Saturday, February 14, 2009

Becoming a Localvore: Local Eggs

One of the things I wanted to do to help green up my kitchen and my eating was to buy local eggs. The eggs at the local overpriced grocery store are not necessarily local and they are most definitely overpriced. The cheapest eggs, which are, honestly, the ones I usually buy because I'm on a budget, also come in a non-recyclable styrofoam container. The yolks are pale yellow and the eggs are pretty tasteless. They go for $2.79 - $2.99/dozen. The next cheapest ones are $4.99/dozen. I get way better eggs from Wally World in Colville, WA, for a far better price.

Luckily, there are a couple of people who sell eggs from their farms in this area, and one of them happens to be a co-worker of my SIL's. My SIL regularly gets eggs from this gal, who lives right near the border in a small farming community called Paterson, which is about a five minute drive from town. These eggs come from free-range chickens who are not pumped full of chemicals at all, and she charges $3/dozen. I got my first dozen last Monday!

These eggs are beautiful, huge, and have bright yolks! I am in egg heaven!

7 comments:

tshsmom said...

What a great find!
All the Canadian eggs I've bought have had pale yellow yolks. My Dad, an old farmer, says that the chickens haven't been fed properly.

Sara said...

I've been looking for a good source of local eggs, haven't found one yet that it's cost prohibitive!

Rosa's Yummy Yums said...

Great! I try to buy as much local and in season food as possible...

cheers,

Rosa

La Cuisine d'Helene said...

I should really start this habit. This is so great.

Cherie said...

Good eggs really do make all the difference. And so does buying locally. I'm slowly making the shift myself, as you know.

Glad you found some real eggs, WC.

Wandering Coyote said...

Tshs: I was told that it's the feed that causes the yolks to colour: orange for corn, pale yellow for wheat. Whatever the case, I much prefer the orange yolks.

Sara: Some are really expensive, I know. I hope you can source some out.

Rosa: It's so worth it, isn't it?

Helene: I bet you have some great sources for farm fresh eggs where you are!

Cherie: Yep, they make a huge difference. Making this shift is kind of fun, isn't it? It's forcing me to think outside the box a bit and be more creative. I have a book on preserving coming to me in the spring - I'm totally pumped!

Judith said...

I think you'll find that your baking will be much lighter with fresh eggs. I got the best sponge cakes ever when I used unwashed free range eggs from a friend at work. I saved all my vegetable parings, etc. for the chickies and was rewarded weekly with a few eggs.Now back in Canada it's difficult to find free range. There's a colleague at work who has them but her chickies aren't laying over the winter. Roll on spring!

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