Farmers market eggs

Jennyisbusy
Jennyisbusy Posts: 1,294 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I am thinking about purchasing fresh eggs from a farmers market tonight. I have never purchased eggs from any where but the grocery store, what questions should I ask, or what things should I look for?

any thing else I should know ahead of time?
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Replies

  • melsinct
    melsinct Posts: 3,512 Member
    Make sure they are chicken eggs. Other than that, you're good to go! Farm fresh eggs are ridiculously delicious. The color of the yolk is so brilliant compared to dull grocery store eggs.
  • Vailara
    Vailara Posts: 2,466 Member
    Just curious - why make sure they are chicken eggs? Because duck eggs are higher in calories? I love duck eggs!
  • dawnrenee567
    dawnrenee567 Posts: 292 Member
    Ask how they're kept (cage, free roaming) and about the diet they eat.

    You'll be hooked once you have them. No store bought egg beats a farm fresh egg.
  • AlsDonkBoxSquat
    AlsDonkBoxSquat Posts: 6,128 Member
    buy them, eat them, it's a waste to hard boil them.
  • wbgolden
    wbgolden Posts: 2,066 Member
    Make sure they are chicken eggs. Other than that, you're good to go! Farm fresh eggs are ridiculously delicious. The color of the yolk is so brilliant compared to dull grocery store eggs.
    Right. This.
  • JackLeaMason
    JackLeaMason Posts: 22 Member
    I find the key to a good farm fresh egg is the shell is thicker and harder. The yolks have more color and are more firm. You will never go back to a factory farm chicken egg again. Save your egg shells for garden compost.
  • Allie_71
    Allie_71 Posts: 1,063 Member
    Make sure they are chicken eggs. Other than that, you're good to go! Farm fresh eggs are ridiculously delicious. The color of the yolk is so brilliant compared to dull grocery store eggs.

    yup. the first time you use them you won't belive how firm the white is, and how yellow the yolk is.
  • Jennyisbusy
    Jennyisbusy Posts: 1,294 Member
    I would like one dozen turtle eggs please :laugh:

    Thanks guys, I have had farm eggs before but it was from people I knew and trusted. I have never bought them and didn;t know if there was anything weird to look out for.
  • jofjltncb6
    jofjltncb6 Posts: 34,415 Member
    Don't do it!

    Regular store bought eggs will never taste the same again.

    Just remember, I told you so...
  • ttaylor68913
    ttaylor68913 Posts: 320 Member


    You'll be hooked once you have them. No store bought egg beats a farm fresh egg.

    Just make sure they are clean and not cracked.

    I love farm fresh eggs and glad my parents get 20ish eggs a day from their hens!
  • Polly758
    Polly758 Posts: 623 Member
    buy them, eat them, it's a waste to hard boil them.

    This is true, don't hard-boil fresh eggs.
  • KaciWood19
    KaciWood19 Posts: 396 Member
    I raise my own egg laying chickens and eat their eggs! Differences that I noticed, color! Color depends on the breed, so if you have a pale green one, its not rotted! The egg is going to be thicker, not even close to as runny. The shells are a bit tougher to crack, especially if they feed their chickens oyster shells (very high in calcium). If you are hardboiling them, it might take a few tries to figure out the time, they cook a little different and if its too long or too short, they are hard to peel!
  • KaciWood19
    KaciWood19 Posts: 396 Member
    buy them, eat them, it's a waste to hard boil them.

    This is true, don't hard-boil fresh eggs.

    I hard boil mine for 12 minutes on the "8" setting, perfect every time! it's all about timing and temp.
  • NovemberJune
    NovemberJune Posts: 2,525 Member
    buy them, eat them, it's a waste to hard boil them.

    This is true, don't hard-boil fresh eggs.

    I hard boil mine for 12 minutes on the "8" setting, perfect every time! it's all about timing and temp.


    Yes I love my farmers market eggs hard boiled or poached ;)
  • sapalee
    sapalee Posts: 409 Member
    I've been getting mine from a co-workers neighbor and they aren't as dark as others I've had in the past. This makes me sad. Apparently they aren't free range because of hawks... I have a neighbor that has them, been meaning to call her and switch.
  • vickie28
    vickie28 Posts: 68 Member
    I drive the extra miles to get farm eggs free roaming, & corn fed was what my dad always said to ask --- they are so good-- the dark yolk-- nothing in the stores compares -- enjoy !
  • thelovelyLIZ
    thelovelyLIZ Posts: 1,227 Member
    I keep seeing eggs at the local farmers market, but $4 a dozen is kind of pricy. My boyfriend and I go through 12-18 eggs a week (we eat them a lot) so it's not an expense I can afford all the time right now. Still, I really want to try them!
  • AlsDonkBoxSquat
    AlsDonkBoxSquat Posts: 6,128 Member
    buy them, eat them, it's a waste to hard boil them.

    This is true, don't hard-boil fresh eggs.

    I hard boil mine for 12 minutes on the "8" setting, perfect every time! it's all about timing and temp.


