Buying Farm Fresh Eggs; A City Girl's Guide

Guest writer: Meg Lowrie

My first experience eating farm fresh eggs was when I received a dozen of them from a dinner guest—a thoughtful gesture as he had collected the eggs from the nests of his family’s chickens that afternoon. He told me they didn’t need to be refrigerated which was fascinating and as a visual person, I delighted in the varying shades and speckles of each egg.

 A seed was planted in my easily romanced heart that farm fresh eggs was a charming lifestyle ideal.

Learning that farm fresh eggs have more of the good stuff—such as omega-3’s and Vitamins A, D, and E in their richer yellow yolk— made this desire to change our family’s egg source deepen.

Sometimes seeds take a while to grow—so it’s about 7 years later now that my husband and I together decided, this is the year we follow through on our desire to change out our store-bought eggs for farm fresh. Here are some answers to questions that I also had:

Frequently Asked Questions About Farm Fresh Eggs

How long do farm fresh eggs last?

You can keep farm fresh eggs in the fridge for 3-5 weeks. And farm fresh eggs can last up to one year in your freezer. To maintain their quality, keep them away from the door of the fridge. 

How long are farm fresh eggs good for?

Farm fresh eggs are best consumed in the first few days but are good for up to 5 weeks if you store them in the fridge. Because farm fresh eggs are quite similar to store-bought eggs, you can treat them similarly.

Do farm fresh eggs need to be refrigerated?

After two weeks. Unlike store bought eggs, farm-fresh eggs can last up to 2 weeks before they need to be refrigerated. To last the longest, they must be unwashed with their bloom intact.

How do you wash farm fresh eggs?

Wash farm fresh eggs with warm water, at least 90 degrees Fahrenheit. Don’t soak them as this can encourage contamination. If you do wash farm fresh eggs, you must dry them immediately and store them in the fridge so bacteria doesn't have a chance to grow.

What are common farm fresh eggs prices?

I found around $5 dollars for a dozen to be common, but always cash! Make sure to keep some cash in your car so you’re ready for a roadside egg stand.

Three-Step Process for starting a new farm-fresh egg purchasing habit:

First: I inquired on my local Facebook neighbour page.

A simple, “hello, where do you purchase your farm fresh eggs? Thanks for the tips!” (along with a photo as I find that helps increase visibility) I received MANY helpful responses. 

I got 18 different options within 42+ comments on my post. 

Some of the responses that stood out for me were: 

1. “____has the best eggs I’ve ever had. Her chickens are so loved and cared for.” And then the tagged egg friend replied, "I can tell you the name of the chicken that laid each and every egg.”  I find that charming!
2. Receiving confirmation that my local farmers' market has a stand that carries farm fresh eggs was so helpful to me.  Further lifestyle goals for this city girl include local honey, free range meat, organic veggies—oh my!
3. One of the posters let me know that they sell eggs from their front yard, at $5.00 a dozen (a great price I’m finding!) And it’s right close to where my in laws live in town which means less friction as I develop my new habit since I'm already driving that way.
4. “Our little ones run the (farm fresh eggs) business.” This is giving me lemonade stand vibes, and I’m delighted.

Some other responses were just encouraging me with how great it was to support local and others were joining me in my interest in taking this step or learning about the benefits of farm fresh eggs for the first time. It was a really positive experience. Farm fresh egg people are just good people. Joining their ranks! 

Second: You generally need another habit to make farm fresh eggs regularly happen —getting money out from the bank! I am making sure to keep $5-10 in my vehicle so that when I see a road sign that is advertising eggs I can stop and feel prepared! I’m finding that $5-7 per dozen is what you should expect to pay with $5 being most common. Most egg purchasing opportunities have a trust system where you take the eggs and leave money in a jar. 

Third: You need to believe that this change is worthwhile to make it a priority. If it's important to you, make small new habits to support and guide your new way of purchasing eggs.  Thoughtfully purchased food helps foster your intention to slow down around the table.

I would love to know--do you and your loved ones regularly enjoy farm fresh eggs? If not, what draws you to consider making this change? I would love to hear from you!

Recipes to try that are full of eggs!