Being a
Mr. Krabs personality, I understand why people are reluctant to buy farm fresh eggs for $3/dozen. You can get a dozen eggs at the store for less than $2, they are all the same size, and they are always clean. I happened to have a dozen store eggs and one odd farm fresh egg, so I cooked one of each for comparison.
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| Farm Fresh on the left, Store bought on the right |
Look at the difference! The farm fresh egg (this one happens to be a free-range egg) has a clear white and a dark yolk, compared to the cloudy white and the light lemon-colored yolk from the factory chicken. The chalaza is the part of the egg that keeps the yolk suspended in the egg. You can really see the factory egg's chalaza.
I couldn't believe the difference, even after a full year of chicken farming. I didn't really think there was a difference! And they tasted totally different too. I didn't think I would be able to taste the difference, but I was wrong about that too. You can even tell the eggs apart after they've been cooked and flipped:
This time of year, farm fresh eggs are harder to get. And free range is even harder. The chickens stop laying as much when the day length shortens. And one year old chickens go through a molt and stop laying completely. This is a frustrating time. I'm getting 4 eggs a day from my 40-some hens. Some of them are too young to lay, some are molting, and I think some are hiding their eggs in the bushes. I'm always thinking, "why am I feeding these unproductive hens? Off with their heads!"
