558121 Wed Sep 17 09:12:00 -0700 2008 17 22 Quebec (including Montreal) 0 4041742 Inspired by this morning's story in the New York Times on eggs (see below) I'm wondering where to find the best eggs in Montreal. NYTimes story: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/17/dining/17eggs.html?ref=dining I've seen the egg vendors at JTM with alluring varieties ("pintade," "caille"), but wonder about their provenance. "Pasture raised?" "Humane raised and handled?" (These terms may not have any regulated meaning in Canada, where oversight and language is different from the USA: a problem all its own). What I'm hoping to find is a reliable farmer (or, in a pinch, a good supermarket brand) that produces the nicest, most naturally-raised, and most flavorful eggs. What's your experience with eggs? Wed Sep 17 09:12:00 -0700 2008 226731 julius_ii 1 4041791 I've always been very satisfied with the eggs bought at Capitaine at JTM. My GF also tried the duck (or should I say cane) egg. Wed Sep 17 09:26:50 -0700 2008 4041742 16017 Campofiorin 2 4041816 Yup, have been going to Le Capitaine for years. See story in Gazette from the summer. http://www.canada.com/montrealgazette/story.html?id=eeb7a9a2-3e60-48aa-950b-2acbe62c59d3 Wed Sep 17 09:32:32 -0700 2008 4041791 71168 ios94 3 4042789 Many thanks to both of you for confirmation that the best place to hit is Capitaine (I hadn't noted its name when I was last at JTM) -- and thank, too, for the article in the Gazette; nice to know all the details about the proprietor and how the hens are raised. My cousin in Western Massachusetts is considering raising heirloom hens for eggs and currently buys hers from a farm where the eggs sit out in a basket, unattended. You just drop your cash and collect your eggs. They were so delicious that I was hoping to recapture something like that here in Mtl. I went up to JTM this aft and got some hens' eggs -- looking forward to tasting the results of the search! Wed Sep 17 15:05:28 -0700 2008 4041816 226731 julius_ii 3 4044237 I am rather dubious about the veracity of the claims in that Gazette piece on Le Capitaine. It's rather suspicious how he can sell his "pastured" eggs at 2.90$, which is barely above the price of supermarket Omega-3 battery eggs. The latter simply roll through the legs of the caged hens and onto the conveyor belt, they are not "hand-picked by workers strolling through the fields". Secondly, if he really was organic, he'd have a big poster either by Ecocert or Quebec Vrai or whatever, prominently displayed, boasting of his certification Best bet is through a CSA or other farmer who sells direct to consumers. Thu Sep 18 07:23:25 -0700 2008 4041816 71579 Venusia 4 4044264 Actually, they work organically but never asked for the certification. God knows why, maybe because it's coslty, I don't know. Thu Sep 18 07:30:26 -0700 2008 4044237 16017 Campofiorin 5 4057625 A lot of producers who are in fact organic can't afford to get certified, it's true. I cannot say whether this is the case for Capitaine. Wed Sep 24 08:04:23 -0700 2008 4044264 48563 mainsqueeze 2 4043564 I always wanted to try Capitaine, but got a little bit alarmed when a poster here claimed that they are mis-representing their products. I know I should have tried them myself, but thought that s/he was probably not making it up. Or maybe s/he did? http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/477259#3308591 Wed Sep 17 20:51:41 -0700 2008 4041791 53259 emerilcantcook 3 4044073 I don't think Spanky would make something like that up. He's very serious about food and farming issues, and a very nice guy IRL. Thu Sep 18 06:19:46 -0700 2008 4043564 18488 SnackHappy 4 4044083 I agree, from seeing his previous postings on this board, & before that reading his reviews, when he was restaurant critic for the Montreal Mirror paper. Thu Sep 18 06:23:07 -0700 2008 4044073 11610 BLM 1 4043533 hello Julius, This spring, we finally got our own chicks to raise as hens for eggs, I only have some 30 hens at a time, most will be pure breds. Now..those eggs...I have trouble keeping some for myself, the hens are free range((all over my yards, the neighbors and forest)). The hens will eat our of our hands and the rooster is king of them all.(He saved a hen from an attacking neighboring dog!)). Our lives have changed, the hens are so funny and temperamental..the kids love it even more. About the eggs...they are big..mostly, they do not fit in a standard carton, and they at times I have to fetch the eggs from the coop for my clients. They are so delicious, the texture and taste different and yummy. A real treat. Maybe you could find a small place to get your eggs too. Anyhow..good luck! As a side question, how much a dozen for the eggs at JTM? Wed Sep 17 20:36:00 -0700 2008 4041742 124983 Richelle 2 4046507 Hmmm. The plot thickens! I wondered too, when I went to Capitaine, how he was able to charge so little, though I'll say that I've gotten farm-raised organic eggs in Massachusetts for not a crazy amount. The half-dozen I bought at Capitaine cost, I think, less than $2 (maybe $1.50?). Since I don't have access to a CSA, I'm still hoping I might find the kind of small-scale producer locally should Capitaine prove to be perhaps less than an ideal source, or even to support someone who's producing in Montreal's suburbs, at home. I know that there are lots of people raising hens in Brooklyn, believe it or not. It's illegal to raise chickens in Boston; I wonder what the law says in Montreal, and whether there are "downtown" small-scale producers. Richelle, you don't happen to be connected to other people who raise hens and have "subscribers" or clients, do you? I would love to support someone who just has a few hens and a surplus of eggs... Fri Sep 19 05:09:24 -0700 2008 4043533 226731 julius_ii 3 4048419 Hello Julius, let me look for you, but give me a few weeks, I am leaving this week and time is short. Ciao! Fri Sep 19 17:25:36 -0700 2008 4046507 124983 Richelle 4 4057490 Le Capitaine was not a farmer. I don't know who Steve Finkelstein is, but the article says he is the son. The old guy was a liar, and if you asked too many questions he would yell at you and tell you to go away. The other egg vendors did not like him and accused him of simply buying eggs from a wholesaler and reselling them. I find it hard to belive that the son has a farm where he raises chickens ("organic" and "non-organic" separately) and ducks and quail. He is an egg vendor, not a farmer. His "organic" eggs were so cheap because they were not "organic". To give the benefit of the doubt, I will visit in the next few days and check it out. For good eggs, join a CSA. I get almost all my veggies, eggs, some meat and lots of cheddar from my CSA. I know it is good and I know where it came from. Wed Sep 24 07:13:56 -0700 2008 4048419 20900 spankyhorowitz 5 4057639 It makes me sad how much lying there is going on all over the market. By the way, what CSA are you with that you get cheese? Wed Sep 24 08:10:43 -0700 2008 4057490 48563 mainsqueeze 6 4059798 Cadet Roussel. I chose it because it has the closest drop-off tio my home, but there are probably quite a few that sell cheese, eggs, meat, flour, beans, juice, etc. The cheese isn't made by my CSA, but a place nearby. Wed Sep 24 20:33:42 -0700 2008 4057639 20900 spankyhorowitz 7 4065656 Ours is André Samson. We have eggs but not meat, dairy or other extras. Sat Sep 27 07:57:22 -0700 2008 4059798 48563 mainsqueeze 8 5006681 I'd also like to find pastured eggs and chicken. Any new leads? Fri Sep 04 22:49:46 -0700 2009 4065656 154232 montrealwaitress