Farm Fresh Eggs

mckellipgirl

I have the opportunity of getting farm fresh eggs and besides the obvious financial benefit (they are FREE!) I'm unsure as to whether it's best to eat unpasteurized eggs.
I'm leaning towards them because they're organic, I know who raises them and how they're handled and it's as I think it should be. They're free range over 4.5 acres not eating their own poop in a cage they can't move in. I just don't know what the actual health benefits to pasteurizing is... Any advice please?
I'm all ears.

MelsAuntie

The only way those eggs could be better is if they were duck eggs! GO FOR IT, they will be healthy and better in flavor than any supermarket eggs.

momzeeee

I get my eggs from my in-laws pet chickens-my kids collect them, fil washes them off and I put them in the carton Fresh from the farm eggs are the best! Free range, pastured eggs are more nutrient dense-they'll have a bright yellow yolk, almost orange.

algebravoodoo

Assuming a healthy flock, free-range eggs are usually better for you than caged. Less crowding = better disease/pathogen control. They will most certainly taste better!!

Eve23

I have no idea on pastuerizing eggs and such. However we often get free farm fresh eggs. One thing I do is check them before cooking this to make sure they are good. Obviously they are fresh however I have had some that were not good. I put them in a bowl of cold water and if they float they are bad.

Enjoy

kirabob

Urban chicken farmer speaking up here: EAT THE EGGS!!!! Chickens who have access to pasture eat a varied diet, leading to higher levels of omega 3's and overall healthier chickens, which means healthier eggs. Also, the eggs you get will be pretty darn fresh, as opposed to eggs that have been sitting around a looooooooooooooooong time in a refrigerator. And your risk of illness is much lower. Ask your farmer if they wash the eggs. If they do, put them straight in the fridge. If they don't, keep them on your counter or in the fridge, washing only right before you use them (they have a natural anti-microbial barrier). And then nomnomnom those delicious eggies! (yep, just a little enthusiastic about eggs. )

NJD2885

We have our own hens and farm fresh eggs taste a lot better than store eggs. I've eaten farm fresh more than i have store bought and i've never had any issues. and this is over a period of like 20 years

GiddyupTim

Store-bought eggs are likely to have salmonella because of the way chickens are raised on industrial farms. Healthy chickens on a friend's farm should be fine. When I was a kid, we used to eat raw eggs a lot -- even put them in our milkshakes. If you are super worried, you can open the eggs and heat them to about 140-150 degrees before using them raw. Commercial chefs do that for whipped egg whites, when they need to add raw egg whites to something. You can google that if you really want to know how to do it.

brower47

I eat 2-3 eggs from my girls every morning. They are delicious and I know that the eggs from my girls came from much healthier, happier birds than any of the store bought variety.

MelisRunning

I have my own hens, also. Like kirabob said~"EAT THE EGGS"!!!

phoo513

Oh, I am so jealous! Eat those eggs!!!!!

TheDevastator

Eggs are despoiled by pasteurization just like milk. It allows factory farms to sell their garbage without making as many people sick.

robdel302

They have a more distinct taste so if you like eggs, you'll love farm fresh. My friend has his own chickens and he eats eggs everyday. His cholestrol levels have actually dropped from eating his own free range.

endoftheside

As far as I know, the majority of eggs sold at the grocery store are not pasteurized either (at least in the US). They would need to specifically state that they are pasteurized. Did you eat pasteurized eggs before?

castelluzzo99

Maybe I'm all wet behind the ears (someone correct me if I am), but the only reason to pasteurize an egg that I know of is if you're going to use it raw, like in mayonnaise. So unless you make your own mayo, you're probably much better off getting the farm fresh ones. We eat quite a few eggs in our home (okay, everyone's definition of "quite a few" is different, but for us 5-6 dozen a month for two adults and one child), and we get farm fresh whenever we can. We also plan on getting chickens once some major landscaping is out of the way.

xiantan

When I was in a small town in France and later in Italy, I found that people did not necessarily keep their eggs in refrigerators, but in a cool cellar. I was told that they could last for 3-4 weeks as long as it was not refrigerated. Once refrigerated, you must keep eggs cold. The yolks were very dark orange, a little scary at first, but they tasted incredible! Even the kids noticed, and still talk about how delicious simple scrambled eggs tasted on our European trip.

trentwiggly

You can pastuerize them in the shell and keep them "raw".

http://paleohacks.com/questions/98292/easy-way-to-pasteurize-eggs-or-egg-free-mayo-recipe#axzz2TsqvwZmd

I've used the "in hot water at 140F for three minutes" method and have made a lot of mayonnaise with it....oh my mayonnaise

But the germ-nasties don't necessarily get into the egg until the shell is broken, so just make sure they are gently washed clean and they should be good for anything you need.

cathrynfay

accidental double post

cathrynfay

Most grocery store eggs aren't pasteurized, either. Unless you are specifically purchasing that kind (usually sold in cartons as a liquid) at your grocery store, there isn't a difference - except in flavor and freshness, of course.

rosebarnalice

I've been eating locally back-yard produced eggs almost exclusively for 3 years and have yet to have a bad one.

And they just taste SO much better!

affacat

i eat a lovely egg from my hens every day.

they are FAR better for you then supermarket eggs.

affacat

When I was in a small town in France and later in Italy, I found that people did not necessarily keep their eggs in refrigerators, but in a cool cellar. I was told that they could last for 3-4 weeks as long as it was not refrigerated. Once refrigerated, you must keep eggs cold. The yolks were very dark orange, a little scary at first, but they tasted incredible! Even the kids noticed, and still talk about how delicious simple scrambled eggs tasted on our European trip.

Non-supermarket eggs last a very long time and do not need refrigeration. We never refrigerate our hens eggs, and there's never a reason to. If we build up too big of a supply, we just give some to the neighbors. We don't even keep them in a cellar, just in our kitchen.

susannamarie

Huh, do you normally eat pasteurized eggs? The ones in the store here are definitely not pasteurized.

FWIW, I would definitely definitely go for them. They taste better, they are more fresh, and if the hens have had a more varied diet they'll have a more varied array of micronutrients.

ErinRibbens

If you are cooking your eggs, it will kill any bacteria that might be in there. However, eggs from pastured hens are far less likely to be contaminated with salmonella than eggs from the grocery store. They are so much better for you and SO good! We have chickens and I couldn't eat a store bought egg if I tried. *gag*

phieaglefan

Urban chicken farmer speaking up here: EAT THE EGGS!!!! Chickens who have access to pasture eat a varied diet, leading to higher levels of omega 3's and overall healthier chickens, which means healthier eggs. Also, the eggs you get will be pretty darn fresh, as opposed to eggs that have been sitting around a looooooooooooooooong time in a refrigerator. And your risk of illness is much lower. Ask your farmer if they wash the eggs. If they do, put them straight in the fridge. If they don't, keep them on your counter or in the fridge, washing only right before you use them (they have a natural anti-microbial barrier). And then nomnomnom those delicious eggies! (yep, just a little enthusiastic about eggs. )

This!

JazmineYoli

All I know is they taste soo much better. Yumm