This past weekend I decided to do one of those behind the scenes tests my readers are so fond of. This time we are going to take a look at commercial vs. small farm eggs. I recently priced grocery store eggs and found that “free range” brown eggs in the grocery case at the Giant were around $2.79. I didn’t see any free range organics…BUT a trip to Wegman’s Nature’s Marketplace left me speechless! $3.79 for a HALF DOZEN organic brown eggs from Organic Valley. I’m sorry but that is simply crazy! Most farms set the prices for their eggs at $1.00-$3.00 per dozen depending upon the farm, location and type of egg and way the Hens are raised.


I took the hit and bought a dozen of good old white grocery store eggs (Krehler’s) for $1.59 per dozen and compared them to some lovelies from the farm around the corner from ours  for $1.50. We don’t have any eggs available for the public right now because we are establishing new flocks, so I felt it was fair to use eggs from a farm who does have eggs available. I also felt it would result in an impartial test.

First, you notice that the sizes are different. The white extra large egg is smaller than the eggs in the carton of mixed brown eggs I have. Something you cannot tell from the picture is the smell. If you smell a white commercial egg there will be little smell other than faintly chlorine. When you smell these eggs your smell a faint smell of fresh chicken. You also can’t feel the shells, with the commercial eggshell feeling gritty and brittle and the farm eggs smooth and firm. If you look closely at this enlargement of the image above you’ll see the lumpy texture of the white egg.

Let’s crack them open and take a look in the pan shall we? I chose a brown egg of the same size as the white commercial egg for this test.

The egg on the left is the farm egg, on the right the commercial egg. Notice the difference in the size of the yolk? The yolk of the pastured farm egg is nearly twice the size of the commercial egg. The color is also a much richer orange/yellow. Notice the white? Both are firm, which is what you want…but if you look at the photo above, the yolk is off center in the commercial egg. In a nice fresh egg, the yolk will rest in the center of the white. Although hard to tell from the photo, the white of the farm egg is much clearer…also a characteristic of a top quality fresh egg. The cooking white you see is the “run-off” from the commercial egg as well. Something that you should not experience in a fresh top quality egg. In an effort to build a visual for you, the farm egg came out of the shell as 65% yolk, 30% white and 5% thin white. The commercial egg was about 30% yolk, 40% white and 30% thinned, watery white.

Some other things to consider in commercial vs. farm eggs. (source…mother earth news)

1/3 less cholesterol
1/4 less saturated fat
2/3 more vitamin A
2 times more omega-3 fatty acids
3 times more vitamin E
7 times more beta carotene

Startling isn’t it? Which egg would you rather eat? Especially when they are virtually the same price? Is the convenience of the commercial grocery store egg worth more than quality? We haven’t talked about taste yet.

Let me preface the taste talk by this personal tidbit…

For years the egg was not my friend. Or the friend of my daughter or husband. When we would eat them a slight nausea or indigestion always followed. In the case of my husband, it would be more than slight nausea. Being the adventurous folks we are, a few years ago we (my daughter and I…the husband was not quite ready to try for obvious reasons) made the pact to try first a good old fashioned pasture and grain fed chicken egg form a local farm. We gently scrambled them in a pan with a teeny bit of olive oil, the same way I always cooked the commercial egg. We ate them…we waited for the ill effects…but no! We felt fine! We tried again with certified organic eggs from pastured chickens…the same result! Finally my husband acquiesced, and he too was able to eat the eggs. What is it with commercial eggs that we cannot tolerate? I honestly could not venture a guess, nor do I advocate anyone with a known allergy to eggs trying this test. But I do urge you to give this a try sometime. I think you will be surprised at your results.

So back to taste…

The difference is profound. Period. The farm egg is rich and flavorful with GASP a slight chicken flavor. Ask yourself this question, when was the last time you actually tasted a slight chicken flavor in your eggs? I bet it was so long ago that you forgot it was supposed to be there. In baking the larger, fresher yolks of the farm eggs produce tender, rich batters. A fritatta made with these eggs takes on a gourmet feel. A simple breakfast of scrambled eggs and toast becomes a nutrient rich, flavorful treat that costs literally pennies and takes seconds to prepare.

So next time you need a carton of eggs think for a moment about the differences, and I haven’t even mentioned the benefit to the community that comes from buying eggs from a local farm. I would love to hear the results of your own tests! Please feel free to email me at slowlife {at} farmatnanticokecreek {dot} com.

Have a wonderful Monday and do something delicious!