If you enjoy dumpster diving like me, then sooner or later you are probably going to find a lot of eggs. Cartons of eggs can get thrown out in large quantities when the date expires (but usually they remain edible for weeks or even months after that), or every now and then you may find one or two cartons that have a broken egg, or a missing egg. Usually most of the other eggs are still fine. In the latter case, the eggs may even still be quite fresh, or even superfresh: they may have gotten damaged while they were being put on the shelf. Make sure to check the eggs just before consuming them by submerging them in cold water. If they remain under water, they are still fine. If they start to float, then don't eat them anymore.
Anyway, if you and your friends/family eat a lot of eggs, you will also have a lot of egg shells. Most people throw these away, but I recently discovered they have great nutritional value (it consists of about 95% calcium carbonate). So I decided to dedicate a blog post about it.
How to eat egg shells
1. Boil and peel eggs, or make an omelette and save the shells. It is probably best not to wait too long before going on to step 2.
2. Boil the egg shells for 6-10 minutes to remove all bacteria.
3. Let the egg shells dry overnight on a baking sheet.
4. Put the egg shells in the oven on 100-120 C (or 200-250 Fahrenheit) for about 10 mins to make sure they are dry and clean.
5. Put them in your favorite coffee grinder / mortar until you have egg shell powder.
6. Store in glass container.
7. Enjoy half a teaspoon twice a day in your drinks or meals.
Tip 1: Let half a teaspoon of egg shell powder soak in the juice of half a lemon for 6 hours to lose the grainy texture.
Tip 2: It is best to take this 'supplement' with an equal or slightly higher dose of magnesium, because calcium and magnesium work together. Half a teaspoon of calcium is equal to approximately 400 mgs calcium. Add in D3 and K2 for additional benefits!
Tip 3: You can also use the powder in your garden to enrich the soil, or you can sprinkle crushed shells around plants to protect them from slugs and snails. Or feed them to your chickens, or to birds in spring.
#Recycling matters
#Zero waste lifestyle
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