Can you eat year old eggs that have been in the fridge?

11:55a
Good morning Saturday,

I just completed a year long experiment I was not planning on performing. I bought 6 dozen eggs for my contribution to the 24th of July Bloomington Hills Stake Celebration. Last year I did the same plus I made an additional breakfast casserole. I have allergies so I never eat out and when we have pot-luck for Empty-Nesters FHE I eat what I take or nothing. I have taken 5 dates out to eat at Texasroadhouse in the last 2 years because there I can pork out/gluttonize salted peanuts to which I am addicted to.

I let two other brother's know that eggs were on sale at Albertsons for  $1 a dozen, Varlo Davenport and James Stasinos. I probably should have sent out a BeSt BriceS announcement. I have gotten out of the habit of doing those.  I don't spend as much on groceries anymore. Anyway I noticed that the date on the 3 dozen eggs I have been saving for Potato Salad were Aug 15, 2013, so they were almost a year old. I better use those ones up first! Not!

I did not want to experiment on the trusting stake members. But I did take them out of the fridge to wash them off and try to use them.  They floated!  And not just floated like icebergs with 90% below the waterline. These floated with about 50% or more above the waterline, sort of like canoes or Styrofoam. Well the longer they dry out the easier they are to peel when cooked.  But I didn't think they would look appetizing when peeled. How come this boiled egg is only 1/3 full, might be what I would hear. So if water can evaporate out of an egg through its shell, let's put the water back in through its shell. I put all of the eggs in a big pan filled it with water and put a stack of ceramic plates, Corelleware , on top of the eggs to hold them under the water. Two weeks go by. I am as curious as could be about how they are doing and my top shelf in the fridge is not as roomy as usual. I took them out of the fridge. Filled the sink with water and they still floated. Only one sank. I suspect that the one that sank was still alive and had a working semipermeable membrane. OK should I throw them out or boil them? Well I hadn't thrown them out before why not take one more step and boil them. Hopefully that would kill any germs that may have been eating the eggs all this time. Besides that, shouldn't they stink if they were wrotten.  Maybe I had freeze dried them or fridge dried them. I knew a biology teacher at Murray HS in SLC who used to freeze dry reptiles. Lots easier than taxidermy.

So I gently brought the water to a boil last night and then turned off the stove. It was still warm this morning. I began cracking them to see how they would peel. The egg was concave inside and looked like a child's ice cream cone where the child has eaten out all the ice cream his tongue can reach. I put a cookie sheet on the floor and called the dogs. The three labs are quick to come when I call from the kitchen. I would crack off the empty half of the egg and then drop it on the cookie sheet. It was a brand new experience for the dogs.  They haven't had hard boiled eggs for at least a year. Each of them were very gentle and a bit hesitant on their first one. Lily especially tried to peel it. Molly and Izy did not stick around. They grabbed their treasure and went to eat in privacy. Izy out the back door and Molly to the family room. They took turns coming back and taking away their next treat. By the end they decided it wasn't worth it and just grabbed and chewed and swallowed as fast as I could drop them on the cookie sheet. Lily wasn't getting her share. She is partially blind and mostly deaf. I decided to have them take turns like I do with their daily treats around the top of the stairs. I would call the dog's name and then deliver it from the palm of my hand.  I haven't been giving as many treats lately since Molly is done with her antibiotics.

So is the experiment over? Not quite. We'll have to see what comes out at the other end.12:28p

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Purslane

Last late summer I somehow discovered a weed in my gravel was edible. More vitamins and minerals than Kale or Spinach.

I ate lots of dandelions in June and July but not much lately. Then 3 weeks ago I noticed the purslane starting to grow in my gravel by the driveway again.  I'm glad there is no lead in gasoline anymore. Did I water and fertilize my three little plants with Miracle Gro for tomatoes? Yep. I saw one growing down in the park and pulled it up and brought it home to soak and then cooked it up. Just like last year.

I added 2 cans of spinach to a soup I was making this week. I added lots of mustard since I had just purchased 2 and had been missing the flavor. Spinach mustard soup, how does it sound? Sad to say the mustard is not very strong after all.

Wikipedia says that black mustard is spicier than brown than white. I wonder if it is the tumeric which gives mustard its bright color?

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Smith's had 5 ripe pears for 1$ in there red discount string bags at the back of the store Friday/yesterday. I bought 2 bags. I took that sack with me into Pet Smart so I could give one to Conflicted if she were working. I didn't see her but I gave one to the aquarium helper anyway. She said she loves and survives on fruit. As I left I suggested the option if she couldn't finish all 5 she could give them away to whomever she wanted.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

I had Clay, CJ Russels dad come greet/visit with me at Sue's yesterday. I had dropped off 4 apple juices for Mark Clayton. I like to line them up on his office payment window. I made it before the door locked so I did not need to draw a treasure map like last year.

Anyway, Clay says,
.he gives CJ about $25 every two weeks because they have to buy their own extras. Envelopes/stamps.
.he saw him for a visit last week. Inmates are allowed 2 visits a week. He usually takes about 5 people with him and they all take about 5 minutes each and that leaves another visit open if I wanted to go. _____  Awe, how sweet. He invited me! Does it get any better than that. " )  tears.  I had told him I had written twice and that CJ answered 9 of my questions and then said, Who is this?  lol
. CJ is alergic to almost everything out there so he breaks out like crazy and it shrinks his self esteem. "You know you have a lot of time to think in a place like that."  Yep.
. I got a letter back from Brandon but none from CJ this week and I made sure I sent CJ his as soon as it was returned to me. Like the previous Tuesday!
."I'll leave you free to look. Just hollar if you need me to get you something." Clay said he is 40 something and has two houses paid for. I told him he was rich. Sell the houses and go live on a cruise ship. Some old folks do it with just their SS income.  His eyes got big, but he said he needs the houses. : )  What a fun exchange!
.I am a bit worried. I got a bit pointed in my last letter encouraging CJ to dialog and respond to the limericks. Perhaps, 1-I scared him off, 2- he doesn't want to have a relationship with his old science teacher anyway, 3- he feels intimidated, 4- he's not into writing, 5- he isn't bored enough to want to write.1:09p