Georgia Magazine - July 2018 - 39

Brown and Hayley Pitts, food-safety
specialists with the Georgia Department of Agriculture, say they're not
aware of any instances of salmonella
from Georgia-produced eggs.

Deciphering the code
Today's egg cartons carry terms
defined by the U.S. Department of
Agriculture describing how eggs are
produced.
The term "pasture-laid" describes
eggs laid by chickens that roam freely
in a pasture-type setting. White Oak
Pastures, a Bluffton-based farm that's
been in the Harris family for five generations, produces its eggs this way.
A disadvantage is that this method
exposes the hens to predators-in
White Oak Pastures' case, to the 80
or so bald eagles that live around the
farm's 1,600 acres.
"Our pastured-poultry model
does include movable houses, which
provide the birds shade and perch
space," says Jenni Harris, White Oak
Pastures' director of sales and marketing and a family member. "We feel
raising birds unconfined on pasture
allows [them] to express their instinctive behavior."
The farm's 4,000 birds keep the
staff busy finding their eggs, as this
flock can explore a large portion of
the farm.
Cage-free eggs are laid by hens

that aren't housed in battery cages.
Free-range eggs must come from
hens that have access to the outdoors in some way. They may still be
housed in movable shelters that protect them from predators and provide
ample room to walk, stretch their
wings and lay their eggs.

Other types of eggs
Besides chicken eggs, duck eggs
are becoming more readily available
both in grocery stores and at farmers markets. They're also beginning
to appear on restaurant menus. Duck
eggs have a higher fat content than
chicken eggs (thus more cholesterol),
making them good for baking.
Peter and Kristin Davenport at
Woodsong Farm in Chattahoochee
Hills bring their duck eggs to Morningside Farmers Market in Atlanta. If
you want to get some, arrive early, as
they may sell out, despite their cost
($12 per dozen), and availability varies.
David Glenn at David's Produce
Market in Decatur gets a delivery of
duck eggs each week from a small
producer in Alabama. Some sources
claim the best way to cook them is
poaching or scrambling, as some say
the fried duck egg has a slightly rubbery white, but Glenn doesn't agree.
"I eat [duck eggs] fried and
scrambled," he says.

And Georgians long have loved
quail eggs. Ken Morris from Cornelia
says he's eaten quail eggs all his life
and keeps them in the refrigerator for
snacking. He likes them pickled (see
recipe, page 40) or just boils, peels
and eats them.
"I've even smoked them," Morris
says.
Enthusiasts of duck and quail
eggs say both varieties contain more
protein, Omega-3s, minerals and other nutrients than chicken eggs. And
people who are allergic to chicken
eggs may be able to enjoy duck eggs.
With their thicker shells, duck eggs
are said to stay fresh longer.
Quail eggs also may have a longer
shelf life. Morris recalls that he used
to buy quail eggs from a producer in
Arkansas who was developing an egg
that would last as long as a year.
"The normal shelf life is six
months," he says, probably because
of the thick shell and the protective
membrane inside it.
The "incredible, edible egg"-as
an old ad campaign branded it-also
offers great variety in source, nutrition
and uses. Exploring these options can
only add to your egg enjoyment, from
breakfast through supper. So break an
egg!
Jane F. Garvey is a freelance food,
wine and travel writer from Decatur.

COURTESY WHITE OAK PASTURES

While there are many ways to
make the Hangtown Fry, the three essential elements are fresh oysters, bacon and eggs. This version is based
on one in "All About Eggs" (Clarkson
Potter, 2017: $26). The book is edited by Rachel Khong, editor of Lucky
Peach magazine, with contributions
from the magazine's other editors. It is
a compendium of facts and recipes involving both chicken and duck eggs.

Hens at White Oak Pastures in Bluffton check out the fruits of their labors as the eggs are
being readied for market.
July 2018

More online at www.georgiamagazine.org

Hangtown Fry
4 strips bacon
6 tablespoons butter, divided
6-8 oysters in the shell, shucked, drained,
liquor reserved
2 scallions, trimmed, cleaned, diced
2 eggs
1 tablespoon heavy cream
Freshly ground sea salt and white pepper
39

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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Georgia Magazine - July 2018