Unless I opt for the occasional splurge and buy eggs at $8 a dozen from the farmer’s market, I routinely buy Rock Island Eggs from Trader Joes. They are very reasonably priced, at $3.50 a dozen, and the packaging boasts 100% Vegetarian Feed. Plus they say, Produced in Sonoma, CA, which is just a stone’s throw away.
When I started researching for this post – in order to decide if I was buying “an ethical egg” – I learned that Rock Island Eggs are part of Petaluma Farms, which also sells their eggs under the name Judy’s Organic Eggs. So it’s all one big happy family. While all of these eggs are much better than the conventional version, this is an aerial shot of Petaluma Farms, it doesn’t look very “green” or “cage-free” to me.
But what are my alternatives? I’m on a budget and buying $8 dollars eggs on a weekly basis just isn’t a reality for me. For now, I will justify my Rock Island Eggs by knowing that at least I’m supporting local farmers that aren’t feeding their chickens animal bi-products. For another inexpensive alternative, the eggs from the “Egg Lady” at the Civic Center Farmer’s Market are a steal-of-a-deal. She has all the right answers to my questions about her chicken’s living conditions but I’m guessing you can never be 100% sure unless you pay the farm a visit yourself.
San Francisco Chronicle’s website, SF Gate, recently ran a great article about “designer eggs” versus conventional and includes definitions behind all the “organic”, “cage free,” and “free range” labels you find on the packaging. I’m guessing not many of you are actually “picking” your own eggs from your backyard chickens, and if you are, sorry you’re on your own as I haven’t the slightest clue what to do!
- How to Pick: If buying store bought eggs, check the expiration date, as fresh eggs taste substantially better than their older counterparts. If buying eggs from the farmer’s market, hold the egg against a strong source of light and look for the air bubble at the rounded end of the egg. The smaller the air bubble, the fresher the egg (almost invisible in newly-laid eggs). It should also feel heavy in your hand.
- How to Store: Store eggs in the coldest part of your refrigerator and keep the carton closed to minimize exposure to odors. They will last up to two weeks.
- How to Use: Eggs provide endless uses in the kitchen – including baking, poaching, soft-boiling, scrambling, and frying – and come in handy at every meal. To check freshness before eating, put the egg in a cup of cold water. If it sinks and remains still, it’s fresh; if it tilts or floats, it’s going bad. A fresh egg has a thick white and round, firm yolk. Also, let your eggs rest on the counter to warm up before cooking; cold eggs crack in boiling water, whites don’t whisk as well and yolks don’t fold into other ingredients well when cold.
- Recipe Ideas: Jillian’s Spanish Tortilla with Spinach and my Potato, Leek, and Goat Cheese Frittata are staples in our kitchens; I’ve been dying to try Epicurious’ Sausage and Egg Casserole with Sundried Tomatoes and Mozzarella for a weekend brunch; Smitten Kitchen just posted a yummy looking Classic Cobb Salad; and check back on Friday when I share my Curried Egg Salad Sandwich recipe.
- Fun Fact: The color of the egg shell is not related to quality, nutrients, flavor, or cooking characteristics. White shelled eggs are produced by hens with white feathers and white ear lobes. Brown shelled eggs are produced by hens with red feathers and red ear lobes. Brown egg layers usually are slightly larger and require more food, thus brown eggs usually cost more than white eggs. An egg shell has as many as 17,000 pores over its surface (Tip from Do You Know Your Eggs).
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I too go to the Civic Center Egg Lady, as well as a few other farmer’s market stalls where I have gotten to know the owners. I think their eggs are a pretty great for the price, and they are such friendly folk. Have you tried their stewing chickens yet? That adds to their farm’s gold star in my book
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I enjoyed your remaks and agree with the need to carefully choose the correct supplier of egss. I want to correct some staements made about which chickens produce brown eggs. The color of the ear lobe as you mentioned is correct, but the color of feathers has nothing to do with the color of the egg. I have brown hens and brown/redish colored hens all with white earlobes and they produce white eggs. They are smaller in size by approximately 1 pound compared to the Rock Island chicken which produces a white egg.
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