Chickens and Eggs, Haute Couture Style

An egg fairy gave me a baker's dozen tray of colorful eggs the other day. The fairy, in fact, is our lovely gardener Cynthia, and the eggs came from the flock of fashionable hens we keep at the Manresa biodynamic garden.

I'm not kidding about the fashionable bit, really. As you can see from the pictures above, some of them apparently walked straight out of fashion week into our chicken coop. We have Araucana hens, with colors ranging from light brown to copper, accented with gorgeous black patterned feathers. We have the White-crested black Polish hens, sporting jet black feathers and a head of striking white plumage –David calls them the Chanel chicks. My favorites are the Buff-laced Polish hens, with the same billowing plume as the black Polish hens but in light brown and feathers intensifying in colors from beige to brown -the shades just perfect for the coming Spring fashion, Oscar de la Renta's, I'd say. Plus, these are not only haute couture chickens but they are fed haute cuisine. They eat the surplus produce from the garden and scraps from the kitchen at Manresa, no all go into a compost pile for them to peck on to their heart's content.

The eggs these hens produce are no less striking. My egg tray looks as though it has somehow captured the rainbow. The most striking ones are dark brown -so dark it could be made of chocolate. They are from the Maran hens -swathed in black, gun-metal gray, and bright red, and looking like last season's Marc Jacobs. The Martha Stewart-Green eggs come from Araucana hens. And the deceivingly plebian white eggs, which have the brightest orange yolk I've ever seen, are from the Chanel hens.

I must admit I feel a little smug, you know, having our own flock of hens producing delicious eggs and all that. But it also made me sad at the same time, because very few people can afford this luxury. Far too many people must rely on factory-farmed eggs as a main source of inexpensive protein in their diet. And the state of egg production here in the industrial US of A will depress anyone who look a little too closely at it. There are little things we can do. Paying attention to the type of eggs we buy is one, but even that one must be careful since egg labeling can be misleading.

In the Bay Area, we are lucky to have a few choices when it comes to humanely produced (and delicious) eggs: from Marin Sun farms at the Ferry Plaza farmers market and from Black Hen farm and TLC Ranch at markets in Santa Cruz, and I'm only speaking of the ones I frequent. I'm sure others can fill in on other good egg sources elsewhere (feel free to add to the comment area.) Also, the Certified Humane website has an interface that helps you find the Certified Humane products, including eggs, in your area.

What to do with these gorgeous eggs, you asked? I'm such an egg-lover I hardly know where to begin. One of David's favorites is egg sandwich. It's simple enough, fried eggs in between thick slices of toasted crusty bread. We love the eggs over-medium for the sandwich, but you could have any doneness you like. The trick is to toast the bread only about half way through first –this is easier done in a toaster oven- and then grate some hard cheese -whatever you have on hand- over the slices then back into the toaster they go. Take out the toasts when they are nicely golden and the cheese melted to a gooey perfection, then make your sandwich with the delicious eggs. You can add any sandwich fixing, tomato, lettuce, mayonnaise, but we like ours just plain. How simple, and what a pleasure!

Comments

[Eager Eater]

I've recently started reading your blog and I'm really enjoying it. This egg sandwich is one of the favorites from my childhood. My mother would make egg sandwiches garnished with bright yellow French's mustard. Still delicious.

[Sean]

Have you seen The Natural History of the Chicken? (http://www.shoppbs.org/sm-pbs-natural-history-of-the-chicken-dvd--pi-1428832.html) It's highly entertaining ...

[Vanessa]

Dali the pig reminds me of Priscilla, a pig that Rick and Kristi Knoll of Knoll Farm had or may still have. I love pigs and chickens and you're right those of us who have access to the real stuff are lucky.

[Paul]

Eggs are a super food and even better when they come in those funky colours.

[sam]

beautiful chickens, can they be eaten ;) you know since we lost Hoffman's finding a good chicken in SF aint easy.

I have to confess I am perhaps even more of an egg sandwich simpleton than you and david. I don't know why - but I can do a toasted cheese sandwich and I can do an egg one, but I prefer them separately, I am not so keen on the cheese and egg together in the same sarnie.

Odd of me I agree - i have no trouble with a cheese omelette. But then, i couldn't eat an omelette on toast, whereas I could eat scrambled egg on toast.

obviously i am incapable of an egg/cheese/toast menage a trois.

[Peter]

Keeping chickens needn't be a luxury. Some progressive cities (Seattle is an example) allow a few chickens in any sized garden. Properly cared for, they're not a nuisance. They'll eat a lot of kitchen and table scraps, and turn it into good fertilizer, and as you know there's nothing like a freshly-laid egg, especially one that's never been refrigerated.

[Chubbypanda]

Oh thank the gods. I was thinking something truly terrible when I saw the shot of the chicken and pig, followed by that looked like a fried egg and ham sandwich. It gave me a really creepy Ming's Quest moment, like when he used to go pet the sheep and then he cooked lamb chops. *twitch*

- Chubbypanda

[Anni]

Ander and I are proud of our "girlie-girls". They're in their Winter season and have begged off laying eggs for the moment, but these old gals have given us over 7 seasons of beautiful, rich and delicious eggs that only these proud owners can brag about. No complaints on our side. Your flock is lovely!

Tootles,
Anni :-)

[catherine Ross]

gorgeous eggs! a pure, humble, and versatile ingredient to work with. I love egg salad sandwiches too...with lots of onions.

[janelle]

I grew up with fresh eggs and a hen-house my dad built! SO cool and so yummy. The pic is delightful, you should enter it in some contest!

[Y]

What gorgeous chickens! Certainly not the kind I'm used to seeing around. It's too bad most chickens in the world aren't as happy as these ones.

[Gemma]

I would like to have chickens one day but until then I buy beautiful Clarence Court eggs in the UK which come in the same shades of pastel blue. I have been a lurker here for a while and just wanted to say that I hope it is ok that I have added a link to your blog on my blog at http://dressingfordinner.blogspot.com.

Gemma x

[Lisa Lam]

Oh Yummy! they are such good looking eggs (as are their layers!).

As child I used to stay at at a friends farm and they kept some really happy chickens too. I remember being blown away by eating my first double-yolk egg (still warm from the chicken) - it was soft boiled heaven! so creamy and rich, I drool at the memory... No egg has come close since even though I only buy organic eggs - sigh!

[Nate]

Beautiful eggs and pictures. How did the chickens fare during the freeze?

[Cynthia]

The chickens are very spoiled. They naturally roost each evening in their large, heated coop (only heated on these nights below freezing). Yes, we've endured four nights in a row of 16 and 17 degree weather, but each morning they boisterously emerge to peck and scratch in their gigantic yard. They make a little "drink" hole in their frozen water trough. Of course, I check each morning to ensure they have access to it.

[ana]

beautiful photos! lovely blog...

[John]

Delicious Oh! they are such good looking eggs (as they are its layers). Whereas the boy who remained in in friends cultivates and also kept some really happy chickens. Blown Memory to be absent eating my first egg of the egg double-yolk (still hot of the chicken) - it was boiled sky smooth! so cremoso and rich, drool in the memory… No egg has come close since even though I buy only organic eggs - sigh!

[Bill]

Definately one of my favorite sandwiches as well.

[hair woman]

Mmmmmm Yummie!!