Newsletters: November-December 2009
Local Spotlight: Farm Fresh Eggs
Cody Farm, GlennHaven, Harrell’s, Ladybird Organics, Lodestar Farm, Mel’s Fresh Colored Yard Eggs, Rainbow Fur & Feather Farm
Natural Times November/December 2009
By Gretchen Hein
“These hens are dedicated to laying eggs. They put everything they’ve got into making and laying eggs. These girls lay one egg every day and a quarter, day after day pretty much, year after year. Most of these girls are four years old, that’s a lot of eggs. If you ask me, they ought to go straight to heaven when they die.” —Cynthia Connelly
Owner of Ladybird Organics Cynthia Connelly obviously cares for her hens. Most egg producers feel that way about the hens they raise. It’s a love affair. They love their chickens and the chickens seem attached to their farmers.
All the local producers I spoke with let their chickens wander, in fact, they have quite a bit of room to roam. They’re in constant motion, pecking the ground in search for food, be it green and growing or crawling on the ground. Some farmers keep their chickens in large enclosed chicken coops that contain a henhouse and feeding and watering stations. These larger enclosed areas provide protection from predators. Other farmers have larger yards, enclosed by an electric fence with a portable henhouse. One even has a dog whose job it is to protect the chickens. Some farmers go back and forth between the two, depending on the size of the flock, season and level of predator threat.
Most of those who raise eggs got started because they love the way a fresh egg tastes. Nothing else comes close to the taste of an egg that’s been pulled fresh from the henhouse and immediately cooked. They look different and they taste like an egg ought to taste. The yolks are bright and sunny and the whole egg holds its shape. Nutritionally, they’re higher in omega 3 fatty acids, vitamins A and E, and have lower levels of total fat, saturated fat and cholesterol.
Chickens are great additions to any farming venture, small and large. The chickens eat bugs—lots of bugs. And every grower knows only too well how quickly bugs can decimate a garden, much less a crop. They also eat weeds, another bane in a gardener’s life. Then there’s the chicken manure! It is some of the best fertilizer around. Chickens are friendly, too; they make great pets. At Ladybird Farm, one hen took a liking to me and hung around while we talked. I wasn’t able to reach down and pet her, like I could the dog that protects the flock, but she was interested and curious about me and looked like she’d love to be petted.
Cody Farm, GlennHaven, Harrell’s, Ladybird Organics, Mel’s Fresh Colored Yard Eggs, and LodeStar Farm are local names to look for in the egg cooler. And if you’re looking for a different kind of egg, check out the duck and quail eggs from Rainbow Fur and Feather Farm. If you haven’t tried fresh eggs from free-roaming chickens, you don’t know what you’re missing. Give it try and perhaps locally produced eggs will become your choice.
Editors Note: New Leaf Market strives to offer local eggs at all times; however, due to the generally small operations of our vendors, we cannot guarantee that local eggs will always be in stock.
