I am an egg snob. Don’t get me wrong, for years I ate store eggs. I didn’t know any better. To me an egg was an egg. But then we finally got our own girls, and trust me, an egg is not just an egg and here is why (in my opinion, which matters to everyone, right?)
First, I KNOW where my eggs are coming from. I don’t just pick up a carton with unknown origin with beak-less faces laying them. I know the nice young ladies who are laying my eggs. I sometimes even hear them being laid! If you have chickens, you know that “oh my” squawk when a hen lays an egg. Heck, sometimes when I collect the eggs, they are still warm from just being laid!
I know each of our girls, not just by name and sight, but their personalities. I also know what my hens have been eating. And something very important to me, I know my girls have a wonderful life. They do not just sit in a pen, popping out eggs. The run around, searching for bugs. They have a social life with the other members of the flock. Admittedly, they also have drama now and then with each other, but that is what having a life is about! I honestly hate thinking about commercial egg production set ups and the lives those poor girls must endure.
The second reason I am an egg snob, are the eggs themselves. They taste better. The yolks are darker. And the shells are beautiful! Plain boring white eggs are a thing of the past for us. We love the browns and blues we get. We even considered which breeds to add to the flock depending on what their eggs look like! There is such amazing beauty in the different hues and richness of the colors that our eggs come in. I marvel at their beauty every time I collect them.
The third reason I am an eggs snob is the things that you may NOT know about store eggs. Did you know that the packed date on store eggs can legally be up to 30 days AFTER the eggs are laid? The sell by date has to be legally no later then 30 days after the eggs were packaged. So you could be bringing home eggs that are already 2 months old! Yuck! No wonder fresh eggs taste so much better.
I am not the only one who thinks fresh eggs taste better. In a recent taste test done by America’s Test Kitchen,
“In our taste tests, farm-fresh eggs were standouts. The large yolks were shockingly orange
and their flavor was exceptionally rich and complex. The organic eggs followed in second
place, with eggs from hens raised on a vegetarian diet in third, and the standard supermarket
eggs last.”
In the end, being an egg snob is a good thing, a very good thing. For my family’s table, it fresh eggs or no eggs. And trust me, during molting time, no eggs is a real possibility. But that just makes them taste even better when the girls do start laying again!
I know not everyone can have their own flock and collect their own eggs, but there are farmer’s markets, which is a much better source of eggs then the chain grocery store. Trust me, the few extra dollars you spend on buying eggs from the producer is worth the great taste and the satisfaction of knowing those hens are being cared for much more humanly then the commercial productions.
So, are you an eggs snob?
**Homestead Tips on Tuesday is a weekly series where we help you learn skills, tips, and trick to help you on your journey of homesteading. Many places post list of things you should/could do as far as homesteading skill, but I feel lists are at times overwhelming and can make people give up before they even start. So every Tuesday I share one thing for you to try or consider. I hope you join us every Tuesday and I would love to hear about your adventures with each weeks topic.**
Hi there! I've been reading your posts for a month or so and wanted to say I've enjoyed them very much. And I have to admit we're egg snobs around here, too. On the rare occasion when I have to buy eggs from the store they are always visibly and physically ickier than farm fresh. I agree being an egg snob is a good thing. Have a wonderful evening!
So glad you like to read my posts and that you are a kindred eggs snob!
I started raising chickens for the first time this year. I absolutely love eggs from home. Much better tasting.
And I absolutely love home grown veggies from non gmo seeds *wink*
Yes, I am an egg snob. We tried hens for a period of time, but we lacked a good set-up for the ladies. Eventually, it is just cheaper and less hassle for me to purchase them from local farmers. BUT I have been ruined forever, and cannot purchase the white cheap store eggs.
If you can't "grow" your own then by all means support a farmer!
I love farm eggs! I am an egg snob, too… homegrown eggs are the best. Our ladies aren't laying these days, so we are settling for store bought. As much as I prefer our own, I am thankful I can buy eggs at the market when I need to!
I hate when our girls take breaks but I just can't do the store ones. I go without or hit the farmer's market.
