Egg Farm Tour & Giveaway!

Hi Everyone! It’s Gourmet Sister (Michelle) back from an "egg-citing trip" to Silverton, Oregon and the Willamette Egg Farm (and I brought back some goodies for you!). The folks at the Good Egg Project flew me out to tour an egg farm run by the Satrum family. I was really impressed with the cleanliness of the hen houses. It still smelled like animals, but those were some happy chickens. We got to see two different styles of organic, cage-free houses and then a traditional house. In each house the chickens were equally noisy and curious about their visitors.

After seeing the whole farm, I’m still a fan of traditional eggs. The cage-free are over-rated. The chickens all seemed happy with their different styled environments and well taken care of. Plus, in the cage-free houses the chickens often lay their eggs in the dirt and then someone comes along and picks it up. In contrast, in the traditional houses, the bottom of the cage was sloped so the egg rolls down to a conveyer belt and avoid any contact with chicken litter or dirt. Of course, each egg is cleaned and checked over for any defects. I was amazed that eggs can often be on the store shelves within 24 hours of being laid. Those are some fresh eggs. The Willamette Egg Farm reuses or sells almost everything including the litter. Broken eggs are used for animal feed while the eggs with shell defects are cracked and used in their liquid egg products. I was truly amazed with their “green” farm. After the farm we were treated to egg cooking demos with Howard Helmer and Jeffrey Saad. Howard holds the record for the World’s Fastest Omelet Maker; 427 in 30 minutes. Wow. Jeffrey Saad has a new show on the Food Network, “United Tastes of America”. I don’t cook eggs often since I didn’t used to like the taste. After talking with Jeffrey Saad, he told me that he is amazed my family even likes eggs after hearing how badly I overcook them. Ouch. But, I’ve turned over a new leaf. I made Howard’s famous omelets for my family the night I returned. They were all amazed and asked for seconds. My husband told me it was the best 0melet he had eaten in 5 years (that’s how long we’ve been married). Here’s Howard’s secret:
Heat a 10” fry pan really hot. Beat 2 eggs and 2 tablespoons water in a bowl. When the pan is hot pour in the egg mixture. You know you pan is hot enough if the eggs immediately bubble. Then, dig and fill, as Howard says. Within a minute your omelet is completely ready to eat. Big Tip I learned: the residual heat keeps cooking the egg even when it has left the pan, so you have to stop a little early. I used to cook my omelets at least a minute on each side. No wonder my husband is so relieved.

Jeffrey Saad showed us how to cook several egg dishes. (All the recipes are off his website). Then, he patiently taught me how to flip a fried egg without a spatula. He even waited through all three eggs until I finally got it right. Jeffrey really makes cooking simple. I’m a new fan of his Pan Quiche recipe. What a great 10 minute dinner. A new egg fact—Don’t throw out the yolks. Half the protein is in the yolk. I used to only cook egg white scrambled eggs thinking I was avoiding fat. But, no, I was only wasting good protein.

And, eggs provide the most budget-friendly source of protein! If you're like me, we're all on a tight grocery budget. Eggs are a fantastic and inexpensive way to get your family the nutrients and protein they need. That's "egg-celent" news!

We are such huge fans of The Good Egg Project that we want to share some of the fun with you!

TWO Gourmet Mom readers will receive an "eggcelent" prize pack that includes:
-Fusionbrands Poach Pods
-Norpro Silicone Egg/Pancake Ring Set
-Micro Egg Microwave Cooking Cup

TO ENTER:

Time's up! We have our winners!
Congrats to:

KatyCouponer who said...
"I'm more or an omelette girl myself.. with cheese, chillies, tomatoes, onions, the works!"
and
SavannahsSmiles who said...
"I love scrambled eggs with cheese on an english muffin with turkey bacon."

Disclosure: The trip, giveaway items, information and accommodations were provided by The Good Egg Project through Edelman. I was not compensated in any way for this post and all opinions, as always, are my own.