Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
consistency, added ingredients such as onions, peppers, and ham do not fall out as easily
as they do from an omelet made with chicken eggs.
EGG REGS ARE STIFLING
Many people have forgotten where our food comes from; often consumers who pur-
chase eggs in the supermarket have no idea how an egg is produced. Others would
rather not think about it too closely. That the egg comes out of the same opening as
does the manure terrorizes some into thinking that eggs are not sanitary unless they
have gone through some “special” process that only the large-scale producers can do.
Whatever this corporate “magic” might be, these consumers wholeheartedly believe
that only supermarket eggs are safe.
In reality, simple care and sanitation methods — selecting, washing, and refriger-
ating eggs — makes home-produced eggs as safe to eat as commercially produced
eggs. As urban lawmakers take a greater role in creating farm legislation, their lack
of understanding ties the hands of the small producer. Without the lobbying power of
the huge multistate corporations, the voice of the smalltime guy or gal is frequently
lost.
Regulatory fees and special equipment costs can be shouldered only by huge oper-
ations; small producers are simply unable to compete. Although media reports make
this legislation seem crucial for food safety, swallowing their message generally boils
down to a lack of understanding, respect, and appreciation for how food has been
safely produced for thousands of years.
Remember that duck eggs are usually larger than chicken eggs, so you need to make
an adjustment to the number of eggs you use for a recipe (one duck egg is typically equal
to two chicken eggs).
One must be careful with duck eggs. A small percentage of the population has an al-
lergy to the protein found in a duck egg. If you have an allergic reaction to duck eggs,
that doesn't mean you can't eat chicken eggs, but it may mean you're allergic to duck
meat. And it's worth noting that some people who are allergic to chicken eggs can eat
duck eggs without incident. Once you have determined that they are safe for you to eat,
they make a delicious and pleasant alternative to chicken eggs.
If your duck eggs are to be consumed, be careful about what you are feeding the
ducks. Ducks with access to a pond where they eat fish and other creatures tend to pro-
duce an egg with a slightly fishy taste and smell. Ducks ranging on green pasture pro-
duce a delicious egg with a rich, dark yolk.
