Why would anyone spend nearly three hours and drive 75 miles, round-trip, for a dozen eggs? This is exactly the question I spent much of yesterday pondering following an egg-gathering excursion that took me all the way from my cozy little home in Huntsville, to the Caddo community, outside Trinity, Alabama.
I make no secret of the fact that I believe locally produced food to be far better for my health, the economy, and the environment than most of what I can find in a grocery store. I hold myself to a code of grocery-shopping ethics that most people would probably laugh at. I scrutinize local foodways and farmer’s markets, and I constantly seek out the latest publications on food safety and nutrition. This interest in local food has lately become less of a hobby and more of an obsession, which is exactly how I came to find “Lynn the Egg-Lady” and her flock of abundantly producing hens.
I came across her farm while doing some research on locally produced meat, poultry, and vegetables for a network I hope to organize. I found that a non-profit site called Local Harvest has already developed an extensive list of farms, markets, and CSAs (that’s Community Supported Agriculture to all you newbies) in the Huntsville area. Each listing links to a separate page about the farm or market. There is a brief description, contact information, and a matrix detailing what each farm produces. Naturally (and because I’m a complete nut), I went through each listing, making note of the ones that seemed promising.
I happened upon one page that advertised eggs for $3.50 per dozen, and mentioned that I should call ahead to check on availability. The hens are fed soy-free, organic feed and allowed to roam throughout the 20-acre farm where they nibble grass and forage for bugs (a very important source of protein for chickens). The resulting eggs are beautiful, large, pink and brown beauties that are chock full of proteins, vitamins, and omega-3′s. In fact, organic eggs have more nutrients, less cholesterol, and far better taste and texture than their commercially-produced counterparts.
The description of Lynn’s farm was so appealing that it appeared more like an invitation than an advertisement, so I decided to email the proprietor, hoping (at the very least) to find out where the eggs are available. Almost immediately I received a reply saying that she had a dozen or so to sell that day. Lynn indicated that I could meet her husband somewhere or come out and pick them up myself. Having just as much of an interest in meeting the farmer as eating the eggs, I of course chose to go there and pick them up (and as it turns out, pluck them from beneath her somewhat resistant chickens) myself…thus, the 75-mile designation my eggs would come to acquire. Driving this distance doesn’t exactly reduce my carbon footprint or minimize the number of “food miles” my eggs had to travel, but I would venture a guess that based on the farm’s environmental practices, they came at a much lower cost than is immediately evident.
By now, you are probably asking yourself if they tasted any better than a carton of regular old grocery-store eggs…perhaps making them worth all this trouble. I can assure you that I have not had such delicious eggs since I was a kid pilfering them from the neighbor’s hens, who resided in our barn. They were amazing to cook with – the yolks were so thick and creamy that I had to break out my hand-cranked mixer to do the job. I added a little milk, some salt and pepper, and they scrambled beautifully. Imagine the difference between a fresh, mid-summer, straight-from-the-garden tomato and a mid-winter, grocery-store hydroponic. There is truly no comparison. Even my husband (not what you would call an egg “fan”) commented on how light and fluffy they were – a true testament, in my mind, to their superiority.
As my small group of readers surely knows by now, I would encourage anyone and everyone to choose locally produced food whenever it is available. I will probably not drive 75 miles the next time I need a dozen eggs, but I will keep up the search until I find a producer within a reasonable distance. I have, after all, been spoiled by this idyllic, truly pastoral experience. It would also be difficult to convince my taste-buds to return to store-bought varieties after having had “the real deal”. So the next time you see eggs for sale at your local farmer’s market, give them a try. I guarantee you will never again think twice about paying $3.50 (or even $4) per dozen.
