Farmer Vicki’s Fresh Eggs

Farmer Vicki’s Fresh Eggs

I used to think of eggs as a commodity product – if they were cheapest at Dominick’s, then that’s where I bought them, because, after all, what's the difference?

A lot, of course. I now know that.

Recently, I’ve started buying my eggs from Farmer Vicki of Genesis Farms, who delivers in Oak Park every now and again. Opening the box, you can see right off that they’re different; I like that they’re inconsistently colored; sometimes there are green ones and others that are almost blue:



Cracking one into a pan, you can see that it has life in it; the yolk has tensile strength, structuring into a semi-circular bubble rather than collapsing like a deflated basketball, and the white portion is milkier, more liquid, as though the component elements have not yet grown old and tired and congealed. They are, in a word, “fresh” in a way that most grocery eggs have not been for a long time.

When cooked, these genuinely fresh eggs are very soft, almost airy, with a tender delicacy of texture not possible with eggs held one week or more, which I believe is average for most that arrive along a massive nationwide distribution system.



I cook my eggs very slowly. The one in the above shot had been on low heat for maybe 3-4 minutes when I snapped the pic. I like to cook eggs at such a reduced heat that you can barely see the whites whitening.

These fresh eggs are three bucks a dozen, which seems an incredible value. When I go to pick them up, I return home and immediately eat a few. Even if I’m not exactly in an egg mood, I know I’ll enjoy these beautiful little orbs, which were so recently laid on Vicki’s farm, and so taste and feel especially wonderful and real.

Do you know if this is the same person that comes to the Farmer's Market in Oak Park in the summertime with eggs?

I've picked up eggs from them before and they're wonderful.

I consider myself something of an expert on eggs since I eat them every morning. (No, I'm not worried about cholesterol...the dietary kind doesn't have much if anything to do with your blood cholesterol, but that's another subject) In the summer I buy eggs from Wettstein Organic Farms at the Oak Park famer's market. They also bring eggs and meat monthly to the Buzz in OP. Like Vicki's eggs they are beautiful and taste nothing like grocery store eggs—even organic, Whole Foods ones. The chickens are pasture raised so they get to eat bugs, grass and other good stuff along with some organic feed. Wettsteins meat is pretty amazing, too. Imagine, pork with wonderfully tasty fat. And chicken breasts that have skin, bones and are not the size of your head. They look like they actually came from a chicken and taste wonderful with minimal intervention from the cook.

I think Vicki may have had some eggs for sale to Oak Park people who subscribed to her summer season CSA deliveries, but they were not generally available at the market (and neither was Vicki -- she was usually at Green City).

My guess is that, like cooksguide, you probably got your eggs from Wettstein's.

Farmer Vicki's Genesis Growers is at the Oak Park Farmer's Market (and also at Chicago's Green City), but she has not in the past sold eggs at the market. Besides the Wettstein's, who generally market about once a month during the OP Farmer's Market, Scotch Hill Farms also sold eggs, and very good eggs at that.

Anyways, I so agree with Hammond's premise about the eggs. As I have said many a time, the surest way to improve your quality of eating is to seek and find great local sources of food. Great post!

But where is a NW sider to find fresh eggs? I want some, too!

Not sure how far north or west you are, but the Marion Street Cheese Market in Oak Park (more north and west than much of Oak Park) regularly has fresh eggs (maybe Wettstein's). You might call and see when they get them in.

Marion Street Cheese Market
101 N Marion St
Oak Park, IL 60301
(708) 848-2088

You know I thought about this the other day, both when I posted on this thread and linked on my blog. It's great to parade around the joy of local eggs, but would not a little more info help.

Farmer Vicki offers eggs as part of her CSAs (anyone interested in subscribing, e-mail me, and I will forward the material), but I am not sure she sells the eggs seperately.

During the farmer's market season, it's possible to find eggs, at least in some markets--I know it's possible at Green City, Oak Park and Evanston. What about now. Well, you can try this site, which has a listing of egg producers in Illinois. Terragusta, on Addison, used to sell eggs from Country Cottage, a farm in Illinois; I'm not sure that they do now as I have not been there in ages. The Country Cottage web site lists one store in Chicago that sells their eggs.

