From the nest box to the carton! Above is a photo of our first full dozen eggs. The photos were taken on January 3rd of this year. We mark how many eggs we get a day, as well as what colors they are (to know who is laying), on the calendar. At the end of 2008 we had 72 eggs. We should easily surpass this by the end of February this year, but still it is a number we were proud to get to!
I wanted to share with you the latest egg-news from Mother Earth News. For those who aren't familiar with Mother Earth News, they rock!! I was lucky to be given a collection of their older magazines, and we both liked them so much we got a subscription (our only magazine subscription too!). I highly recommend this magazine to anyone interested in becoming a little more connected with the world around them.
As you will know by the link in the right-hand column on this page, Mother Earth News did a research study on free-range/pasture-raised eggs vs. general supermarket eggs. The results of it blew me out of the water! Now, they've found out more!! Here is the link for the new results: http://www.motherearthnews.com/Relish/Pastured-Eggs-Vitamin-D-Content.aspx?blogid=1508&utm_source=iPost&utm_medium=email
Here is a quick glimpse at their findings:
In the past, we’ve found that eggs from hens raised on pasture, as compared to those commercially raised factory farm eggs, contain:
• 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
Now we’re looking at vitamin D, which many of us do not get enough of because we don’t spend any time outdoors, and even when we do we use sunscreen that blocks vitamin D production. Eggs are one of the few food sources of naturally occurring vitamin D, and we wondered if true free-range eggs might be higher in this important vitamin, too. Our latest tests show that pastured eggs have anywhere between 4 to 6 times as much vitamin D as typical supermarket eggs.
WOW!!!!!! To say I am blown away is an understatement!! I'm not surprised, as I fully believe in the difference between "real food" and "industrialized food" - you simply can't mess with things so much and not expect it to have an impact!
If you don't raise chickens - look into it! They're fun to raise and keep, and aren't as difficult as you might think. In fact, most all of our initial concerns have proven to be baseless. Check your local city ordinances and zoning, you'll be pleasantly surprised that you may be allowed to have some! If you still can't raise your own, find someone locally who does. Don't be scared to ask them questions about how they raise their chickens ~ most people will appreciate the interest you're showing in something they've devoted time and energy into! Whatever you do, don't EVER buy standard grocery store eggs again!!!! Unless otherwise noted, they're raised in very tiny cages and treated horribly. Bad for the bird, bad for the Earth, and bad for your health!!
Thank you to Mother Earth News and their wonderful team for continuing to provide such helpful information!! Y'all are truly Eggs-elent!!
• 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
Now we’re looking at vitamin D, which many of us do not get enough of because we don’t spend any time outdoors, and even when we do we use sunscreen that blocks vitamin D production. Eggs are one of the few food sources of naturally occurring vitamin D, and we wondered if true free-range eggs might be higher in this important vitamin, too. Our latest tests show that pastured eggs have anywhere between 4 to 6 times as much vitamin D as typical supermarket eggs.
WOW!!!!!! To say I am blown away is an understatement!! I'm not surprised, as I fully believe in the difference between "real food" and "industrialized food" - you simply can't mess with things so much and not expect it to have an impact!
If you don't raise chickens - look into it! They're fun to raise and keep, and aren't as difficult as you might think. In fact, most all of our initial concerns have proven to be baseless. Check your local city ordinances and zoning, you'll be pleasantly surprised that you may be allowed to have some! If you still can't raise your own, find someone locally who does. Don't be scared to ask them questions about how they raise their chickens ~ most people will appreciate the interest you're showing in something they've devoted time and energy into! Whatever you do, don't EVER buy standard grocery store eggs again!!!! Unless otherwise noted, they're raised in very tiny cages and treated horribly. Bad for the bird, bad for the Earth, and bad for your health!!
Thank you to Mother Earth News and their wonderful team for continuing to provide such helpful information!! Y'all are truly Eggs-elent!!
