Becki Walker writes about farmers market manners and crafts recipes. Search our database for a farmers market near you, and leave your review.

As we scavenge our cupboards and refrigerators in search of the next great meal, we often overlook some of the more common ingredients in our pantries.  We pass over these foodstuffs because they seem less glamorous than other treats lurking in our kitchens, but that doesn’t make them any less tasty. With a little creativity, you can create a classy meal out of nearly anything, including today's special ingredient: eggs. Pickled, frozen, aged, and sauteed.
 

Illustration courtesy Chuck Groenink 

The egg has been consumed heartily since the dawn of time, but not every culture has eaten eggs all the time –  there was actually a ban on eating eggs during Lent in the 9th century. This is part of where our Easter egg eating tradition comes from. Eggs were collected and saved during the Lenten season, and then everyone ate them in a giant Easter omelet. Nobility began to get excited about this ritual, and started to decorate eggs to give to lovers or kings.  

The egg is a symbol of fertility, creation, and new life. It doesn’t necessarily need to be eaten as soon as it pops out of the chicken, though. Eggs have been preserved in a number of ways. The Chinese immerse duck eggs in brine or coat them in a mixture of salt and clay, and then boil them before they’re eaten.

Eggs can also be pickled. Just boil, and pickle for a few days in a mixture of ginger, vinegar, salt, spices, and optional beetroot juice, which gives them a red color. You can also make a hundred-year egg, which takes much less time than it sounds. Eggs are fermented in a mixture of clay, wood ash, salt, and lime for weeks or months. Instead of turning red, though, the eggs often become dark green in the yolk and dark brown in the white. Finally, eggs can also be dried and powdered, which doesn't need refrigeration, or frozen.

If you’re health conscious, you may want to stick to eating the white (or albumen) of the egg. One whole egg contains about 150 calories, 10 grams of fat, and 12 grams of protein. However, only 15 calories of this nutrition is in the white of the egg, and none of the fat. While the yolk does contain a large amount of fat, it also holds all of the Vitamin A, D, and E. Eggs are rarein this regard:  few foods naturally contain Vitamin D, which we usually absorb through the sun’s rays.  

One thing’s for sure, though – you want to make sure you’re eating eggs that come from healthy, happy chickens. I visited a poultry farm in Pennsylvania, and the sight was pretty horrific. Chickens are only allotted about 18 square inches of space per bird in a cage, and these cages are usually stacked one on top of the other, so that when the birds defecate, they often do it on the heads of the birds below. Their beaks are sometimes sliced, often with hot razors, to keep them from pecking each other.

But how do you make sure you’re buying hen-friendly eggs? The best thing to do, if you get a chance, is to visit the farm the eggs are from. To find farms in Minnesota that produce free range eggs in a humane manner try visiting the farmer’s market, or do a Google search for “humane Minnesota egg farms,” I turned up too many to list here. Whatever you do, don’t go in for words like “all natural” or “humanely raised” on conventional labels. These words don’t mean much, as they’re not regulated by any government agencies. At the very least, look for the USDA Organic label. Though this doesn’t guarantee the eggs will be laid by happy chickens, it does mean they’re not full of hormones and pesticides.  

One dish I like to make with my organic eggs is a frittata. The version of the dish I’ve included here is great for breakfast – try substituting chanterelles for the portobellos.

Bacon, Mushroom, and Spinach Frittata

8 large eggs
½ cup heavy cream
1 cup parmesan cheese
1 cup portobello mushrooms
1 cup spinach
5 slices bacon
½ a red onion
1 tablespoon pesto
Olive oil for frying
Salt and black pepper to taste   

Dice bacon, onion, and mushrooms, sautee in oil with pesto until onions are tenderized. Whisk eggs until fluffy, then mix with the rest of the ingredients, and pour into a prepared baking dish. Bake at 350 for 50 minutes, or until the top is light brown and firm.  

Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egg_(food)
http://www.canadaegg.ca/bins/content_page.asp?cid=155-6-63    

Interested in raising your own chickens? This blog New World Geek, friend of ecometro.com, takes a look at how much homegrown eggs really cost.