The Wettstein's bring stuff to Oak Park's Buzz Cafe about once a month, and they usually bring eggs. Ann Fisher usually posts when they will show.

Has anyone been to the Geneva Winter Market(today and all Thursdays)? I imagine they have an egg vendor. Information on other winter markets can be found here.

During the summer months when his hens are in full stride of producing, I might "know a guy" who would be thrilled to sell his farm fresh eggs for 3.00/doz. He saw this thread yesterday, and is already talking about building another coop. No interest in setting up shop at a farmer's mkt. Too expensive. I'll post more info when it becomes avail closer to warmer months. You may have interest, you may not.

Seebee,
I would definitely be interested!
thanks

While the Frankfort farmer's market is now closed for the season, I did find someone selling farm fresh eggs and locally raised meat at the winter market. Now I'm sorry I didn't take their card.

I will scout them out when the market returns in the early spring and report back for all the far south siders here.

Suzy

David Hammond wrote:They are, in a word, “fresh” in a way that most grocery eggs have not been for a long time.

Hammond,

Heartfelt apologizies to you and Farmer Vicky, I could not help but utter a curse or two as egg envy got the best of me this morning. My Phil's cage free eggs, while slightly better than standard industrial huevos, simply did not compare to straight from the farm orbs of beauty in your photo.

It may be 19° but I'm thinking of the Evanston farmers market and fresh from the hen Henry's farm eggs.

Enjoy,
Gary 'Egg Envy' Wiviott

Does anyone sell eggs of the kind we're talking about at the farmer's market that happens near Armitage in Lincoln Park and the one that happens along Clark near Old Town? (Sorry if these have already been mentioned by some other name; I only know them as "the farmer's market that happens near Armitage in Lincoln Park and the one that happens along Clark near Old Town." Are these the ones known as "Green City," referred to above?)

One great and convenient (for some) source for real eggs these days is Green Grocer, the local focused store on Grand (1402).

riddlemay wrote:Does anyone sell eggs of the kind we're talking about at the farmer's market that happens near Armitage in Lincoln Park and the one that happens along Clark near Old Town? (Sorry if these have already been mentioned by some other name; I only know them as "the farmer's market that happens near Armitage in Lincoln Park and the one that happens along Clark near Old Town." Are these the ones known as "Green City," referred to above?)

Green City is on Clark near Old Town, and Vicki does sell there under the Genesis Farms tent.

We were up in Kansasville, Wisconsin over the recent long weekend (thank you old presidents!) My friends had spoken of the egg lady from a previous trip, but they had been unable to get eggs then. We were out at the same local bar they had seen her last time and she was there with her farm fresh eggs. I approached her and asked if she had eggs available. I left with a dozen for $2. We scrambled them up the next morning and enjoyed them greatly. I particularly liked the uniqueness of each egg -- so different from the same-sized, same-color supermarket eggs!

David Hammond wrote:Green City is on Clark near Old Town, and Vicki does sell there under the Genesis Farms tent.

Thanks, David. Although it seems (if I understand VI's earlier post) that she doesn't sell her eggs there. On the other hand, that could change. I'll report in if I discover it has.

And thanks, VI, for the 1402 W. Grand tip. All info about fresh-egg sources like that in the near-north/LP/LV area is much appreciated.

I am a great believer in eggs. But maybe that's just because I like them so much.

riddlemay wrote:

David Hammond wrote:Green City is on Clark near Old Town, and Vicki does sell there under the Genesis Farms tent.

Thanks, David. Although it seems (if I understand VI's earlier post) that she doesn't sell her eggs there. On the other hand, that could change. I'll report in if I discover it has.

In the past, Vicki has sold eggs only to those folks who subscribe to her summer CSA, however...next summer, she is going to be getting into chicken in a big way, by selling the birds and, I'd guess, the eggs (which she will probably have more of, given her new focus on the chick).

riddlemay wrote:And thanks, VI, for the 1402 W. Grand tip. All info about fresh-egg sources like that in the near-north/LP/LV area is much appreciated.

