A Duck Dossier, Dan Barber and Alice Waters.
Mickey Robertson forwarded me an email from Blue Hill Farm. Dan and Alice are teaming up. Both Mickey and I agreed we would give our left arm to be there.
Our Elizabeth ducks
Duck Dossier
We have raised both chickens and ducks here on Mabellae Farm. Our ducks were always my favourite. Here are some facts about ducks and their eggs, in particular, which you may not know.
Duck eggs are just as versatile as chicken eggs for cooking and can be cooked and eaten any way you would cook chicken eggs. Just be sure not to overcook them, their low water content can make them rubbery if fried or scrambled too long. Cook them just until the whites are just opaque and you should be fine.
Duck eggs are richer and creamier
Due to their much larger yolk and higher fat content, duck eggs are richer and creamier, and taste less watery than chicken eggs. The whites of duck eggs are super thick which makes for a great poached or fried egg.
Ducks are fabulous pest control in your garden
Ducks are great foragers if you can allow them some time free range. They will rival your chickens in how many insects, worms, slugs and bugs they will eat and don't destroy vegetable or ornamental gardens nearly as much as chickens.
Duck eggs are more nutrient-dense
Any bird allowed to free range or graze on pasture will lay eggs with more nutrients than caged birds. But gram for gram, duck eggs contain more Omega-3, Vitamins A and D, fatty acids, choline, folate, and iron than chicken eggs.
Duck eggs contain more protein and "different" protein
Duck eggs contain more protein than chicken eggs - about 30% more - and it's a different protein, so those allergic to chicken eggs can often eat duck eggs and vice versa.
Duck eggs are better for baking
Because duck eggs contain more fat and protein - and less water - and also have a higher yolk/white ratio than chicken eggs, they tend to produce fluffier cakes, higher meringues and souffles, lighter breads and cookies.
Duck eggs stay fresher for longer
Because duck eggs have a naturally thicker shell and inner membrane (most likely because wild ducks tend to lay their eggs next to water, so the shell needs to keep out moisture and mud), they will stay fresher, longer. They are also less likely to break if you drop one by accident.
Candling a duck egg we were incubating. Candling is an old term that means the application of bright light to an egg to see what is inside. Originally it was done by using candles in a dark room. Now you can use a flashlight or an actual candling light.
Duck eggs are larger
To make duck eggs even more economically beneficial, while ducks generally lay one egg about every day, more or less like chickens, since their eggs are about 30% larger, gram for gram you'll end up with more egg volume-wise from your ducks.
Ducks lay year round
Ducks also tend to lay better year round than chickens. Because they need a bit less light to stimulate their ovaries to release a yolk, ducks continue to lay through the winter without added light in their house and are unconcerned by dark, wet days.
Ducks have a longer productive life
While chickens will only lay at their peak for a year or two and then production will start to drop off, ducks often have a longer, more productive laying life than chickens, laying fairly well for 4-5 years.
Ducks are low maintenance with a lower mortality rate
Ducks are honestly so much lower maintenance than chickens. Ducklings have a far lower mortality rate, not being susceptible to Mareks, Avian flu, or Coccidiosis like baby chicks. Ducks are also far more cold-hardy, more heat-tolerant, healthier overall, not as susceptible to parasites.,
However, they do poo a lot more than chickens. They can be very messy, so keep them away from your home if you are concerned about their poop.
Alice Waters and Dan Barber.
Dan Barber is an intuitive chef, a curious soul and an intelligent human being. His food philosophy is what inspired me to take this path many years ago after watching an episode of Chefs Table about his Blue Hill restaurants and involvement at Stone Barns Centre for Food and Agriculture.
Alice Waters needs no introduction. She is the pioneer of farm to table dining, opening Chez Panisse in California 50 years ago. In pursuit of taste, Alice and the cooks ended up at the doorsteps of the small organic farmers who were growing flavourful heirloom varieties of fruits and vegetables or raising heritage breed animals. She was way ahead of her time.
Somethings I thought you might be interested in…
This event is a once in a lifetime opportunity to hear from two very important voices on the Future of Food. If you are interested here is a link to buy tickets. If you do attend - please let me know what it is like!
We were lucky enough to visit Stone Barnes centre for Food and Agriculture in upstate New York and eat at Dan’s restaurant Blue Hill in NYC in 2017. It truly was a bucket list item for me.
Of course Bullseye came to dinner with us.
How funny Emma Jane....we went to Stone Barns in 2017 too!!!! What a coincidence!! Maybe you and I should buy a lottery ticket! X