When you raise backyard chickens, you can never have too many egg baskets. 

Since both my husband and I are New Englanders born and bred, I have long admired the traditional Maine clam "hods" which were used to gather and rinse shellfish and have also recently gained popularity as garden baskets for collecting and rinsing produce. 

Pure Yankee ingenuity, the wire and wooden clam hods are functional as well as artistic. Generally holding a half bushel, they can be used as picnic baskets, knitting baskets or even a place to store kindling wood for the fireplace. 

And of course, would make a wonderful egg basket.

Replica calm hods are sold everywhere from Williams & Sonoma to Pike's Original of Maine to Sur La Table to Gardeners Supply, and retailing for around $50, but I quickly realized I could easily make my clam hod using materials we had lying around. So that's what I did.  It couldn't have been easier. 

My basket will easily hold 6-8 dozen eggs at a time or a hefty harvest of garden produce.

DIY Wood and Wire New England Clam Hod Egg Basket

With a jigsaw cut two pieces of plywood to measure 5" x 7" with slightly rounded bottom corners (I made a paper template and traced it onto my wood with a piece of chalk). Drill a hole in the top of each piece of plywood in the center. Set aside.  

Fold down about 1/2" all along the outer edge of your hardware cloth. Position one short edge of the hardware cloth on a piece of wood bending the wire to follow the outline of your wood, and snipping the wire around the corners if needed. 

The wire should fall short about 1/2" on either side of wood at the top (this allows room for the dowel). 

Staple the wire in place and repeat on the other side. Position a length of dowel along the top of your basket and pre-drill small holes in each piece of wood so you can nail the dowels in place. Thread the length of clothesline through your pre-drilled holes and knot to keep it in place. That's it! You're done.