Farm-fresh Eggs: What’s the Big Deal?
I DON’T KNOW ABOUT YOU, but before we started selling eggs in 2008, I was frankly baffled by the terminology of egg carton labeling. Although some labels are periodically redefined, others remain consistent, for example, egg sizes. What’s so confusing about large and extra large? Well, nothing, once you know what it means.
Egg sizes are determined by weight. The standard large egg is 2 ounces. However, the difference between one egg size and the next is ¼ ounce; thus, a large egg is actually anywhere from 2 to 2¼ ounces, an extra large egg is between 2¼ and 2½ ounces and so on. Sometimes, because of their varying shapes, one egg might appear to be larger when they are both the same weight. So when sorting our eggs, we weigh each one to determine the size.
By the way, you cooks and bakers out there probably already know that most recipes calling for eggs specify the large size. Now that you know a large egg is 2 ounces, you’ll know what to do when you want to use a different size: Weigh the eggs until you have the equivalent weight of the eggs called for in the recipe.
OK, on to egg grades. Just a few years ago, I had not the slightest idea what this meant. Simply, an egg’s grade is an indication of freshness, Grade AA being the freshest. How is this measured? It is determined by the size of the air space at the wide end of the egg; this is easiest to see when candling (shining a bright light through the wide end). This air space gets bigger because the shell is porous, and over time the contents gradually evaporate. So, the smaller the air space, the fresher the egg.
With commercial eggs, the catch is that this standard of freshness is applied when the eggs leave the place of production, not when they arrive at your grocery store. You can’t tell just by looking at the eggs, right?
Here’s another egg carton label: Free range. This designation is unfortunately not as clear, in terms of definition, as it might appear. Technically, for eggs to be labeled “free range,” the hens must be allowed “access to the outdoors.” What does that mean? (David suggested that the hens are watching the Nature Channel while pumping out eggs.) In reality, it means very little. A commercial operation can comply with this requirement by simply installing one or two very small doors somewhere on an outside wall of their 20,000-hen facility, making sure the door is open part of the day. Honestly, now, how many of those hens, in a place that huge, ever have a chance of even seeing the door? And if they do go outside, who’s to say there is grass out there? It’s far more likely the door opens out onto the edge of a parking lot.
The main problem with the term “free range” is that you can’t know for sure. These eggs might have come from birds who spent part of their day outdoors, but you simply have no way of knowing. It seems to me that without tighter definitions and oversight, “free range” isn’t much more than an effective marketing tool. You’d expect to pay more for “free range” eggs, right? But what are you paying for?
Once again, it comes down to this: If you don’t raise your own chickens, the best way to know that you’re getting truly fresh eggs, from birds that have been treated humanely, is to either buy them at a farmers market, or better yet, visit the farm where the eggs are produced. Observe the operation. Talk to the farmer. You’ll not only return home with eggs you can believe in and enjoy, but also establish a relationship that benefits you, the farmer and your whole community.
Among egg carton labels, one of my personal favorites (in a dubious sort of way) is vegetarian diet.
Should You Wash Your Eggs or Not?
I would not have believed how much strong feeling this particular subject stirs up. Some people assert that eggs should always be washed, preferably sanitized too. Others insist that any washing or cleaning is somehow detrimental to the quality of the egg.
If I tell you what I think, will you promise not to send nasty e-mails or (horror of horrors) un-friend me on Facebook? Okay, here goes. First let me say that, since we were first licensed to sell eggs wholesale, we have been obliged to follow the guidelines of the Washington State Department of Agriculture’s (WSDA) Food Safety Program. Having also done a lot of research on this subject, I think that the WSDA’s guidelines are very sensible.
Because eggs are perishable and, under certain circumstances, subject to bacterial infection, the idea is to collect, clean, dry and refrigerate them as quickly as possible. We use warm water and an old soft toothbrush to clean them. The water should be warmer than the eggs. Why? Because the shell of an egg is porous. The theory is, if there is mud or chicken poop or whatever on the egg shell, and you wash the egg in cold water, the contents of the egg will shrink away from the shell, bringing with it anything lingering on the outside of the shell. Since some eggs have just been laid when they are picked up, and a hen’s body temperature is 103°F, we try for a wash-water temperature of around 110°F.
“But,” you never-wash-an-egg advocates are shouting, “washing the egg removes the bloom!” I know, I know. And I am going to take my social-networking life in my hands and ask you, “So what?”
The “bloom,” as I understand it, is some kind of coating that is applied to the outside of the egg’s shell right before it exits the hen’s body. I have occasionally picked up an egg that has been so freshly laid that it is wet; presumably this is the “bloom.” Some argue that removing it results in a shorter shelf life for the egg. First of all, unless that coating is somehow completely sealing the entire eggshell, I don’t see how this can be true. Remember that the shell is porous; probably if it was coated thickly with wax or something, its contents wouldn’t evaporate. I don’t know what the makeup of the “bloom” is, but I doubt it is actually sealing the egg to that extent.
And anyway, we deliver our eggs several times a week to our customers. We know they are being consumed when they are quite fresh. So, frankly, shelf life is of no real concern to us.
Even if we weren’t subject to the WSDA requirements, we would always clean our eggs. Occasionally an egg looks so clean that I don’t bother washing it. However, I rarely find an egg to be so pristine that it can’t be improved by a light cleaning. I can see no advantage in leaving mud, chicken poop or bedding stuck to an egg for fear of compromising the “bloom.” And since we are talking food safety here, honestly now, why take chances?
What does this mean? According to the Humane Society of the United States, “vegetarian diet,” in the egg industry, means that “these [laying hens’] feed does not contain animal byproducts, but this label does not have significant relevance to the animals’ living conditions.”
Okay, then! Let’s set aside for the moment the reference to living conditions (which is vague in the extreme). What strikes me about “vegetarian diet” is that the marketers are counting on the average consumer to be unaware that chickens are actually omnivorous. We see our birds foraging all day long, eating all manner of worms, bugs and grubs; they go fairly nuts during the summer when, for about a week, the carpenter ants are flying. It’s quite entertaining to watch the birds run around, leaping into the air to snatch the large and apparently delectable ants.
We’ve even seen the chickens catch small frogs, lizards, mice and the occasional snake. The first time I saw a hen with a snake I wouldn’t have believed it. From across the yard, she was racing around, with ten or more in hot pursuit. The lead hen had something hanging from her beak, but I couldn’t tell what it was, so I went to see what was going on. About twelve inches of the garter snake’s body was visible. With an impressive finishing kick, the hen got far enough ahead of the other birds and stopped abruptly. Tilting her head back in a whiplash motion, she swallowed the snake in one go. I swear I’m not making this up. I remember wondering if the snake was dead when the hen swallowed it.
Anyway, the point is, if a laying hen is eating a “vegetarian diet,” by definition, she is not foraging any of her food. True, I think it’s great if the hens’ feed doesn’t contain any animal by-products; I just happen to also believe that hens are happier, healthier and lay better-tasting and more nutritious eggs when they can access the naturally balanced range of foods they thrive on.