Farm Fresh Eggs!

The best reason to have farm fresh eggs is simply taste! Fresh eggs feature rich golden or orange yolks, while stored eggs are often a pale yellow. Did you know many store bought eggs are considered fresh up to 30 days on a shelf, so long as they've been consistently cooled to 45 degrees? Read up on the USDA methods to show consumers of grocery store eggs how fresh they are, then consider would you want to buy a dozen 20 day old eggs, before you've even gotten them home where they may sit for many more weeks? It is little surprise then, that when many people begin to have local eggs, they are amazed at how colorful and flavorful eggs can be. Since eggs are a staple ingredient of many foods including breads and cakes, having flavorful ingredients helps to ensure your recipes will turn out just right.

Quality of the egg: Hens which are able to eat bugs, grass, leaves, and run around outside a bit tend to create eggs with very strong shells. This means the interior white and yolk is well protected against external threats including active hens. These hens often also lay larger eggs and you'll almost never find double yolkers in a store egg carton. Yet with fresh eggs, double yolk eggs aren't unusual. If the egg were destined to house a chick, think of all those nutrients!


Nutrition: What's good for a chick is good for us too. An egg from a hen with some time to roam and run is low in cholesterol, high in Omega-3s(DHA), high in Vitamin E, and Beta carotene. In short, it's a very complete food, in moderation and conjunction with other veggies and fiber." />

For hard boiled eggs, it's best to start with eggs that are a little bit older. Fresh eggs can keep in a refrigerator for a long time - a month or more. Since fresh eggs can be a little harder to work with, some eggs you've set aside for a week or two are the a good starting point. They'll still be much tastier than a store egg. While this method is similar to others posted, I happened to find it on my own.

Place eggs in an appropriate sized pot with tap water. What's appropriately sized? All eggs have room to move without hitting each other, and there is sufficient water to cover the eggs by three inches to four inches. Too small a pot and the eggs will not get even heating time. Too big a pot, it will just take a lot longer.

Put pot on boiler, and begin a timer for 15 minutes. Bring pot to boil. This should take approximately 7 minutes. If the pot is not boiling after 7 minutes have elapsed, add 5 minutes back to the timer.

Once the water is boiling, reduce heat to medium or low, depending on your burner. You want the boil go back to a gentle bubbling. When the timer has ended, immediately take the pot off the burner, and immerse the eggs in an ice bath. Cold tap with added ice cubes works just fine. The goal is to quickly stop the cooking.

Peel and chill or serve the hardboiled eggs. Peeling them right after cooling seems to make it easier than waiting for later on. The peeled eggs will stay good only for a few days, so eat them soon!

If you've cooked the perfect hard boiled egg, the yolk will be consistently cooked throughout, a nice bright yellow, and no green ring where it meets the white.