Consider the Egg

I know that there are cheap eggs out there. Believe me, I know. I used to buy them. The cheaper they were, the more I'd buy. You can do an awful lot with a dozen eggs. Double it to two dozen, and you can keep on doing what you're doing with them for a long time. But with experience comes wisdom, and I have now experienced an egg epiphany! Bear with me, I know this sounds weird.

I've given some thought to those uncomfortable little egg-laying factory farm chickens. I saw the movie "Chicken Run". I know they envision the great escape, and I have surrendered all of my idealistic visions of happy chickens clucking out my breakfast egg that is then delivered fresh to the grocery store shelf. Apparently, that's far from the truth. Tales of cutting off beaks and toes to keep the cramped up chickens from hurting each other, questionable feeding strategies, antibiotic use.... it all gave me pause. That's when we switched to the grocery store "free range" label. This little tag amps up the price a few notches, but I can say it bought us a some peace of mind. But I digress. I really didn't intend to talk about humane chicken conditions.

Back to my epiphany. It actually came when I started buying eggs from small time operations and not the grocery store. Travel just a few miles from my home, and there are REAL farm fresh eggs for $2 a dozen.

Part of the joy of picking them up at the farm is getting to watch the chickens strut around the fields. I swear I heard them chatting, "Are we on holiday?" (ref: Chicken Run). Happy Chickens, Happy Customers.

So, I decided to do a little experiment. One dozen of grocery store "free range" eggs vs. one dozen of farm fresh, I-see-them-free-ranging eggs. Besides price, with grocery store at double the cost, I got a kick from the range of color of egg shells from the farm eggs. Size was inconsistent from the farm, as they are not sold by that standard, but I got over that quickly.

However, when I got them home and cracked them open, it was the color of the yolk that marked the most important difference.

Take a look, and see if you can spot the beta-carotene rich orange yolk from the imposter. Ahah! I have now discovered the value of Real free-range eggs. I know they may not be as convenient, requiring a separate trip. And you will have to seek out a reliable source. But, just maybe, you will be lucky and find someone right around the corner with eggs to spare. In my weak moments, I often consider adopting a few hens myself. But, then I snap back to reality, drive to the farm and purchase some beauties.

Back to my own little experiment in the pan.....after the photo shot, I had to do something with the eggs. So, I whipped up a little bit of Taos, New Mexico. Our most memorable meal there on a trip 10 years ago, was in a little diner for breakfast. Huevos Rancheros, Taos style.

My home version goes like this: Saute' up some diced potatoes and onions. Heat up a corn tortilla. Layer it on a plate with potatoes on top, 2 sunny side up farm fresh free-range eggs, ladle on the green chili sauce (a can of Hatch Green Chili Sauce from Whole Foods will do in a pinch, but this day I had frozen some homemade stuff), sprinkle cheddar cheese and a dollop of sour cream. Its our go-to weekend breakfast of champions.

So, consider the egg. The farm fresh, free ranging, free roaming, diverse heritage, happy, care free, cage-free, in-your-neighborhood chicken egg. Better for your health, your wallet, your taste buds,....... and better for the chickens. But lets not forget, better for the farmer who was kind enough to share them.