Until Mathew started eating solids, I never gave much thought to where my eggs came from. Yes, of course, chickens. But I never thought about how they were raised, what they ate and if they had space to roam free and forage. Were the chickens that laid our eggs happy and healthy? Then I met Jennifer of the “Little Egg Farm.” Her eggs were so different from any store bought eggs I had ever came across. The yolks were bright orange, the color of a summer sunset, round like a basketball and so flavorful. When I cooked with them, they changed the color of what we were eating; our French toast was golden. There was no way to escape the orange glow, nor would we want to. I knew there was something different about how she raised her chickens. Jennifer and her husband own a small family farm and let their chickens forage the garden and land while supplementing their diet with organic feed.
About the time I starting enjoying Jennifer’s eggs, I read “The Omnivore’s Dilemma” by Michael Pollan, which further opened my eyes to the importance of knowing where and how our food was grown. The book simply reinforced that Jennifer’s eggs were raised in the way nature intended. They were simply awesome. When raised properly, eggs are whole foods, prepackaged sources of carbohydrates, protein, fat and micronutrients. Their high nutritional value should not be surprising when you remember that an egg contains everything needed for the nourishment of a developing chick. It makes me think of daily dose of multi-vitamins.
All eggs are not raised the same and labels can be confusing.
Let me clarify a couple of things:
Unlabeled grocery store eggs: are from factory-raised chickens that live in small wire cages, their food and water are in the cage, they do not roam outside the cage. The chickens are fed a mixed diet of grains, corn and hormones to fatten them up. They are given antibiotics to reduce infections that occur since the chickens live in unhealthy conditions.
Factory raised egg
Cage-Free: yes, the chickens are not kept in cages and the doors on the barn are open but the food is kept inside. Even though they have access to fresh air, sunshine and room to roam, the chickens rarely journey outside the barn and forage since their food is conveniently located in the barn.
Cage-Free egg
Free-Range: another way of saying cage-free.
Pastured: chickens are allowed to forage the land for food, which is part of a varied and complex diet that’s better for the chicken and nourishes their eggs. Their diets are supplemented with grains and corn.
Pastured egg
Since we moved away from the Rondout Valley, I have been on a mission to find pastured eggs as rich and tasty as Jennifer’s. Simply put – I cannot. Yes, I have found really good eggs but not Jennifer’s. I have recently found two close seconds, one from a family who are cultivating a small family farm similar to “Little Egg Farm” and another are from a more established family farm called “Remembrance Farm.” Their eggs are delicious and have a beautiful shade of orange but still they are not Jennifer’s. So what is Jennifer’s secret? She must be the “chicken whisperer.” I know what she does but no one has been able to reach the same delicious level. Perhaps, her talent combined with the land, and what she grows on her farm could give us a glimpse into her secret. Whatever it is, if you are in the Stone Ridge, NY area, do not miss out on “Little Egg Farm’s” eggs.
