best place to buy eggs not from a factory? (near brandon/valrico) (Dover: coops)

[GoUSF]

Anyone know where I could get farm raised or free range eggs here in tampa, I live in the brandon area currently and we go through a lot of eggs but I have been reading that the ones we buy in the store are usually lacking some of the nutrients and flavor, id love to try the difference and see for my self. Most notably they say the yolk difference is huge, lately I noticed the eggs we buy are a very dull pale yellow apparently its supposed to be a bright yellow.

Thanks

[kyle19125]

Some Publix and Sweetbay carry Organic Valley Omega-3 eggs which come from hens fed organic Omega-3 rich grain and live cage-free with outdoor access. The yolks are bright yellow and the white part stays on the firm side versus runny which I like a lot. Many stores carry them but if they don't, it shouldn't be hard to get them to since it's on their "list" of available products from distribution. Chuck's Health Food in Brandon probably carries them regularly, as well as Souther's Natural Foods in Dover.

Organic Valley - Why Organic Valley Eggs?

[jsun556]

I get store brand organic eggs from Publix.

[kyle19125]

You have to read labels and know what they mean. An excellent article here but absolutely wrong concerning price of pasture-raised eggs. They're typically around $5 a dozen and available at most legit farmers markets.

Eggs 101: The difference between free-range; cage-free; pasture-raised; organic; natural; omega-3 - New York wellness | Examiner.com

[Mike1306]

I had my own chickens for quite some time and I will say this, do not pay a big premium over what you would pay in the supermarket. It is not that big a difference.

If you are looking for omega 3, take some fish oil capsules, the omega 3 that you want is only slightly higher in organics eggs. Even though they advertise omega 3 multiple times what you would find in a standard egg there are different types of omega 3 and the ones you want are not significantly higher in organic eggs.

[kyle19125]

Originally Posted by Mike1306

I had my own chickens for quite some time and I will say this, do not pay a big premium over what you would pay in the supermarket. It is not that big a difference.

If you are looking for omega 3, take some fish oil capsules, the omega 3 that you want is only slightly higher in organics eggs. Even though they advertise omega 3 multiple times what you would find in a standard egg there are different types of omega 3 and the ones you want are not significantly higher in organic eggs.

The difference is in fact largely in how they're raised. Some find the typical factory farming practices of hens restricted to indoor battery-lit coops (limited to about a square foot of space) sitting in feces and often among other dead chickens appalling, not to mention the fact their beaks are cut off as chicks to prevent pecking each others eyes out in such close quarters. Otherwise the eggs laid are nearly the same in most eggs except for the fact the yolks tend richer and more nutrient rich in pasture-raised chickens due to the ability to eat grass/weeds/bugs plus sun exposure in addition to their grain diet.

[GoUSF]

Thanks everyone, I'm not overly concerned on the omega 3's because I already supplement with fish oil, I just wanted to test this whole thing out about how the free range tastes a world of difference better with the more nutrient dense part being a close 2nd

[kyle19125]

The taste difference from Conventional to legitimate Free Range producers isn't as evident as Pasture-Raised, though the texture is noticeably different with a firmer yolk and less watery whites. Worth noting also, some somewhat fraudulent "Free Range" producers add Carotene to the feed to create the yellowish-orange color achieved in the more expensive method involving sunlight and pasture access, making it still taste the same but looking more "natural". If you want the real deal, buy some Pasture-Raised Eggs.

[Mike1306]

Originally Posted by kyle19125

The difference is in fact largely in how they're raised. Some find the typical factory farming practices of hens restricted to indoor battery-lit coops (limited to about a square foot of space) sitting in feces and often among other dead chickens appalling, not to mention the fact their beaks are cut off as chicks to prevent pecking each others eyes out in such close quarters. Otherwise the eggs laid are nearly the same in most eggs except for the fact the yolks tend richer and more nutrient rich in pasture-raised chickens due to the ability to eat grass/weeds/bugs plus sun exposure in addition to their grain diet.

So basically, as I stated, not much difference in the actual egg, which happened to be what the OP was asking about.