The store at 1402 W Grand is called "Green Grocer" and is located at the bottom of a multi-unit condominium building with faux Parisian Roofs. More information about the store is posted here.

Hi,

There are meat chickens and there are laying hens. The meat chickens have a short life cycle of some months before they are slaughtered. The laying hens, which are often a different breed than the meat chickens, live for some years. As they mature, their eggs get larger and more marketable. Depending on the breed, they can lay for 4 to 6 years.

An aside, though we are still talking eggs, I went to two stores last week looking for medium or small eggs. The smallest egg I found was large. I prefer the smaller sizes for devilled eggs.

Regards,

Just curious..what was the going rate for fresh eggs this summer?

Drake Ramoray wrote:Just curious..what was the going rate for fresh eggs this summer?

At the Green City Market, my recollection is that I've been paying $5 for a dozen large eggs (definitely not more, possibly less).

Darren72 wrote:

Drake Ramoray wrote:Just curious..what was the going rate for fresh eggs this summer?

At the Green City Market, my recollection is that I've been paying $5 for a dozen large eggs (definitely not more, possibly less).

I bought a subscription to Farmer Vicki's eggs this summer, and I'm pretty sure it was about $4/doz. In the past year, prices have dipped as low as $3.00, which was a steal.

Darren72 wrote:

Drake Ramoray wrote:Just curious..what was the going rate for fresh eggs this summer?

At the Green City Market, my recollection is that I've been paying $5 for a dozen large eggs (definitely not more, possibly less).

At Green City, eggs are $5/dozen from Liberty Family Farms (my preferred purveyor) and from $4 to over $5 per dozen at T.J.'s Poultry (depending on size). There may be others who sell eggs as well. Genesis Growers (mentioned in the initial post on this thread) is there as well, but I believe the eggs are for CSA members/egg share subscribers only.

Matt wrote:

Darren72 wrote:

Drake Ramoray wrote:Just curious..what was the going rate for fresh eggs this summer?

At the Green City Market, my recollection is that I've been paying $5 for a dozen large eggs (definitely not more, possibly less).

There may be others who sell eggs as well...

Though they have them on a less consistent basis than the places you mention, Mint Creek Farm's eggs are the best at the market, imo. Gorgeous, bright yolks and tremendous flavor. They run out very quickly, so the only reason I'm generous enough to post this is that I'm always at the market right at opening

Matt wrote:

Darren72 wrote:

Drake Ramoray wrote:Just curious..what was the going rate for fresh eggs this summer?

At the Green City Market, my recollection is that I've been paying $5 for a dozen large eggs (definitely not more, possibly less).

At Green City, eggs are $5/dozen from Liberty Family Farms (my preferred purveyor) and from $4 to over $5 per dozen at T.J.'s Poultry (depending on size). There may be others who sell eggs as well. Genesis Growers (mentioned in the initial post on this thread) is there as well, but I believe the eggs are for CSA members/egg share subscribers only.

Thanks for the clarification. I've always bought from either Liberty Family Farms or Mint Creek Farms (the latter had very small eggs this year as they transitioned to a new flock (?) of chickens; they also have duck eggs). I tried eggs from TJ Poultry once, but had a bad experience and won't go back (the guy -- TJ? -- seemed to be having a bad morning and snapped at me for apparently asking the same question that the previous customer asked. Not that big of a deal, but it was inappropriate and I'm quite happy to continue buying from the other two places).

I have a small farm outside of Rockford. I drive to Northbrook everyday for work. I would be willing to bring eggs to sell if anyone was interested in meeting in Northbrook next summer. We currently have enough birds to feed our family but I intend on getting more. Let me know if there is any interest or questions. Dramoray at gmail dot com
Profits never been our thing, but getting closer to even might be nice.

If this post in anyway conflicts with the rules or spirit of this board, please delete and accept my apologies, as I’m new here.

Just to clarify..I could likely beat the going rate by 1.00 per dozen. For instance this year would have been 3.00 passing on the savings from avoiding the market's costs.