The Incredible Edible Egg

In the last few months, I've been making some changes to what we eat. We purchase 95% of our meat from a local butcher who works with local farmers. I try to get to the farmer's market more regularly to stock up on local produce. It's not convenient to get there, so I'm not as successful. I tried signing up with a CSA to have produce delivered to us weekly, but it didn't work out. Jim was on board with all of it because we found that it tasted better and, in many cases, was actually cheaper than buying the mass produced meats or shipped produce. I almost lost him on one item though. The egg.

When I started buying local eggs, I'll admit that the taste difference seemed negligible and the price was often double the regular eggs at the grocery store. They also never go on sale. I think Jim thought I was going a little too far with this one. I told him that I liked the idea that they were coming from local farmers who were treating the chickens humanely and did not add anything to their diet beyond what a chicken normally eats. I also pointed out that you could tell the health of the chicken by the strength of the shell. These eggs had such a thick shell that I actually had to tap them harder against the counter to crack them. He didn't argue with me, but I could tell he was humoring me.

Then we ran out of eggs, and I didn't make it to the farmer's market to get more. Our butcher was working on getting them in, but hadn't yet. Jim made a grocery store run and picked up the storebrand eggs we've eaten for years.

The transition from store to fresh eggs may have been subtle when we switched, but not when we switched back. I could definitely tell the eggs didn't taste as fresh to me. The shells were so thin that I almost crushed one holding it before cracking it. I had already gotten used to the stronger shell. I never mentioned anything. I just thought that we really needed to get to the market that weekend and restock. The next thing I know I hear Jim saying that he sure missed our eggs.

When we went to the market last weekend, I bought two dozen. That afternoon when we returned home, Jim threw the remaining grocery store eggs in the trash.

I like buying from local sources for many reasons. The quality of the food is superior. The prices average to less than we spent in the grocery store. It's green. Our food isn't being trucked across the country. With all the food scares that have been in the news the last few years, it's nice knowing that you can trace your food back to the source.

We're still pretty limited as to what we can get, but I plan to keep trying. Who knows, one year we may even start our own vegetable gardening. I did learn how to can a few years ago.