Are local eggs worth the fuss? I conducted a little eggsperiment, gathering eggs from four local farms, plus a regular carton of grocery store eggs. I fried them sunny-side up and tried them next to each other. Here are my findings.
Hidden Hollow Farm
Lecompton, Kansas
$3.29 at The Merc
These eggs were the prettiest fried. The yolk was tight and a dark salamander-orange, mimicking a duck egg, but the yolk had a subtle, mild flavor.
Campo Lindo Farms
Lathrop, Missouri
$4 at Nature’s Own and GreenAcres
Campo Lindo farm eggs are a local restaurant favorite, and I understand why. Breaking into this yolk was so satisfying, the river rolling over the tines of my fork in slow motion. The texture was velvet, the taste like rich custard.
Nash’s Red Barn Farm
Leavenworth, Kansas
$3 at The Merc
I watched this yolk pop up out of the white as it cooked in my skillet: a glossy, perfect hill in a snowy field. This egg tasted the brightest, like these chickens just clucked about in sunshine all day.
Barham Farms
Kearney, Missouri
$4 at Nature’s Own
The edge of the whites crisped perfectly, like a lovely lace collar for the jiggly, mellow-tasting yolk. Like the other farm eggs listed here, Barham’s chickens are free-range.
Good & Gather Grade A Large Eggs
$1.19 at Target
My control group had a pale yellow yolk that, unlike the farm eggs, broke when I poured it into the pan. After eating the farm eggs, this fried egg just tasted flat.
