice now, in his breakfast burritos, and he says they are as good as fresh eggs. The bite I had of the small omelette I made with the second batch had good flavor and didn’t taste any different than fresh eggs.
I added some seasoning and minced veggies and topped the omelette with cheese. I even added some milk to give the omelette a bit more oomph.
Ease of Use
Using the eggs is simple. The instructions say mix equal parts egg and water. The first round I used exactly equal parts: 2 Tbsp. Egg and 2 Tbsp. Water. It seemed a bit thick, so I added one more tablespoon of water.
When I put the mixture into the frying pan it cooked very quickly. I actually left it in too long. So, it was a bit overcooked.
My second try I decided to make an omelette. Instead of equal parts I decided to “gauge” the liquid addition. The addition of extra liquid definitely helped make the omelette lighter than the fried egg in the first try.
The last use of the sample package was making my husband’s favorite cookies. Since I mostly use eggs in baking rather than for making scrambles or omelettes (for good reason!), I thought this would be the best way to see how they work for my needs.
Per the second try, I gauged the amount of liquid to add to the freeze dried eggs using sight rather than exact measurements. (I know that method isn’t very scientific, but it works!) I added enough (about 3 Tbsp. water to 1 egg amount of freeze dried egg) to get the consistency of a fresh egg. Then I added it to the cookie recipe. The cookies turned out perfectly.
From combining of the ingredients to baking to taste, the freeze dried egg was fantastic! My husband loved the cookies and couldn’t tell that I used freeze dried egg vs fresh egg.
Overall Impression
After trying Back Forty Farms’ organic, non-GMO freeze dried eggs in a variety of ways, my overall impression is that that they are very good eggs and exactly what I was looking for in a shelf stable egg option. They come from a small farm, and the customer service is quality and friendly. The chickens are fed a non-GMO diet. The eggs have a long shelf life. Most importantly, they taste great and are perfect for eating on their own or for use in baked goods. We’d definitely buy from Back Forty Farms again.
If I ever make it out of my state again, and over to Idaho, Back Forty Farms is on my list as a must visit.
If you are looking for organic, freeze dried eggs definitely give Back Forty Farms a try!
You can find more information about Back Forty Farms here:
| Website: Back Forty Farms Social Media: Gab | Instagram |
