Common questions we get about our eggs:

1. How long are they good for?    These are not like eggs from the store.  They last much longer, at least 4 weeks when left at room temperature and at least 3 months when refrigerated.
2. Have they been washed?   No, we do not wash our eggs.  This is why they last so much longer. And you’re getting them days after they were laid, rather than weeks like at the store.
3. Shouldn’t they be refrigerated?   They don’t have to be, but it does make them last longer. We do not refrigerate them because once they are cooled, they need to stay cool.  Our eggs are kept at room temperature until you get them – then you can put them in the fridge and they’ll last months.
4. What is the date on the egg carton?   That is the date they were laid, not when they expire.
5. Are these eggs from free-range chickens?  Yes, all of our chickens are free range. They get most of their diet from foraging, however we do provide them with certified organic feed and some high protein snacks every day.  Dehydrated black soldier larvae is their favorite!
6. Do you want the egg cartons back?  We like to reuse them when possible, just to keep costs down.  They cost us about $1 each, so it’s nice to reuse them, but it’s not the end of the world if it doesn’t happen.

Farm fresh eggs are much better than the ones you buy at the grocery store, but why?
Here are a few reasons:

1.  Farm eggs are much more fresh than eggs from a grocery store.  The grocery store eggs are typically 2-3 weeks old by the time they get to the grocery store, and they don’t last as long because the bloom has been washed off.   Farm eggs last much longer.
2. Farm fresh eggs just taste better – especially when the hens are free range and eat quality feed as a supplement to the bugs and other forage they find on their own.  Happy hens lay better eggs.  These eggs are more rich in flavor – the yolks aren’t as pale as grocery store eggs.  This is partly because the grocery store eggs are laid by hens that are stuck in cages all day. They don’t get any fresh air, sunlight, or fulfillment. They just eat bulk feed and lay eggs that will taste watered down.   Eggs from happy, healthy hens have a much brighter yolk and are healthier for you. They also make a noticeable difference in the quality of baked foods.
3. Farm fresh eggs last longer, and you can keep them at room temperature as long as they haven’t already been refrigerated.  Once refrigerated, they need to stay in the fridge.  But as long as the bloom has not been washed off, these eggs can last 3 to 6 months in the fridge!  Obviously they taste better within the first 2-3 weeks, but the bloom protects them from bacteria that causes the eggs to “go bad” like grocery store eggs.   Even when farm fresh eggs are 10 weeks old, their egg whites still grade out as Grade A.  The quality is just so much better.
4. Farm fresh eggs are fun to look at!  We have hens that lay green eggs, some that lay speckled brown eggs, others are white or brown.   Store eggs are boring.
5. Farm fresh eggs are usually less expensive than grocery store eggs.  When we can’t get rid of our eggs fast enough, we just give them away.  We’re not trying to make money off of them, we just want a little money to offset the cost of the egg cartons and some of the feed.  But even if we don’t make any money on the eggs, we’d still have chickens because they are so much fun to have around.  Some people will sell their eggs for more because they’re trying to break even, but we don’t care about the P&L on these.
6. In the case of our eggs, our hens do not have anything added to their diet or bodies that could affect the quality of the eggs.  We do not vaccinate our hens, and they only eat certified organic feed as a supplement to their natural diet.  Their diet almost entirely consists of fresh grass, weeds, and bugs around the barns, and scraps we take them from our kitchen.  Eggs that are over 4 weeks old get boiled and we feed the yolk crumbles to them.  Our chickens also have constant access to well water that comes from an underground spring.  No tap water and fluoride for our girls.  These are the best eggs you’ll ever have!

All of our eggs are kept at room temperature inside our house until you get them, and we never wash the bloom off (also known as the cuticle).  We only rinse off any mud/feathers/poop with warm water and a silicone brush, but we do not use soap.  This is important because soap will kill the bloom, which makes the eggs go bad sooner.  You may want to wash the eggs with warm soapy water once you get them, if you plan to keep them in the fridge or freezer.

How to test any eggs for freshness

All of our eggs have a date on the carton, this is the date they were laid and collected.  If you’d like to test the eggs for freshness:

• Fill a medium sized bowl with cool water
• Gently place an egg in the water to see if it sinks or floats
• If the egg sinks or lies horizontally on it’s side, it’s fresh.
• If the egg sinks but remains vertical, it is still fresh but should be eaten soon.
• If the egg floats, it’s no longer ideal for eating.

There are exceptions to these rules, but in general, they will help you check an egg for freshness before you crack it open.  This test works because fresh eggs do not have an air bubble inside.  As the egg ages, a bubble forms between the inner membrane and the shell, usually on the wider end of the egg.

Side note: we always put our eggs in the carton “upside down” with the smaller end down.  This helps the eggs last longer by helping keep the air sac inside an egg’s shell from touching the yolk.  The longer the air stays away from the yolk, the longer the egg will stay fresh.