Locally Carei: The incredible farm fresh egg
The incredible, edible egg is more incredible when you are using farm fresh eggs. The look, the taste and the upside of nutritional value makes a store bought egg pale in comparison.
Most store eggs are white, but you may see some brown eggs.
When buying eggs from a farm or raising your own, there is an Easter basket of colors available.
There are brown, blue, cream, pink, orange and speckled. There is even a chicken called the Easter Egger that lays several shades of green eggs.
Although there are many colors, there is no difference to what’s inside the egg. That lies in how the chickens are raised.
Once you have farm fresh eggs, you will be knocked out of your socks.
Crack them open and you will see the rich bright orange yolk. The yolk is creamier and does not break as easily when cooking.
The coloring of the egg is due to the chicken’s diet.
The varied diet contributes to, as Jeremy Swartzfagerof Footprint Farms says, “nutrient dense eggs” and translates to the coloring of the nutrition packed yolk.
Farm fresh eggs have a more “egg” taste to them, so your egg custard will be richer and tastier.
Also the whites don’t tend to run as much when cooking.
The saying; “you are what you eat,” applies to egg laying.
Pasture raised chickens eat grasses, flowers, and insects which are better than enhanced feed.
Chickens are more naturally inclined and proven to be healthier when able to forage for themselves and participate in normal chicken activities, such as dust bathing and nightly roosting.
According to Mother Earth News, this lifestyle and diet can produce up to 10 times more cancer preventing omega 3 fatty acids. By feeding outdoors and in the sun, the chickens pass on more Vitamins E and D (6X) to their eggs. They also contain more vitamins A, B and B12.
On top of that, a pastured, free-range raised egg can contain 33 percent less cholesterol and 25 percent less saturated fats.
You will notice that farm fresh eggs are usually more dense than store bought eggs. This is due to the maturity of the chicken and its diet. This does not mean it has a longer shelf life however.
USDA recommends both eggs have a shelf life of about five weeks.
The image of eggs displayed on a counter invokes a perception of freshness. You can leave eggs out as long as they are not washed and have not been refrigerated. Washing of the eggs, removes the protective membrane, so save washing until just before cooking.
“We brush and spot clean with damp cloth before packaging,” says Rogers Claussen of Redrange farms.
“But USDA regulations direct us to refrigerate eggs after harvesting.” If you do wash the egg and remove protective bloom, make sure you refrigerate or cook the egg. However, washing does not affect the shelf life.
From a food safety standpoint both eggs are created equal.
We only hear of commercial eggs with salmonella, because of large recalls due to large commercial farms. If you are buying farm fresh eggs, know your farmer.
Make sure they are raising healthy chickens in a clean environment. If you are raising them yourself, keep the coops clean and the hens watered for happy, healthy birds.
More and more grocery stores are stocking humanely produced “local” eggs.
This is creating some confusion in packaging. Only those marked “pasture raised” and ‘free range” are guaranteed to come from birds with outdoor access. But, no packaging can designate the care put into raising chickens by your local farmers.
“Local” farm raised eggs are more expensive than store bought eggs.
They range from $3.50 to $5.50 from the farmers I talked to.
With many of us $3 for protein bar, because of its nutritional and dietary advantage, it seems wise to pay as little as 30 cents for a food source with just as many benefits.
By using farm fresh eggs, you are accomplishing a lot. You are eating a better, nutritional dense egg. You are supporting the local farmer and you are championing a healthier, happier bird.
Egg Crepes
2 eggs beaten
1 cup flour sifted
1 cup milk
陆 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon melted butter
Blend flour, salt and eggs, whisk in milk and butter until smooth.
Heat up pan on medium high heat. Lightly oil or butter pan, put about 1/8 cup batter (small pan) and tilt pan and turn in circular motion to cover whole pan.
Cook until sides start to curl up slightly, then flip and cook a little on other side.
Makes about 15 small and eight large crepes. Fill or top with anything.