Chicken eggs from the Better Food Farm in Estero, Florida. March 18, 2016. By Eileen Goldfinger. ©
By Eileen Goldfinger (Food Editor) and Paul Goldfinger (Food Sampler)
Did you ever hear of colored eggs straight from the chicken? We found some at the Farmers’ Market in Fort Myers Florida. They were laid 24 hours before we purchased them. The egg man told us that the varied colors and sizes have to do with different breeds of chickens. The chickens who laid the colored eggs are pasture-raised, to be distinguished from free-range. The latter can be held in small areas or even in cages, but pasture-raised chickens can roam around and eat all the bugs they like, and they are never caged.
The farmer also gives the chickens surplus foods that he grows such as fruits and vegetables. He supplements their diet with flax seed (very good for omega 3’s) and he never gives them soy products. His chickens and eggs are organic. Thus the chickens eat only natural foods—nothing processed. If chicken feed is used, it must be certified organic, and the hens receive no antibiotics unless there is a rampant infection at the farm.
As a result, he says that his eggs will be better tasting and more nutritious than run-of-the-mill store-bought eggs. Eggs have nutrients such as anti-oxidants and vitamins. The yolks have cholesterol, but there are no saturated fats. The egg industry has been trying for years to prove that we can eat all the eggs we want.
An interesting fact is that eggs are naturally coated with a protectant that blocks the entry of bacteria inside the egg. Eggs that come from a chicken factory often enter the world in an unsanitary environment, so the eggs have to be washed. The farm eggs are not washed. Thus, this farmer’s eggs can be left out of the refrigerator for up to a month. According to him, eggs sold in stores may actually be months old and must always be refrigerated.
An important variable is taste, so we did a taste test. Eileen made scrambled eggs (unseasoned) with store-bought “organic” eggs and with Market farm-bought organic eggs from the box above.
Visually, the yolks on the farm eggs were a deep yellow-orange, whereas the store eggs were a paler color yellow. Both eggs had little flavor without salt. But after they were seasoned with salt and pepper and presented for breakfast, the farm eggs were more colorful, tastier, and creamier.
In Jersey we recently bought local farm raised “organic” eggs from Dino’s in Asbury Park on Main Street. They were very good, and their shells were brown. Dino’s eggs were $4.50 per dozen. The colored eggs were $7.00 per dozen..
Note: Here is a link to our article about cholesterol recommendations from one year ago on BF.
Advisory panel considers changing recommendations on cholesterol
FRED ASTAIRE
“Lovely to look at,
Delightful to know and heaven to kiss.”