Pastured, Omega 3 Free Range "farmgate" Eggs
Not only do they taste much better, they are
nutritionally superior too!
Some stats from Mother Earth News say that eggs from
chickens that are allowed to roam on pasture (instead of being confined
to cages and buildings as is the case for most commercially produced hens) have:
- 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
(Click here for the full article)
I never anticipated the popularity of the farm's eggs. We are consistently sold out, regularly
I know I can't please everyone but I must have a first come first serve policy for eggs so please do come early. Or in the summers check in with me to see whats left in the fridge for eggs so you don't waste a trip
Cuardach Farm eggs are from free range pastured chickens. I have them fenced in to a pasture area but there are always 4 or 5 escapees who prefer the run of the farm
I sell "farmgate eggs" directly from the farm as per Ontario regulations, the eggs are not graded and range in size. They are as fresh as fresh can be usually your eggs have been produced that day!
What are farmgate eggs?? Small farm egg producers in Ontario must adhere to provincial regulations pertaining to our sale of eggs. We must have less than 100 laying hens, and we are only allowed to sell eggs directly from the farm gate to the consumer, hence the term "farmgate eggs".
Sadly, we are not allowed to sell our eggs in local Farmers Markets. Most people think of a farmers market with small farmers selling vegetables and eggs but here is Ontario that is not the case. So to get access to true farm eggs from chickens that are out in fields you will have to go direct to a small farmer.
What is the difference between Free range,Free run, and pastured?? and is organic truly the way to go
Free run means the hens are free inside a run or a building and not in battery style laying cages, it does not mean the birds have access to the outdoors.
"Free-range" is a bit of an ambiguous term, at least in its technical meaning as regulated which calls for the chicken to be "allowed access to the outside."
As you might imagine, that phrase can be interpreted generously or quite narrowly. Some farmers let their free-range chickens roam on real fields and pastures as we do here. Larger producers, however, have been known to follow only the letter of the law, not its spirit, and put an open window or small door that leads to a paved patch of ground at one end of a large, crowded hen house. If nothing else, though, free-range chicken are, at least, kept cage free.
Pastured, the hens are allowed out of a building /coop on to pastures, fields, yards, and allowed to scratch, eat plants and bugs.
If you want to know ASK where you buy your eggs! If you cannot see the chickens free ranging or out in the pasture, they are not truly a free range bird and your eggs will definitely reflect the taste.
Organic
Is it really the way to go? As long as the eggs are free range and pastured? sure. But the producer/farmer will have to pass on the cost of certified organic feed to you the consumer. That's why certified organic eggs are nearly 10$ a dozen. Can your eggs be organic and the birds locked in metal battery cages?? yes unfortunately it can. Be a wise consumer, ask questions, and ask to see that the chickens are treated ethically and humanely.
Ontario Egg and Poultry Regulations for small flock growers
Full Egg farmers of Ontario regulations
Most consumers do not know that only the large producers
(the same as you will find in a grocery store) are at your local Ontario farmers markets, not small farmers.
Globe and Mail Article on restrictions on small farm non quota egg sales