How to tell if your eggs are off and what to do with the remenance of your breakfast

A simple way to tell if your eggs are ok to eat is to place them into a jug or saucepan full of water, just something deep enough to allow some space between the egg and container. If they sink they are fresh, if they stand on end they are old - but still ok to consume and if they float they are off. This happens because egg shells are porous so the older the are the more air they have absorbed. If your eggs happen to be rotten simply throw them in the compost, if not and you have been lucky enough to use them for your meal, save those shells as they can be used as a natural soil fertiliser preventing food wastage all in one go! Simply wash them under the tap to remove any remanence of the innards and leave them to dry on a paper towel on a warm windowsill, above a radiator or anywhere with good airflow. Once they are completely dry they can be crushed using a pestle and mortar, or if you do not have one simply pop into a zip lock bag and bash with a rolling pin. Any consistency is ok but the finer they are the better as they can be absorbed quicker by the soil and then into your plants. Made up of around 98% calcium and 1% nitrogen with a little magnesium thrown in, so these are a tomato lovers gold dust. Calcium helps to build a strong cell wall - think of the old trope about calcium building strong bones and apply to our plant friends, you get the idea. I keep mine in an airtight jar ready for use and they last almost indefinitely. Chunkier shells can also be used on the surface of the soil to deter those less determined snails and slugs but as a snail lover and knowing they - despite destruction - contribute to the balance of a great garden, I prefer to remove the little guys manually - no matter how tedious that may seem.