Chad at Carlton Farms sent his weekly email yesterday about pre-ordering milk and eggs for pickup at the farmers market on Wednesday. I leaped on the eggs, because, yes, I've come to rely on them but also because I've read no less than three articles in the last week about cage-free eggs and how the demand is outpacing supply. And, here's the thing. All "cage-free" means is that all those chickens are no longer in tight little cages. They are now crammed on a concrete floor together. No sunlight. No grass. Pecking each other to death. Is this really any better? If the eggs you buy are organic, that means the chickens who laid them have access to pasture. Access. That's a nebulous term that doesn't necessarily mean they are actually on the pasture. It just means they have access. Maybe ten minutes a day. Maybe a couple times a week. Who knows?You know, if you know your farmer. And I know Chad. And his chickens are out there, eating grubs and bugs and developing the thickest, most orange yolks I've ever seen.
This photo is from Full Moon Farms in Athens. Jason and Laura practice the pasturing technique used by Joel Salatin at Polyface Farms. The chickens are outdoors all the time. All the time. This enclosure is moved several times a day so the chickens constantly have new ground to peck, and the land gets aerated and fertilized.
When I was up in North Georgia recently, I saw the long, low buildings behind a shocking number of homes and knew they were chicken houses. And I knew that inside the buildings, the chickens were either in cages or crammed together on the floor. And I knew that was not the image I hold in my head of happy chickens. And those are not the eggs I want to eat.
If you have access to a farmer who has free-range, organic eggs, you have found yourself a treasure. Support your local organic farmer and increase demand so that, ultimately, we as consumers can encourage increased supply.
Besides, it's about time to make a One Local Summer "egg thing."
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3 comments:
Good comment Pattie, it is so important to know what we are eating and support real organic farming practices.
An "egg thing" meal is nutritious, satisfying and heaps cheaper than any "takeaway stuff".
Great Post! Pretty much my own thoughts when I read the NY Times article yesterday...where's the difference?...tiny cage or over crowded concrete floor. How is that an improvement. I hope the squeaky wheels who are crying for "cage free" will figure out that this isn't any better and keep on their tails about getting those better conditions.
It's all word games and loopholes these days...best to just get your eggs from a reliable local source, then you know for sure.
Chooks are so easy to keep yourself everyone should try it.Even our local suburban supermarket still stocks grain for chooks so there must be plenty of backyards out there with true free-range eggs.
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