Goose Eggs

Geese usually lay early in the morning, every other day, starting traditionally on Valentine's Day.

My gang have never laid as early as this before, but today they've obliged - actually my first egg came at the weekend, and a further one today.  What clever girls.   A goose egg is about twice the size of a large hen egg, with a huge, very rich coloured yolk. They are excellent in cooking and I know make a particularly good Bread and Butter Pudding (one of my favourites).   The shells are rather tougher too and you have to be very positive to crack them cleanly on the edge of the bowl.  One goose egg scrambled serves two nicely.

The egg has long been associated with mysterious stories in folklore - in early times in Greece the eating of eggs was banned altogether as it was felt eggs were the ultimate food of fertility and virility given by the Gods to man.  In an area near the Chinese/Indian border, if a woman offered an egg to a man it was considered a proposal of marriage.

Keeping with the belief that eggs were fertility symbols, German farmers in ancient times smeared eggs on their ploughs to ensure fertile fields.  Coloured eggs are considered powerful, and are tossed into the laps of women who want to become pregnant.

The Koreans claim that their first King came from a mysterious red egg that was left by a flying horse.  And there is a Russian proverb:  Love and eggs are best when they are fresh.

Well, mine are, and I couldn't have received a better Valentine's gift.