    Yes I love my farmers market eggs hard boiled or poached ;)

    It's not about cooking, I know how to do that, it's about the peeling process. I find that the fresher the egg the less likely it is to release from the shell when peeling, I lose a good deal of egg while peeling. Now of course this can be fixed by cutting them in half and then scooping it out. We usually go through 2 - 3 dozen eggs a week. We get 1 or 2 dozen fresh at market and then buy older eggs at the store to hard boil. However, if we still have market eggs left over from the previous week, then we'll boil those and skip the grocery store eggs.
  • hellraisedfire
    hellraisedfire Posts: 403 Member
    :o is that why my hardboiled eggs NEVER peel right?! AHHHHH. THE TIME I'VE WASTED.
  • posesed
    posesed Posts: 16 Member
    Love my hens! For peeling any hard boiled eggs but especially fresh ones remove the shell while still slightly warm. The membrane sticks to the inside of the shell. We keep a supply of them in our fridge perfect quick snack. Yummy!
  • rla099
    rla099 Posts: 66 Member
    what should chickens eat? like stay away from grain fed??
  • KaciWood19
    KaciWood19 Posts: 396 Member
    buy them, eat them, it's a waste to hard boil them.

    This is true, don't hard-boil fresh eggs.

    I hard boil mine for 12 minutes on the "8" setting, perfect every time! it's all about timing and temp.


    Yes I love my farmers market eggs hard boiled or poached ;)

    It's not about cooking, I know how to do that, it's about the peeling process. I find that the fresher the egg the less likely it is to release from the shell when peeling, I lose a good deal of egg while peeling. Now of course this can be fixed by cutting them in half and then scooping it out. We usually go through 2 - 3 dozen eggs a week. We get 1 or 2 dozen fresh at market and then buy older eggs at the store to hard boil. However, if we still have market eggs left over from the previous week, then we'll boil those and skip the grocery store eggs.

    used to happen to me, then I played around with the time and the temp. Now they peel perfectly! Not meaning to offend, just trying to help!
  • ElizabethRoad
    ElizabethRoad Posts: 5,138 Member
    buy them, eat them, it's a waste to hard boil them.

    This is true, don't hard-boil fresh eggs.

    I hard boil mine for 12 minutes on the "8" setting, perfect every time! it's all about timing and temp.
    You boil them? I've always been told that actually boiling them makes them rubbery. I bring mine to a boil and then remove them from the heat to finish cooking.
  • fuzzyslipperz
    fuzzyslipperz Posts: 49 Member
    I sell chicken eggs from my free range chickens. =) You probably can't go wrong, as I assume the seller will pick the best looking eggs for sale. My chickens free range + get organic chicken feed and table scraps. And yes, you can boil them, although I usually boil my older eggs. You can also put the shell eggs in the oven right on the rack and bake at 325 for 30 minutes. I've been 'oven boiling' them this way for a while and peeps tell me they taste better.

    I date all my eggs individually, but a farmer's market person might date the carton for lay date. I only sell eggs that are laid within two weeks (mostly less), but the eggs are actually still good for months if unwashed and refrigerated.
  • AlsDonkBoxSquat
    AlsDonkBoxSquat Posts: 6,128 Member
    buy them, eat them, it's a waste to hard boil them.

    This is true, don't hard-boil fresh eggs.

    I hard boil mine for 12 minutes on the "8" setting, perfect every time! it's all about timing and temp.
    You boil them? I've always been told that actually boiling them makes them rubbery. I bring mine to a boil and then remove them from the heat to finish cooking.

    This is what I do as well, it makes the yolks perfect every time.
  • Polly758
    Polly758 Posts: 623 Member
    what should chickens eat? like stay away from grain fed??

    Chickens eat grains and vegetables. Just don't let them eat eachother. They may try. Nasty beasts.

    And some feeds have chicken protein in them. Poor beasts. :(
  • schenry417
    schenry417 Posts: 11
    We have our own egg laying hens too. The usual issue with hard boiled fresh eggs is that when you peel the shell, half the egg white comes off with it. After a bit of research, I discovered this has to do with how fresh they are compared to store bought which can be upwards of 40 days old by the time you purchase them. It has something to do with the age and the air that is allowed to pass through the egg shells as they age (or some such thing - I don't retain facts, just the intent) :) Basically, if you buy farm fresh eggs and want to hard boil some, keep them in your fridge for a few weeks before boiling them. They are still better than store bought and because they are now a bit older, they will peel better. At least it worked when I tested it with my own eggs. We have four chickens for a family of 3 - that is a lot of eggs! We usually have about 3 dozen in our fridge at any one time, so letting some 'age' and then hard boiling is easy.
  • schenry417
    schenry417 Posts: 11
    Chickens are like garbage disposals and will eat just about anything. But, no old food. There is a nice list on backyardchickens.com. They do have taste buds though and some like some things more than others. Mine won't eat bananas or strawberries. They love tomatoes, rice, couscous, salad, etc. There are items they shouldn't be fed though, so it's good to check out the list if you're going to buy chickens to raise.

    I always have two bowls when I'm cooking - one for the compost and one for the chickens. and, leftovers never go totally to waste because after two days of sitting in the fridge I set them out for the girls. The weirdest thing? They LOVE chicken and eggs. So wrong I know. The key is to only give them cooked eggs, never raw or they'll try to eat their eggs before you get to them.
  • agentscully514
    agentscully514 Posts: 616 Member
    All eggs peel easier if you put salt in the boil water. try it and see!
  • spngebobmyhero
    spngebobmyhero Posts: 823 Member
    I would ask about the chicken's diet. I hate when egg cartons say "vegetarian diet" because chickens aren't vegetarians! They should be eating bugs!!

    Farm eggs are great. The yolks are bright orange usually.

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