What are Real Chickens and aren't all eggs real?
Real chickens live outside, foraging from the land. They forage for insects, grasses, legumes, scratch at the soil, fly, chatter, nest, fertilize, roost in interesting places and bring joy to the farmer simply by their presence on the farm. This is the type of chicken that produces the eggs you find at Parker Family Farm.
Real chickens are healthy and strong. They get wet when it rains and huddle together when it gets cold. They lay in the sun and show off their plumage and have societal hierarchies. Real chickens walk on the snow in the winter even though they think snow is 'icky'. They scratch at the compost and tease the pigs. Real chickens laugh at electric fences and foolish farmers who try to chase them around the garden and keep them out of the baby carrots.
If you are purchasing 'eggs' from the grocery store, you may not have experienced a real egg from a real chicken. Real eggs have a very distinct yellow color in the yoke that comes from the diverse diet of a real chicken. When your child is sick, one of the indicators is paleness of the skin. The yolks of industrial eggs are pale and sick looking. A real egg has a hard shell, not one that cracks if you look at it wrong. A real egg has what Joel Salatin, (described as the high priest of the local food movement) calls muscle tone. In other words, it doesn't break apart just by being cracked into a bowl. You have to work to break it apart. Finally, real eggs taste, well...real, unique, connected to the land from which they came. Give real eggs a try, you'll never go back.
Our members have access to real eggs from the Parker Family Farm Heritage and Rare Breed Mixed Flock through our Member's Choice Share. Visit the Vegetable CSA Page to the right or contact us for more information.
