Farm fresh eggs really do stand up

I just finished reading http://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gifthe book "The Omnivore's Dilemma" by Michael Pollan. It's about food production in the United States, how food gets from the farm to your plate. It's a pretty good read. I guarantee you would think differently about your food after reading this book. I know I do. And no, I'm not talking about becoming a vegetarian. I'm talking about supporting your local farms.

Nathan and I thought we would give local food a try, so we went to the local farmer's market the other weekend. We were slightly underwhelmed by its size (it's the off-season and there were only 5 vendors and 3 customers, 2 of which were us), but we were able to buy some "farm fresh" eggs.

The book I read said that there is a noticeable difference between farm fresh eggs from grass-fed, free-range chickens and eggs from the supermarket. Grass-fed eggs are supposed taste better, be easier to cook with, and healthier than their mass-produced counterparts. So I thought I'd do a little experiment. A side by side comparison if you will.

At first glance, the eggs did look different than the "organic" eggs I usually buy from the supermarket. They were varying shades brown, not bleached, and not quite so uniform in shape. When I cracked them, I noticed that the yolks where a richer yellow than the others, almost orange in comparison. So far so good, they at least look different.

The second test was taste. Could I tell any difference between them? To make as unbiased an experiment as possible, I decided to fry two eggs up over medium (the way I like it), one farm fresh egg and one supermarket egg, in the same pan. That way there would be no difference in cooking method. I cracked one, then the other into the pan. Immediately I saw a difference. The egg white of the farm egg "stood up". Instead of spreading out all over the pan like the supermarket egg, the whites stayed together and stood about a 1/4 inch high. As far as taste, the farm egg yolk was like silk, rich and creamy, and the egg white as light and fluffy. The supermarket egg tasted pale and flat in comparison.

Now I have no idea if they are any healthier (of course I'd like to believe they are), but they definitely tasted better. I'd take the farm egg over the supermarket egg any day. Even if it costs more, which incidentally it didn't.

Although the local farmer's market was a little depressing this time of year, I'm sure I'll be going back. The honey looked pretty good too... I should try that next. Sopapillas anyone?