I need to know where I can get egg cartons. Does anyone have used egg cartons that they are willing to part with if I pay the postage on having them shipped to me? Thanks.

-- Sandra Callens (ginacollette@hotmail.com), March 24, 2001

Answers

go to www.eggcartons.com yes, they're new, but also sanitary. as cheap and thrifty as i can be, the thought of used, unsanitary egg cartons makes me shudder.

gene

-- gene ward (gward34847@aol.com), March 24, 2001.

Well, we do reuse egg cartons. If you ask a few friends to save some for you, you will usually have more than you need in no time. (If you give them a few eggs from time to time, it is a nice reminder :-)

-- mary, texas (marylgarcia@aol.com), March 24, 2001.

Here in Ohio We have sufficient amount of government to stop about every kind of productive enterprise, including the re use of egg cartons; which is incidentally legal as long as all the regulations are met.

The name of the producer must be on the carton, and all other names must be removed or blacked out.

The size and grade of the eggs must be stated on the carton, as well as the weight.

There may be some expiration dating required as well.

The temperature that eggs may be stored at prior to sale, is a matter of law here.

So, if you decide to hang a sign out at the road that says "EGGS", you next visitor could very well be from the state department of agriculture, driving a "state owned" car. She will have in her hand a "state owned" thermometer. And she will say that she wants to see your egg storage facility (your refrigerator). At this point you cannot say no either, since you put out the sign that said "eggs" at that point you opened your egg storage systen to public inspection (that means no warrent is needed to come into your house).

Be aware that big brother is always watching, and big brother has a fat sister who takes care of the egg department. Miss the required temperature by one or two degrees, and fat sister will write you a ticket just like the enforcement officer (read tax collector) that she is.

Back when I was a youngster eggs sat in a wire basket in the store, and were carried home quite often in a paper sack. Things sure are different now...

-- Ed Copp (OH) (edcopp@yahoo.com), March 24, 2001.

Ed:

Personally I don't see a problem with any of the requirements. It's a matter of health and truth-in-advertising. A stick-on label could easily be made up with spaces left for fill in the blank. With the weight, you are advising whether they average small, medium, large, extra large or jumbo. Is an expiration X number of days later unreasonable? On storage temperature, they are only kept semi-cool in supermarkets, but the turnover may make a difference.

-- Ken S. in WC TN (scharabo@aol.com), March 24, 2001.

If you are going to sell eggs, you do need to check on state requirements and practice. Around here, we sell eggs from home without bother from government people, and our customers are smart enough to know that our beautiful big eggs did not come from the store marked on the old cartons. I know legally the carton information should be accurate, but really no one cares. Don't know, BTW, what the state law is if any, just what people do.

-- mary, texas (marylgarcia@aol.com), March 24, 2001.

It bothers me that the government is sticking their nose in this also. If people want to buy eggs, they should be smart enough to see how things are handled rather than depend on the government to do it for them.

-- Lena(NC) (breezex4@go.com), March 24, 2001.

Hi Ken i dont see a problem with how the gov. is doing the h&md but then i dont sell cattle either. best regards Bob in se.ks.

-- Bobco (bobco@hit.net), March 24, 2001.

Sandra, I get my cartons from the local chain breakfast houses. They buy eggs in huge boxes with each carton holding two and one-half doz. The carton is really the bottom part with no lid and has no writing on it. I cut these in half the long way and it gives me two cartons that hold a doz eggs each. Each Friday, my sweety takes 10 doz eggs to sell to a vegetable market near his office. They stack them on the check out counter and tell me they are all sold by noon. No writing, no inspection, no anything. The market owner said these are "farm produce" and he could sell them just like the watermelons he buys from my neighbor. Hope this helps. Check around and ask your local vegetable markets. Don't sell from your home!

-- Eve in FL (owenall@lwol.com), March 24, 2001.

Any feed store can order egg cartons for you, they run 12 to 15 cents a piece though! I have all my friends and relatives save egg cartons for me, I use the clean ones only, and I just sell them despite what Big Brother may require. I sell them out of our farm, not in stores, so Big Brother doesn't care or know. I have "farm fresh eggs for sale" signs up at all the local feed stores, never have trouble selling them or got flak from the "authorities".

-- Annie Miller in SE OH (annie@1st.net), March 25, 2001.

Howdy from the southwest, Sandra. If you don't order egg cartons, have a few friends save some for you. I always give folks a 10-cents discount if they bring me used cartons, and now I have a ton of them! I have my own little label I stick on them, and all the eggs are various colors & shapes; no particular sizes to advertise, just 'free range eggs'. I also put a date on the label to show the first day I put an egg in the carton, which tells my customers how old they are. I have people get on my list for 2-3 weeks to get my eggs. I'm a pretty small operation, but my customers are spoiled now! Good luck to you. Happy clucking! dh in nm

-- debra in nm (dhaden@nmtr.unm.edu), March 26, 2001.

I don't have chickens at the moment and have always re-used clean egg cartons. What is the big deal? The eggs come in their own container. As long as you wash the eggs off and don't put them into a filthy egg carton they should be fine. We have a recycling center here and they save egg cartons for me when I want them. I go through the ones I get, keep the really good ones and burn the rest in the woodstove.

-- Mary R. (cntryfolk@ime.net), March 30, 2001.