I wasn't but I have become one. I have no girls of my own, but my husband's coworker does. She is generous enought to send me me one or two dozen eggs a week. Saw you at Teach Me Tuesday linky, enjoyed your post!
No matter where you get them, welcome to the club! LOL
I can't wait to be an egg snob! We will be getting our own girls soon! 🙂
That is so exciting!!! Yea you!!!
Our Daughter raises chickens and our grandchildren love to get the eggs and bring them in to us.Thank you for sharing at the Thursday Favorite Things Blog Hop xo
You are lucky they bring them to you and don't eat them all! LOL
I am going to try and be an egg snob now!! Great information. Just have to find where in my area to get fresh eggs. Funny, but when I do see signs for fresh eggs at a house, I am a little leary….how do I know the conditions there?
Most folks who have eggs for sale are small families who just have a surplus of eggs and are trying to make a penny or two to help with the feed. If you want to know what their coop is like… ASK! Most folks will be more then happy to give your the tour…. if not… well then go with your gut 🙂
We are total egg snobs! My kiddos have severe allergies, so much that they react to what their food eats. So my parents started raising corn and soy free chickens for us. The difference is astounding! Everything we make comes out sort of technicolor yellow/orange thanks to the delicious, rich yolks of these eggs. And I love being able to glance in a carton and think "Oh, there's one of Ethel's eggs!" LOL The chickens are a source of endless amusement for my parents and my kids. I love watching my kids see where their food comes from.
Oh, and as for when the girls stop laying, well, that's a BIG problem for us. My 2.5 year old only has 11 safe foods to eat (plus breastmilk) due to his severe allergies. Eggs are one of them. So when the girls stop laying, my son loses one of his most vital foods! I've read you can freeze eggs, but I had to fill our freezers chock full of farmers market cauliflower, blueberries, pork, and other safe foods for him when I could get them, so I dehydrate extra eggs when the girls are prolific so we don't run out when they get broody or molt. I shared a tutorial on how I did it here, if you're interested. 🙂 http://cradlerockingmama.com/practical-preserving-how-to-dehydrate-eggs/
Love your blog! And love being an egg snob with you. 🙂
Way to take care of business mom!!! Your are awesome!
Fresh eggs are like 100 times better for sure 😉 Totally agree with ya!!
Thanks so much for linking up at Teach Me Tuesday party last week. I look forward to seeing what you link up again this week. Hope you'll be there!
Have an awesome week 🙂
It's good to be an egg snob!
You are so right! Fresh eggs are so much better and I feel better eating them knowing where they came from! Thanks for linking up at Totally Terrific Tuesday. Make sure you come back Monday night at 10pm to link up any new posts!! http://www.liverandomlysimple.com
Thanks for hosting (and being an egg snob LOL)
Our neighbours are farmers with incredible tasting eggs! They are so rich in taste, and yellow/orange in colour. Much different that than the grocery store ones…
Thanks for linking up this week on "Inspired By Me Monday"!! Please come back & join us this week with all your great posts (live Monday to Friday)–> http://www.parentingandhomeschoolinginfaith.com
Thanks for popping by. I am so glad you have had the chance to see and taste the difference!
Thank You for stopping by Inspire Us Tuesdays and leaving some inspiration behind. We would love for you to visit each week and leave some inspiration, find some inspiration, and borrow some of these ideas for yourself for the future.
Thanks for hosting!
We have hens and yes, fresh eggs are soooo much better than store bought. Thanks for sharing at Simple Lives Thursday, hope to see you again this weeek.
*high five* my fellow egg snob!
You're absolutely right, there is no comparison. Being raised on a farm and having my own chickens for over 30 years, I can tell you that when we were away for a few months with my husband's job and I had to buy eggs…Yuck! Even the organic, pasture raised ones were just not that good. I'm like you, I love my girls and their goodies! Nice article, thanks for sharing.
Rhonda
thefarmerslamp.com
Thanks so much for coming by. I think once you become an egg snob, you really can't go back. And if for what ever reason you have to buy eggs from a store….. it is painful not just to your taste buds but your soul! LOL