Golden -- no, make that platinum -- eggs
Haven and I were at Formaggio Kitchen in Cambridge today and saw some eggs from Wicken Fen farm in Topsham, Vermont. They had packages of tiny quail eggs (which I'd only seen on TV and in restaurants), huge goose eggs (which I don't think I'd ever seen before anywhere), and beautifully colored chicken eggs (which I couldn't resist).
It was only when the woman rung them up at the register that I realized they were $8.95 for a half dozen! Holy chicken shit!! Are you kidding me?! I justified the purchase as "blog research" and tried to remind myself that the price of conventional eggs doesn't factor in the true costs to our health or the environment, but my mind immediately started reeling with questions: What percentage of my $8.95 was going to get back to Fran Hurlburt at Wicken Fen and how much would be pocketed by Formaggio? How much of the markup -- insane or not -- was justified by the fact that I wouldn't even know about Wicken Fen if it weren't for the Formaggio's foraging efforts? And what the heck IS the true cost of a half dozen clean eggs anyway?
Ok, on to the eggs themselves. Hooray! I fried them sunny side up with just a dash of salt and pepper. I also cooked some Niman Ranch applewood-smoked bacon (not necessarily local -- Niman partners with 600 family farms across the US -- but at least raised naturally) and toasted some organic 7 grain bread from Nashoba Brook Bakery in West Concord, MA (delivered by Boston Organics).
Were they worth the cost? It could have been all in my head, but I have to say they were pretty good. Haven and I both detected something subtly "healthy" about them. To me, the yolks almost tasted like the hay the eggs were delivered in. But for $8.95 I was expecting these eggs to absolutely knock my socks off. I guess I'm still getting used to the economies of eating clean and local, but for now I'm going to have to limit my Wicked Fen purchases to very special occasions.
Apparently the Formaggio folks found Wicken Fen at some (unnamed) Vermont farmer's market. You lucky Vermonters, you.
It was only when the woman rung them up at the register that I realized they were $8.95 for a half dozen! Holy chicken shit!! Are you kidding me?! I justified the purchase as "blog research" and tried to remind myself that the price of conventional eggs doesn't factor in the true costs to our health or the environment, but my mind immediately started reeling with questions: What percentage of my $8.95 was going to get back to Fran Hurlburt at Wicken Fen and how much would be pocketed by Formaggio? How much of the markup -- insane or not -- was justified by the fact that I wouldn't even know about Wicken Fen if it weren't for the Formaggio's foraging efforts? And what the heck IS the true cost of a half dozen clean eggs anyway?Ok, on to the eggs themselves. Hooray! I fried them sunny side up with just a dash of salt and pepper. I also cooked some Niman Ranch applewood-smoked bacon (not necessarily local -- Niman partners with 600 family farms across the US -- but at least raised naturally) and toasted some organic 7 grain bread from Nashoba Brook Bakery in West Concord, MA (delivered by Boston Organics).
Were they worth the cost? It could have been all in my head, but I have to say they were pretty good. Haven and I both detected something subtly "healthy" about them. To me, the yolks almost tasted like the hay the eggs were delivered in. But for $8.95 I was expecting these eggs to absolutely knock my socks off. I guess I'm still getting used to the economies of eating clean and local, but for now I'm going to have to limit my Wicked Fen purchases to very special occasions.Apparently the Formaggio folks found Wicken Fen at some (unnamed) Vermont farmer's market. You lucky Vermonters, you.
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Hey, great blog! I also live in the Boston area and am striving to buy and eat more local foods. I've been on the lookout for local eggs, and recently discovered Chip-In Farm in Bedford, MA. They're not organic, but they are super local and the hens are free-running. I picked up a dozen for (I think) $3.19 at Busa Farm in Lexington.
http://www.chip-infarm.com/