Parker Farms is my local answer!
Turns out that Parker Farms, in Richmond Missouri, offers what I envy, and I don't have to jet over to England... at least, not for eggs. The answer to my question was so simple and the nutrition and taste profile profoundly different in both yolks. Wildly different!
The one from chickens that graze in fresh sunlight and forage on grass and bugs has a bright orange/yellow yolk whereas the one in our supermarkets grossly pales in comparison. Supermarket eggs are typically fed a commercial diet of grains, making them vastly inferior in nutritional quality. The bright color tells us something about the health of the chicken and, thus, the nutrients held in the egg. The eggs and meat from chickens that graze on pasture hold a higher content of Omega 3 fatty acids and fat soluble vitamins like A and E. With so much controversy on the topic of eggs, it would behoove us to stay informed about the nutrient content in meat and eggs from chickens who graze, and are happy! Happy, healthy chickens bring back this super food we call eggs.
Of special interest: Don't be fooled by advertised "omega 3 eggs" in supermarkets, where flax seeds are placed in the diet of the chicken. These are typically poor quality flax seeds that are oxidized before being fed to the chicken, therefore, rendering the egg more perishable and unhealthy, making this practice counterintuitive.
Kansas City is thriving with wonderful resources for local nutrition and great eats. Parker Farms is a gem of a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture), offering local meat and egg shares. Their vision is a sustainable, local food system! They provide far superior products than even your own, local butcher may offer... and I will boldly say, they have changed the way my family eats! We get to witness nutrition as its very best. I get to see bright eggs all the time now! You can tell a difference immediately in the flavor, and cooking takes on a whole new dimension.
When I visited the farm recently, I got the honored privelege of touring the property and seeing the lambs and cows graze so happily. Chickens were on the grass in the fresh sunlight, and the pigs were blissfully playing about and splashing in water. I picked my own eggs with pride and deep gratitude.
Parker Farms pride themselves in working as a family and making you feel a part of that very family. I think many of us take for granted the work and dedication that goes into providing food for our community. There is a passion and synergy alive there that you can both feel and taste. Something comes to life in us when we feel the love in local food, and our hearts thrive in a plentiful community!
We eat what our animals eat:
We might want to rethink the whole "corn-fed beef" advertisement that's placed so proudly on some of our menus. It's certainly not for the faint of heart. Most of us know the benefits of omega 3 fatty acids for inflammatory diseases like cardiovascular, cancer, auto-immune diseases and obesity. So, with that being known... here's the skinny on fats:
Omega 6 fatty acids are found in: grains
Omega 3 fatty acids are found in: grasses and seeds
The ideal ratio for health is about: 3:1 (omega 6 to 3). Most western diets consist of a staggering 20:1, or worse yet, 50:1. This is a real problem! So if we are eating animals that are fed grains, we are getting even more omega 6 to omega 3. Easier to remember: Grains fed to our animals make us fat and unhealthy! Grass fed to our animals makes us thinner and healthier! Let's not make it so difficult.
Stay healthy by sourcing your meat and eggs locally. To gain more information, please visit their website, and support your local farms as much as possible:
http://parkerfarmsmeats.com/
Local is delicious!
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