a note from your friendly neighborhood farmer

[mopinko]

i started to post this as a comment in cali's thread here about baking, but thought it deserved it's own thread.

if you love to bake, and you can get your hands on fresh, unwashed eggs, you will never go back. the best thing about having chickens is the fresh eggs. and the best thing about the eggs is baking with them.
the albumin is so fresh, it is like a spring. the yolks is so orange, that it gives everything a glowing color.

i am sure i am mostly preaching to the choir here, but just in case-
here is a little video i did, showing off the fresh.
https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=673937549294594&set=vb.410796658942019&type=3&theater

[Erich Bloodaxe BSN]

1. I can understand the fresh part

But why is 'unwashed' important? Aren't the parts I'm going to eat on the inside of the egg, not the outside?

[mopinko]

2. it is actually illegal to sell unwashed eggs, mostly.

even farmer's markets require washing. europeans think we are nuts for this.

the thing is, and egg is delivered with a "bloom", a biome that keeps the egg sealed while the chick develops. if you wash it, you lose it. and commercial washing not only strips it, but can even wash organisms INTO the egg. so, it is a stupid thing to do for fear of a little chicken poop.

once the pores are opened, they dry out, and start to degrade.
try my little stunt there with an egg from your fridge. compare that hang time.
this is why the yolk of a fresh egg stands up above the white when you fry them.

if you separate eggs, and the yolks break on you, they are probably too old to be good for anything that you would be separating them for.

[Erich Bloodaxe BSN]

3. Thanks,

interesting and informative. I'm always happy when people can give me the 'why' of things

[JennyD]

14. An article on the topic

I recently read this from npr: http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2014/09/11/336330502/why-the-u-s-chills-its-eggs-and-most-of-the-world-doesnt

It's a really interesting and informative read. I have traveled and lived in serveral countries and I never realized why some countries refrigerate eggs and others don't. I've also always been curious about the brown eggs and white eggs. Why are there brown eggs and white eggs? Does it have to do with the type of chicken?

[JennyD]

15. Oops

Oops. Just after I posted my above post with link I realized there is a similar post and link by Major Nikon. Sorry!

[Major Nikon]

4. Here's the difference

In the US, commercial eggs are "washed" which removes feces and among other things the coating that seals the eggshell pores. Eggs that have been washed should be refrigerated because there is nothing remaining to seal them from the outside.

In other countries, eggs are typically not refrigerated and typically not washed so that the protective coating remains.

Eggs that are refrigerated should be kept under refrigeration until use to prevent condensation which can promote pathogen growth. Since Europeans tend to have much smaller refrigerators than Americans, they tend not to refrigerate their eggs and therefore require different egg handling to the consumer. It's not as if one method is inherently better than the other. Both are designed to deliver a safe product to their respective consumers, however refrigerated eggs will keep longer than non-refrigerated eggs.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/nadiaarumugam/2012/10/25/why-american-eggs-would-be-illegal-in-a-british-supermarket-and-vice-versa/

[Major Nikon]

5. I was raised on a farm and our hens were all free roaming

We normally kept about a dozen hens and we had more eggs than we could use and give away. Family and neighbors brought their eggs cartons over and we filled them up.

[japple]

6. My niece posted a picture today of an egg without a shell. Not really sure how/why

this happened and I think she is still researching it, but she said they were going to start the chickens on a vitamin regimen. I'll look up the picture and post it below.

[mopinko]

7. sometimes a symptom of low calcium.

not always tho. can be a problem in the ovary. and sometimes they just happen.
i have had a couple, out of 10-15 hens over 2 years.

[japple]

8. I thought it must have something to do with calcium, though I'll let her know about ovary

problem. She's crazy about her ducks and chicks!

[mopinko]

11. if she feeds a commercial feed

it should have adequate calcium. adding a mineral supplement on top of that can cause trouble. kidney stones and such.

i feed purina layena. its a pelleted diet. a lot of feed, and most organic feeds, are grains mixed with powder that is where most of the supplements are, and they are rarely eaten by the hens. the rats? yeah, they love that stuff.
this stuff is eaten completely, making sure all the good stuff gets where it is going.

[japple]

9. Even the organic eggs that you buy in the supermarket that are fed a vegetarian diet and

are "free range" have yolks that are bright orange. The ones from big commercial growers are pale yellow. My sister is thinking of raising chickens and we will keep this in mind. Thanks!

[mopinko]

10. a vegetarian diet? for a chicken?

guess what, free range means they are eating bugs and worms. is that vegetarian?
my birds help us be close to zero food waste. they get anything we dont eat.
they LOVE meat. they pick clean chicken carcasses. they eat the old pizza.

i an not all that sensitive about vegetarianism, i fear.

tell your sister chickens are a gas. i have kept a ton of critters in my life, and i tell ya, these guys are about the most fun ever.

[japple]

12. I think the "free range" part means they get to run around in the chicken houses and are not kept

in cages.

[mopinko]

13. ah commercial chicken speak. i forget sometimes.

if they arent scratching up bugs, i dont consider them free range.

too bad i am the one who is a stickler. i refuse to use the word organic because i am in the city where god knows what all finds its way onto my property and into my food. and i know that the word has a very exact meaning.
but so many people call themselves organic if they didnt use a pesticide themselves.
pr. sheesh

[cbayer]

16. It took some getting used to, but we don't refrigerate eggs anymore.

Both in Mexico and Italy, they are sold at room temperature and that is how you keep them.

And they are far superior to what you get in the US.

Enjoy your fresh eggs, mo!