Do you sell scythes by mail-order?
Yes, you can mail order a scythe from us. Email us for a price list. When you order, we can email you an invoice through PayPal and you can either pay us with PayPal, a credit card, or snail-mail us a check. We ship by UPS.
What's the best way to crack open a duck egg?
Duck egg shells are thicker than chicken egg shells and they also have a tougher membrane inside the shell. I'm so used to duck eggs now that when I try to crack a chicken egg on the edge of the mixing bowl, I often shear it completely in half! To crack a duck egg, strike the egg hard enough on the edge of your mixing bowl to put a hole in it. Then break the membrane inside with your thumbnail, and then pull it in half with both thumbs inside the crack. After the egg is in the bowl I wipe out the remaining egg white from the shell halves with my forefinger. Duck egg whites are very thick (especially when fresh) and a lot of it clings to the inside of the shell. Once you're used to duck eggs, chicken eggs will seem very watery!
What's the best way to cook duck eggs?
You can cook them the same way you cook chicken eggs. They are very similar to chicken eggs except when scrambled. Scrambled duck eggs have a drier, more crumbly texture than chicken eggs. Duck eggs make fabulous gourmet omelets, but my favorite way to eat them is soft-boiled. Bring about a quart of water to a boil, add a little seasalt, then put in two duck eggs. Turn down the heat to simmer for 5 minutes. Let cool for a few minutes, then cut the top off and place in an egg cup. Our eggs have lot's of thick, marigold yellow/deep orange yolk with wonderful rich flavors.
Is there a reason that you do not feed your ducks any soy?
Yes. I was asked to stop feeding soy by a couple of my customers who were following Weston Price dietary guidelines. They consider soy to have "aggressive" estrogens. (see www.westonprice.org/soy/index.html) After I stopped feeding soy, I noticed that the roasted soybean flavor was actually a dominant flavor in most eggs. I used to like the taste, it has a nutty flavor, but I started wondering if people who were allergic to soy might be affected by that. Many of our duck egg customers have allergy issues and are buying our duck eggs for that reason. Once I stopped feeding soy, I noticed that the ducks didn't seem as forced to lay. Whenever the weather was stressful for their bodies (too hot or cold) they would lay less and resume when the weather was more comfortable. With soy they were laying everyday no matter what, and at times, they seemed rather worn out by that. In my experience, it seems to be true that soy does have some kind of an aggressive estrogen and it seems to increase egg production. So non-soy feed costs more and you get less eggs, but it seems more natural for my ducks.
Do you ship duck eggs?
Yes we do. We send duck eggs by Priority Mail anywhere in the lower 48 states. We ship freshly laid eggs. They arrive in 2-3 days. Please refridgerate the duck eggs after you receive them, and eat them within 4 weeks. We have a Pay Pal order form set up on our 'Organic Duck Eggs' page for your convenience.
What do duck eggs taste like?
They taste GOOD! They have a very mild flavor and they are very dense and rich. Duck eggs have less water than a chicken egg and about a third more fat.
Do you clip your ducks wings?
No we don't. There's no need to. Welsh Harlequins have wings about the same size as a wild mallard, but they have a much longer body, so they never really get air-borne. They can skim along the ground at rapid speed but they can't clear our 3 foot high fences.
Why are duck eggs more expensive than chicken eggs?
#1. They are more expensive to feed.
Ducks eat more than chickens and duck eggs are denser and richer than chicken eggs. Ducks are also very sloppy and waste more feed. Duck feed is also not as commonly available as chicken feed and is therefore more expensive.
We have our organic feed custom ground and mixed in small volume. The advantage of this though is that we know exactly what's in our feed and how fresh it is, but it costs us more than high volume buying chicken egg producers.We also do not use roasted soybeans in our feed mixes. Soybeans are a cheap protein source in poultry feed. Because we want produce the healthiest eggs possible, we use flax seed, menhaden fish meal, and crab meal as our main protein sources, which are much more expensive than soy.
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| Current Events and Announcements | Our duck eggs are available at the Traditional Foods Warehouse in Mpls. at 302 W.61st Street, ph. 612-861-0097. See http://web.me.com/willwinter/traditionalfoodsmn.mac.com/Welcome.html for directions and more info about this exciting new method of food distribution. You have to be a member to shop there, but it's easy to join and it's a worthy cause; REAL FOOD!
Our scythe business has outgrown our farm website and is transitioning to www.onescytherevolution.com . You can order from either website.
May 1st & 2nd, 2010, 10-5pm - We will be in the Creative Drive at the Silver Bison Ranch in Baldwin, WI, selling framed farm photos and cards. I'll have some scythes with me also. For more info see www.thecreativedrive.com
May 16th, 2010 - Basic Scythe Workshop at Mystic Prairie Eco-Farm. Noon-5pm. Learn how to set up your scythe, and how to mow, and hone in the field. Peening will be demonstrated and de-mystified.
May 30th, 2010, 8-4pm - Adv. Scythe Workshop/ Scythe Instructor training.
There's a growing demand for scythe instructors, but very few people are knowledgeable enough to teach much about it. This workshop will give you more of the in-depth knowledge that you will need to manage a scythe-based farm, and to help "spread the word" and teach Beginner's Scythe Workshops. Prerequisites: My Basic Workshop and/or some accomplished mowing and peening experience. Study the www.onescytherevolution.com site and also my peeening manual before the workshop.
If you're surfing the web, check out our scythe and farm videos at our YouTube channel http://www.youtube.com/user/Scythesman8, especially my playlist on harvesting grains. Also our new website at www.onescytherevolution.com . If you're on Facebook, become a fan of Mystic Prairie Eco-Farm. | | |
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