Guest Post: Incredible, Edible Eggs

Hello my favorite blog readers! I’ve been in a Utah a little over a day and it’s been great. Other than the fact that it’s freezing here. OK, the day was beautiful, but the mornings and nights are cold! Brrr! And I kind of felt like an asthmatic on my run this morning. Darn elevation. Still love this place though.

While I’m off partying with friends and family, eating all sorts of goodness we don’t have in Winston-Salem, running less than I eat and poking nieces and nephews, I’m turning the blog reins over to my knowledgeable friend Samantha. She’s going to give us some handy info on eggs. And even though I grew up with a large chicken coop housing ~50 chickens outside my bedroom window (no joke), she is much more of an expert than I. If you have any eggy questions, I bet Samantha can find out egg-actly what you want to know. Lame jokes over. Good post ahead.

Incredible, Edible Eggs

Hi all! I’m Samantha from A Food Education. It’s a pleasure and honor to write a guest post for you all while Teri is on vacation. Like you all, food is something that is near and dear to my heart. Not only do I like to eat and appreciate good food, my profession involves teaching high school students about food production and where their food comes from. That’s one thing I love about Teri and her blog—she encourages us to “know” our food.

I don’t have to tell you that the local food movement is hot right now! The local movement has received even more attention with the recent, yet unfortunate, egg recall. Any time there is a food safety scare, the reputation of said food product is inevitably tainted for a long time. Although my views may be different from others, I personally have a high level of confidence the food safety measures taken by farmers across the United States and I know that food borne pathogens can affect producers both large and small. However, we are seeing a trend in consumers looking to local sources for their eggs instead of ruling them out completely.

Poor eggs—they have a nasty reputation right now. But for every egg that’s been recalled, there is another out there that is safe if you’ll look to other sources. I’d like to take a look at the incredible, edible egg. One of the many hats I wear in my career as an agriculture educator is to manage a small egg laying chicken project on our campus. While our humble facility is used primarily for educational purposes and for student work experience, we are a certified egg handler through the State of California. We take pride in producing local, nutritious, farm-fresh eggs in a variety of sizes, shapes and colors.

I am often asked questions eggs and other poultry products. Additionally, I am often asked my opinion on food safety, labeling, housing systems and other general questions. While I consider myself a jack of all trades and a master of nothing, I feel like I can share some of my answers with you that reflect the burning questions that foodies most often have.

#1) What’s up with egg shell color?

Egg shell color doesn’t indicate a difference in nutritional content: different breeds of birds lay different colored eggs. Generally, you can look at the earlobe of the bird and determine the color of the shell. White shells are standard for most grocery stores in the US because the breed that lays those eggs is much more efficient at laying than most other breeds. However, local producers can sell you dozens of the “fun colors”- green, blue, speckled, beige and brown. These generally cost a bit more because the colored breeds are bigger in body size, eat more feed and lay less eggs per pound of feed.

#2) Are hormones used to promote egg production?

No. There is a common misconception that hormones are used or injected into egg laying and meat type birds. It is illegal to use hormones in any type of poultry production in the United States. Don’t be fooled by labels on poultry packages that say “hormone free”—it is a marketing tactic.

#3) Why do some eggs have orange yolks?

Yolk color is determined by the bird’s diet. Birds that are fed corn, marigolds, tomatoes and/or grasses generally have darker yolks. To my knowledge, pigment in these feeds doesn’t necessarily enhance the nutrition of the egg because humans aren’t able to utilize the xanthophyll from the yolk. However, animals fed high quality feeds do translate into high quality and nutritious eggs.

#4) Why are some eggs so hard to peel?

I hate to say it—but in the case of boiling eggs, fresh isn’t always better. What?! Super fresh eggs are great for frying, but not for hard boiling. Older eggs are perfect candidates for hard boiling. Why? There is a pocket of air in the egg that expands as it gets older, making peeling of eggs much easier.

#5) What is better : Free Range, Cage Free or something else?

There is no clear cut answer for this one—you have to choose what is best for you once you know the facts. I can tell you that each producer has a reason for choosing the housing system they use. While it is easy to say that one particular system is best, there are challenges that go along with every single housing system. There is no perfect system, in my opinion. With every benefit comes some sort of risk. Pasture raised birds may have more roaming space, but may have a higher risk of disease from wild birds or death from predators. The cage system has become extremely unpopular because of space issues, but is very effective at collecting clean eggs and reducing issues that come from the pecking order such as access to feed and water.

Have more questions? Feel free to stop by my blog foodedu.blogspot.com or email me questions at Samantha.foodedu@gmail.com. Thanks for reading!

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Thank you Samantha for an extremely straight-forward and informative post! Now, I need to go get lulled to sleep by chickens cackling and wake up early to gather some eggs to cook for breakfast. And no, the rooster crowing doesn’t wake me. Never has.

Tagged as: eggs, guest posts