The Egg

Ahh,the egg. Perfect in its diminutive state, perfect in its presumptious roundness. The egg  can do many things. I've been reading about eggs , circa 1898, and found that they were popular then. The best way to ascertain the freshness of an egg is to hold it up to the light ( so says my old cookbook). If the upper side exhibits a dark or cloudy appearance then it is very stale. A fresh egg will be clear.  There was also another paragraph about eggs walking on water....but only one person walked on water, and I don't think an egg can compare. In 1898 the best time to preserve eggs was from July to September.

TO PRESERVE EGGS ( if you are want to try)
Take a piece of quick-lime as large as a lemon, and two teacupfuls of salt. Put into large pot and  cover with boiling water. Boil till thick as cream. When it is cold, pour off the top, which will be perfectly clear. Drain off this liquor, and pour it over your eggs. Keep in a stone jar by the door, under which a draft can be felt...this will keep them chilled from August to Spring.
  Another way to preserve eggs is to coat them with lard, then pack in bran or sawdust, or cover with melted paraffin.

BOILED EGGS ( now here's a keeper)
Eggs for boiling must be rather stale ( shudder). Boil up your  staler eggs till hardened.

RUM OMELET ( this will hold you till dinner time)
Put a quantity of lard into pan, let it simmer. Break eggs into the searing lard.  Add a tad of milk ( wonder how much a "tad" is)to the cooking eggs. When cooked lay on a plate, dust powdered sugar over the top of the omelet, singing the sugar into neat stripes with a hot iron rod, heated in the coals of the fire. Pour a large glass of Jamaican rum around the omelet and bring to the table. Set fire to the rum, then douse out the fire with a pot lid.  Salt mixed with teh eggs prevents them from rising, and when it is so used the omelet will look flabby, yet without salt it will taste insipid. The rum gives it some character.

HINTS FOR HEALTH ( A bonus)
1. Sleeplessness, caused by too much blood in the head, may be overcome by applying a wet cloth to the face. Blood will drain from the head at this point. Serve an egg cooked in lard to regain strength.

2. Eggs are considered one of the best remedies for dysentery. Beat up raw eggs and swallow all at once. It will form a coating on the organs, enabling Nature to resume her healthful sway over a diseased body. Do  this two or three times a day. ( yuck)

Enjoy!