Eggs

Eggs of Piscataway Acres

Although the snow is falling here once again, I thought that people were getting sick of snow pictures and articles.  But not to worry, I am sure plenty more will come given how this winter has gone!

Here at Piscataway Acres we have had a number of eggs laid and hatched.  Although I raise about 100 chickens a year for meat, most of the chickens found on the property are egg layers.  Besides chickens, I have had eggs laid by ducks and rheas.  All eggs, from any fowl, are edible, although not all eggs taste good.  Some eggs are strong tasting.  For example, most Americans grow up eating chicken eggs and if they were to eat a duck egg, they would think it a bit strong.  But some in other countries eat primarily duck eggs and think chicken eggs taste bland.  Some eggs are stronger than others.  A rhea egg is very rich and has a slightly stronger taste to it than a chicken egg.  There are a lot of myths out there that eggs of different colors are healthier.  This is false.  Chicken eggs of any color have the same nutritional value, depending on how they were raised.  I have chickens that lay white, brown, green, and blue eggs.  (The green and blue eggs come from a chicken breed known as Araucana, from South America.)  Chickens that are allowed to be free eat more green matter than those raised in coops or other forms of confinement.  This green matter causes chickens to lay eggs higher in Omega 3 Fatty Acids, which some claim to be very healthy.

Eggs have gotten a bad rap the last few years for being high in cholesterol.  This is true, but there are are health benefits to eggs.  My unprofessional recommendation is to eat in moderation.  If you don’t have a cholesterol problem, the benefits of a couple of eggs outweighs the potential problems.  For more on eggs, visit the the Incredible Edible Egg website.